SOUTH WAYNE - Juda senior Cory Segner and sophomore Matt Schmitt were the perfect storm for the Panthers Thursday.
Segner scored a team-high 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and had two steals to lift Juda to a thrilling 58-52 win over Black Hawk that could knock the Warriors out of the Six Rivers East Conference title mix. Schmitt scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had four blocked shots.
"It was a big win for us," Segner said. "We wanted to show people in our regional that we came here to play. It's not about how many shots I make. It's about how we play as a unit. When we play together, I don't think there is a team that we can't beat."
Black Hawk senior Heath Butler scored a game-high 30 points and had 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. The Warriors may have felt like they let one slip away after shooting just 45 percent from the free-throw line (9 of 20).
"You work in practice a lot on shooting free throws," Black Hawk coach Charlie Anderson said. "These are the games when you don't make them you can let it slip away. I have to give credit to Juda because they came ready to play. They made more plays than we did in the third quarter. That was the difference."
Black Hawk (11-8, 6-3 Six Rivers East) trailed Pecatonica by one game entering Thursday. With the loss, the Warriors are now two games back and Pecatonica clinched at least a share of the conference title with a 63-42 win over Monticello.
"It's disappointing not to put ourselves in a position where we control our own destiny," Anderson said. "When you are dealing with high school kids, sometimes it doesn't go your way. There is still a lot to play for. We really have to have a short memory."
Both Segner and Schmitt took turns leading the Panthers in the second half. Segner scored 11 points in the third quarter and drilled three of his four 3-pointers to ignite a 17-8 run in the period. Schmitt scored 15 points in the second half and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. With the win, Juda improves to 7-12, 4-5 Six Rivers East.
"He (Schmitt) made big plays," Juda coach James Pickett said. "He made a big 3-pointer for us when our offense was stalling in the fourth quarter. Both Matt and Cory made big shots and they are the leaders of our team."
Schmitt scored on a layup with 3 minutes, 37 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Panthers a 34-29 lead. Segner drained his third 3-pointer of the third with 1:37 to go to give the Panthers a 40-33 lead.
In the first meeting between the two teams, Juda trailed by three points before Black Hawk switched to a press and went on a 27-2 third quarter run en route to a win. The Panthers in the first game against the Warriors struggled to cross halfcourt in the third quarter. The Panthers broke the Warriors' press Thursday and didn't get rattled.
"The biggest adjustment we made was just handling the adversity," Pickett said. "In the first game, Black Hawk went to the press and went on a 27-2 run and we hung our heads. Today we didn't hang our heads, and when Black Hawk made a run and took the lead we kept fighting."
About midway through the fourth quarter, Juda sophomore Joe Rackow scored on a layup to give the Panthers a 47-45 lead. Butler answered with a conventional three-point play to give the Warriors a 48-47 lead. Schmitt responded by drilling a 3-pointer with 2:54 to go to give the Panthers a 50-48 lead. Rackow then came up with a steal that led to Segner's layup that gave the Panthers a 54-48 lead with 1:48 left.
"We made a statement as a team in the conference," Schmitt said. "We really played all four quarters. We know it will help us get a better regional seed."
The Warriors wouldn't go away quietly. Black Hawk junior Jacob Quinn knocked down a 3-pointer to slice the Panthers' lead to 54-51 with 54.5 seconds to go. The Panthers made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 1 minute and senior Gavin Whitney scored on a layup to ice the win for Juda.
Black Hawk senior Tayler Rupnow and Quinn each scored eight points. Butler had a big game, but the Warriors are still searching for a more balanced attack.
"He's a lot more skilled than I am," Schmitt said of Butler. "He has more experience and an advantage. It's like our coach said, if they go on a run, we have to go on a run. I think this will give us confidence for Tuesday against Pecatonica."
Segner scored a team-high 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and had two steals to lift Juda to a thrilling 58-52 win over Black Hawk that could knock the Warriors out of the Six Rivers East Conference title mix. Schmitt scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had four blocked shots.
"It was a big win for us," Segner said. "We wanted to show people in our regional that we came here to play. It's not about how many shots I make. It's about how we play as a unit. When we play together, I don't think there is a team that we can't beat."
Black Hawk senior Heath Butler scored a game-high 30 points and had 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. The Warriors may have felt like they let one slip away after shooting just 45 percent from the free-throw line (9 of 20).
"You work in practice a lot on shooting free throws," Black Hawk coach Charlie Anderson said. "These are the games when you don't make them you can let it slip away. I have to give credit to Juda because they came ready to play. They made more plays than we did in the third quarter. That was the difference."
Black Hawk (11-8, 6-3 Six Rivers East) trailed Pecatonica by one game entering Thursday. With the loss, the Warriors are now two games back and Pecatonica clinched at least a share of the conference title with a 63-42 win over Monticello.
"It's disappointing not to put ourselves in a position where we control our own destiny," Anderson said. "When you are dealing with high school kids, sometimes it doesn't go your way. There is still a lot to play for. We really have to have a short memory."
Both Segner and Schmitt took turns leading the Panthers in the second half. Segner scored 11 points in the third quarter and drilled three of his four 3-pointers to ignite a 17-8 run in the period. Schmitt scored 15 points in the second half and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. With the win, Juda improves to 7-12, 4-5 Six Rivers East.
"He (Schmitt) made big plays," Juda coach James Pickett said. "He made a big 3-pointer for us when our offense was stalling in the fourth quarter. Both Matt and Cory made big shots and they are the leaders of our team."
Schmitt scored on a layup with 3 minutes, 37 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Panthers a 34-29 lead. Segner drained his third 3-pointer of the third with 1:37 to go to give the Panthers a 40-33 lead.
In the first meeting between the two teams, Juda trailed by three points before Black Hawk switched to a press and went on a 27-2 third quarter run en route to a win. The Panthers in the first game against the Warriors struggled to cross halfcourt in the third quarter. The Panthers broke the Warriors' press Thursday and didn't get rattled.
"The biggest adjustment we made was just handling the adversity," Pickett said. "In the first game, Black Hawk went to the press and went on a 27-2 run and we hung our heads. Today we didn't hang our heads, and when Black Hawk made a run and took the lead we kept fighting."
About midway through the fourth quarter, Juda sophomore Joe Rackow scored on a layup to give the Panthers a 47-45 lead. Butler answered with a conventional three-point play to give the Warriors a 48-47 lead. Schmitt responded by drilling a 3-pointer with 2:54 to go to give the Panthers a 50-48 lead. Rackow then came up with a steal that led to Segner's layup that gave the Panthers a 54-48 lead with 1:48 left.
"We made a statement as a team in the conference," Schmitt said. "We really played all four quarters. We know it will help us get a better regional seed."
The Warriors wouldn't go away quietly. Black Hawk junior Jacob Quinn knocked down a 3-pointer to slice the Panthers' lead to 54-51 with 54.5 seconds to go. The Panthers made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 1 minute and senior Gavin Whitney scored on a layup to ice the win for Juda.
Black Hawk senior Tayler Rupnow and Quinn each scored eight points. Butler had a big game, but the Warriors are still searching for a more balanced attack.
"He's a lot more skilled than I am," Schmitt said of Butler. "He has more experience and an advantage. It's like our coach said, if they go on a run, we have to go on a run. I think this will give us confidence for Tuesday against Pecatonica."
