ALBANY - The Six Rivers Challenge left many coaches in the Six Rivers East Conference questioning the prospects of their respective teams entering the tournament. The West dominated the East in the challenge, winning five of the seven games.
Belmont's John Bahr scored a game-high 23 points and drilled six 3-pointers to lift the Braves to a 68-55 win over Albany Friday. It's the second time this season that Belmont (11-5) has beat Albany. The Braves beat the Comets by 20 points earlier this year.
"Clearly, they have been the better team both times," Albany coach Derik Doescher said. "They (Belmont) will be a tough out."
Is the Six Rivers West Conference stronger or is just too early to draw any conclusions?
"I think you have to give the West credit because all of the games were at East schools," Doescher said. "For the Six Rivers West to win on the road says a lot."
The Braves outscored the Comets 17-9 in the second quarter to take a seven-point halftime lead. Belmont exploded for 40 points in the second half. With the loss, Albany drops to 6-11, 5-3 Six Rivers East.
Doescher said the Braves have a lot of weapons.
"You have to give them credit," he said. "I don't think at times we did a good job of knowing where their shooters were."
Black Hawk 69, Potosi 63
SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk senior Heath Butler scored a game-high 36 points to lift the Warriors to a 69-63 win over Potosi Friday.
Black Hawk (10-7, 6-2 Six Rivers East) jumped out to an 18-8 lead in the first quarter and led by six points at the half. Black Hawk senior Shawn Woodruff added 14 points.
"It was a very interesting game," Black Hawk coach Charlie Anderson said. "We'd go up by 10, and then they'd fight back. They kept it close the whole game.
"We got off to good start with Heath and Shawn attacking the basket. We hung with them, but they really started to shoot well in the second half. It was really just a battle of attrition.
"It was really nice to see Shawn have a really productive night. He's a two-year starter and he did a really good job of being our other scorer. We rely on Heath a lot, and he had another monster night, but it was nice to see Shawn complement Heath. We hope to carry it over to Monday night."
Potosi was led by Nate Fredrick, who scored a team-high 18 points, and Riley Hawes, who added 15 points.
Black Hawk hosts Belmont Monday.
Shullsburg 47, Pecatonica 45
BLANCHARDVILLE - In a showdown of the top two teams in the Six Rivers Conference, Shullsburg tipped Pecatonica 47-45.
Shullsburg's Joe Meyer scored a team-high 16 points. Pecatonica (13-4, 8-0 Six Rivers East) jumped out to a 15-9 lead in the first quarter, but trailed by two at the half. The Miners outscored the Vikings 13-10 in the third quarter to take a five-point lead into the fourth.
"We lost our defensive discipline," Pecatonica assistant coach Larry Schliem said. "We came out pretty focused in the second quarter. It was just one of those nights when high school kids forget their assignments.
"We've been pretty good at it (remembering assignments), and sometimes that happens. We're just going to learn from it. We talked after the game that this is something we can learn from to get better down the stretch. I know they're beating themselves up for losing this game, so we just have to keep positive and keep moving forward."
Pecatonica sophomore A.J. Hendrickson scored a game-high 20 points and sophomore teammate Logan Green added 13 points.
River Ridge 50,
Juda 34
JUDA - River Ridge's Kirk Martin scored a game-high 19 points to power the Timberwolves to a 50-34 win over Juda.
River Ridge outscored Juda 31-19 in the second half.
"In the first half it was a defensive struggle," Juda coach James Pickett said. "We went blow for blow. But in the second half, River Ridge was the aggressor. We became a little too passive on offense and defense and they took advantage."
Juda sophomore Matt Schmitt scored a team-high 13 points and sophomore Skylar Stuckey added 11 points. With the loss, Juda drops to 6-12, 3-5 Six Rivers East.
Martin scored 10 of his 19 points in the first quarter for River Ridge.
"He's a very good player - a do-everything guy," Pickett said of Martin. "He handles the ball, he can score in the post, and he came out ready to go.
"We just need to play a complete game. That's kind of been our issue all season. We play a great three quarters, but we can't have any lapses, we have to put on the gas for four quarters straight."
