BRODHEAD - Length and speed are two attributes that can help any team. Throw in ball handling skills and some luck, and you'll have yourself a nice little basketball team. Beloit Turner has itself a nice little basketball team.
"We had the toughest matchup we've had all year," senior Brekan Day said after Brodhead's 82-71 loss to Turner Thursday night. "It was a lot of mental stuff. We prepared pretty well for them."
The game was a back-and-forth battle all night, with neither team getting ahead by more than a couple of possessions most of the game.
"We moved the basketball really well. In stretches we defended really well. We just need to finish possessions, especially late in the second half," Brodhead coach Nick Jarvis said. "I thought both teams made a lot of plays. They just made more of them than we did."
In the final 4:45 of the game the Cardinals (3-3, 2-2 Rock Valley) were outscored 12-1, and Turner (5-1, 3-1) hit 7 of 9 free throws in the final 1:07 to close it out.
"They went on a run and got some lucky balls go their way. They made the best of their opportunities and we didn't," Day said. "They outworked us the last few minutes."
Turner used its length and speed to its peak ability. The Trojans ran a zone with a half-court trap using their three lanky forwards - 6-1 Juan Reyes, 6-6 Dee Strong and 6-3 Stephan Dillard - for much of the game, and in doing so forced the Cardinals to work even further away from the basket than they wanted to.
"We didn't expect them to come out with that length. We did the best we could to try and adjust on the fly," Day said.
Jarvis said his team did well given the circumstances.
"(Turner) did a really nice job switching defensively. They went into that 1-3-1 and we didn't get the touches we were looking for," Jarvis said.
Holding a 40-34 lead with just over 30 seconds left in the first half, Brodhead seemed to have forgotten how to maintain possession of the ball - be it passing, dribbling or even just holding onto the rock with two hands. The Cardinals allowed seven points in the final 30 seconds as four possessions ended in turnovers, and Turner led 41-40 at the break.
"At half we looked at it and said we played 17 minutes of really good basketball," Jarvis said. "It hurts, but I thought our kids responded well in the second half and continued to battle."
The other early game changer was Dillard, a lanky junior guard who hit seven 3-pointers in the contest, including four in the opening frame.
"Justice (Tway) chased him for the entire game. There were a couple of times he ran into two or three screens and (Dillard) got open," Jarvis said. "A couple of other times he got open early and he made us pay."
Day, not to be outdone, scored 16 of his game-high 28 points in the first, most of which came at the rim on dribble-drives.
"I was actually really tired at the start of the game, surprisingly," Day said.
Both teams had a starter with four fouls early in the second half, and that started to change the dynamic of the game. For Brodhead, it was junior Dawson Van Whye, a forward specializing in defense, and for Turner it was shifty guard D.J. Walsh.
Tway and Parker Johnson each had 16 for Brodhead. For Turner, Dillard led the way with 23 points, Dee Strong had 19, Sereno Ferona 17, Juan Reyes 13 and Walsh was held to just 5. Both teams hit nine 3s.
"Overall we got a lot of really good looks and we can't fault the kids. They played incredibly hard," Jarvis said.
The Cardinals travel to McFarland (3-2, 3-1) on Tuesday and then has a date with Edgerton (2-2, 1-2) Dec. 22. Day is optimistic of what the future holds for his team.
"If we work this hard and put up this many points each night, we're going to have a lot of wins," Day said.
"We had the toughest matchup we've had all year," senior Brekan Day said after Brodhead's 82-71 loss to Turner Thursday night. "It was a lot of mental stuff. We prepared pretty well for them."
The game was a back-and-forth battle all night, with neither team getting ahead by more than a couple of possessions most of the game.
"We moved the basketball really well. In stretches we defended really well. We just need to finish possessions, especially late in the second half," Brodhead coach Nick Jarvis said. "I thought both teams made a lot of plays. They just made more of them than we did."
In the final 4:45 of the game the Cardinals (3-3, 2-2 Rock Valley) were outscored 12-1, and Turner (5-1, 3-1) hit 7 of 9 free throws in the final 1:07 to close it out.
"They went on a run and got some lucky balls go their way. They made the best of their opportunities and we didn't," Day said. "They outworked us the last few minutes."
Turner used its length and speed to its peak ability. The Trojans ran a zone with a half-court trap using their three lanky forwards - 6-1 Juan Reyes, 6-6 Dee Strong and 6-3 Stephan Dillard - for much of the game, and in doing so forced the Cardinals to work even further away from the basket than they wanted to.
"We didn't expect them to come out with that length. We did the best we could to try and adjust on the fly," Day said.
Jarvis said his team did well given the circumstances.
"(Turner) did a really nice job switching defensively. They went into that 1-3-1 and we didn't get the touches we were looking for," Jarvis said.
Holding a 40-34 lead with just over 30 seconds left in the first half, Brodhead seemed to have forgotten how to maintain possession of the ball - be it passing, dribbling or even just holding onto the rock with two hands. The Cardinals allowed seven points in the final 30 seconds as four possessions ended in turnovers, and Turner led 41-40 at the break.
"At half we looked at it and said we played 17 minutes of really good basketball," Jarvis said. "It hurts, but I thought our kids responded well in the second half and continued to battle."
The other early game changer was Dillard, a lanky junior guard who hit seven 3-pointers in the contest, including four in the opening frame.
"Justice (Tway) chased him for the entire game. There were a couple of times he ran into two or three screens and (Dillard) got open," Jarvis said. "A couple of other times he got open early and he made us pay."
Day, not to be outdone, scored 16 of his game-high 28 points in the first, most of which came at the rim on dribble-drives.
"I was actually really tired at the start of the game, surprisingly," Day said.
Both teams had a starter with four fouls early in the second half, and that started to change the dynamic of the game. For Brodhead, it was junior Dawson Van Whye, a forward specializing in defense, and for Turner it was shifty guard D.J. Walsh.
Tway and Parker Johnson each had 16 for Brodhead. For Turner, Dillard led the way with 23 points, Dee Strong had 19, Sereno Ferona 17, Juan Reyes 13 and Walsh was held to just 5. Both teams hit nine 3s.
"Overall we got a lot of really good looks and we can't fault the kids. They played incredibly hard," Jarvis said.
The Cardinals travel to McFarland (3-2, 3-1) on Tuesday and then has a date with Edgerton (2-2, 1-2) Dec. 22. Day is optimistic of what the future holds for his team.
"If we work this hard and put up this many points each night, we're going to have a lot of wins," Day said.
