BLANCHARDVILLE - The Pecatonica boys basketball team kicked off its season in thrilling fashion Friday night at home, knocking off Highland in triple overtime, 54-51.
"It was a great high school basketball game," said Pecatonica coach Matt Fink. "Hats off to Highland, they played a great game."
Pecatonica's Brooks Chandler had a high school debut to remember. The freshman drilled six three-pointers on his way to scoring a team-high 21 points.
"He was huge for us," Fink said.
Other top contributors for Pecatonica included senior Jon Hendrickson and sophomore Drew Schliem. Hendrickson recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Schliem scored 11 points and dished out 6 assists.
Fink said the key for the Vikings was their resiliency.
"We did a nice job of answering every time the other team got ahead," he said. "Every time they would get ahead by two or four or six, we got it right back. At the end we did enough to get the win."
While Fink was pleased with his team's opening night performance, he said that he still saw many areas that need improvement.
"I think we did a lot of good things, but overall we have a lot of things to work on," he said. "We turned the ball over way too often. We still have a lot of areas we need to improve."
Black Hawk 62, Darlington 41
SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk started it's season with a bang Friday night, defeating visiting Darlington, 62-41.
Black Hawk coach Corey Manlick was very pleased with his team's opening night effort.
"The kids just came out and competed," Manlick said. "We played well as a team. We didn't force shots on offense. I thought we played outstanding defense. We rotated well, and put pressure on the ball."
Heath Butler led a balanced scoring attack for the Warriors, putting up 12 points. It was Butler's first varsity start, and Manlick was impressed with his play.
"Heath Butler, as a sophomore, playing in his first varsity game, got in a rhythm early and knocked down some shots for us," Manlick said.
Manlick also praised the play of Noah Thomson and Tyler Peterson, both of whom were also making their varsity debuts.
"Heath and Noah stepped up and played some valuable minutes," Manlick said. "They made some good, in-rhythm shots. (Tyler) worked hard on defense and knew his responsibilities."
Manlick was happy with his team's performance, but still believes his team has plenty of room to grow.
"Our goal is to hold teams under 40 points, and obviously we were one point over that goal," he said. "Defensively we just need to work on playing smarter, getting into the right position and not committing stupid fouls.
"Darlington, as a team, got to the free throw line 20 times. That shouldn't happen. We also didn't shoot well from the free throw line. We shot 53 percent from the line, which, in my book, isn't good enough. So that's another thing we need to work on in practice."
The Redbirds were led in scoring by Cole McDonald, who put up 23 points.
"It was a great high school basketball game," said Pecatonica coach Matt Fink. "Hats off to Highland, they played a great game."
Pecatonica's Brooks Chandler had a high school debut to remember. The freshman drilled six three-pointers on his way to scoring a team-high 21 points.
"He was huge for us," Fink said.
Other top contributors for Pecatonica included senior Jon Hendrickson and sophomore Drew Schliem. Hendrickson recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Schliem scored 11 points and dished out 6 assists.
Fink said the key for the Vikings was their resiliency.
"We did a nice job of answering every time the other team got ahead," he said. "Every time they would get ahead by two or four or six, we got it right back. At the end we did enough to get the win."
While Fink was pleased with his team's opening night performance, he said that he still saw many areas that need improvement.
"I think we did a lot of good things, but overall we have a lot of things to work on," he said. "We turned the ball over way too often. We still have a lot of areas we need to improve."
Black Hawk 62, Darlington 41
SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk started it's season with a bang Friday night, defeating visiting Darlington, 62-41.
Black Hawk coach Corey Manlick was very pleased with his team's opening night effort.
"The kids just came out and competed," Manlick said. "We played well as a team. We didn't force shots on offense. I thought we played outstanding defense. We rotated well, and put pressure on the ball."
Heath Butler led a balanced scoring attack for the Warriors, putting up 12 points. It was Butler's first varsity start, and Manlick was impressed with his play.
"Heath Butler, as a sophomore, playing in his first varsity game, got in a rhythm early and knocked down some shots for us," Manlick said.
Manlick also praised the play of Noah Thomson and Tyler Peterson, both of whom were also making their varsity debuts.
"Heath and Noah stepped up and played some valuable minutes," Manlick said. "They made some good, in-rhythm shots. (Tyler) worked hard on defense and knew his responsibilities."
Manlick was happy with his team's performance, but still believes his team has plenty of room to grow.
"Our goal is to hold teams under 40 points, and obviously we were one point over that goal," he said. "Defensively we just need to work on playing smarter, getting into the right position and not committing stupid fouls.
"Darlington, as a team, got to the free throw line 20 times. That shouldn't happen. We also didn't shoot well from the free throw line. We shot 53 percent from the line, which, in my book, isn't good enough. So that's another thing we need to work on in practice."
The Redbirds were led in scoring by Cole McDonald, who put up 23 points.
