Xavier Justice leads Batavia's second-half scoring spree to secure 48-43 victory over St. Charles North

BATAVIA — Xavier Justice, much like Batavia’s offense, needed some time to warmup to the court.

After Batavia was held to just nine points in the first half against St. Charles North, the junior, who was playing in his first game after suffering a broken wrist in the preseason, knew that the team needed to attack with everything they had to get more points on the board.

So when the second half started, that’s exactly what he did.

And even if his form wasn’t perfect, his scoring provided just the spark that the Bulldogs needed.

Justice put up 10 of his team-high 12 points on the night in the second half and helped the Bulldogs battle back to a 48-43 victory over the North Stars on Wednesday.

“We knew we had to go at the defense and make a play,” Justice said. “Whether it was getting to the rim, getting fouled, making easy buckets, we needed it. Shots weren’t falling, but once we got momentum back, everything connected.”

Batavia (5-1, 2-0 DuKane Conference) had that momentum showing early in the first half, with 21 of their 39 second-half points coming in the third quarter alone.

“We played ahead of them in the second half,” Batavia coach Jim Nazos said. “I thought we attacked the rim much better and our passing was better. Defensively, we found our spots and limited their shots.”

Besides Justice, juniors Joe Reid and Joe Daley, played crucial roles in the second-half comeback for the Bulldogs, especially from behind the arc. Reid finished with 12 points and three 3s and Daley had 10 with two 3s, including one with 3:57 left in the third quarter that gave Batavia their first lead of the game, which they would not falter for the rest of the game.

While being held to six points in the game, senior Jax Abalos also played a big part in the game for the Bulldogs. The Cornell commit used his 6-foot-8 figure to his advantage to grab 18 rebounds on the night.

“There was a lot of good by a lot of different players in this game,” Nazos said. “I think we’re still taking strides at who we’re going to be, but it was a really good win against a tough St. Charles North team.”

Much like Batavia, St. Charles North (3-4, 1-1) also warmed up in the second half after only managing 14 points in the first half. However, unlike the first half, St. Charles North coach Tom Poulin felt that the team had too many coverage breakdowns, while the offense couldn’t land their difficult shots.

“In the first half, we had a lot of great looks, we just couldn’t finish,” Poulin said. “But I liked how we played defense in the first half. [Batavia] amped up their pressure in the second half, and that’s when you want to use that aggression against them, but we just didn’t. This group is going to get there though.”

A central part of the North Stars' game on the night was senior TJ Gleason. The senior finished with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, and also added five assists and five steals in the contest.

“Tj is a very important player for us,” Poulin said. “He spent the offseason working on his game, doing anything and everything that we offered. We gave him the keys to the car and he’s leading us. He’s just scratching the surface though. The more minutes he gets, the better he’s going to be.”

Junior Cooper Mellican led the North Stars in scoring with 13 points, while senior Colin Hopp and Jake Love each added nine points.