Boys Basketball: Foxes Rebound From Slow Start, Complete Weekend Sweep

Yorkville 56, Minooka 43. Indians lead 14-5 after one quarter before Foxes control the second half for non-conference win.

The Hot Read: Yorkville used solid defense in the second half to follow up Friday’s conference win with a 56-43 non-conference boys basketball triumph over Minooka Saturday at home. Minooka connected on 5-of-6 shots in the first quarter and made good on its first six 3-pointers, but the Foxes grabbed their first lead in the third quarter and never relinquished the lead.  The young Indians, who couldn’t maintain their hot shooting in the second half, dropped back-to-back games this weekend. Patch’s MVP: Yorkville’s Ryan Herron (14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist). Herron not only led his team in points, rebounds and blocks, but also led a defense that limited Minooka to six field goals in the second half. Key stats: The Indians shot …

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Yorkville Falls 'Flat' Against DeKalb

Foxes drop out of second place in conference play after 55-48 loss to Barbs on Friday night.

A “mediocre effort” kept Yorkville from defeating DeKalb in boys basketball on Friday night, according to Foxes coach Jerry Farber. “We were flat,” Farber said after Yorkville dropped a 55-48 decision. “We didn’t practice very (well) all week, I don’t think.” DeKalb (4-11, 1-4) hadn’t won a conference game yet this season, but a strong start against the Foxes set the Barbs ahead 15-7 in the first quarter. The Foxes, plagued by turnovers, missed rebounds and blocked shots, never brought forth the energy to secure a lead. Meanwhile, Yorkville’s 21 fouls helped DeKalb add 15 points to its score, while the Foxes had trouble at the free throw line and were unable to convert on second-chance shots. “We didn’t run the stuff we wanted to run early…

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Panthers' Brilliant Backcourt Play Snaps Skid

Miles Simelton and Elliot McGaughy, both sophomore guards for Oswego, scored 25 points apiece to lead the Panthers past Yorkville 75-68 Saturday night in non-conference boys basketball action.

Miles Simelton and Elliot McGaughy played well beyond their years Saturday night in Yorkville. The Oswego sophomore guards were virtually unstoppable, scoring 25 points apiece to frame the Panthers’ 75-68 victory over the Foxes in non-conference boys basketball action. After dropping four of its last six games, Oswego improved to 9-4 with the road win. Yorkville fell to 9-6. “We desperately needed this (win),” Oswego coach Kevin Schnable said. “We struggled at York (1-3 over the holidays). We haven’t had much continuity with our starting lineup lately.” The Panthers were without the services of leading scorer Ryan West, who was on a football recruiting trip to Texas. Simelton and McGaughy more than filled in for the highly rated …

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Yorkville Gets Needed 'Confidence Booster'

After posting a 3-1 record at Plano tournament, the sky is the limit for coach Jerry Farber and the Foxes during the second half of the boys basketball season.

Yorkville enjoyed a successful week at the Plano Christmas Classic, and now the question for the Foxes' boys basketball team is, what's next? Yorkville (8-5) grabbed a third-place finish at Plano in Jerry Farber's final season as head coach. After entering the tourney unseeded and feeling disrespected in the process, the Foxes would go on an improbable run. They defeated No. 5 seed Morris, No. 4 seed Forreston and No. 6 seed Princeton, while almost advancing to the tourney's finals before dropping an overtime thriller against top-seeded Rockford Christian. "That's what you want in a competitive tournament like this," Farber said. "It's fun to watch and good for the kids to win three-out-of-four." Yorkville, which started the tournament at …

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Editor's Corner

Week in Review: Dec. 27-Jan.2

Editor Jillian Duchnowski recaps the week on Yorkville Patch, in case you missed anything.

Everyone's busy, especially this time of the year. So, for your reading enjoyment, I thought I'd present the highlights of this week on Yorkville Patch. Consider it Cliff Notes, with links. Photo of the Week: An action shot of Yorkville senior guard Derek Fitzpatrick driving the baseline and putting up a shot at the Plano Christmas Classic. Speaking of sports, Yorkville Patch covered the Classic Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Babbling About Bike Trails: Yep, Yorkville Patch had a few articles about the referendum asking voters' permission for issuing up to $1 million to cover the city's 20 percent match to several bike trail projects along major thoroughfares. There was a photo poll, an article before the City Council meeting …

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2-for-2: Fitzpatrick, Piszczek Pace Upstart Yorkville

Farber diagrams 2-2-1 defense that Foxes use to puzzle Forreston, score second straight upset at Plano Christmas Classic.

On Day 2 at the 48th annual Plano Christmas Classic, the Yorkville boys basketball team played like its 'D' was No. 1. The Foxes (7-4) again turned away a higher seeded team as they defeated fourth seed Forreston 52-43 in second-round action on Tuesday afternoon. Yorkville's charge was lead by the Derek duo: Fitzpatrick and Piszczek. Senior guard Derek Fitzpatrick scored a team-high 10 points and netted his first four shots, while Derek Piszczek added eight points (5-of-6 from the free throw line) and five assists. Unlike the scoring  struggles the Foxes experienced in Monday's upset of Morris, Yorkville hit its offensive ryhthm. The Foxes made 46.4-percent of their shots from beyond the three-point arc (13-of-28). The three-point shooting…

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Fitzpatrick Free Throws Ignite Yorkville Charge

Foxes rally to knock off Morris in first-round game at the Plano Christmas Classic.

The 48th annual Plano Christmas Classic began with a bang as ninth-seeded Yorkville rallied to knock off fifth seed Morris 49-47 in a boys basketball barn-burner on Monday morning. Yorkville's charge was led by senior guard Derek Fitzpatrick, who connected on a slew of clutch free throws late in the fourth quarter as the Foxes overturned a seven-point deficit. In the first half, Yorkville was unable to get inside because of Morris' sagging 2-3 zone defense. With a congested lane full of Redskins, the Foxes were forced to take low-percentage perimeter shots. The Redskins expected to play a man-to-man defense, but junior forward Jake Olson ran into foul trouble. However, Morris (5-6) didn't miss a beat with its zone as the Redskins built a …

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