SHULLSBURG - After most of his season was wiped out due to a Lisfranc fracture in his foot after falling out of a tree stand while deer hunting, Pecatonica senior Drew Schliem made it back on the court.
That's why after a 73-54 loss to Shullsburg Saturday in a WIAA Division 5 regional championship game, Schliem couldn't help but look back on a season that was filled with not only adversity but also accomplishments.
"I care about this team so much," Schliem said. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have tried to come back. I wanted to come out and give everything I had left in the tank. It was so much fun to be back on the court with these guys."
Shullsburg (23-2), ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Division 5 state poll, dominated every aspect of the game. The Miners out-shot the Vikings, 58.3 percent (23 of 39) to the Vikings' 36.3 percent (16 of 44). The Miners outrebounded the Vikings 28-16. The big turning point came in the third quarter when the Miners went on an 18-4 run. Pecatonica (19-6) went more than 8 minutes without a basket. The only points for the Vikings in the third quarter came on Schliem's four free throws.
With three sophomore starters and another sophomore coming off the bench, the Miners look to be a threat in future years - as do the Vikings.
"We have to figure out a way to beat them because they are not going anywhere and either are we," Pecatonica coach Matt Fink said.
Schliem and Pecatonica sophomore A.J. Hendrickson, two of the top scorers for the Vikings, were limited to a combined five points in the first half on 2 of 12 shooting. Schliem finished 3 of 10 shooting for 16 points and Hendrickson finished 4 of 14 shooting for 14 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds.
"We knew we had to stop them (Schliem and Hendrickson) if we wanted to win," said Shullsburg sophomore Hunter Matye, who scored a game-high 22 points. "We did a good job with it. We didn't do as good on defense as we had hoped. Our offense really kept us in it."
Pecatonica junior Kyle Kleppe had the hot hand in the first half, drilling three of his four 3-pointers to keep the Vikings within striking distance and trailing just 26-20 at the half. Despite a tough shooting start, Schliem was confident, but he credited the Miners' defense.
"Shullsburg is a great team," he said. "They have a lot of length to alter shots. They play really sound on defense and don't give up anything easy. My feeling at halftime is we couldn't play any worse. I'm not sure if it got any better, but we battled through it."
"Kleppe kept us in the game for sure," Fink said.
The third quarter surge by the Miners was sparked by Hunter Matye who had a layup and hit a jumper. Shullsburg senior Brett Matye scored on a layup and a layup by sophomore Hunter Wand with 1:16 to go in the third quarter gave the Miners a 42-24 lead. Brett Matye scored 18 points and 6 foot-8 sophomore Joey Meyer had 13 points and eight rebounds.
"When you play really good teams, your movement and screens have to be much better," Fink said. "We had to take them off the dribble. We are better with movement and screens. That third quarter was the difference and we got ambushed a little bit."
When the Vikings trailed by 22 points in the second half, they went to a press, looking to force some turnovers and ignite some opportunities in transition. The Miners had several layups and got a dunk from Hunter Matye and two dunks from Meyer to spark the crowd.
"At that point we were chasing points a little bit," Fink said. "We were exchanging 3-pointers for dunks and layups."
Pecatonica junior point guard Brooks Chandler scored 10 points and made two 3-pointers. The Vikings as a team hit 10 three-pointers with a team-high four coming from Kleppe.
Fink was excited to see Schliem make it back to play in the tournament and regular season finale on Senior Night after battling an injury.
"It speaks a lot to Drew and his character," Fink said. "He's a quality person and it says a lot about his character."
The Vikings played most of the season without Schliem and all season without a potential starter in sophomore Kole Kent, who missed the season with a knee injury. Pecatonica withstood the injuries to win the Six Rivers East Conference championship. The Vikings plan to have the 6-4 Kent back for next year.
"We had some adversity and we accomplished a lot despite the injuries," Fink said.
Schliem liked the rapport and the makeup the team showcased throughout the season.
"We overcame so much with Kole and I being hurt," he said. "We had a really close-knit team. We were like brothers. It's really great to be on a team like that."
Fink wants to see his team develop more basketball skills during the summer, but he isn't worried.
