BLANCHARDVILLE - Pecatonica senior Tannar Johnson is a strong believer in strength in numbers when it comes to playmakers on the basketball court.
Pecatonica displayed a full arsenal of weapons en route to a 49-19 win over Black Hawk in a WIAA Division 5 quarterfinal Tuesday night. Pecatonica advances to the regional semifinal, where the Vikings will play at Barneveld on Friday. Pecatonica junior Karson Feller scored a game-high 12 points and junior Tanner Kleppe had 10 points.
"When you have three guys on the floor who can score at any time, it makes the defense have to cover more than one or two guys," said Johnson, who scored nine points and grabbed 14 rebounds. "Kleppe and Feller are lethal when they can get their feet set."
Pecatonica (5-18) raced out to a 12-2 first quarter lead behind Johnson scoring down low along with 3-pointers from Kleppe and Feller.
The Vikings' lead soon ballooned to 19 points after a 10-0 run to start the second quarter. Pecatonica senior Taylor Berg ignited the run with a layup and Feller scored down low on back-to-back possessions to give the Vikings a 23-4 lead midway through the second quarter.
The last time the two teams played, about a week ago, Black Hawk beat Pecatonica 53-52.
"We all came out and we didn't want to let that happen," Johnson said. "We came out and played basketball for once this season."
Black Hawk shot just 17.3 percent (8-for-46). The Vikings shut down Black Hawk sophomore Merik Meythaler to just three points. Black Hawk senior Michael Wolff scored seven points to lead the Warriors.
"We couldn't buy a basket," Black Hawk coach Kyle Bille said. "You have to give Pec credit for their defense. We were expecting a four quarter ballgame. We didn't get that tonight. It wasn't our night."
The Vikings continued to roll in the third quarter. Feller knocked down a 3-pointer and senior Josh Hendrickson scored down low to give the Vikings a 43-16 lead. The Vikings had nine of their 19 turnovers in the third quarter, but still led 34-14 going into the fourth quarter.
"We have been focused. This is the first time they have played with some emotion," Pecatonica coach Kevin Parman said. "They did a great job defensively."
Black Hawk (7-16) has two sophomores in Meythaler and Cory Rupnow as well as several juniors coming back next year.
"We have to use all this experience to our advantage," Bille said. "We had a couple of sophomores and juniors who were able to go through the grind of a varsity season. They have to use that to make them better."
Pecatonica will now have two days to gear up for the regional semifinal game at Barneveld on Friday.
"We will have to handle their pressure and take care of the basketball," Parman said. "They (Barneveld) are the favorite. We will go up there and play the best we can."
Pecatonica displayed a full arsenal of weapons en route to a 49-19 win over Black Hawk in a WIAA Division 5 quarterfinal Tuesday night. Pecatonica advances to the regional semifinal, where the Vikings will play at Barneveld on Friday. Pecatonica junior Karson Feller scored a game-high 12 points and junior Tanner Kleppe had 10 points.
"When you have three guys on the floor who can score at any time, it makes the defense have to cover more than one or two guys," said Johnson, who scored nine points and grabbed 14 rebounds. "Kleppe and Feller are lethal when they can get their feet set."
Pecatonica (5-18) raced out to a 12-2 first quarter lead behind Johnson scoring down low along with 3-pointers from Kleppe and Feller.
The Vikings' lead soon ballooned to 19 points after a 10-0 run to start the second quarter. Pecatonica senior Taylor Berg ignited the run with a layup and Feller scored down low on back-to-back possessions to give the Vikings a 23-4 lead midway through the second quarter.
The last time the two teams played, about a week ago, Black Hawk beat Pecatonica 53-52.
"We all came out and we didn't want to let that happen," Johnson said. "We came out and played basketball for once this season."
Black Hawk shot just 17.3 percent (8-for-46). The Vikings shut down Black Hawk sophomore Merik Meythaler to just three points. Black Hawk senior Michael Wolff scored seven points to lead the Warriors.
"We couldn't buy a basket," Black Hawk coach Kyle Bille said. "You have to give Pec credit for their defense. We were expecting a four quarter ballgame. We didn't get that tonight. It wasn't our night."
The Vikings continued to roll in the third quarter. Feller knocked down a 3-pointer and senior Josh Hendrickson scored down low to give the Vikings a 43-16 lead. The Vikings had nine of their 19 turnovers in the third quarter, but still led 34-14 going into the fourth quarter.
"We have been focused. This is the first time they have played with some emotion," Pecatonica coach Kevin Parman said. "They did a great job defensively."
Black Hawk (7-16) has two sophomores in Meythaler and Cory Rupnow as well as several juniors coming back next year.
"We have to use all this experience to our advantage," Bille said. "We had a couple of sophomores and juniors who were able to go through the grind of a varsity season. They have to use that to make them better."
Pecatonica will now have two days to gear up for the regional semifinal game at Barneveld on Friday.
"We will have to handle their pressure and take care of the basketball," Parman said. "They (Barneveld) are the favorite. We will go up there and play the best we can."
