DARLINGTON - It wasn't the first time top-ranked New Glarus was on the ropes this season, just as it wasn't the first time the Knights did just enough to thwart off an upset bid.
The unbeaten Glarner Knights, ranked No. 1 by the AP and No. 2 in the WisSports.net Coaches Poll, were pushed deep into the second half by Darlington before pulling out a 64-56 victory Tuesday.
"Darlington played really well tonight," New Glarus head coach Tony Sysko said. "We pulled it together and made enough free throws down the stretch and were just happy to get out of here with a win."
The 64 points scored by New Glarus was the team's meekest this season and came in large part to uncharacteristically poor shooting. The Knights were just 7 of 22 on 3-pointers in the game, including 2 of 10 in the second half and shot just 41 percent from the floor in the game.
"We struggled hitting some shots there for a while, inside and outside," Sysko said. It was the first time in five tries, dating back to Feb. 2013, that New Glarus was able to knock off Darlington.
The Redbirds, meanwhile, came into the contest knowing they were the underdogs.
"The pressure was all on (New Glarus)," Darlington head coach Tom Uppena said. "We had nothing to lose. They were undefeated. We just had to go out there and play our game."
Zach Feller hit a 3-pointer in the opening seconds to give New Glarus a quick 3-0 lead, but Darlington was ready to answer. Freshman post player Carter Lancaster drove directly at New Glarus senior big man Cullen Brooks on the next possession to make it 3-2. Over the next two Redbirds' possessions, senior guard Tony Ruesga hit a pair of 3s to make it 8-3 Darlington.
"It was a good combination of aggressiveness and patience. We took our time and attacked the rim when it was open. And we knocked down some perimeter shots as well," Uppena said. "We came out ready. The kids were focused."
The Redbirds led by as many as nine points in the first half (25-16), sparked in part by three 3s from junior Matthew Douglas. But if there is one thing New Glarus has proven this year, down double digits multiple times during the season, its that no one can ever count the Knights out.
New Glarus rebounded with a 19-4 run to take a 35-29 lead with just 18 seconds left in the half. Then, Brooks did something he would immediately regret. Redbird junior Tucker Lange drove to the net and Brooks jumped for the block a half of a second too soon, and Lange got the roll on the rim to make it 35-31 with 8 seconds left in the first half. Brooks then grabbed the ball and attempted to chuck it down court for a quick transition basket, but Ruesga intercepted the ball and scored on a layup just four seconds later, making the score 35-33 New Glarus at the half.
"I thought (Darlington) did a great job getting back on defense," Sysko said.
The two teams slowed the game down in the second half, with Darlington switching to a zone defense and New Glarus waiting to find the open look at the hoop. The Redbirds took a 42-40 lead with 12:52 left in the game, but that would be the final lead of the game for Darlington.
"Ninety-nine percent of the year we played man (defense), but in the second half we switched it up and played zone," Uppena said. "We sent a couple of guys back in transition to try and slow them down. We wanted them to run some clock, so we could limit their number of possessions as much as possible because we can't go toe-to-toe with them (in scoring)."
The Knights seemed perfectly content playing with a one-possession lead throughout the final 12 minutes, but then a pair of transition baskets by Brooks and Dishawn Gale began to open the advantage.
"I didn't think we got a bunch of looks in transition," Sysko said. "They didn't turn it over much tonight. We try to force those turnovers and get it out into transition, but it wasn't there tonight."
Darlington had just 12 turnovers in the game, including just 4 in the second half. New Glarus had 13 turnovers.
"We tried to limit turnovers, but got pretty sloppy at times," Uppena said.
Jaden Kreklow, who led all scorers with 22 points, hit five key free throws in the bonus in the final two minutes. Brooks had just 8 points in the game, but added 17 rebounds in the paint. Zach Feller added 15 points and Trevor Gassman chipped in 10 for the Knights.
"Shots weren't falling for a lot of guys tonight, but I thought we got some big contributions. Cullen was on the boards, Pat Craker gave us a nice spark off the bench, Zach had some big buckets and obviously Jaden hit those free throws down the stretch," Sysko said. "A lot of different contributions from guys, so that was good to see."
Ruesga led Darlington in scoring with 15 points. Douglas had all 13 of his points in the first half. Lange had 10 and Fitzsimons added 9 for the Redbirds.
"It's one of those games that was down to the wire and we made mistakes in the last four or five minutes," Uppena said. "We're going to learn from this one and get better. If anyone wants to go to state they're going to have to go through New Glarus. If anything, this game gave our guys some confidence moving forward."
Darlington (11-6, 7-3 SWAL) travels to face Fennimore (15-3, 7-3) for a league game on Thursday.
New Glarus (18-0, 7-0) can clinch the Capitol South conference title with a win over Marshall (4-12, 3-3) Thursday at home.
