03-12-04
PANA VS. QUINCY NOTRE DAME
CLASS A STATE TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
PEORIA - The Pana Panthers entered into Friday night's final quarterfinal game at Peoria's Carver Arena the same way that it did most of its 31 previous games this season.

They were staring at a much bigger club in Quincy Notre Dame.
Trying to bang with the physical Raiders on this night, Coach Gary Bowker's club lost the war in the trenches and eventually the contest 87-66 to finish its season at 27-5.

QND (29-3) advanced to the semifinal round behind a 27-point, eight-rebound performance by 6-foot-5 senior Joe Terwelp.

With the Panthers in foul trouble trying to defend the much bigger QND frontcourt, the Raiders canned an impressive 34-of-46 free throw attempts to move to Saturday's semifinals.

"I thought that we played a pretty good game and we were able to attack them in areas where we felt like we had a bit of an advantage in terms of going inside," said QND coach Scott Douglas. "Throughout the game that was kind of the mentality we had."

Other than a brief early lead, Pana was forced to play catch up basketball as the Raiders set the pace.

Drew Casner, the Panthers' 5-10 senior guard, hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to give his club an early 3-1 lead.

However QND responded with 14-2 run, highlighted by a pair of baskets by 6-foot-4 senior Luke Greenwell.

His score in the paint followed by a lay in by teammate Ryan Fesler made it 15-5 with 3:48 remaining in the quarter.

Casner and Pana reserve Mitch Melega each scored late quarter baskets.

However they had few answers on the defensive end as QND continued to pound the ball inside.

Six-foot-eight junior center Shawn Emerick came off the bench to score three points in the quarter.
His rebound basket at the 1:54 mark stretched the Raider lead to 19-9.

A 3-pointer by Zac Greer, another QND reserve, sent his club to a 23-12 lead at quarter's end.

Things quickly worsened for Pana as the Raiders poured it on in the second period.

A rebound basket by Fesler and subsequent technical foul called on Bowker on the Panthers' bench snowballed into a quick 7-2 burst that catapulted the QND troops to a 30-14 spread with 6:18 to go before intermission.

"They have great size but they are also very athletic," said Bowker, who is now 127-26 in just five years at Pana. "They do so many things well. Their 6-6 and 6-8 kids did very well handling themselves out there."

Pana did manage to cut into the Raiders lead just before the half ended.

Three free throws on two separate trips to the line by Melega; a drive to the basket by senior Wil Beyers and a left-handed lay in by Mitch Ade fueled a 7-1 run to finish the half at 39-30 QND.

Pana's chances in the second half dwindled down late in the third quarter as QND continued its hot shooting.

After Casner dropped in eight points in the early part of the quarter to help keep his club in the contest, six straight points by QND's Terwelp, Tj Kistner and Johnny Bocke extended the Raiders cushion to 48-34 with 5:23 to go in the quarter.

Pana managed to hang tough at the end of the period on two baskets by Ade and a drive to the bucket by Evan Washburn.

But the foul plagued Panthers had run out of fuel by the time the fourth quarter began.

Emerick, with Pana in foul difficulty, got the ball inside and produced nine fourth period points.

His shot in the lane 6:27 left sent Wil Beyers to the bench with his fifth foul.

Even though he missed the free throw, Quincy Notre Dame led 68-51.

His final bucket of the contest on a power move in the lane sealed the Raider victory by pushing the score to 72-55.

Reserves finished out the game for both clubs in a game that finalized a solid campaign for Pana.

"You have to give them (QND) all the credit in the world," added Bowker. "I think they are a heck of a ballclub. If they turn up the intensity, they play as well as anyone in the state."

The Panthers, normally a great 3-point shooting club, managed to hit on just 4-of-17 shots from behind the arc.

Four Pana players fouled out for Coach Bowker (Melega, Beyers, Brandon Radford and Washburn) in a game that produced 53 total fouls.

While being sent to the free throw line a lot on this night, the Raiders responded.

"I thought the kids stepped up there (foul line) with confidence tonight and when they do that we have a good opportunity," added Douglas, whose eight-year coaching mark is 186-54 at the school.

Besides Terwelp's 27 points, QND got 16 points from Emerick and 12 points from Kistner.

Pana's Ade finished with 20 points while he was joined in double figures by teammates Casner (18) and Washburn (11).

Pana (66) - Beyers 3 0 1-1 7, Ade 6 0 8-9 20, Casner 3 3 3-4 18, Washburn 4 1 0-1 11, Klein 0 0 1-2 1, Trelz 0 0 2-2 2, Melega 2 0 3-6 7.
2FG-18, 3FG-4, FT-18-25, PF-31.
Quincy Notre Dame (87) - Terwelp 7 0 13-15 27, Greenwell 4 0 0-0 8, Fesler 2 0 0-0 4, Bocke 2 0 1-3 5, Kistner 2 0 8-10 12, Chris Peters 2 1 1-2 8, Terstriep 0 0 1-2 1, Greer 0 0 2-2 2, Cramsey 1 0 0-0 2, Channing Peters 0 0 2-2 2, Emerick 5 0 6-10 16.
2FG-25, 3FG-1, FT-34-46, PF-22.
Fouled Out - Beyers, Pana; Radford, Pana; Washburn, Pana; Melega, Pana.
Technical Fouls - Pana Bench.