Maybe Graham Schwab should be sick on the day of every game.

The Oswego junior wasn’t feeling well during the team’s walk-through Friday morning, so coach Nick Oraham sent him home to rest.

It worked, as Schwab put in a career-high 28 points Friday night to lead the visiting Panthers to an 80-71 win over Southwest Prairie Conference rival Minooka.

“I wasn’t feeling well this morning,” Schwab said. “They sent me home, so I went home, took about a four-hour nap, went out to eat with my sister for her birthday and came to the game.

“Once the whistle blew, I forgot all about being sick and just played.”

Minooka (7-3, 4-1) forced turnovers on five of the first six Oswego possessions of the game and got out to a 7-0 lead on a pair of baskets by Brady Hairald (14 points, 8 rebounds) and a 3-pointer by Nate Gonzalez (15 points). Oswego (5-4, 2-3) rallied, getting a fast-break layup by Luke Roller and 3-pointers by MJ Johnson and Roller to cut the Minooka lead to 9-8 before Schwab took over.

Schwab, a member of the Panthers’ Class 8A state runner-up football team, drained a 3-pointer to give the Panthers the lead at 11-9 and they never trailed again. He followed that with three more baskets underneath and Oswego took a 17-11 lead into the second quarter.

A 3-pointer by Minooka’s Luke Page (10 points) got the Indians to within 19-14 early in the second quarter before it started raining 3s on the other end of the court.

Sophomore Ethan Vahl (25 points) scored on a drive for a 21-14 Oswego lead before Schwab and Vahl each hit a 3-pointer and Johnson drained two in a row for a 33-14 edge en route to a 40-20 halftime lead.

“They got us overextended early with the pressure on the guards,” Oraham said. “After we talked about it, the guys got going downhill and getting into the lane, where they could either shoot or kick out for a 3.

“We knocked down our shots in the second quarter. I think we were 7 of 15 from 3 in the first half and they were 2 of 8. That was pretty much the tale of the first half.”

Minooka got out quickly again in the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers by Nehemia Brown (15 points) and Hairald to pull to within 40-26.

Again, Oswego had an answer and this time it was in the form of 6-11 sophomore Cole Jansons. Jansons scored five points in a 7-0 run, the last two on a fast break dunk, and the Panthers held Minooka scoreless for 3:00 before Rhett Harris ended the Indian drought with a pair of free throws. Oswego was able to stretch the lead to 61-39 entering the fourth.

The Indians scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter, drawing to within 60-48 after a basket by Gonzalez. Minooka closed it to 68-58 with 3:30 left on a basket by Hairald, but Vahl went 6 of 8 from the free throw line down the stretch and added another driving basket to keep the Indians at bay.

“It’s nice to put the ball in Ethan’s hands in the fourth,” Oraham said. “He is a little out of control sometimes, but we have all the confidence in the world in him. He really understands the game and the situation.

“Graham is just tough as nails. At our walk-through, he was just laying down and didn’t feel well, so we sent him home. He showed his toughness tonight. He’s one of those guys that’s always around the ball, makes the right read when he’s on defense and is a physical player. Once he and some other guys get into basketball shape, we will be in good shape.”