"One game at a time. Next up is Marshall," Sysko said.
The unbeaten Glarner Knights, ranked No. 1 by the AP and No. 2 in the WisSports.net Coaches Poll, were pushed deep into the second half by Darlington before pulling out a 64-56 victory Tuesday.
"Darlington played really well tonight," New Glarus head coach Tony Sysko said. "We pulled it together and made enough free throws down the stretch and were just happy to get out of here with a win."
The 64 points scored by New Glarus was the team's meekest this season and came in large part to uncharacteristically poor shooting. The Knights were just 7 of 22 on 3-pointers in the game, including 2 of 10 in the second half and shot just 41 percent from the floor in the game.
"We struggled hitting some shots there for a while, inside and outside," Sysko said. It was the first time in five tries, dating back to Feb. 2013, that New Glarus was able to knock off Darlington.
The Redbirds, meanwhile, came into the contest knowing they were the underdogs.
"The pressure was all on (New Glarus)," Darlington head coach Tom Uppena said. "We had nothing to lose. They were undefeated. We just had to go out there and play our game."
Zach Feller hit a 3-pointer in the opening seconds to give New Glarus a quick 3-0 lead, but Darlington was ready to answer. Freshman post player Carter Lancaster drove directly at New Glarus senior big man Cullen Brooks on the next possession to make it 3-2. Over the next two Redbirds' possessions, senior guard Tony Ruesga hit a pair of 3s to make it 8-3 Darlington.
"It was a good combination of aggressiveness and patience. We took our time and attacked the rim when it was open. And we knocked down some perimeter shots as well," Uppena said. "We came out ready. The kids were focused."
The Redbirds led by as many as nine points in the first half (25-16), sparked in part by three 3s from junior Matthew Douglas. But if there is one thing New Glarus has proven this year, down double digits multiple times during the season, its that no one can ever count the Knights out.
New Glarus rebounded with a 19-4 run to take a 35-29 lead with just 18 seconds left in the half. Then, Brooks did something he would immediately regret. Redbird junior Tucker Lange drove to the net and Brooks jumped for the block a half of a second too soon, and Lange got the roll on the rim to make it 35-31 with 8 seconds left in the first half. Brooks then grabbed the ball and attempted to chuck it down court for a quick transition basket, but Ruesga intercepted the ball and scored on a layup just four seconds later, making the score 35-33 New Glarus at the half.
"I thought (Darlington) did a great job getting back on defense," Sysko said.
The two teams slowed the game down in the second half, with Darlington switching to a zone defense and New Glarus waiting to find the open look at the hoop. The Redbirds took a 42-40 lead with 12:52 left in the game, but that would be the final lead of the game for Darlington.
"Ninety-nine percent of the year we played man (defense), but in the second half we switched it up and played zone," Uppena said. "We sent a couple of guys back in transition to try and slow them down. We wanted them to run some clock, so we could limit their number of possessions as much as possible because we can't go toe-to-toe with them (in scoring)."
The Knights seemed perfectly content playing with a one-possession lead throughout the final 12 minutes, but then a pair of transition baskets by Brooks and Dishawn Gale began to open the advantage.
"I didn't think we got a bunch of looks in transition," Sysko said. "They didn't turn it over much tonight. We try to force those turnovers and get it out into transition, but it wasn't there tonight."
Darlington had just 12 turnovers in the game, including just 4 in the second half. New Glarus had 13 turnovers.
"We tried to limit turnovers, but got pretty sloppy at times," Uppena said.
Jaden Kreklow, who led all scorers with 22 points, hit five key free throws in the bonus in the final two minutes. Brooks had just 8 points in the game, but added 17 rebounds in the paint. Zach Feller added 15 points and Trevor Gassman chipped in 10 for the Knights.
"Shots weren't falling for a lot of guys tonight, but I thought we got some big contributions. Cullen was on the boards, Pat Craker gave us a nice spark off the bench, Zach had some big buckets and obviously Jaden hit those free throws down the stretch," Sysko said. "A lot of different contributions from guys, so that was good to see."
Ruesga led Darlington in scoring with 15 points. Douglas had all 13 of his points in the first half. Lange had 10 and Fitzsimons added 9 for the Redbirds.
"It's one of those games that was down to the wire and we made mistakes in the last four or five minutes," Uppena said. "We're going to learn from this one and get better. If anyone wants to go to state they're going to have to go through New Glarus. If anything, this game gave our guys some confidence moving forward."
Darlington (11-6, 7-3 SWAL) travels to face Fennimore (15-3, 7-3) for a league game on Thursday.
New Glarus (18-0, 7-0) can clinch the Capitol South conference title with a win over Marshall (4-12, 3-3) Thursday at home.
"One game at a time. Next up is Marshall," Sysko said.