Benton 62,
Argyle 53
ARGYLE - Junior guard Riley Ostby scored a game-high 30 points, but it wasn't enough as Benton knocked off Argyle 62-53.
Benton (3-14) outscored the Orioles 20-14 in the fourth quarter. Ostby made three 3-pointers to lead the Orioles. Teammate Kyle Emberson added eight points. With the loss, Argyle drops to 4-12, 2-7 Six Rivers East.
Highland 51, Monticello 42
MONTICELLO - Highland's John Ross Linscheid and Austin Yager combined to score 34 points to lead the Cardinals to a 51-42 win over Monticello.
Linscheid scored a game-high 18 points and Yager added 16 points. Monticello (1-17, 0-9 Six Rivers East) hit nine 3-pointers. Monticello's Zach Price scored a team-high 12 points on four 3-pointers. Senior Ben May added 11 points and Matt Andrews had nine points on three 3-pointers.
The Ponies outscored the Cardinals 18-9 in the second quarter to take a five-point lead at the half. Highland outscored Monticello 29-15 in the second half.
Monticello led 38-34 midway through the fourth quarter, but Highland went on 11-0 run to pull away.
Darlington 54, Boscobel 37
DARLINGTON - Senior Cole McDonald scored a game-high 23 points to help Darlington roll to a 54-37 win over Boscobel.
Darlington (16-1, 8-1 SWAL) outscored the Bulldogs 22-11 in the third quarter to open up a 17-point lead. Darlington senior Ben Muhlstein added 10 points and sophomore Will Schwartz chipped in eight points.
Clinton 40, Brodhead 38
BRODHEAD - Clinton used a big second quarter surge to clip Brodhead 40-38.
The Cougars went on a 21-8 run in the second quarter to take a a nine-point lead over Brodhead at the half. The Cardinals outscored Clinton 11-5 in the third quarter to pull back into the game.
Brodhead junior Ned Slocum and senior Josiah DeLorme each scored a team-high nine points. With the loss, Brodhead drops to 5-13, 2-10 Rock Valley South.
Clinton's Luke Risse scored a team-high nine points to lead the Cougars.
Belmont's John Bahr scored a game-high 23 points and drilled six 3-pointers to lift the Braves to a 68-55 win over Albany Friday. It's the second time this season that Belmont (11-5) has beat Albany. The Braves beat the Comets by 20 points earlier this year.
"Clearly, they have been the better team both times," Albany coach Derik Doescher said. "They (Belmont) will be a tough out."
Is the Six Rivers West Conference stronger or is just too early to draw any conclusions?
"I think you have to give the West credit because all of the games were at East schools," Doescher said. "For the Six Rivers West to win on the road says a lot."
The Braves outscored the Comets 17-9 in the second quarter to take a seven-point halftime lead. Belmont exploded for 40 points in the second half. With the loss, Albany drops to 6-11, 5-3 Six Rivers East.
Doescher said the Braves have a lot of weapons.
"You have to give them credit," he said. "I don't think at times we did a good job of knowing where their shooters were."
Black Hawk 69, Potosi 63
SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk senior Heath Butler scored a game-high 36 points to lift the Warriors to a 69-63 win over Potosi Friday.
Black Hawk (10-7, 6-2 Six Rivers East) jumped out to an 18-8 lead in the first quarter and led by six points at the half. Black Hawk senior Shawn Woodruff added 14 points.
"It was a very interesting game," Black Hawk coach Charlie Anderson said. "We'd go up by 10, and then they'd fight back. They kept it close the whole game.
"We got off to good start with Heath and Shawn attacking the basket. We hung with them, but they really started to shoot well in the second half. It was really just a battle of attrition.
"It was really nice to see Shawn have a really productive night. He's a two-year starter and he did a really good job of being our other scorer. We rely on Heath a lot, and he had another monster night, but it was nice to see Shawn complement Heath. We hope to carry it over to Monday night."
Potosi was led by Nate Fredrick, who scored a team-high 18 points, and Riley Hawes, who added 15 points.
Black Hawk hosts Belmont Monday.