"I want them to improve their game as a team," Fink said. "I expect they will put in a lot of time playing summer basketball."
That's why after a 73-54 loss to Shullsburg Saturday in a WIAA Division 5 regional championship game, Schliem couldn't help but look back on a season that was filled with not only adversity but also accomplishments.
"I care about this team so much," Schliem said. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have tried to come back. I wanted to come out and give everything I had left in the tank. It was so much fun to be back on the court with these guys."
Shullsburg (23-2), ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press Division 5 state poll, dominated every aspect of the game. The Miners out-shot the Vikings, 58.3 percent (23 of 39) to the Vikings' 36.3 percent (16 of 44). The Miners outrebounded the Vikings 28-16. The big turning point came in the third quarter when the Miners went on an 18-4 run. Pecatonica (19-6) went more than 8 minutes without a basket. The only points for the Vikings in the third quarter came on Schliem's four free throws.
With three sophomore starters and another sophomore coming off the bench, the Miners look to be a threat in future years - as do the Vikings.
"We have to figure out a way to beat them because they are not going anywhere and either are we," Pecatonica coach Matt Fink said.
Schliem and Pecatonica sophomore A.J. Hendrickson, two of the top scorers for the Vikings, were limited to a combined five points in the first half on 2 of 12 shooting. Schliem finished 3 of 10 shooting for 16 points and Hendrickson finished 4 of 14 shooting for 14 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds.
"We knew we had to stop them (Schliem and Hendrickson) if we wanted to win," said Shullsburg sophomore Hunter Matye, who scored a game-high 22 points. "We did a good job with it. We didn't do as good on defense as we had hoped. Our offense really kept us in it."
Pecatonica junior Kyle Kleppe had the hot hand in the first half, drilling three of his four 3-pointers to keep the Vikings within striking distance and trailing just 26-20 at the half. Despite a tough shooting start, Schliem was confident, but he credited the Miners' defense.
"Shullsburg is a great team," he said. "They have a lot of length to alter shots. They play really sound on defense and don't give up anything easy. My feeling at halftime is we couldn't play any worse. I'm not sure if it got any better, but we battled through it."
"Kleppe kept us in the game for sure," Fink said.
The third quarter surge by the Miners was sparked by Hunter Matye who had a layup and hit a jumper. Shullsburg senior Brett Matye scored on a layup and a layup by sophomore Hunter Wand with 1:16 to go in the third quarter gave the Miners a 42-24 lead. Brett Matye scored 18 points and 6 foot-8 sophomore Joey Meyer had 13 points and eight rebounds.
"When you play really good teams, your movement and screens have to be much better," Fink said. "We had to take them off the dribble. We are better with movement and screens. That third quarter was the difference and we got ambushed a little bit."
When the Vikings trailed by 22 points in the second half, they went to a press, looking to force some turnovers and ignite some opportunities in transition. The Miners had several layups and got a dunk from Hunter Matye and two dunks from Meyer to spark the crowd.
"At that point we were chasing points a little bit," Fink said. "We were exchanging 3-pointers for dunks and layups."
Pecatonica junior point guard Brooks Chandler scored 10 points and made two 3-pointers. The Vikings as a team hit 10 three-pointers with a team-high four coming from Kleppe.
Fink was excited to see Schliem make it back to play in the tournament and regular season finale on Senior Night after battling an injury.
"It speaks a lot to Drew and his character," Fink said. "He's a quality person and it says a lot about his character."
The Vikings played most of the season without Schliem and all season without a potential starter in sophomore Kole Kent, who missed the season with a knee injury. Pecatonica withstood the injuries to win the Six Rivers East Conference championship. The Vikings plan to have the 6-4 Kent back for next year.
"We had some adversity and we accomplished a lot despite the injuries," Fink said.
Schliem liked the rapport and the makeup the team showcased throughout the season.
"We overcame so much with Kole and I being hurt," he said. "We had a really close-knit team. We were like brothers. It's really great to be on a team like that."
Fink wants to see his team develop more basketball skills during the summer, but he isn't worried.
"I want them to improve their game as a team," Fink said. "I expect they will put in a lot of time playing summer basketball."
