SOUTH WAYNE - As the final quarter wound down on Tuesday night, Heath Butler stepped up to the free-throw line knowing what was at stake.
With his team trailing, the Black Hawk junior knocked down a key free throw to give his team a one-point lead with only seconds remaining. As the clock struck zero, the one-point advantage held, as Black Hawk won a decisive victory over conference foe Barneveld, 44-43.
After trailing by three points entering the second quarter, the Warriors rallied back to take an eight-point lead at halftime.
The second half proved to be a back-and-forth battle between the Warriors and Golden Eagles, with Barneveld being able to knock down a couple of 3-pointers to close the lead to only four points entering the fourth.
But after the made free throw by Butler, a 3-pointer shanked off the backboard for Barneveld and ended what was a closely fought matchup between two conference powers.
Heath Butler scored a game-high 19 points, while brother Seth added nine points. Senior Brett Lovelace also contributed for the Warriors, adding eight points.
East Troy 79, Brodhead 43
EAST TROY - Tuesday night was a night to forget for the Brodhead boys basketball team, as they lost to East Troy 79-43.
After being outscored by 26 points in the first half, the Cardinals were only able to muster 23 points throughout the remainder of the game.
Ned Slocum and Josiah DeLorme led the way for the Cardinals with 17 and 16 points respectively. Brodhead travels to take on conference foe Parkview on Friday.
Albany 83, Argyle 58
ALBANY - The last time the Comets took the court, Derik Doescher and his team pulled off a last-second victory over conference power Barneveld. The momentum carried over in Tuesday night's game against Argyle, as Albany pulled off a convincing victory, 83-58.
For Doescher and his crew, they knew the importance of coming out strong.
"It's important to us to start strong and get out of the gates quick," Doescher said.
The Comets responded accordingly as they raced out to a 46-29 halftime lead.
In an all-around solid game, Albany saw multiple players contribute key plays in their winning efforts.
"We had multiple guys step up for us tonight, and I feel that was a key to tonight's success," Doescher said.
Seniors Mitchell Kauk and Isaiah Shell led the Comets with 17 points apiece.
Sophomores Riley Ostby (17) and Kyle Emberson (17) led the way for the Orioles, who travel to Juda on Friday.
Pecatonica 55, Juda 32
PECATONICA - After a close first half, the Pecatonica boys basketball team was able to outscore the visiting Panthers by 21 points in the last two quarters to pull away with a 55-32 victory.
After entering halftime with only a two-point lead, the Vikings responded with a 20-point third quarter and limited the Panthers to only four points.
"The first half was just a matter of us making shots," Pecatonica coach Matthew Fink said. "I felt we played with more confidence and aggressiveness at the start of the third quarter."
Freshman A.J. Hendrickson had a solid game for the Vikings, scoring a team-high 19 points. Also contributing for Pecatonica were Drew Schliem (10) and Zach Schilling (nine).
With his team trailing, the Black Hawk junior knocked down a key free throw to give his team a one-point lead with only seconds remaining. As the clock struck zero, the one-point advantage held, as Black Hawk won a decisive victory over conference foe Barneveld, 44-43.
After trailing by three points entering the second quarter, the Warriors rallied back to take an eight-point lead at halftime.
The second half proved to be a back-and-forth battle between the Warriors and Golden Eagles, with Barneveld being able to knock down a couple of 3-pointers to close the lead to only four points entering the fourth.
But after the made free throw by Butler, a 3-pointer shanked off the backboard for Barneveld and ended what was a closely fought matchup between two conference powers.
Heath Butler scored a game-high 19 points, while brother Seth added nine points. Senior Brett Lovelace also contributed for the Warriors, adding eight points.
East Troy 79, Brodhead 43
EAST TROY - Tuesday night was a night to forget for the Brodhead boys basketball team, as they lost to East Troy 79-43.
After being outscored by 26 points in the first half, the Cardinals were only able to muster 23 points throughout the remainder of the game.
Ned Slocum and Josiah DeLorme led the way for the Cardinals with 17 and 16 points respectively. Brodhead travels to take on conference foe Parkview on Friday.
Albany 83, Argyle 58
ALBANY - The last time the Comets took the court, Derik Doescher and his team pulled off a last-second victory over conference power Barneveld. The momentum carried over in Tuesday night's game against Argyle, as Albany pulled off a convincing victory, 83-58.
For Doescher and his crew, they knew the importance of coming out strong.
"It's important to us to start strong and get out of the gates quick," Doescher said.
The Comets responded accordingly as they raced out to a 46-29 halftime lead.
In an all-around solid game, Albany saw multiple players contribute key plays in their winning efforts.
"We had multiple guys step up for us tonight, and I feel that was a key to tonight's success," Doescher said.
Seniors Mitchell Kauk and Isaiah Shell led the Comets with 17 points apiece.
Sophomores Riley Ostby (17) and Kyle Emberson (17) led the way for the Orioles, who travel to Juda on Friday.
Pecatonica 55, Juda 32
PECATONICA - After a close first half, the Pecatonica boys basketball team was able to outscore the visiting Panthers by 21 points in the last two quarters to pull away with a 55-32 victory.
After entering halftime with only a two-point lead, the Vikings responded with a 20-point third quarter and limited the Panthers to only four points.
"The first half was just a matter of us making shots," Pecatonica coach Matthew Fink said. "I felt we played with more confidence and aggressiveness at the start of the third quarter."
Freshman A.J. Hendrickson had a solid game for the Vikings, scoring a team-high 19 points. Also contributing for Pecatonica were Drew Schliem (10) and Zach Schilling (nine).
