BLANCHARDVILLE - Pecatonica freshman Kole Kent was at the right spot at the right time.
Kent's timing couldn't have been better as he scored on a putback with 3 seconds to go to stun Black Hawk 60-59 in a thriller Saturday, Jan. 25.
"Kole has been working really hard," Pecatonica coach Matt Fink said. "We need to find a third scorer after our two primary scorers. Kole stepped up. For a freshman, it was pretty big."
With the win, Pecatonica (6-7, 4-3 Six Rivers East) made the conference even more jumbled at the top in the chase for a conference championship. Albany (4-1 Six Rivers East) is in the driver's seat for the conference title with a lead on Black Hawk (9-4, 5-2), Monticello (4-2) and Barneveld (4-2).
"For us, it's a big win," Fink said. "It gets us back into the picture for the conference. Black Hawk will not go away. They will still be there down the stretch. It shakes up the conference more. There are probably four teams who could win it. There will be a lot of hard-fought games to determine the conference champion."
Pecatonica freshman A.J. Hendrickson scored a game-high 30 points to lead the Vikings. Hendrickson scored 11 of his points in the fourth quarter and the Vikings rallied from a five-point deficit with less than 1 minute to go.
"We had some costly turnovers and that led to some issues and let them get back in the game," Black Hawk coach Corey Manlick said. "They just made one more play than we did. I thought A.J. Hendrickson did a nice job. He's a good player. I have a lot of respect for him. He hit some tough shots. Pec will be a contender for a while with that young group of kids."
Kent scored 14 points and junior Drew Schliem added 11 points.
Black Hawk junior Heath Butler scored a team-high 28 points and senior Seth Butler had 18 points.
Albany 74, Orangeville 51
ORANGEVILLE - The Albany boys basketball team had a dynamic one-two inside-outside punch clicking on all cylinders and cruising to a 74-51 win over Orangeville Saturday, Jan. 25.
Albany seniors Isaiah Shell and Mitchell Kauk each scored a game-high 21 points. Shell made three 3-pointers.
Albany coach Derik Doescher said Shell and Kauk really are a good one-two punch.
"In the games Isaiah has struggled, Mitchell has been there to pick him up," Doescher said. "He had a very active game on offense going to the basket. He gives us a force in the paint."
Albany (9-4, 4-1 Six Rivers East) jumped out to a 36-22 lead at the half and led by as many as 30 points in the third quarter.
Albany's Joey McNaught added eight points and made two 3-pointers. The Comets had 10 players score.
Albany was scheduled to host Barneveld in a conference showdown Tuesday, but the game was postponed. A makeup date hasn't been set yet.
Albany senior Grant Schoenenberger didn't play against Orangeville due to an ankle injury. The Comets caught another bad break when senior Ethan Pfeuti was injured in practice Sunday and was sent to University of Wisconsin Hospital. Doescher said Pfeuti and Kauk were battling for a loose ball and Pfeuti ran head first into a padded wall and injured his neck.
"It's hard to tell how much time he will be out," Doescher said of Pfeuti.
Doescher said he expects Schoenenberger to return this week.
Albany will face No. 2 ranked Cassville in the Six Rivers Challenge on the road Friday, Jan. 31 and will then play at Monticello at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1.
Monticello 51, Shullsburg 38
SHULLSBURG - Monticello senior Lucas Marty scored a team-high 17 points to lift the Ponies to a 51-38 non-conference win over Shullsburg Saturday.
Shullsburg jumped out to a six-point lead in the first quarter and the Ponies were limited to just two points in the first. However, the Ponies started clicking in the second quarter, outscoring the Miners 21-9 to take a six-point lead at the half.
Monticello (8-4, 4-2) outscored the Miners 19-5 in the third quarter.
Monticello junior Ben May added 12 points and senior Logan Crooks chipped in nine points.
Kent's timing couldn't have been better as he scored on a putback with 3 seconds to go to stun Black Hawk 60-59 in a thriller Saturday, Jan. 25.
"Kole has been working really hard," Pecatonica coach Matt Fink said. "We need to find a third scorer after our two primary scorers. Kole stepped up. For a freshman, it was pretty big."
With the win, Pecatonica (6-7, 4-3 Six Rivers East) made the conference even more jumbled at the top in the chase for a conference championship. Albany (4-1 Six Rivers East) is in the driver's seat for the conference title with a lead on Black Hawk (9-4, 5-2), Monticello (4-2) and Barneveld (4-2).
"For us, it's a big win," Fink said. "It gets us back into the picture for the conference. Black Hawk will not go away. They will still be there down the stretch. It shakes up the conference more. There are probably four teams who could win it. There will be a lot of hard-fought games to determine the conference champion."
Pecatonica freshman A.J. Hendrickson scored a game-high 30 points to lead the Vikings. Hendrickson scored 11 of his points in the fourth quarter and the Vikings rallied from a five-point deficit with less than 1 minute to go.
"We had some costly turnovers and that led to some issues and let them get back in the game," Black Hawk coach Corey Manlick said. "They just made one more play than we did. I thought A.J. Hendrickson did a nice job. He's a good player. I have a lot of respect for him. He hit some tough shots. Pec will be a contender for a while with that young group of kids."
Kent scored 14 points and junior Drew Schliem added 11 points.
Black Hawk junior Heath Butler scored a team-high 28 points and senior Seth Butler had 18 points.
Albany 74, Orangeville 51
ORANGEVILLE - The Albany boys basketball team had a dynamic one-two inside-outside punch clicking on all cylinders and cruising to a 74-51 win over Orangeville Saturday, Jan. 25.
Albany seniors Isaiah Shell and Mitchell Kauk each scored a game-high 21 points. Shell made three 3-pointers.
Albany coach Derik Doescher said Shell and Kauk really are a good one-two punch.
"In the games Isaiah has struggled, Mitchell has been there to pick him up," Doescher said. "He had a very active game on offense going to the basket. He gives us a force in the paint."
Albany (9-4, 4-1 Six Rivers East) jumped out to a 36-22 lead at the half and led by as many as 30 points in the third quarter.
Albany's Joey McNaught added eight points and made two 3-pointers. The Comets had 10 players score.
Albany was scheduled to host Barneveld in a conference showdown Tuesday, but the game was postponed. A makeup date hasn't been set yet.
Albany senior Grant Schoenenberger didn't play against Orangeville due to an ankle injury. The Comets caught another bad break when senior Ethan Pfeuti was injured in practice Sunday and was sent to University of Wisconsin Hospital. Doescher said Pfeuti and Kauk were battling for a loose ball and Pfeuti ran head first into a padded wall and injured his neck.
"It's hard to tell how much time he will be out," Doescher said of Pfeuti.
Doescher said he expects Schoenenberger to return this week.
Albany will face No. 2 ranked Cassville in the Six Rivers Challenge on the road Friday, Jan. 31 and will then play at Monticello at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1.
Monticello 51, Shullsburg 38
SHULLSBURG - Monticello senior Lucas Marty scored a team-high 17 points to lift the Ponies to a 51-38 non-conference win over Shullsburg Saturday.
Shullsburg jumped out to a six-point lead in the first quarter and the Ponies were limited to just two points in the first. However, the Ponies started clicking in the second quarter, outscoring the Miners 21-9 to take a six-point lead at the half.
Monticello (8-4, 4-2) outscored the Miners 19-5 in the third quarter.
Monticello junior Ben May added 12 points and senior Logan Crooks chipped in nine points.
