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Titans win consolation championship
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| West Hancock’s Ryan Runge gets his hand on a shot taken by Kewanee’s Collin Kelly Tuesday. Mac Schlicher also defends on the play. |
By Brad Cameron/Gate City Sports Editor
MACOMB, Ill. - The West Hancock Titans finished the Macomb-Western Holiday Basketball Tournament on a high note by winning the consolation championship.
The Titans shot 54.2 percent from the field and held Kewanee to 15 points over the final three quarters for a 62-29 win Tuesday at Western Hall.
“We talked to our players about finishing up and propelling to the second half of the season,” said West Hancock Head Coach Reno Pinkston. “We're 9-2 right now. We've lost to QND and Pleasant Plains, two quality teams. If you told me we would be 9-2 and the two losses came to teams like that at this point in the season I would be satisfied. I wouldn't be ecstatic - 11-0 would make me ecstatic - but 9-2 with this group learning how to play together right now, I'm really proud of them.”
Ryan Runge hit consecutive three-pointers, and Ryan Brunenn hit a perimeter jumper to give West Hancock an early 8-4 advantage, but Kewanee battled back to take a 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Kewanee went 6-of-12 from the field in the first quarter, but the Titans clamped down defensively on the Boilermakers the remainder of the game. Kewanee went 1-of-11 from the field in the second quarter and made just 2-of-21 field goal attempts in the second half.
West Hancock took advantage. Caleb Gray scored inside to start the second quarter, and Runge and Brunenn hit three-pointers to give the Titans a 20-16 lead.
West Hancock took control of the game in the third quarter. Terry Mercer opened the second half with a basket to pull Kewanee to within 20-18, but Dalton Mann scored consecutive baskets, Nate Parker added a three-pointer, and Mann scored again to give the Titans a double-digit lead.
“People say defense wins championships, but you have to put the ball in the hole,” Pinkston said. “It's great to hold someone down, but when you have to rely on that all the time, you need your offense to help you out as well. In these last three games we've been able to do that.”
Will Carr scored conecutive baskets inside to finish a 13-1 run. Mann and Carr would later added baskets inside to push the lead to 37-21.
“They went to a gimmick defense against Ryan, and we exploited it and got some easy baskets,” Pinkston said. “That kind of created the seperation we needed and pulled away from there.
“When you get that separation of 10, 11 points you don't want to turn around and negate it. We were able to keep extending. I was proud of our guys for their defensive effort.”
The Titans finished the game by outscoring Kewanee 25-6 in the final quarter. The Boilermakers scored their six points on eight free throw attempts.
Runge had 12 points on 4-of-8 three-point attempts, and Carr finished with 12 points and six rebounds to lead West Hancock. Brunenn was 3-of-5 from three-point range and finished with 11 points and a team-high six assists. Mann added eight points. Mac Schlicher had six points and four assists. Seth Pinkston, Parker and Austin Boyer each had three points. Gray contributed two points and six rebounds, and Jeff Melton scored two points.
Louis Garms and Albert Fields each had six points to pace Kewanee, 5-10 on the season.
Carr was named to the 2008 all-tournament team. The 6-9 senior had 47 points in four games and led the tournament with 40 rebounds.
West Hancock 50, Illini West 42 - The Titans advanced to the consolation championship with a win over the Chargers Tuesday morning at Macomb High School.
West Hancock never trailed and took its biggest lead of the game when Mac Schlicher made two free throws with 1:21 left in the third quarter to give the Titans a 28-17 lead.
Illini West battled back with an 11-2 run. Ser Whitaker's lay-up with 4:53 remaining cut the margin to 32-30.
Three-pointers by Nate Parker and Ryan Runge extended the lead to 38-30, but Cody Carson and Whitaker answered with three-pointers of their own to cut the deficit to two with 3:07 left.
Two points, however, would be as close as Illini West would get. Carr converted a three-point play and added two free throws to extend the lead to 43-36. West Hancock scored nine straight points to stretch the lead to 11 with 34 seconds remaining.
