Boys Basketball: Mekhi Lowery, Oswego East ‘D’ turn away Yorkville, win 30th straight game in SPC

Oswego East's Mekhi Lowery (24) posts up against Yorkville's LeBaron Lee (35) during a basketball game at Yorkville High School on Friday, Feb 3, 2023.

YORKVILLE – Mekhi Lowery has had as big a hand as any in Oswego East’s dominance of the Southwest Prairie Conference over the past two years.

But even he didn’t realize how long it stretched.

The Wolves have not lost a league game since the season finale of the 2021 COVID-19-shortened season. New group this year, same story. Oswego East already has another SPC West title sewn up, but the road game Feb. 3 at Yorkville appeared a test against a team that has pushed itself into the upper crust of the conference. And the Wolves more than met it.

Lowery had game-highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds, and was the center of an Oswego East defense that frustrated Yorkville for much of the game. The Wolves shook off a slow start for a 59-48 win, their 30th consecutive in the SPC.

“Definitely a great win,” said Lowery, who also had three assists, two steals and two blocks. “They’re one of the best teams in the conference, and it’s toward the end of the season. This was a statement win. We really needed it and we pulled through.”

Lowery, a Towson recruit, is the rare player who can greatly impact a game without scoring, as was evident again in the first half Feb. 3.

He blocked and challenged shots at the rim. He controlled the defensive glass as a 6-foot-7 guard. When Oswego East (22-5, 14-0) went to a 1-3-1 matchup in the second quarter, it was Lowery at the point of attack.

His most spectacular moment came midway through the third quarter. Lowery knocked the ball away from a smaller guard, got the ball in the open court and made a spinning shot through contact for a 41-32 lead. Lowery, who scored 11 of his 15 in the second half, had a driving layup for a three-point play that preceded the steal.

“When he’s on top of our zone, that is what teams see right away. That’s really challenging,” Oswego East coach Ryan Velasquez said. “His wingspan, his arms go for days. That can cause some havoc for some offensive-minded teams.”

Yorkville's Jason Jakstys (32) shoots the ball in the post against Oswego East's Mekhi Lowery (24) during a basketball game at Yorkville High School on Friday, Feb 3, 2023.

The Wolves definitely did a number on Yorkville (22-5, 11-4), which had won 12 of 13 games coming in.

The Foxes shot 8 for 12 in the first quarter and led 20-10 after Jory Boley’s shot in the first minute of the second quarter.

But Yorkville shot just 21.4% (9 for 42) over the final three quarters, missed several shots, challenged by the Wolves’ length at the rim, and seemed more and more disjointed offensively as the game progressed. Foxes’ posts LeBaron Lee and Jason Jakstys combined for just 13 points on 6-for-20 shooting.

“It was really hard for us to get anything going inside,” Yorkville coach John Holakovsky said. “When they went 2-3, or they went 1-3-1, it was really hard for us to throw it inside – and we play inside out. The 3s we are shooting weren’t the 3s we usually shoot and we just had a hard time throwing the ball inside. Without transition and without throwing it inside, it was a struggle tonight.”

Lowery indeed said it was a priority to not let Lee and Jakstys go off.

“We emphasized not letting them get second shots and get too many points in the paint, really be physical with those guys,” Lowery said. “We weren’t trying to jump and swat at the ball. We were trying to be grounded, put our hands up, stay there and be as strong as we can.”

Oswego East's Jehvion Starwood (22) shoots the ball in traffic against three Yorkville defenders during a basketball game at Yorkville High School on Friday, Feb 3, 2023.

While Yorkville’s posts never got on track, Oswego East junior Jehvion Starwood got his team going with 11 of his 13 points in the second quarter. The smooth lefty hit two 3-pointers, made a nifty fadeaway jumper in the paint and finished the half with a strong drive and three-point play through contact to put the Wolves ahead 31-27 at the half.

“He is capable of scoring,” Velasquez said. “He’s really dangerous,; he can take it off the dribble and his ability to pull up and shoot the 3. When he’s clicking, watch out.”

Starwood and Bryce Shoto, who scored 10 points, each had 3-pointers during a 9-0 run, and Ryan Johnson’s 3-pointer pushed the Wolves ahead 24-23.

“I was just looking to keep us going on offense. Defensively, that was really the focus,” Starwood said. “We didn’t focus on offense. We focused on defense first.”

Johnson and Mason Blanco each added nine points for Oswego East. Boley scored 15 points and Dayvion Johnson and Bryce Salek eight for Yorkville. Blanco’s two free throws with 1:31 left in the third quarter started a 10-0 run that put the Wolves in command up 53-37.

“We dug our heels on the defensive end and got some stops,” Velasquez said. “We always know we have to keep challenging because LeBaron, he’s such a force and Jakstys, too. We wanted to not make things easy for those guys. It wasn’t particularly the guy on the ball. It takes a whole team effort, not just one guy.”