03-10-06
BY JACK BULLOCK
PEORIA - The Pinckneyville Panthers took big step toward the school’s fourth state title and in the process stopped a southern Illinois victory dry spell.

Since a victory by Cairo in the quarterfinals of the 2003 state tournament, the southern most teams from the Carbondale, Charleston and Edwardsville/Jacksonville Supersectional’s had lost a combined nine consecutive games.

But yet another standout performance defensively allowed the Panthers to overcome some first-game jitters in a 54-40 come-from-behind win over Macomb in the final quarterfinal game Friday night at Carver Arena.

Using the same recipe of strong defense and a deep rotation of fresh player, the Panthers wore down yet another quality opponent in improving to 32-1 on the season.

Producing 18-points off of 17 Macomb turnovers, Coach Dick Corn’s Panthers advanced to Saturday’s semifinals to face top-ranked and unbeaten Seneca, a 47-41 winner over Teutopolis in Friday nights’ other quarterfinal matchup.

“We were a little nervous to start the game and all the way through the first half,” said Coach Corn, talking about his teams 16-turnovers.
“We never really got into the flow of the game like we are accustomed to in the first half. Typically we are a good handling team and we averaged about nine turnovers a game during the season but we had eleven at halftime. We gave away too many possessions and I don’t know if it was nerves or whatever. We also fouled way too much in the first half and put them on the line.

Giving the Bombers chances at the free throw line in the first half almost turned the Panthers trip to Peoria into a short stay.

But Macomb (29-2) made just 5-of-9 first half attempts as they failed to capitalize on the Pinckneyville foul trouble.

“We missed some free throws early that could have gotten us a lead into double-digits,” said Macomb head coach Dan Watson, who saw his club’s season end after winning 24-straight games. “Pinckneyville really came out and did a great job in the third quarter of taking away what we wanted to do.”

It was the Bombers who looked the part of potential champion in the first quarter going on a 10-2 run to close the frame.

Four different players scored in the run and Tyler VanVleet and Dustin Bainter each hitting a pair of 3-pointers late.

Coming around a screen, Bainter canned his 20-footer from just right of the top of the arc to make it 16-9 Macomb.

But the failed capitalization of the free ones came back to haunt the Bombers.

“I really get concerned when we get fouls on the inside because these two guys – Zack Hawkins and Austin Winter – because we are really not big enough to play and we have to move Kyle Cassity or Thad down there inside and they are not as effective inside.”

The Panthers began to shed some of the first game nervousness that plagued them in the first eight minutes to begin the second period.

Hayden Hicks, another of the Panther super sophomore subs, stepped up and hit a key 3-pointer that opened a quick 7-0 run.

Bucket by Kyle Cassity and Zack Hawkins – on an assist from Cassity – evened the score at 20-all with 2:11 remaining in the half.

A three point play by Pinckneyville’s Austin Winter gave the Panthers its first second quarter lead just a minute later.

However Macomb responded with five straight points, the last coming on an ESPN near halfcourt prayer from Macomb’s Michael Thompson.

Making a behind the back dribble to allude a Panther defender, Thompson threw up a runner from 35-feet that banked home before the buzzer to give the Bombers an emotional lift and a 25-23 halftime lead.

“We told the kids at the half that we didn’t play very well at all and we just trailed by two points,” added Corn. “We thought that we were in pretty good shape.”

Whatever the Pinckneyville coaching staff had to say at intermission worked in aces as the Panthers stormed out of the lockerroom and took command of the contest.

Scoring the first six points of the quarter, Pinckneyville sent a quick message that they intended on playing on Saturday.

Cassity scored on a drive to the basket and then Zack Hawkins scored on a spin move that got Macomb’s VanVleet his third personal foul.

Two additional Hawkins free throws on the next trip made it 29-25 Panthers.

A Bainter bucket on a shot in the lane put a Band-Aid on the bleeding but the Macomb jugular was just beginning to hemorrhage.

Eight more Panther points in a row got Pinckneyville a double-digit lead.