Carr had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Runge scored 16 points to lead West Hancock. Brunenn added eight points. Caleb Gray scored four points. Mac Schlicher and Parker each had three points, and Kyle Jenkins finished with a team-high five assists.
Whitaker scored 17 points to pace Illini West, 2-5 on the season. Jacob Schmudlach added 13 points and eight rebounds.
The Titans shot 54.2 percent from the field and held Kewanee to 15 points over the final three quarters for a 62-29 win Tuesday at Western Hall.
“We talked to our players about finishing up and propelling to the second half of the season,” said West Hancock Head Coach Reno Pinkston. “We're 9-2 right now. We've lost to QND and Pleasant Plains, two quality teams. If you told me we would be 9-2 and the two losses came to teams like that at this point in the season I would be satisfied. I wouldn't be ecstatic - 11-0 would make me ecstatic - but 9-2 with this group learning how to play together right now, I'm really proud of them.”
Ryan Runge hit consecutive three-pointers, and Ryan Brunenn hit a perimeter jumper to give West Hancock an early 8-4 advantage, but Kewanee battled back to take a 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Kewanee went 6-of-12 from the field in the first quarter, but the Titans clamped down defensively on the Boilermakers the remainder of the game. Kewanee went 1-of-11 from the field in the second quarter and made just 2-of-21 field goal attempts in the second half.
West Hancock took advantage. Caleb Gray scored inside to start the second quarter, and Runge and Brunenn hit three-pointers to give the Titans a 20-16 lead.
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“People say defense wins championships, but you have to put the ball in the hole,” Pinkston said. “It's great to hold someone down, but when you have to rely on that all the time, you need your offense to help you out as well. In these last three games we've been able to do that.”
Will Carr scored conecutive baskets inside to finish a 13-1 run. Mann and Carr would later added baskets inside to push the lead to 37-21.
“They went to a gimmick defense against Ryan, and we exploited it and got some easy baskets,” Pinkston said. “That kind of created the seperation we needed and pulled away from there.
“When you get that separation of 10, 11 points you don't want to turn around and negate it. We were able to keep extending. I was proud of our guys for their defensive effort.”
The Titans finished the game by outscoring Kewanee 25-6 in the final quarter. The Boilermakers scored their six points on eight free throw attempts.
Runge had 12 points on 4-of-8 three-point attempts, and Carr finished with 12 points and six rebounds to lead West Hancock. Brunenn was 3-of-5 from three-point range and finished with 11 points and a team-high six assists. Mann added eight points. Mac Schlicher had six points and four assists. Seth Pinkston, Parker and Austin Boyer each had three points. Gray contributed two points and six rebounds, and Jeff Melton scored two points.
Louis Garms and Albert Fields each had six points to pace Kewanee, 5-10 on the season.
Carr was named to the 2008 all-tournament team. The 6-9 senior had 47 points in four games and led the tournament with 40 rebounds.
West Hancock 50, Illini West 42 - The Titans advanced to the consolation championship with a win over the Chargers Tuesday morning at Macomb High School.
West Hancock never trailed and took its biggest lead of the game when Mac Schlicher made two free throws with 1:21 left in the third quarter to give the Titans a 28-17 lead.
Illini West battled back with an 11-2 run. Ser Whitaker's lay-up with 4:53 remaining cut the margin to 32-30.
Three-pointers by Nate Parker and Ryan Runge extended the lead to 38-30, but Cody Carson and Whitaker answered with three-pointers of their own to cut the deficit to two with 3:07 left.
Two points, however, would be as close as Illini West would get. Carr converted a three-point play and added two free throws to extend the lead to 43-36. West Hancock scored nine straight points to stretch the lead to 11 with 34 seconds remaining.
Carr had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Runge scored 16 points to lead West Hancock. Brunenn added eight points. Caleb Gray scored four points. Mac Schlicher and Parker each had three points, and Kyle Jenkins finished with a team-high five assists.
Whitaker scored 17 points to pace Illini West, 2-5 on the season. Jacob Schmudlach added 13 points and eight rebounds.
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