JUDA - Pecatonica freshman A.J. Hendrickson like many young basketball players loves to run.
Pecatonica used a press defense to push the ball in transition to kick-start a 17-4 second quarter run that proved to be the difference as the Vikings rolled to a 67-41 win over Juda Tuesday, Feb. 4.
"We like to play uptempo and fast," said Hendrickson who scored a game-high 21 points and had nine rebounds. "We upped the pressure on our press. We were active with our hands getting steals. We are athletic and we handle the ball well."
With the win, Pecatonica (8-9, 5-3 Six Rivers East) moves within one-half game behind the three co-leaders in the conference including Albany, Monticello and Barneveld each at 5-2.
Pecatonica coach Matt Fink said the Vikings have a legitimate chance to win a conference title.
"I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but we beat Monticello and Black Hawk once and have the tiebreaker," Fink said, although the Vikings face both of them this week. "All you want is to have an opportunity to win the conference. It's there. We will see where we are after this week."
Pecatonica freshman Kole Kent, who scored 16 points and had seven rebounds off the bench, scored down low with 2 minutes, 13 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Vikings a 24-12 lead. Pecatonica senior Zach Shilling drilled a 3-pointer and Hendrickson scored on a layup to extend the Vikings' lead to 29-10 with 1:40 to go. Shilling scored on a putback before the buzzer to give the Vikings a 35-14 lead at the half. Pecatonica junior Drew Schliem scored 15 points and made two 3-pointers in the first half.
The Panthers (1-15, 0-8) trailed 18-10 late in the second quarter before the Vikings went on a big surge.
"They picked up their intensity level and we didn't match it," Juda coach James Pickett said. "We knew they were going to press. Our game plan just fell apart. We had some turnovers and our bodies just went faster than our minds."
Fink likes his team's offensive ability to score points in bunches.
"I don't know if we can out-score everyone in the conference," he said. "I thought the key to extending the lead was our ability to go by people off the dribble. Brooks Chandler was able to do that and dish it for easy baskets. When we are doing that we are a pretty good team."
The Vikings led by as many as 29 points in the second half. Juda junior Cory Segner scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Segner hit the shot of the night knocking down a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter that was several feet from halfcourt. Segner scored 15 points in the second half and made some big shots for the Panthers.
Juda freshman Matt Schmitt was limited to eight points and he grabbed eight rebounds.
"Every team knows Matt is our leading scorer so they try to stop him," Pickett said. "Cory really stepped up. We need to look to get more people involved. It's not just a two-man game."
Pecatonica senior Chase Norton and Kent in the post have different styles, but they are successful as a tandem.
"Chase is really a banger and it doesn't go as noticed as the points," Fink said. "He (Norton) can really wear out other post players. I think Kole gives us an edge off the bench. We have worked a lot with Kole. He has a willingness to get better. He watches film and asks questions. He will continue to get better. I think he has a high ceiling."
Pickett saw improvements with the Panthers attacking the Vikings' press in the second half.
"I think we just picked up our intensity on both ends of the floor," he said. "We were more aggressive on defense. I think our team is full of potential. All of our team is underclassmen. We are just hoping to peak at the right time."
Pecatonica used a press defense to push the ball in transition to kick-start a 17-4 second quarter run that proved to be the difference as the Vikings rolled to a 67-41 win over Juda Tuesday, Feb. 4.
"We like to play uptempo and fast," said Hendrickson who scored a game-high 21 points and had nine rebounds. "We upped the pressure on our press. We were active with our hands getting steals. We are athletic and we handle the ball well."
With the win, Pecatonica (8-9, 5-3 Six Rivers East) moves within one-half game behind the three co-leaders in the conference including Albany, Monticello and Barneveld each at 5-2.
Pecatonica coach Matt Fink said the Vikings have a legitimate chance to win a conference title.
"I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but we beat Monticello and Black Hawk once and have the tiebreaker," Fink said, although the Vikings face both of them this week. "All you want is to have an opportunity to win the conference. It's there. We will see where we are after this week."
Pecatonica freshman Kole Kent, who scored 16 points and had seven rebounds off the bench, scored down low with 2 minutes, 13 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Vikings a 24-12 lead. Pecatonica senior Zach Shilling drilled a 3-pointer and Hendrickson scored on a layup to extend the Vikings' lead to 29-10 with 1:40 to go. Shilling scored on a putback before the buzzer to give the Vikings a 35-14 lead at the half. Pecatonica junior Drew Schliem scored 15 points and made two 3-pointers in the first half.
The Panthers (1-15, 0-8) trailed 18-10 late in the second quarter before the Vikings went on a big surge.
"They picked up their intensity level and we didn't match it," Juda coach James Pickett said. "We knew they were going to press. Our game plan just fell apart. We had some turnovers and our bodies just went faster than our minds."
Fink likes his team's offensive ability to score points in bunches.
"I don't know if we can out-score everyone in the conference," he said. "I thought the key to extending the lead was our ability to go by people off the dribble. Brooks Chandler was able to do that and dish it for easy baskets. When we are doing that we are a pretty good team."
The Vikings led by as many as 29 points in the second half. Juda junior Cory Segner scored a team-high 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Segner hit the shot of the night knocking down a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter that was several feet from halfcourt. Segner scored 15 points in the second half and made some big shots for the Panthers.
Juda freshman Matt Schmitt was limited to eight points and he grabbed eight rebounds.
"Every team knows Matt is our leading scorer so they try to stop him," Pickett said. "Cory really stepped up. We need to look to get more people involved. It's not just a two-man game."
Pecatonica senior Chase Norton and Kent in the post have different styles, but they are successful as a tandem.
"Chase is really a banger and it doesn't go as noticed as the points," Fink said. "He (Norton) can really wear out other post players. I think Kole gives us an edge off the bench. We have worked a lot with Kole. He has a willingness to get better. He watches film and asks questions. He will continue to get better. I think he has a high ceiling."
Pickett saw improvements with the Panthers attacking the Vikings' press in the second half.
"I think we just picked up our intensity on both ends of the floor," he said. "We were more aggressive on defense. I think our team is full of potential. All of our team is underclassmen. We are just hoping to peak at the right time."
