Batavia is no slouch By: Kevin Devitt Batavia and Marshall reunited for the second time in the past seventeen years Saturday night at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, however, only this time it wasn’t for a trip to the IHSA state semi-finals unlike their 1991 meeting. Furthermore, not a lot has changed since their previous encouter. Both teams are still very good and both teams house some very talented stars, yet, Marshall still remains unbeaten in the series after their 56-55 victory. In a game that was hyped because of their 91’ meeting that was featured in the movie “Hoop Dreams”, Batavia and senior Nick Fruendt still looked they belonged in the past with their t-shirt like jerseys and high riding shorts. However, Fruendt and his teammates made a large statement even though they fell short on a cold night in the northern suburbs. Their statement was simple, they can play with the best -and yes, they are a true contender to emerge from the East Aurora Sectional and take on the winner of the Richards Sectional for a right to vie for a class 4a state title. I know this may seem a bit premature, however, this Batavia team is indeed, living for today. The Bulldogs are sitting atop the unknown Western Sun with an 8-1 conference mark and an overall record of 15-3. In case you were wondering, Geneva is in second place with a 7-2 conference record and an overall mark of 13-6. Batavia does have one more chance to play a state power as they host another CPS school in the form of Stan Simpson, Kenyon Smith, and the Simeon Wolverines on February 2nd - two weeks from today. Mark that one down folks. Oh and this time, since Marshall won this one for the city, I’ll take Batavia over Simeon and a win for the western suburbs.
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