Lyle Winter connected on a 3-pointer in the left corner on an inbounds play to begin the run.

Then reserve Ryan Rushing scored twice hitting 1-of-2 free throws and then he was the recipient of an assist from Cassity on a fast break lay in.

The Macomb turnover was one of five Cassity steals in the game as the Bombers found themselves on the short end of a 37-27 score.

“We always talk about the first three minutes of the second half as the most important part of the game and I think we didn’t match their intensity,” added Watson.

Thad Hawkins closed out the quarter on a conventional three-point play as he followed up a Panther miss while being fouled by Thompson. His bucket and eventual free throw made it 40-31 at the end of three.

Macomb got something going in the early going of the final countdown, but they couldn’t sustain it long enough to put a dent in the Pinckneyville armor.

Bainter, the Bombers 6-foot-2 senior guard hit a pair of shots, one on a double-clutch 3-pointer from 23-feet to close the gap to 42-38 with 4:04 left.

However that was the final run in the Bombers season.

Zack Hawkins, a 6-foot-2 junior post player that plays like he is 6-foot-6, scored three consecutive baskets.

In a play that has defined the Panthers season, Thad Hawkins made a big defensive play on Bainter.

Stripping the ball from the Macomb guard, Hawkins made a pass to Cassity who set up Zack Hawkins on a fast break lay in close the book on the game at 50-40 with 1:50 to play.

Thad Hawkins scored the final two baskets of the contest as the Panthers extended their season by at least two contests.

“Thad’s presence in our lineup the last three weeks has been huge for us,” Corn explained about Thad Hawkins return to the team after breaking his neck playing football in the fall. “He really helps spell Kyle Cassity. We were wearing Kyle out asking him to handle the ball and guard the other team’s best player. Thad can come in and guard the other team’s best perimeter player.”

Pinckneyville put only two players in a double-figures scoring with Zack Hawkins scoring 14 and Austin Winter adding 11.

However as has been the case for the entire season, a lot of kids wearing Columbia Blue got ink in the scorebook.

Eight of the nine players scored as the Panthers hit 22-of-36 shots from the field and were 3-of-6 from behind the arc.

They outrebounded Macomb 24-19 and even though they committed 16-turnovers themselves, Pinckneyville moves to within two victories of a school record 34-wins.

Macomb was just 14-of-34 from the field as Dustin Bainter led all point producers with 19 and Michael Thompson was next on the list with eight.

When asked about their opponent on Saturday afternoon Coach Corn gave the Fighting Irish some respect.

“I know that they are very, very good,” said Corn about Seneca. “Obviously you don’t win 33-straight ballgames without being awfully good. My only thoughts are that we will show up, we will be ready to play.”

	1	2	3	4	-	F
Pinckneyville	09	14	17	14	-	54
Macomb	16	09	06	09	-	40

Pinckneyvile (54) - L. Winter 1 2 0-1 8, A. Winter 5 0 1-1 11, Z. Hawkins 6 0 2-6 14, Cassity 3 0 0-0 6, Graskewicz 0 0 0-0 0, T. Hawkins 3 0 1-1 7, Hicks 0 1 0-0 3, Woodside 0 0 2-2 2, Rushing 1 0 1-2 3
2FG-19, 3FG-3, FT-7-13, PF-17.
Macomb (40) - VanVleet 0 1 2-2 5, Buren 2 0 1-2 5, Bainter 5 3 0-1 19, Henderickson 0 0 0-0 0, Thompson 2 1 1-5 8, Moe 0 0 3-3 3, Switzer 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-9, 3FG-5, FT-7-15, PF-16.
Fouled Out - None.
Technical Fouls - None.

MAROA-FORSYTH 70, CARLYLE 55
Not being able to get over the proverbial 'hump,' coach Andy Palmer saw his club never get enough streaks going to get ahead of Maroa-Forsyth in the Indians quarterfinal matchup.

The M-F backcourt duo of Robert Kreps and Austin Peebles combined for 48-points and Carlyle had no answers as the Indians saw their season end at 26-10.

