02-27-09
BY JACK BULLOCK
PINCKNEYVILLE - When quality basketball teams get together in a regional title game – sometimes it takes a game changer to decide the outcome of the contest.

One player to step up and take control.

On Friday night in the championship game of the Pinckneyville 2A Regional – Dalton Morgan made that difference.

After spending nearly the entire first half on the bench saddled with two early fouls – Morgan came off the pine to begin the third quarter and promptly led his club to an offensive run that put the Indians in front to stay.

Hitting four consecutive shots from all around the basket – Morgan spearheaded a 12-0 scoring sprint to give the Indians the lead for good.

Shutting down the Pinckneyville offense in the process – Du Quoin advanced to Tuesday night’s West Frankfort Class 2A Sectional with a 57-44 win in front of a packed house at Duster Thomas Gym.

The Indians will face Hamilton County – a 64-55 overtime winner over Fairfield at the Carmi-White County Class 2A Regional title game.

Morgan finished with 17-points – all coming in the second half – as the Tribe pushed their season onward at 23-7.

The Panthers closed the book at 22-7 by committing 15 turnovers and gathering just four offensive rebounds in the loss – their third consecutive to Du Quoin.

“I don’t think there is any better feeling – besides maybe winning a state championship or something – then coming into Pinckneyville’s home and beating Pinckneyville for a regional championship on their home court,” said Morgan. “It is just a great feeling. Not too many people from Du Quoin can say that they have done that.”

The Indians hit 7-of-11 shots in the third quarter and didn’t allow the Panthers a single second chance opportunity.

Pinckneyville was just 3-of-10 from the field in the frame and Du Quoin snagged six of those defensive boards.

The end result was a Du Quoin turning a 22-21 Pinckneyville lead into a 33-27 Indians advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

DQ (Morgan) then scored the first seven points in the final stanza for the TKO.

Morgan finished the conquest with a three-point play after being fouled by Dustin Winter on a fast break lay in.

His made free throw pushed the lead to 40-27 with 5:54 left.

That field goal was his sixth-consecutive made attempt.

Coach Bob Waggoner’s team could get no closer than 10-points the remainder of the game.

The total run was 21-3 to give the Indians the win.

Although DQ struggled from the foul line for the game (22-of-34) they hit eight free throws in the final 3:08 to ice the game.

Behind Morgan’s 17 the Indians had two other players in double-figures with A.J. Hill scoring 15 and Matt Gossett adding 11.

Pinckneyville had just one player – Cody Sims – in double-digits with 17.

Du Quoin was 16-of-33 overall from the floor in the physical win.

“You know we played them three times and they are an awfully good ballclub,” said Coach Crews. “They (Pinckneyville) put together a year that was beyond belief when you look at what they had coming back.”

Another key stat that explained the Panthers poor night was long range shooting.

Coach Waggoner’s team was just 4-of-14 from behind the arc as Du Quoin defended the outside.

“Physically they (Du Quoin) took us out of a lot of things that we wanted to do tonight,” said Waggoner. “I thought that they guarded us extremely well and didn’t let our penetration get to them. They knocked us on our heels in the second half.”

Trailing 19-13 in the second quarter – Pinckneyville closed the half with a 5-0 run of their own that concluded with Winter driving to the basket for a lay in with :06 left to close the gap to 19-18 at the break.

A pair of scores by Sims gave the Panthers their final advantage at 22-21 early in the second half.

But Morgan took control of the quarter and the game.

Spinning around the basket from either side with accuracy – Morgan hit shots from several angles.

Morgan’s final score of the evening came on a fluke play in which he missed a shot in close and then grabbed a carom off of a Pinckneyville player for an easy basket and a 51-37 lead with 1:14 to go.

Pinckneyville would get no closer than the final score.

“Tonight, they were the better team,” finalized Coach Waggoner. “They are a physical team and we know about them playing football but Dalton Morgan is a skilled basketball player.”

Du Quoin will face a 23-9 Hamilton County team on Tuesday night.

“They are going to be well coached I know that,” said Crews about Ham Co. and head coach Curt Reed. “Curtie is one of the old guru’s of the sport and he will have plenty of ‘old-fashioned’ sayings, big time handshakes and he will have his team ready to roll. We just have to prepare and get ready for them.”

Pinckneyville (44) – Dudek 1 2 0-0 8, Chandler 0 0 0-0 0, Schute 0 0 0-0 0, Winter 3 0 0-0 6, Bathon 1 0 0-0 3, D. Kellerman 0 1 0-0 3, Farthing 0 0 0-0 0, Pyatt 0 0 0-0 0, Lively 1 0 0-0 2, Sims 5 0 7-11 17, Morton 1 0 1-2 3, S. Kellerman 1 0 0-0 2, Lamb 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-12, 3FG-4, FT-8-13, PF-28.
Du Quoin (57) – Flint 0 0 0-2 0, Davis 1 1 2-3 7, Hill 1 1 10-13 15, Reed 1 0 2-4 4, Morgan 8 0 1-3 17, Schneder 0 0 3-4 3, Gossett 2 1 4-5 11.
2FG-13, 3FG-3, FT-22-34, PF-14.
Fouled Out – Winter, Sims, Morton - Pinckneyville.
Technical Fouls – None.