Jaden Matthews-Thomas, West Aurora beat East
West Aurora’s Jaden Matthews-Thomas has hit his stride over the last few games. And the reason is quite simple, according to coach Mike Fowler.
Fowler emphasizes that he wants his guys to play to their strengths and showcase them. In Matthews-Thomas’ case, it’s defensive intensity, getting to the basket and playing on two feet.
“I come here to try to showcase my skills, show what I can do and prove that I can stay on the field,” he said. “(Fowler) always advocates building on your strengths and doing what works.
“I have more confidence, more energy.”
Matthews-Thomas showed confidence and energy on the big stage Friday night.
The junior guard scored 20 points – including a couple of highlight-reel dunks – as host West Aurora dominated crosstown rival East Aurora in an 80-52 Upstate Eight West victory.
Travis Brown led all scorers with 22 points for West Aurora (9-8, 5-1). Jordan Weeks added 12 points coming off the bench. Casston Cross led East Aurora (8-9, 4-2) with 15 points.
Fowler, who has been impressed with the way Matthews-Thomas has performed of late, knows that energy and production will be key to the Blackhawks’ future.
“Sometimes they have to understand their strengths,” Fowler said. “I think he’s starting to come in and play to his strengths and what he has success with. Which is scoring in the paint and being aggressive on both ends of the court.
“I like where he’s going and I like where we’re going as a team.”
West Aurora fell behind 8-2 early in the game, but a Matthews-Thomas layup started an 11-0 run and gave the Blackhawks a 13-8 lead and they never trailed again.
“They’re off to a good start,” Fowler said of East Aurora. “Once we figured out what they were trying to do and their plan of attack, our boys figured it out and ran out of there.”
“I’m proud of the way they played defensively. A lot of people in that locker room played.”
However, no one has made more memorable plays than Matthews-Thomas.
A thunderous dunk following a steal in the second quarter gave the Blackhawks their first double-digit lead at 26-15. He then scored his final eight points of the first half to lead 42-26 at halftime.
Matthews-Thomas wasn’t done making memories, either. With 1:58 left in the third quarter, he unleashed a vicious dunk. This not only gave the Blackhawks a 62-34 lead, but it also brought the lid off the gym.
“It’s the East-West game,” Fowler said. “You have to have moments like that. It gets the crowd going, especially in a rivalry. If you can get those, it really gets your team ready to go.
“He gives us a lot. I’m proud of his efforts.”
No one had a better view of that dunk than Brown. After all, he was calling for an alley-oop before Matthews-Thomas decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I was calling about the oops,” Brown said. “He went to dunk on someone and he did it. It was very exciting. It’s actually the first time he’s done it in a game, the second time I’ve seen him do it.”
His emergence makes things easier for Brown, who is West Aurora’s leading scorer.
“It’s going to help us a lot,” Brown said. “Another person with a bit of energy and some confidence will bring us a lot. For me, it takes the pressure off. It’s great.
“The double cannot happen because we have another threat in the team.”
Matthews-Thomas likes to thrive, especially because he knows what his explosive plays bring to the team.
“I feel like it brings energy and excites us all,” Matthews-Thomas said. “I’m really trying to make a name for myself.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