Kreps was a sizzling 11-of-18 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. He hit a pair of 3's in the opening quarter, one to start the game and one right before the first horn.

Peebles, a 6-foot-3 senior, hit 6-of-12 from the field and 7-of-10 free throws.
Spreading the floor with their quickness, the Trojans never allowed Carlyle to use its size advantage for easy scoring opportunities.

"It is disappointing that we didn't play better than we did," said Palmer, who is 42-23 in two seasons at Carlyle. "But you have to give credit where credit is due, Maroa-Forsyth was the better team today and that was by far the quickest guards that we had to face all year."

Carlyle held two brief leads in the second quarter.

Jacob Tucker, the Indians' 5-foot-11 senior guard and ABV Southwestern Area 'Player of the Year', scored twice in an 8-0 Carlyle run.

His steal and fast break two-handed dunk followed by a drive through traffic in the lane for a 23-21 lead.

But a pair of big plays by Maroa-Forsyth late in the quarter eventually shifted the momentum.

Kory Peppenhorst hit three 3-point shots in the game and his second shot with 1:23 before intermission evened the score at 26.

But Kreps hit on a pair of drives to the basket before that Peppenhorst score and his steal and assist to Ben Cochran for a 3-pointer from the left corner beat the buzzer.

"We felt really good where we were at halftime," said Maroa-Forsyth head coach Chad Culver. "Especially the way we ended it with Cochran hitting that shot. The second half has been ours all year."

Carlyle never really threatened after the break, as Maroa-Forsyth's lead was at least six the rest of the contest.

Matt Palm scored four points late in the third quarter and his spin move in the paint cut the lead down to 42-36.

Kreps, however, drilled home yet another 3-pointer off of a screen at the top of the arc to push the lead out to nine heading into the final frame.

M-F held off the Indians with 12-of-16 free throws the rest of the way.

Carlyle's James Snider, a 6-foot-6 junior center, was a bright spot by scoring 15-points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field in leading the Tribe.

Peppenhorst finished with 14 while Tucker and Palm added 12 and 11 points respectively.

Kreps topped all scorers with 29 while Peebles added 19 for the 30-2 Trojans.

SENECA 47, TEUTOPOLIS 41
Being held scoreless for over five minutes in the fourth quarter, the Wooden Shoes fell to the top-ranked Fighting Irish in the third quarterfinal of the day.

Following a made free throw by Jason Runde with 5:49 remaining in the final quarter, Teutopolis went ahead 35-34.

However the nest 5:20 belonged to Seneca.

Missing five consecutive shots and committing four turnovers in its next nine possessions, T-Town saw its title dreams end.

Seneca during that same time period scored 11 points while spreading the floor and the Wooden Shoes thin.

By the time Runde converted an offensive rebound for a basket with :29 remaining, the Fighting Irish was in control at 45-37.

Two free throws by all-stater Garrett Callahan sent the Irish into the Saturday semifinals.

Teutopolis (29-4) was led by Runde with 12 points while Dustin Ruholl and Matt Crawford chipped in eight and seven.

The Wooden Shoes looked on the verge of an upset in the first half, breaking a 13-all tie at the first horn to reel off a 12-5 run.

Craig Westendorf scored both of his baskets during the run on a 3-pointer and a inside score on an inbounds pass.

A conventional three-point play by Wade Koester got the lead to 25-18 with just :59.6 before the break.

Following a Matt Crawford 3-pointer to give the Shoes a 28-21 advantage, Seneca score eight points in succession to take back the lead.

Garrett and Griffan Callahan shared the spotlight in the run, each scoring four points.

A tip in by Griffin with 2:36 left gave the lead back to Seneca 29-28.

Garrett Callahan led Seneca (33-0) and all scorers with 22-points while Griffan added 12.

Coach Ken Crawford's Wooden Shoes were 16-of-39 overall from the field (41 percent) but were just 3-of-15 from behind the 3-point arc.

Seneca hit 16-of-18 free throws on the night, compared to just 6-of-7 by T-Town.