BLANCHARDVILLE — Pecatonica outscored Benton 38-29 in the second half, but the offensive effort wasn’t enough to overcome a 40-20 first-half deficit, as the Vikings fell in their season opener 69-58.
“It took us a while to settle in,” head coach Matt Fink said. “The second half was more of a reflection of the team that we can be. I think we got shell-shocked in the first half.”
Early on, Coy Ruegsegger drained a shot from beyond the arc to give Pecatonica a 3-2 lead. The Vikings never regained that lead, as Benton went on a 23-5 scoring run. The Zephyrs broke a Viking press, resulting in a dunk for Rex Blaine. Also during the run, Nathan Keleher scored back-to-back points by cutting to the open lane.
Pecatonica stayed in the game by driving to the basket and forcing Benton fouls. Evan Dochnal was the first to the line and went 1-for-2. Later in the half, he went 2-for-4, making one bonus shot. Connor Sass was 2-for-2 at the charity stripe in the first, as well as Jameson Johnson.
The Zephyrs scored three times in the closing minutes of the half to take a 40-16 lead. They looked to take this momentum into the locker room, but Tyler McKeon wasn’t finished.
He connected with Ruegsegger in the post and grabbed a rebound on the defensive end. With under 30 seconds left, he dribbled down the court and pulled up for a buzzer-beating jumper near the wing.
“We weren’t really finding open shots, and I had to turn it up a little,” McKeon said. “I had an open shot and took it.”
McKeon’s didn’t cool off after the break, either. After a bucket from Ruegsegger, McKeon drew a foul and went 2-for-2 at the line. He then dished another pass to Ruegsegger and drained a 3-pointer.
With buckets from Sass and Johnson, Pecatonica closed the gap to 10 points. The Vikings hovered around the 10-point margin before Benton went off for nine straight points, split between Nate Lawrence and Keleher.
As the end of the game drew near, Pecatonica attempted a comeback. The Vikings fouled the Zephyrs to put them at the line, but the Zephyrs didn’t quake under pressure. In the final minutes, Benton was 7-for-10 at the line to secure the win.
Seven Vikings saw the court, with five of them scoring — all in double digits. Johnson led the team with 16 points, followed by McKeon with 12. Sass, Ruegsegger and Dochnal totaled 10 each.
For Benton, the 6’6” senior Rex Blaine dropped 23 points. Two others scored in double digits, too: Keleher (14), Lawrence (12) and Lucas Jansen (10).
“The Blaine kid is a very nice player, and we knew he would be,” Fink said. “We didn’t do a very good job of locating him, so he made us look silly at times.”
Despite the loss, Fink sees learning opportunities for his team moving forward.
“There were a lot more positives than I think you realize in a game you lose,” Fink said. “We will get back to it. I feel good about things moving forward. We just have to clean a couple things up.”
Pecatonica begins the new month with a home game against Rio on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Elsewhere in the Six Rivers East conference, Juda opened with a 17-87 loss to Abundant Life Christian, and Monticello defeated Parkview 68-56. In a tight 48-42 game, Albany prevailed over Johnson Creek while Barneveld fell to Belleville 53-67.
Argyle and Black Hawk have yet to play. The Orioles travel to Iowa-Grant high school on Friday, Dec. 2 and the Warriors host Cambridge on Saturday, Nov. 26.
