12-13-11
BY JACK BULLOCK
WAYNE CITY – If a team has legitimate championship aspirations heading into a pool play event such as the Conrad Allen Wayne City Holiday Tournament it sometimes comes down to just surviving games in which you don't play your best game.

The Cisne Lions endured an off night offensively by playing solid defense and making enough plays and free throws to win its second game of the week to keep their tournament title hopes alive.

Getting 19-points from Austin Atteberry and outscoring Patoka 21-2 from the foul line, Cisne improved to 2-0 in the tourney and 8-2 overall with a 42-24 win Tuesday night at the 58th annual event.

Coach Kevin Bowen's club defensively was strong in holding the Warriors to just seven second half points while connecting on 21-of-28 charities.

“I thought defensively we were sluggish in the first half but we only gave up seven points in the second half. We talked about it in the locker-room at the half that we needed to 'get after it' and do a better job defensively and rebounding,” said Coach Bowen. “In the first half we just kind of stood there. In the second half I thought we did a better job. We went and got it.”

Patoka fell to 1-1 in the tournament, 4-7 overall, with many red flags.

Most notably losing the turnover battle by committing 22-miscues, eight in the opening eight minutes.

Cisne, using pressure defense and attacking the basket throughout the contest, got to the line many more times than the Warriors.

The Lions overcame a poor shooting night (10-of-30 overall) by outrebounding Patoka 24-17 while allowing the Warriors a mere four offensive rebounds.

“We were 'one and done' and we collectively felt sorry for ourselves out there, that is the bottom line,” said a dejected Coach Joe Eddy. “They (Cisne) are a good ballclub and we are young and inexperienced. We're going to go through growing pains. It is just frustrating because we were right there (21-19 in the third quarter) but we end up getting blown out. We had to get aggressive late in the game and had to foul.”

Coach Eddy's Tribe was led in scoring by Johnnie Clift with seven points.

Patoka hit the same amount of field goals as the Lions (10) but did so in hitting less of a percentage (27 percent).

Add to that the Warriors made just 2-of-5 free throws in the matchup and Patoka saw its chance of getting to the championship game on Saturday shrink.

Neither team came out ready to play offensively in the opening stanza, which saw the two teams combine for nearly as many turnovers as points.

Cisne's Dustin Atteberry scored the final five points of the quarter to give the Lions an 11-8 lead.

Atteburry got to the foul line for a pair of made free throws and then was fouled in the paint by Patoka's Sheldon Felchlia while scoring on a baseline drive.

His subsequent made free throw gave Cisne a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

The Lions netted the game's next five points to force a Patoka timeout with 4:56 remaining in the half.

Austin Atteberry scored all five, with a pair of drives to the basket.

His second move down the lane turned into yet another three-point play for Cisne and a 16-8 advantage.

Clift scored four of his seven points in the second quarter with his first bucket coming on a drive through traffic for a score.

Clift then got a gift as his shot from the right side of the lane was deflected coming off of the backboard by Dustin Atteberry for a goal tending call.

That gave Patoka a bit of hope heading into the locker-room down just 21-17 at the break.

That hope dwindled early in the third quarter as Cisne assumed control.

A steal and a fast break lay in by Clift to open the third quarter scoring cut the Patoka deficit to just 21-19 with 7:16 remaining.

That was the last points of the frame for the Warriors and their last actual highlight as Cisne finished off Patoka by scoring the contest's next 10 points, eight to close out the quarter.

A fast break score by 5-foot-10 senior Travis Hughes and six made free throws by Aaron Billington, Hughes, Erick Powell and the Atteberry's pushed the lead to 29-21.

Senior Travis Howard got into the scoring fun for Cisne to open the final quarter with a baseline score and Double-A (Austin Atteberry) also went baseline for points and a 33-21 lead.

Five-foot-nine sophomore guard Seth Allen connected from long range for a trey that got Patoka within nine at 33-24 at the 3:47 mark.

That made 3-pointer would be the last score of the night for the Warriors.

Cisne closed out the victory by nailing 7-of-8 free throws before Billington ended the scoring with a back door lay in with just over a minute left.

“We struggled at times offensively. We don't have a lot of size so we have to depend on our quickness and dribble drives to the basket,” added Coach Bowen. “But we recognized we were in the bonus and if we were aggressive that we would get to the foul line.”

Neither team shot the ball well from the outside, combining to make just 3-of-17 from behind the arc.

But the foul line was the Lions' best friend on this night as Coach Bowen's club looks for its third title in five years at this tournament.

Cisne can take another step toward that crown with a win over Thompsonville in the late game on Wednesday night.

“I was pretty disappointed with our effort in the first half but I thought we picked it up,” Bowen explained. “It is frustrating to go through those moments as a coach but all coaches go through that. We will get better.”

The Warriors head back into pool play with a game against the host Indians on Thursday night.

“We keep having lapses that keep us from getting over the hump,” added Coach Eddy.

Patoka (24) – Clift 3 0 1-2 7, Felchlia 0 0 0-0 0, Jenkins 0 0 0-0 0, Allen 0 1 0-0 3, Wadkins 1 1 1-2 6, Orrell 1 0 0-0 2, Paskavich 0 0 0-0 0, Back 1 0 0-1 2, Budds 2 0 0-0 4.
2FG-8, 3FG-2, FT-2-5 , PF-21.
Cisne (42) – A. Atteberry 5 1 6-8 19, Billington 1 0 5-6 7, Hughes 1 0 1-2 3, D. Atteberry 1 0 6-8 8, Powell 0 0 3-4 3, Howard 1 0 0-0 2, Allison 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-9, 3FG-1, FT-21-28, PF-14.
Fouled Out – Allen - Patoka.
Technical Fouls – None.

CRAB ORCHARD 76, WEBBER TOWNSHIP 29
For the second consecutive victory at the Wayne City Holiday Tournament the Trojans scored over 30-points in the first quarter.

On Saturday Coach Jon Brown's club sprinted out to a 30-8 lead over Grayville in route to an easy win.

Tuesday night was more of the same as they overmatched the other Trojans in this field, sprinting out to a 32-3 lead at the end of one quarter on their way to an easy win.

Thirteen different players wearing Orange and Black inked the scorebook in the win as Crab Orchard improved to 2-0 in the tournament and 11-0 for the campaign.

Drew Johnson powered the Trojans with 15-points, with all of those markers coming in the first quarter romp.

Coty Wece was second in the parade with 14.

High scoring forward Ben Kissing (two points) played just a few moments in the lopsided game as Coach Jon Brown called off the dawgs early.

Freshman Colton McCree came off the Crab Orchard bench and scored 11.

Webber Township (0-8) fell to 0-2 in the tournament with junior Koaltin Dye leading the Trojans with 16-points.

The Trojans will face Zeigler-Royalton on Thursday night as Coach Brown's club looks to reach its third consecutive Conrad Allen Wayne City Holiday Tournament title game.

Webber Township will face Edwards County in its next game on Wednesday night.

Coach Russ Gerlach's bunch was topped by 12-points from 5-foot-8 senior guard Haden Smith while Arminius Caldwell added 11.

Two other Indians, Brandyn Johnson and Eric Alvis, chipped in nine points each.

Coach Shawn Taylor's Wolves were led by Jordan Brown with 10-points while Nathan Dulaney added seven.

Clay City-Noble saw its mark fall to 0-2 in the WCHT and 2-8 overall.