BLANCHARDVILLE- Pecatonica senior Kaleb Feller didn't need to be reminded about one of the cardinal rules of basketball or any sport - respecting every opponent.
In a Six Rivers East Conference boys basketball clash that at times resembled a football game, Pecatonica withstood a late Monticello rally to earn a 54-48 win over the league-leading Ponies.
"We came out with a lot of intensity," Feller said, who scored 14 of his game-high 16 points in the first half. "We knew we had to. We wanted to come out and match their intensity. We had tons of respect for them."
Pecatonica senior Kyle Kent drilled a pivotal 3-pointer from the wing to give the Vikings a 48-42 lead with 1 minute, 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
"That was huge," Pecatonica coach Jim Syse said. "In the fourth quarter, it's always tougher to score. Your legs are always a little bit tired."
From there, the Ponies were forced to foul down the stretch to try to come back. Pecatonica (3-6, 2-3 Six Rivers East) made just 4 of 8 free throws in the final 37 seconds, but survived to give the Ponies their first conference loss. Monticello drops to 6-4 overall and 4-1 in the league.
"Obviously, Pec is a football school," Monticello coach Brad Pickett said. "We knew coming in it was going to be physical. It took us three quarters to adjust to it. You do that against a good program like Pec and you are going to put yourself in a hole and tonight we couldn't get out of it."
The game had the makings of a slugfest from the tipoff. The Vikings jumped to a 10-6 lead on a 3-pointer by Jeremy Meudt. Monticello sophomore Tyler Ritschard answered with a 3-pointer to cut the Vikings' lead to 12-11 late in the first quarter.
The Vikings continued to roll with a 10-5 second-quarter run sparked by Feller. He grabbed an offensive rebound and found Jake Rindy for a 3-pointer at the top of the key to extend the Vikings' lead to 17-13.
Feller added a 3-pointer and scored a layup on the break to push the lead to 22-16.
From there, the Ponies buckled down and went on an 8-2 spurt sparked by 3-pointers from Ritschard and Tyler Meier to take a 25-24 lead. Meier led the Ponies with a team-high 13 points.
Feller then hit a 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter to give the Vikings a 29-26 halftime lead.
Kent gave the Vikings a boost in the third quarter, scoring seven of his 11 points in the period.
Pecatonica's defense dug in and keyed a 16-9 third-quarter run.
Pecatonica led by as many as 10 points (45-35) after a 3-pointer by Jason Meudt and a layup by Milton Kurschner in transition.
"I really think it was our defense that fueled our offense and gave us that cushion," Syse said.
With Feller limited to just two second-half points, the Vikings received boosts from Kent and Kurschner, who was the third player in double figures for Pecatonica with 10 points.
"Kaleb is a great player," Syse said. "He has to score for us to win. To his credit, when his shots were not falling in the second half, he was looking for others. For us to be successful, we have to have multiple scorers."
Pecatonica junior Devin Jeglum limited Monticello senior Brandon Holz to just seven points. Ritschard scored all 10 of his points in the first half.
"He (Jeglum) did a hell of a job on defense," Feller said. "Part of our game plan was to shut him down."
The Ponies now focus on improving and remaining a conference title contender.
"Our biggest Achilles' heel right now is boxing out," Pickett said. "Whether we are playing a bigger or smaller team, we need to box out."
He said the Ponies got away from playing as a team.
"I think we are trying to do too much on our own," he said. "I think that has shown on the scoreboard in our last two losses."
In a Six Rivers East Conference boys basketball clash that at times resembled a football game, Pecatonica withstood a late Monticello rally to earn a 54-48 win over the league-leading Ponies.
"We came out with a lot of intensity," Feller said, who scored 14 of his game-high 16 points in the first half. "We knew we had to. We wanted to come out and match their intensity. We had tons of respect for them."
Pecatonica senior Kyle Kent drilled a pivotal 3-pointer from the wing to give the Vikings a 48-42 lead with 1 minute, 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
"That was huge," Pecatonica coach Jim Syse said. "In the fourth quarter, it's always tougher to score. Your legs are always a little bit tired."
From there, the Ponies were forced to foul down the stretch to try to come back. Pecatonica (3-6, 2-3 Six Rivers East) made just 4 of 8 free throws in the final 37 seconds, but survived to give the Ponies their first conference loss. Monticello drops to 6-4 overall and 4-1 in the league.
"Obviously, Pec is a football school," Monticello coach Brad Pickett said. "We knew coming in it was going to be physical. It took us three quarters to adjust to it. You do that against a good program like Pec and you are going to put yourself in a hole and tonight we couldn't get out of it."
The game had the makings of a slugfest from the tipoff. The Vikings jumped to a 10-6 lead on a 3-pointer by Jeremy Meudt. Monticello sophomore Tyler Ritschard answered with a 3-pointer to cut the Vikings' lead to 12-11 late in the first quarter.
The Vikings continued to roll with a 10-5 second-quarter run sparked by Feller. He grabbed an offensive rebound and found Jake Rindy for a 3-pointer at the top of the key to extend the Vikings' lead to 17-13.
Feller added a 3-pointer and scored a layup on the break to push the lead to 22-16.
From there, the Ponies buckled down and went on an 8-2 spurt sparked by 3-pointers from Ritschard and Tyler Meier to take a 25-24 lead. Meier led the Ponies with a team-high 13 points.
Feller then hit a 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter to give the Vikings a 29-26 halftime lead.
Kent gave the Vikings a boost in the third quarter, scoring seven of his 11 points in the period.
Pecatonica's defense dug in and keyed a 16-9 third-quarter run.
Pecatonica led by as many as 10 points (45-35) after a 3-pointer by Jason Meudt and a layup by Milton Kurschner in transition.
"I really think it was our defense that fueled our offense and gave us that cushion," Syse said.
With Feller limited to just two second-half points, the Vikings received boosts from Kent and Kurschner, who was the third player in double figures for Pecatonica with 10 points.
"Kaleb is a great player," Syse said. "He has to score for us to win. To his credit, when his shots were not falling in the second half, he was looking for others. For us to be successful, we have to have multiple scorers."
Pecatonica junior Devin Jeglum limited Monticello senior Brandon Holz to just seven points. Ritschard scored all 10 of his points in the first half.
"He (Jeglum) did a hell of a job on defense," Feller said. "Part of our game plan was to shut him down."
The Ponies now focus on improving and remaining a conference title contender.
"Our biggest Achilles' heel right now is boxing out," Pickett said. "Whether we are playing a bigger or smaller team, we need to box out."
He said the Ponies got away from playing as a team.
"I think we are trying to do too much on our own," he said. "I think that has shown on the scoreboard in our last two losses."
