ALBANY — Trailing by two with 23 seconds left, the Vikings didn’t want to see another halftime lead go to waste. Grady Gordon grabbed on offensive rebound and dished it to Jameson Johnson, who tied the game. In overtime, Tyler McKeon went 4-for-4 from the free throw line to secure the 44-38 win for Pecatonica.
In their game against Argyle, the Vikings had a 30-21 lead at half but ended up losing 65-53. Head coach Matt Fink was happy to see his team, which had a 17-14 lead at half, pull out the win this time.
“It was the same thing all over again,” Fink said. “We have to learn to play with the lead because we are good enough to be in games. We just have to finish games and compete until the end. Everything is a growing process.”
Pecatonica started the game with a deficit, though, as Drew Sertle got the Comets on the board and Brayden Bakken added on with a 3-pointer.
Baskets from Coy Ruegsegger and Johnson got Pecatonica within one, but Nate Stokstad extended Albany’s lead with two points in the post.
Johnson gave the Vikings their first lead at 8-7 with back-to-back buckets, but a trip to the line for Stokstad tied the game at eight. McKeon regained the lead with a jumper.
Ethan Koss scored on back-to-back possessions to grab the lead once again for Albany, but it didn’t last long. Connor Sass went on to score the final six points for Pecatonica, as the Vikings went into the locker room with a 17-14 lead.
Neither team took a decisive lead in the second half, as the game was tied up six times with seven lead changes.
Sertle tied the game at 17 out of the half with a 3-pointer, and he tied it again at 19 with an offensive rebound and put-back. A steal and bucket on the other end from Koss gave Albany the lead, but Ruegsegger tied it as 21.
A defensive miscue from the Comets on the Vikings’ inbounds play led to an uncontested bucket from Ethan Meyering for a 23-21 Pecatonica lead. Koss went to work — again — with another steal and basket for a 24-23 lead and 26-25 lead.
“He [Koss] has a motor,” head coach Kurt Soderberg said. “He’s a competitor, and he was getting on the glass and keeping things alive for us. His ability to get the rim and shoot threes is important for us. He’s a hard cover for a defense.”
Down the stretch, for every Albany basket, Johnson had a response for Pecatonica. He tied the game at 30, 32 and 34, grabbing every offensive board he could.
“Early, we weren’t making shots, period. So, Coy and Jameson kept us in the game with offensive rebounds and put-backs,” Fink said. “When you’re not scoring on offense, you have to find some toughness and guts on the offensive boards.”
Bakken had a chance to win the game for Albany at the buzzer, but his 3-point shot hit the backboard and rattled out.
The Comets’ opening possession in overtime lasted over a minute before Stokstad went to the free-throw line, making both shots for a 36-34 lead. Gordon tied it at 36, and a bucket from Ruegsegger gave Pecatonica the lead.
Although Koss scored, Albany was forced to foul with time winding down to stop the clock. Under pressure, McKeon stepped up each time, going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe for the win.
Despite the loss, Soderberg was proud of the way his played.
“I’m proud of the way the kids battled — it was a tough game.,” Soderberg said. “I told them, they did just about everything right in terms of the big picture.”
Jameson led Pecatonica with 12 points, while Ruegsegger also scored in double figures with 10 points. McKeon finished 5-for-7 from the free throw line with nine points.
Koss recorded 16 points in the loss. Stokstad and Sertle chipped in nine and eight points, respectively. As a team, the Comets were just 4-for-11 from the free-throw line for 36%.
HIGHLAND 46, ALBANY 12
HIGHLAND — After suffering a tough loss to Pecatonica on Thursday, Albany dropped a non-conference game to Highland on Saturday, Dec. 10.
The Comets scored five points in the first half with buckets from Caleb Smith and Stokstad. Bakken made a bonus free throw.
In the second half, Smith added another bucket. Koss converted a 3-point play and one more bucket. With five points, he was the leading scorer. Smith totaled four points. The Comets were just 2-for-8 from the free throw line.
Michael Esser and John Dreischmeier were the leading scorers for Highland with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
