Saturday, March 12, 2011
Glenbard East 80, East Aurora 62. East Aurora's run ends in the sectional finals, wrapping up the stellar four-year career of Ryan Boatright.
AURORA – With his standout high school career just having ended steps away from the locker room, East Aurora senior Ryan Boatright donned a symbol of his future Friday. The Tomcats’ season, and Boatright’s electrifying career, had just ended with an 80-62 loss to Glenbard East in the Class 4A East Aurora Sectional title game. Boatright addressed the media in a UConn T-shirt, where he hopes to write the next chapter of his career, while still processing the end of this stanza. “It’s heartbreaking,” Boatright said. “I feel it now. I loved my career here. I felt like I had a great career here, a lot of great teammates. I’m from the east side of Aurora, and I’ll never forget where I came from.” As usual, Boatright did his best to deliver a win…
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
East Aurora 60, Benet 52. Behind 29 points from Ryan Boatright, the Tomcats end Benet's unbeaten run at 29-1 and reach the sectional title game for the first time in seven years.
AURORA – East Aurora senior Ryan Boatright has had visions of leading the Tomcats to the state tournament, which hasn’t happened since his father Mike McCallister’s senior year in 1992, for four years. Facing the state’s top-ranked team, 29-0 Benet Academy, was not going to faze him with his high school career on the line in Tuesday’s Class 4A East Aurora Sectional semifinal. The UConn recruit put on another dazzling show, leading the Tomcats to a 60-52 win by pouring in a game-high 29 points. The fourth-seeded Tomcats will face either Downers Grove South or Glenbard East in Friday’s sectional title game. “I want to fulfill my dream of going to state,” Boatright said. “We knew we couldn’t get over hyped because we were playing the No. 1 …
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
East Aurora 67, Plainfield North 54. East Aurora star Ryan Boatright is held to a season low 13, but the Tomcats advance in regionals thanks to Johnson, Williams.
BOLINGBROOK – People have become so used to East Aurora senior Ryan Boatright scoring over 30 points per game this season that it seems like an afterthought. But as the Tomcats opened their quest for their first state tournament berth since 1992 Tuesday in the Class 4A Bolingbrook Regional semifinals against Plainfield North, they caught a glimpse of what life is like when Boatright doesn’t score at his normal clip. Boatright was held to a season-low 13 points on 5-of-21 shooting from the field, and second leading scorer Snoop Viser sat out with a sprained ankle. But East was able to cruise to 67-54 win regardless thanks to contributions from the likes of Domonique Johnson and John Williams. Williams scored a game-high 21 points and …
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Unlikely heroes emerge in East's 74-66 boys basketball victory over West on Saturday night.
It is one of the true hallmarks of the East High-West High rivalry in Aurora. For the schools’ historic rivalry, the oldest in the state, there has been a decades-long penchant for the series to produce the most unlikeliest of heroes. Saturday night at East High before a frenzied crowd in excess of 4,00, Patrick Pryor and Dominique Johnson were the selected ones during the Tomcats’ thrilling 74-66 victory over their archrivals from the West Side. The history books will one day show Ryan Boatright torching his former middle school teammates for 41 points, or that Snoop Viser turned the tide with his four 3-pointers in collecting 16 points. But it was Johnson, the Tomcats’ defensive stopper, and Pryor, recently permitted to play after …
Friday, February 11, 2011
After struggling with consistency for over two months, East Aurora senior Snoop Viser explodes for 21 second-half points against Neuqua Valley on Thursday.
AURORA–For over two months, the man who was supposed to play Robin to Ryan Boatright’s Batman this season has been missing from East Aurora’s boys basketball team. Sure, there have been flashes for senior Snoop Viser. But the marksman who came out for the second half of Thursday’s 78-71 win over Neuqua Valley, which clinched at least a share of the Upstate Eight Valley title for the Tomcats, has been missing for some time now. With the Tomcats trailing by 11 points at the half, Viser came out in the second half and scored 21 of his 26 points to help East Aurora turn the tables and pull away for the win. “That’s what he’s capable of, and I’ve been waiting on that for a while,” East coach Wendell Jeffries said. “He’s been in a slump. The …
41.74591
-88.298159
500 Tomcat Ln, Aurora, IL
/articles/pow-boatright-gets-his-sidekick-back
/locations/3365449
Thursday, February 10, 2011
East Aurora 78, Neuqua Valley 71. Dynamic East Aurora duo scores 62 points as the Tomcats capture at least a share of the Upstate Eight Valley title.
The Hot Read: After struggling for much of the past two months, East Aurora senior Snoop Viser awoke in the second half, scoring 21 of his 26 points after the break, to deliver the Tomcats at least a share of their first conference championship in 11 seasons. Neuqua took an 11-point lead into the second half, but never led again after taking a 53-51 lead early in the fourth. The win completed a regular-season sweep for East over Neuqua. Prior to the game, East Aurora learned that it earned the No. 4 seed and Neuqua the No. 5 seed in the upcoming Class 4A East Aurora Sectional. The pairings will be released on IHSA.org Friday at 3 p.m. Patch’s MVP: East Aurora senior Ryan Boatright was magnificent again, scoring a game-high 36 points on 10-…
41.74591
-88.298159
500 Tomcat Ln, Aurora, IL
/articles/boys-basketball-viser-boatright-deliver-tomcats-first-conference-crown-in-11-years
/locations/3365385
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Latrell 'Snoop' Viser gives Tomcats a 3-point threat, takes some of the load off celebrated backcourt mate Ryan Boatright.
Ryan Boatright has been the face of the East Aurora boys basketball program ever since he elicited national news before playing in his first game for the Tomcats. But the 'Cats are far from a one-man operation. Connecticut-bound Boatright is a leading contender for Illinois’ Mr. Basketball after two eye-popping performances, but the electric point guard has an able backcourt mate in Latrell “Snoop” Viser. “I do think (Viser) gets overshadowed by Boatright,” said Woodridge-based talent evaluator Roy Schmidt. “He is a good 3-point shooter, but he can score in a variety of ways. In my opinion, that’s the strongest asset to his game.” Viser began his prep career at Oswego East, but the off-guard transferred to East Aurora after his sophomore …
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Iconic coach has made defense, unselfish play a Blackhawks trademark for more than 30 years.
John F. Kennedy was president when Gordie Kerkman arrived at West Aurora and begain his teaching and coaching career in the fall of 1962. The iconic coach, who earlier this season won his 700th game directing the Blackhawks’ legendary boys basketball program, remembers the first season very well. The 1962-63 West Aurora team went 1-22. “The only team we beat was Crystal Lake,” Kerkman said. “They only won one game that year. It was against us at a tournament in DeKalb.” Thirty-seven years later, Kerkman reached the apex of his profession when his team stunned Darius Miles’ East St. Louis team and Chicago Public League powerhouse Westinghouse in the semifinals and final to take home the 2000 Class AA state championship. It was an …
Rosanna Hopkins
7:33 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
It was truly a blessing to have been there to watch and support our EA Tomcats....I want to say to all of them to keep your head up. You guys had a great season, and defeated the number 1 team Benet Academy! My son John Williams Jr. I'm very proud of you...you put in a lot of hard work, and it paid off. Congrats to you all on a great journey. Continue to be proud of the accomplishment that you … more ›