03-08-08
BY JACK BULLOCK
PEORIA - With the expansion to four classes in Illinois High School basketball – eight teams can win their final game of the year.

Olney East Richland is one of those earned few.

Regrouping after a tough loss to Peoria Manual on Friday night – head coach Rob Flanagan saw his troops answer the call on Saturday night by holding off Pinckneyville 55-46 to take home third place honors in Class 2A.

With an advantage in size with 6-foot-11 center Keane Thomann and a double-digit spread in foul line appearances the Tigers (31-4) ended their season with a victory.

Thomann topped all scorers with 17 points while hauling down a team-best seven rebounds.

Olney - simply put – out shot the Panthers from every spot.

Holding a 20 to 3 advantage in made free throws the Tigers were 17-of-27 (63 percent) from the field overall.

The Panthers (28-6) were just 20-of-47 (42.6 percent) from the floor and got to the foul line just eight times and made just three of those attempts.

East Richland won the rebounding war as well 27-17.

“We only make our program better by playing the Pinckneyville's of the world and it has been that way for a number of years,” said Coach Flanagan. “It is one of the reasons we went down to go to their (Panthers) Holiday Tournament for Christmas to play and we were fortunate to get a win down there. To to get two wins over them in a season with what was at stake in the games is very humble. We feel very fortunate tonight.”

Pinckneyville got close twice in the final quarter but Olney was able to hold them off at the end.

Hayden Hicks took an assist from Kyle Cassity and drained a 3-pointer to cut the Tigers lead down to 44-42 with 2:56 remaining in the fourth period.

However the Panthers committed a pair of costly turnovers that led to baskets by Thomann and Kory Dunn.

Brandon Berry assisted on both of those scores and he laster added a pair of free throws.

Tyler Miller and Charlie McDowell also produced points from the foul line as part of the 9-0 run the finished off the third place victory.

“Anytime you play for fourth and you have expectations to be playing for a championship it is hard to bounce back,” said Pinckneyville head coach Bob Waggoner. “We made some uncharacteristic offensive and defensive mistakes tonight and it cost us.”

After Hicks opened the second half with a score to cut the Olney lead to just 24-21 the Tigers scored the games' next eight points.

Dunn, Thomann and Berry all had something to do with the run.

Berry fed Thomann underneath the basket for an lay up and a 32-21 lead at the 3:20 mark.

It was the largest lead of the contest.

Hicks hit his first of two 3-pointers to get Pinckneyville on a run of its own after taking an assist from Cassity.

Rushing, Cassity and Priebe all scored in a run that ended at 34-32 with 7:08 left in the final frame.

Every time that Pinckneyville went on a run – so did the Tigers.

“For our players it was hard for them to comeback and play today after the way last night ended,” said Waggoner referring to the Panthers' 47-44 semifinal loss to Chicago North Lawndale – the eventual champions. “We tip our hats to Olney and congratulate them on winning.”

Following Thomann in scoring for the Tigers was Berry with 14 and Miller with 10.

Berry was 6-of-8 from the foul line while Miller was 8-of-9.

Behind the ten points each from Cassity and Hicks – Priebe scored nine as Pinckneyville closed out its season a with a pair of tough defeats on the final day.

“If we had won tonight the feeling in the lockerroom would be the same and that is what it says about these young men,” added Waggoner. “We would much rather be going to practice Monday than finishing up the state tournament. This is a tight group and you consider that they came up here two years ago and last year they finished second in the state in baseball and then coming back to the state tournament this year. It is a special group of kids. They will look back ten years from now and be proud of what they accomplished.”

Pinckneyville (46) - Hicks 1 2 2-4 10, Priebe 4 0 1-3 9, Cassity 5 0 0-1 10, Woodside 1 0 0-0 2, Rushing 2 1 0-0 7, Hardin 2 0 0-0 4, Logan 0 0 0-0 0, Sims 0 0 0-0 0, Steele 1 0 0-0 2, Choate 1 0 0-0 2, Kellerman 0 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0 0-0 0, Malinski 0 0 0-0 0. 2FG-17, 3FG-3, FT-3-8, PF-18.
Olney East Richland (55) - Berry 4 0 6-8 14, Dunn 4 0 0-0 8, Thomann 6 0 5-6 17, Miller 1 0 8-9 10 McDowell 1 1 1-2 6, Kermicle 0 0 0-0 0, Herman 0 0 0-0 0, Herman 0 0 0-0 0, Adams 0 0 0-0 0, Groves 0 0 0-0 0, Pottorff 0 0 0-0 0, Boyle 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-14, 3FG-4, FT-27-42, PF-15.
Fouled Out - None.
Technical Fouls - None.