Shullsburg 47, Pecatonica 45
BLANCHARDVILLE - In a showdown of the top two teams in the Six Rivers Conference, Shullsburg tipped Pecatonica 47-45.
Shullsburg's Joe Meyer scored a team-high 16 points. Pecatonica (13-4, 8-0 Six Rivers East) jumped out to a 15-9 lead in the first quarter, but trailed by two at the half. The Miners outscored the Vikings 13-10 in the third quarter to take a five-point lead into the fourth.
"We lost our defensive discipline," Pecatonica assistant coach Larry Schliem said. "We came out pretty focused in the second quarter. It was just one of those nights when high school kids forget their assignments.
"We've been pretty good at it (remembering assignments), and sometimes that happens. We're just going to learn from it. We talked after the game that this is something we can learn from to get better down the stretch. I know they're beating themselves up for losing this game, so we just have to keep positive and keep moving forward."
Pecatonica sophomore A.J. Hendrickson scored a game-high 20 points and sophomore teammate Logan Green added 13 points.
River Ridge 50,
Juda 34
JUDA - River Ridge's Kirk Martin scored a game-high 19 points to power the Timberwolves to a 50-34 win over Juda.
River Ridge outscored Juda 31-19 in the second half.
"In the first half it was a defensive struggle," Juda coach James Pickett said. "We went blow for blow. But in the second half, River Ridge was the aggressor. We became a little too passive on offense and defense and they took advantage."
Juda sophomore Matt Schmitt scored a team-high 13 points and sophomore Skylar Stuckey added 11 points. With the loss, Juda drops to 6-12, 3-5 Six Rivers East.
Martin scored 10 of his 19 points in the first quarter for River Ridge.
"He's a very good player - a do-everything guy," Pickett said of Martin. "He handles the ball, he can score in the post, and he came out ready to go.
"We just need to play a complete game. That's kind of been our issue all season. We play a great three quarters, but we can't have any lapses, we have to put on the gas for four quarters straight."
Benton 62,
Argyle 53
ARGYLE - Junior guard Riley Ostby scored a game-high 30 points, but it wasn't enough as Benton knocked off Argyle 62-53.
Benton (3-14) outscored the Orioles 20-14 in the fourth quarter. Ostby made three 3-pointers to lead the Orioles. Teammate Kyle Emberson added eight points. With the loss, Argyle drops to 4-12, 2-7 Six Rivers East.
Highland 51, Monticello 42
MONTICELLO - Highland's John Ross Linscheid and Austin Yager combined to score 34 points to lead the Cardinals to a 51-42 win over Monticello.
Linscheid scored a game-high 18 points and Yager added 16 points. Monticello (1-17, 0-9 Six Rivers East) hit nine 3-pointers. Monticello's Zach Price scored a team-high 12 points on four 3-pointers. Senior Ben May added 11 points and Matt Andrews had nine points on three 3-pointers.
The Ponies outscored the Cardinals 18-9 in the second quarter to take a five-point lead at the half. Highland outscored Monticello 29-15 in the second half.
Monticello led 38-34 midway through the fourth quarter, but Highland went on 11-0 run to pull away.
Darlington 54, Boscobel 37
DARLINGTON - Senior Cole McDonald scored a game-high 23 points to help Darlington roll to a 54-37 win over Boscobel.
Darlington (16-1, 8-1 SWAL) outscored the Bulldogs 22-11 in the third quarter to open up a 17-point lead. Darlington senior Ben Muhlstein added 10 points and sophomore Will Schwartz chipped in eight points.
Clinton 40, Brodhead 38
BRODHEAD - Clinton used a big second quarter surge to clip Brodhead 40-38.
The Cougars went on a 21-8 run in the second quarter to take a a nine-point lead over Brodhead at the half. The Cardinals outscored Clinton 11-5 in the third quarter to pull back into the game.
Brodhead junior Ned Slocum and senior Josiah DeLorme each scored a team-high nine points. With the loss, Brodhead drops to 5-13, 2-10 Rock Valley South.
Clinton's Luke Risse scored a team-high nine points to lead the Cougars.
