SOUTH WAYNE — Black Hawk cut a 22-point deficit to just 10 late in the second half of its nonconference game against Johnson Creek on Thursday, Feb. 1, but it did not translate to a win for the Warriors. With 22 fouls and just 52% shooting from the free-throw line, Black Hawk fell 56-43.

“It’s a game of runs — that’s the definition of basketball, really. We don’t limit negative runs enough, and we don’t build up the positive enough,” Black Hawk head coach Michael Flanagan Jr. said. “We allow teams to turn one of our mistakes into two and three. It takes us too long to claw back and find that rhythm. There were about two stretches tonight were we just lost it.”

The game started on a negative run for the Warriors (1-18, 1-8 Six Rivers East), as the Bluejays (9-9, 4-5 Trailways South) forced three turnovers and had two steals. Their defense turned to offense, with Hayden Walechka and Tanner Herman getting easy buckets. Down 4-0 just two minutes into the game, Flanagan Jr. called a timeout.

“The message was playing as to who we are,” Flanagan Jr. said. “Our approach has fluctuated every game — one night we show up ready to play and the other night we don’t. I just needed to give them a wake-up call, knowing that’s not who we are. We are better than that.”

The message clicked, as Brycen Wilson put the Warriors on the board on their first possession out of the break. With high pressure, Andrew Figi stole the ball and took it back for two points, tying the game at four.

Brady Fincutter drained a 3-pointer, but Figi was there with another steal and bucket to keep Black Hawk within reach.

“That shows what our strength as a team is — our athleticism, speed and strength. A lot of times it makes up for a lack of understanding or awareness,” Flanagan Jr. said of Figi’s knack for intercepting a pass — much like he did in football. “We expect that, especially from Andrew as a senior captain. He has an ability to be the fastest player in the conference at any time. He feeds off of that, and we feed off of that.”

That’s when the Bluejays deployed a full-court press, allowing them to build up an 8-point lead. Herman scored on his own rebound and followed up with a steal for two points. Following a pair of free throws from Lane Marty, Evan Malueg scored on a putback. Dylan Bredlow’s 3-pointer put Johnson Creek ahead 16-8.

Griffin Komprood sparked a 6-1 run with a bucket beyond the arc. The Warriors then began attacking the basket. Malueg, Walechka and Hayden Wagner picked up their first fouls in a span of 16 seconds, the last sending Figi to the line for one point. After a free throw from Walechka, James Holland made an uncontested inbounds shot to make it a 17-14 game.

The one-possession margin didn’t last long, as Wagner went to the line for an and-one. He initially missed the shot, but Black Hawk was called for a lane violation. Wagner made the Warriors pay, making his second attempt.

In the last four minutes of the half, the two teams committed seven fouls. Johnson Creek went 1-for-3, while Black Hawk was 1-for-2. Figi got a second attempt on his bonus free throw, as the Bluejays were called for a lane violation, but his second shot was called off for a lane violation on the Warriors. In the process, Johnson Creek head coach Tarek Oellerich was given a bench warning.

Regardless, his team took a 25-20 lead into the locker room.

The Bluejays quickly built up a 12-point advantage in the second half thanks to seven points from Herman. The junior made the and-one after grabbing an offensive board. He then scored on a fast break and off a steal. 

While Johnson Creek gained separation from Black Hawk — the team’s lead reaching 22 points eight minutes into the second half — the Bluejays also picked up fouls. Herman committed his second and third fouls in a span of 30 seconds. Three minutes later, Walechka also picked up his third foul reaching over Carter Baumgartner on a box out.

“That’s been his M.O. this entire year. He’s going to outwork you and do the little things. He does the dirty work that other guys don’t want to,” Flanagan Jr. said of Baumgartner’s style of play. “He doesn’t always show up in the scorebook, but he’s very valuable to us.”

The fouls began to plague Johnson Creek, as Baumgartner went to the line for bonus with 11 minutes left in the game. Holland followed suit, as the Warriors reached double bonus with 6:50 remaining. In that four-minute span, Black Hawk was just 3-for-10 from the line.

Down 49-30 with under six minutes left, Black Hawk was forced to foul. The Bluejays struggled from the line, too, going 1-for-5. 

Despite Figi and Baumgartner fouling out, the Warriors found a little life. Wilson hit his first 3-pointer to make it a 49-35 game. Jacob Woodruff made both shots at the charity stripe, then drained a 3-pointer of his own. With yet another bucket beyond the arc from Wilson, the Warriors drew within 10 points.

Time was not on Black Hawk’s side, though, as the Warriors were unable to score again before the clock expired.

Holland led the Warriors with 11 points, followed by Figi with 10. Black Hawk made four 3-pointers, but were just 11-for-21 from the line. 

“Unfortunately, like our play in general, our shooting is inconsistent. We’ve gone through games where we will shoot 75% and then we will turn around and shoot 50% or below from the line,” Flanagan Jr. said. “Part of it is, we have different guys shooting them all the time, so it changes what our looks are going to be. Some guys we are playing almost all game long, and we expect them to make a shot at that point in the game.”

Herman and Bredlow tallied 16 points each for Johnson Creek. The Bluejays made five 3-pointers, but were just 11-for-26 from the line.