With several key players out of the lineup early in the season, sophomore guard Abe Martinez knew there would be chances to make a difference right away for West Aurora.
Martinez has wasted little time seizing his opportunity in his three varsity games after being pulled up from the sophomore team.
“I’m just trying to help my team the best way possible,” Martinez said. “The game is slowing down for me, especially with more reps. It’s coming easy.”
It certainly came easy Tuesday night at South Elgin. Martinez scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Blackhawks to a 58-43 Upstate Eight Conference win.
Martinez hit a 3-pointer to start the game and didn’t look back. He shot 9-for-16 from the floor, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range. He added three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Junior guard Jaden Edwards added 11 points for West Aurora (2-5, 2-0). Frank Clemente paced South Elgin (1-5, 0-1) with 12 points and Ilija Babic added 11.
West Aurora coach Michael Fowler knew he needed some reinforcements with key players injured, including Iowa football recruit Terrence Smith.
So he called up Martinez and Jaden Matthews to the varsity level after the Blackhawks’ Thanksgiving tournament.
“I brought them up early in the year because our numbers are low with some injuries and some other things we have going on,” Fowler said. “We were just going to bring them up and get them accustomed to varsity basketball.
“We just never knew what was going to happen when they came to play.”
As a player under defensive-minded legendary coach Gordie Kerkman, Fowler naturally turned his attention to that Tuesday. But then he heard how efficient Martinez was offensively.
“I didn’t know he was scoring like that, but we’ll take it,” Fowler said. “We needed somebody else to step up and come up big and he did that (Tuesday), so good for him.
“Proud of Abe, proud of the boys competing. He’s stepping up and filling his role, and I think he’s acclimating himself well to being out there on the floor.”
Martinez hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and Edwards added seven points as the Blackhawks built a 15-8 lead. Then Martinez showed off more of his skills to start the second.
He had a driving layup and a pull-up jumper on the wing to start the quarter.
“If the 3-ball is there, I just want to shoot,” Martinez said. “If it’s not, I want to drive to the basket and see if I can score.”
The quick start put South Elgin in a bind from the get-go. The Storm cut the lead to 30-20 in the third quarter, but West Aurora responded with a 9-0 run to put the game away.
“We just struggled to score,” South Elgin coach Ryan Storm said. “They knocked down some early shots that we were kind of late to close out on and that kind of started the thing and we were in scramble mode for most of the second half.”
The silver lining to early season injuries? It gives players who otherwise weren’t expected to fill big roles chances to do just that. Martinez is taking full advantage for the Blackhawks.
“For now, I just want to keep getting wins,” Martinez said. “When they do come back, I just want to help the team more and do my part, show my role.
“It really proves to myself that I can play on the varsity level.”
Fowler is happy to see his young guard take advantage of his opportunity.
“That’s what we saw in him,” Fowler said. “He’s a basketball player. He loves being out there, and he’s coachable, good kid.
“I couldn’t ask for more from him this early in his career, handling himself the way that he is.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
