BARNEVELD - Round one of Barneveld-Monticello goes to the Eagles. There will be a round two, and don't be surprised if there is a round three. In a match-up of the top two teams in the Six Rivers East, the Barneveld Eagles outlasted the Monticello Ponies, 54-49 Thursday.
The Eagles took advantage of the Ponies' first half struggles and grabbed a 13-7 first quarter lead that grew to 32-23 at halftime.
"They were beating us inside. We were not helping down," said Monticello head coach Mark Olson.
Barneveld increased their lead to 11 heading into the fourth quarter and led by as many as 14 early in the fourth quarter. That's when the Ponies went to a press and cut the deficit to just four points with a minute remaining, but could get no closer.
"It seemed to slow down their tempo and helped us get back in the game," said Olson.
Senior Tyler Ritschard led all scorers with 28 points for Monticello (9-4, 5-1 Six Rivers East). The Ponies also got 12 points from senior Corey McGowan. Junior Sam Neshkash had 17 points for the ninth-ranked Eagles, who improve to 6-0 in the Six Rivers East and 9-2 overall.
Junior Lukas Kolasch returned to the Monticello line-up after missing the past two weeks with a concussion, but the Ponies played without junior Austin Steffen who was sick.
"We have had to patch things together," said Olson. "It shows that if we play with confidence and if we play in the moment, we can play with anyone."
The two teams will face each other again Feb. 25 at Monticello. Barneveld and Monticello split their regular season games last year before the Eagles defeated the Ponies, 56-49 in double overtime in the Division 4 sectional semifinal.
A third meeting between the teams could happen on March 5 for the Division 5 regional championship at Evansville. Monticello will face a team from the Six Rivers West in the Six Rivers Challenge on Jan. 28.
Black Hawk 44, Albany 41
ALBANY - Most of the scoring occurred in the first half as the Black Hawk Warriors edged the Albany Comets in a Six Rivers East Conference game Thursday.
The Warriors led 33-28 at halftime, but the two teams combined to score just 23 points the rest of the way. Junior Hayden Schliem led the Warriors with 13 points and senior Christian Krahenbuhl added 10 points to help Black Hawk improve 2-4 in the Six East and 4-8 overall.
"Credit goes to Black Hawk," said Albany Head Coach Derik Doescher. "They did enough of the little things, especially in the fourth quarter and got a nice road win."
Seniors Josh Krueger and Josh Peters each scored 11 points for the Comets, who fell to 2-4 in the Six Rivers East and 3-10 overall.
Black Hawk will host conference front-runner Barneveld while Albany hosts Argyle on Tuesday.
Brodhead 37, Whitewater 28
WHITEWATER - Seniors J.J. Panoske and Nick Jacobson combined to score 25 points and the Cardinals' defense allowed the Whippets to score just seven points in the second half to claim a victory Thursday.
The Cardinals trailed at halftime 21-16, but came alive in the second half as Panoske (14 points) and Jacobson (11) powered the Cardinals while Whitewater made just nine field goals of which six were 3-pointers.
Brodhead (6-6, 4-4 Rock Valley South) will host Orfordville Parkview Tuesday.
The Eagles took advantage of the Ponies' first half struggles and grabbed a 13-7 first quarter lead that grew to 32-23 at halftime.
"They were beating us inside. We were not helping down," said Monticello head coach Mark Olson.
Barneveld increased their lead to 11 heading into the fourth quarter and led by as many as 14 early in the fourth quarter. That's when the Ponies went to a press and cut the deficit to just four points with a minute remaining, but could get no closer.
"It seemed to slow down their tempo and helped us get back in the game," said Olson.
Senior Tyler Ritschard led all scorers with 28 points for Monticello (9-4, 5-1 Six Rivers East). The Ponies also got 12 points from senior Corey McGowan. Junior Sam Neshkash had 17 points for the ninth-ranked Eagles, who improve to 6-0 in the Six Rivers East and 9-2 overall.
Junior Lukas Kolasch returned to the Monticello line-up after missing the past two weeks with a concussion, but the Ponies played without junior Austin Steffen who was sick.
"We have had to patch things together," said Olson. "It shows that if we play with confidence and if we play in the moment, we can play with anyone."
The two teams will face each other again Feb. 25 at Monticello. Barneveld and Monticello split their regular season games last year before the Eagles defeated the Ponies, 56-49 in double overtime in the Division 4 sectional semifinal.
A third meeting between the teams could happen on March 5 for the Division 5 regional championship at Evansville. Monticello will face a team from the Six Rivers West in the Six Rivers Challenge on Jan. 28.
Black Hawk 44, Albany 41
ALBANY - Most of the scoring occurred in the first half as the Black Hawk Warriors edged the Albany Comets in a Six Rivers East Conference game Thursday.
The Warriors led 33-28 at halftime, but the two teams combined to score just 23 points the rest of the way. Junior Hayden Schliem led the Warriors with 13 points and senior Christian Krahenbuhl added 10 points to help Black Hawk improve 2-4 in the Six East and 4-8 overall.
"Credit goes to Black Hawk," said Albany Head Coach Derik Doescher. "They did enough of the little things, especially in the fourth quarter and got a nice road win."
Seniors Josh Krueger and Josh Peters each scored 11 points for the Comets, who fell to 2-4 in the Six Rivers East and 3-10 overall.
Black Hawk will host conference front-runner Barneveld while Albany hosts Argyle on Tuesday.
Brodhead 37, Whitewater 28
WHITEWATER - Seniors J.J. Panoske and Nick Jacobson combined to score 25 points and the Cardinals' defense allowed the Whippets to score just seven points in the second half to claim a victory Thursday.
The Cardinals trailed at halftime 21-16, but came alive in the second half as Panoske (14 points) and Jacobson (11) powered the Cardinals while Whitewater made just nine field goals of which six were 3-pointers.
Brodhead (6-6, 4-4 Rock Valley South) will host Orfordville Parkview Tuesday.
