Long in the tooth he is not.
So don’t look for teammates to start calling West Aurora’s Drew Lundberg “Gramps” anytime soon.
That said, the 6-foot-4 senior forward has matured quite a bit this season, his first as a varsity starter. A few weeks ago, Lundberg committed to NCAA Division III Lawrence, located in Appleton, Wisconsin.
“I’m just enjoying every single second with my team,” he said. “I’m taking in every moment one step at a time, just trying to live in the present and not taking anything for granted.
“Appleton is going to be a big step and I’m just glad to keep playing the game I love.”
He’s not done yet here, however.
West Aurora’s Drew Lundberg (12) shoots a jumper against Glenbard East during an Upstate Eight Conference crossover game in Aurora on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Sean King / The Beacon-News)
Lundberg, his team’s only senior starter, scored all of his team-high 14 points in the first half Tuesday night for the host Blackhawks before Glenbard East rallied for a 74-55 decision.
West Aurora, the Upstate Eight West champion, led 35-30 at halftime against the Upstate Eight East champion Rams in the conference’s championship crossover, a rematch of last year’s finale won by the Blackhawks.
Junior point guard Travis Brown, who also started in last season’s conference crossover championship game, led West Aurora with 12 points, five assists and four steals.
South Dakota recruit Michael Nee, a 6-3 guard and one of five senior starters, scored 17 of his game-high 30 points in the second half to power the comeback for Glenbard East (27-3).
West Aurora’s Travis Brown (1) takes the ball to the basket as Glenbard East’s Sam Walton (24) defends during an Upstate Eight Conference crossover in Aurora on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Sean King / The Beacon-News)
“They beat us at our place last year, so we wanted revenge,” Nee said. “We had it circled and came out with energy. Games like this, everyone’s going to be juiced up and ready to go.
“They came out with intensity — kudos to them.”
Brown, meanwhile, wasn’t surprised either by Glenbard East’s effort.
“We knew they were going to come out hungry,” he said. “They were posting stuff online and that’s why we came out the way we did. We just didn’t take it up in the second half and paid for it.”
West Aurora’s Drew Lundberg (12) defends the top of the key against Glenbard East’s Sam Walton (24) during an Upstate Eight Conference crossover in Aurora on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Sean King / The Beacon-News)
Lundberg, who also had three rebounds and a steal, made two of his four 3-pointers in the first quarter and then added two more in the second quarter.
A free throw from Jaden Matthews-Thomas staked West Aurora to its biggest lead of the game at 25-16 with 3:58 left in that quarter, which featured a technical on Glenbard East coach Eric Kelly.
“He thought there should have been a few more fouls called,” Nee said. “He’s always got our backs. That’s how he is. We love that.”
Glenbard East switched to a 1-3-1 zone and opened the second half with an 8-3 burst, taking a 56-42 lead into the fourth.
“Sometimes, we just lack focus in scoring right at the basket and I think that killed us,” West Aurora coach Michael Fowler said. “We struggled with sustaining our scoring.
“We were coming down and missing twos and they were going back and making 3-pointers. That’s not a good combination, and that’s the mess we got ourselves in.”
West Aurora’s Drew Lundberg (12) shoots a corner 3-pointer on Glenbard East’s Jacob Marynowski (15) during an Upstate Eight Conference crossover game in Aurora on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (Sean King / The Beacon-News)
Lundberg was held scoreless in the second half, but Brown offered some perspective.
“I figured he had the hot hand, you keep going to it,” Brown said of the first half. “You attack and you get it to him. He produced very well, but you’ve got to keep getting it to him and we lost it.
“They got in our heads.”
There were other chances, though, as the Blackhawks struggled shooting layups.
“They had a guy come up on the high side of the screen close out on me, run the baseline,” Lundberg said. “It led to a lot of open looks in the middle. We had to capitalize on that but didn’t.”
West Aurora hosts a Class 4A regional next week and opens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against Waubonsie Valley (16-13), which plays zone almost exclusively.
“We won’t survive missing point-blank layups,” Fowler said. “We’re gonna have to convert.”
