MONTICELLO - If he's got some extra space in his duffle bag, D.J. McGowan might think about packing some therapeutic candles to burn in the locker room before Thursday's grudge match at Black Hawk.
Monticello (16-5) started out a bit manic in Tuesday's WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal, turning the ball over 11 times in the first half that ended with the Ponies nursing a 34-33 lead over Southwestern.
"We needed to relax," McGowan said. "We got ahead of ourselves and were too pumped up to play this game."
But the senior point guard keyed an 8-0 surge to open the second half en route to a 73-56 runaway win. The 5-foot, 9-inch firecracker snapped off a 3-pointer before setting one up for classmate Jacob Edge from the wing and then picked off a pass near the timeline before darting to the other end for a layin that pushed the lead to 42-33 and forced Wildcats coach John Piddington to burn a timeout.
After Southwestern (8-13) clawed its way back, the same way it did from two 10-point first-half deficits, McGowan set up another rainmaker with lasting effect. With the last seconds of the third elapsing, McGowan used an explosive first step to get to the paint and kick to the right corner. There senior Dusty Ritschard waited, caught the bounce pass and drilled a triple to take a 58-47 lead into the fourth.
Edge hit a second 3 in the third and scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half. He knows how tall a task his club can present to defense when every cog is turning at full speed.
"I wouldn't want to guard five guys who can hit 3s with regularity," Edge said. "It's even tougher because we can pull it down and go to the basket. We have a lot of diversity in our offense."
"We made way too many unforced errors in the first half."
Before the mental lapses, McGowan hit the first three 3-pointers he put up in the first half and has enough basketball I.Q. to overcome his growing reputation as one of the area's best court generals.
"Teams might scout him, but he's that competitive that he's going to find a way to get open," Monticello head coach Brad Pickett said.
"I just find a way to get the ball in my hands," McGowan said. "When I got open, I was going to shoot the ball. I didn't want our season to end tonight like it has in the first round the last three years I've played."
Southwestern got 18 points out of senior Blake Martin, who got little rest after taking his football club to the Division 7 state finals. One of his favorite targets, Michael Tranel, added 16. Martin was just one of a few key components that missed significant time with injuries for the ballclub that cuts its teeth on much bigger schools in the SWAL Conference during the regular season.
"They're a good ballclub and they might be the best sixth seed in the state to be honest now that Martin is back after missing a lot of time," Pickett said.
McGowan pushed the tempo all night and led the Ponies with 16 points, while Edge scored 15 and fellow southpaw Brandon Holz added 13.
Piddington commended the Ponies for applying constant pressure on his team that simply couldn't keep pace.
"We had to come back from three big deficits and that's hard to do against any team, especially this team that Brad has playing so well," Piddington said. "This team can give anyone fits because they get up and down the floor so quick."
There won't be a lack of athleticism at any position when the Ponies travel to South Wayne for a rematch with Black Hawk. The clubs split the season series, but Pickett played down the emotional element.
"If it's gotta be Black Hawk, then it's Black Hawk. Every game is big at this point and any team is dangerous," Pickett said.
As for his players? That's a different sentiment.
"They took a conference championship from us, so we're going to try to take something from them," Edge said.
Monticello (16-5) started out a bit manic in Tuesday's WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal, turning the ball over 11 times in the first half that ended with the Ponies nursing a 34-33 lead over Southwestern.
"We needed to relax," McGowan said. "We got ahead of ourselves and were too pumped up to play this game."
But the senior point guard keyed an 8-0 surge to open the second half en route to a 73-56 runaway win. The 5-foot, 9-inch firecracker snapped off a 3-pointer before setting one up for classmate Jacob Edge from the wing and then picked off a pass near the timeline before darting to the other end for a layin that pushed the lead to 42-33 and forced Wildcats coach John Piddington to burn a timeout.
After Southwestern (8-13) clawed its way back, the same way it did from two 10-point first-half deficits, McGowan set up another rainmaker with lasting effect. With the last seconds of the third elapsing, McGowan used an explosive first step to get to the paint and kick to the right corner. There senior Dusty Ritschard waited, caught the bounce pass and drilled a triple to take a 58-47 lead into the fourth.
Edge hit a second 3 in the third and scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half. He knows how tall a task his club can present to defense when every cog is turning at full speed.
"I wouldn't want to guard five guys who can hit 3s with regularity," Edge said. "It's even tougher because we can pull it down and go to the basket. We have a lot of diversity in our offense."
"We made way too many unforced errors in the first half."
Before the mental lapses, McGowan hit the first three 3-pointers he put up in the first half and has enough basketball I.Q. to overcome his growing reputation as one of the area's best court generals.
"Teams might scout him, but he's that competitive that he's going to find a way to get open," Monticello head coach Brad Pickett said.
"I just find a way to get the ball in my hands," McGowan said. "When I got open, I was going to shoot the ball. I didn't want our season to end tonight like it has in the first round the last three years I've played."
Southwestern got 18 points out of senior Blake Martin, who got little rest after taking his football club to the Division 7 state finals. One of his favorite targets, Michael Tranel, added 16. Martin was just one of a few key components that missed significant time with injuries for the ballclub that cuts its teeth on much bigger schools in the SWAL Conference during the regular season.
"They're a good ballclub and they might be the best sixth seed in the state to be honest now that Martin is back after missing a lot of time," Pickett said.
McGowan pushed the tempo all night and led the Ponies with 16 points, while Edge scored 15 and fellow southpaw Brandon Holz added 13.
Piddington commended the Ponies for applying constant pressure on his team that simply couldn't keep pace.
"We had to come back from three big deficits and that's hard to do against any team, especially this team that Brad has playing so well," Piddington said. "This team can give anyone fits because they get up and down the floor so quick."
There won't be a lack of athleticism at any position when the Ponies travel to South Wayne for a rematch with Black Hawk. The clubs split the season series, but Pickett played down the emotional element.
"If it's gotta be Black Hawk, then it's Black Hawk. Every game is big at this point and any team is dangerous," Pickett said.
As for his players? That's a different sentiment.
"They took a conference championship from us, so we're going to try to take something from them," Edge said.
