WHITEWATER - Jacob Cole might make a great basketball coach someday - if he can get over his strong distaste for watching the game.
Despite playing on a bad wheel, Cole helped drive Brodhead (6-5, 3-3 Rock Valley) to a 42-40 Rock Valley Conference crossover victory in Whitewater (5-6, 3-3) Thursday night.
"I don't think he should've gone tonight, personally," Brodhead coach Brian Kammerer said of Cole, who's missed the past two weeks with a sprained right ankle. "But it was killing him to watch, and he's one of those kids that, when he's on the floor, our team plays different."
The Cardinals' prototypical point guard hit all four free throws he hoisted in the final 54 seconds. He hit the last pair with 10.9 seconds left to make it a two-possession game at 42-37, before Tony Bilderback hit the Whippets' only 3 with 4 seconds left.
"Just clutched up and hit "em," Cole said. "I just take a deep breath. Coach just told me to get the first one and the second one is gravy."
J.J. Panoske led Brodhead with 18 points, while ripping down nine rebounds and blocking seven shots. Bilderback also scored 18. Brodhead never trailed and built an 18-6 lead when Cole drove the heart of the lane, faked to Nick Jacobson at the left block and hit a tear-drop runner 12 seconds into the second quarter.
The Whippets rattled off an 11-0 run over 4 minutes, 13 seconds to get within a point, but the Cards responded with a half-closing 7-1 surge to lead 25-18 at the break. Panoske threw down dunks for the Cards' last two scores, the first a two-handed stuff over Bilderback, who was trying to help with the 6-feet, 9-inch Panoske from the weak side.
Then with 40 seconds left, Cole got to the paint and drew four defenders before fading and lobbing to the right of the iron, where Panoske soared in, caught the ball and threw it down with two hands before spinning off the rim.
"Our team loves dunks," Cole said. "It's great having a 6-9 guy. You can throw it up anywhere, and he'll go get it."
Bilderback had a chance to tie the game at 31, but missed the free throw after an exciting transition dunk. Mike Gabbey got on the floor to make a steal on defense, flipped a pass from his back to the free-throw line to David Shears, who relayed a long pass to Bilderback. The Whippets' 6-3 senior threw down an eye-popping right-handed stick over Cole and going away from the rim. Two minutes later, Alex Wallace hit two freebies for Brodhead to make it a two-possession game at 35-31. Two Bilderback free throws again made it a one-point game at 38-37 with 1:22 to play before Cole put the game away at the line.
Brodhead snapped a three-game skid in ending the Whippets' three-game winning streak.
"We were kind of down; we were in a little bit of a slump having lost three straight," Cole said. "But now we're starting to click, and we'll see where it goes."
Cole's ball-handling was integral in dismantling the full-court press Whitewater applied throughout the game. The Whippets persistently tried to trap him, and Cole's fellow guards did a great job of giving him outlets.
Over the past two weeks, he'd missed being part of such execution.
"It's hard sitting there and watching from the sideline," Cole said. "It was great to be back and be part of such a team effort."
Despite playing on a bad wheel, Cole helped drive Brodhead (6-5, 3-3 Rock Valley) to a 42-40 Rock Valley Conference crossover victory in Whitewater (5-6, 3-3) Thursday night.
"I don't think he should've gone tonight, personally," Brodhead coach Brian Kammerer said of Cole, who's missed the past two weeks with a sprained right ankle. "But it was killing him to watch, and he's one of those kids that, when he's on the floor, our team plays different."
The Cardinals' prototypical point guard hit all four free throws he hoisted in the final 54 seconds. He hit the last pair with 10.9 seconds left to make it a two-possession game at 42-37, before Tony Bilderback hit the Whippets' only 3 with 4 seconds left.
"Just clutched up and hit "em," Cole said. "I just take a deep breath. Coach just told me to get the first one and the second one is gravy."
J.J. Panoske led Brodhead with 18 points, while ripping down nine rebounds and blocking seven shots. Bilderback also scored 18. Brodhead never trailed and built an 18-6 lead when Cole drove the heart of the lane, faked to Nick Jacobson at the left block and hit a tear-drop runner 12 seconds into the second quarter.
The Whippets rattled off an 11-0 run over 4 minutes, 13 seconds to get within a point, but the Cards responded with a half-closing 7-1 surge to lead 25-18 at the break. Panoske threw down dunks for the Cards' last two scores, the first a two-handed stuff over Bilderback, who was trying to help with the 6-feet, 9-inch Panoske from the weak side.
Then with 40 seconds left, Cole got to the paint and drew four defenders before fading and lobbing to the right of the iron, where Panoske soared in, caught the ball and threw it down with two hands before spinning off the rim.
"Our team loves dunks," Cole said. "It's great having a 6-9 guy. You can throw it up anywhere, and he'll go get it."
Bilderback had a chance to tie the game at 31, but missed the free throw after an exciting transition dunk. Mike Gabbey got on the floor to make a steal on defense, flipped a pass from his back to the free-throw line to David Shears, who relayed a long pass to Bilderback. The Whippets' 6-3 senior threw down an eye-popping right-handed stick over Cole and going away from the rim. Two minutes later, Alex Wallace hit two freebies for Brodhead to make it a two-possession game at 35-31. Two Bilderback free throws again made it a one-point game at 38-37 with 1:22 to play before Cole put the game away at the line.
Brodhead snapped a three-game skid in ending the Whippets' three-game winning streak.
"We were kind of down; we were in a little bit of a slump having lost three straight," Cole said. "But now we're starting to click, and we'll see where it goes."
Cole's ball-handling was integral in dismantling the full-court press Whitewater applied throughout the game. The Whippets persistently tried to trap him, and Cole's fellow guards did a great job of giving him outlets.
Over the past two weeks, he'd missed being part of such execution.
"It's hard sitting there and watching from the sideline," Cole said. "It was great to be back and be part of such a team effort."
