BASKETBALL: Panthers' BIT streak ends at the hands of Carlyle

BENTON, IL - All good things must come to an end, so goes the saying, and Pinckneyville's streak of 41 consecutive victories at the Benton Invitational Tournament met its' demise on Wednesday at the hands of the Carlyle Indians, who are now in great shape to claim their first BIT crown since 1998 after knocking off both the Panthers and the state-ranked Okawville Rockets through two days of action at Rich Herrin Gymnasium.

Panther big men were held to just five total points and the team struggled at the free throw line converting only 13-of-24 at the charity stripe.

First quarter three-pointers from Logan Zachry, Tyson Boehne and Cody Huels put the Indians up 9-0 in a hurry. The Panthers managed just 13 points at the break and trailed by eleven. Huels and Deven Hicks put in another pair of threes in the first half for Carlyle to help build the 24-13 advantage.

A miraculous comeback seemed to be in the works for the Panthers in the third quarter when they outscored the Indians 17-6 to draw even at 30-30. Brian Taylor and Dylan Hardin had three-pointers in the period as PCHS bettered their score from the first half by two baskets.

Fouls caught up with Pinckneyville in the fourth quarter, however, as Carlyle went to the line seven times and made 12-of-14 free throws during the final eight minutes to stun the eight-time defending event champs.

Huels finished with a game-high 17 points for Carlyle, Matt Hilmes added 14. For the Panthers, Hardin led the way with 16 points, Taylor had 9, Luke Miller 6, Tristan Fisher and Chris Priebe 4 and Caleb Dahn 1.

The loss also ended a four-game winning streak for the Panthers this season and gave PCHS head coach Bob Waggoner the first loss of his career in Rich Herrin Gym.

Pinckneyville (12-8) will face Sesser-Valier at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night when BIT action resumes. Okawville and Benton tip off at 7:30, followed by Carlyle and Hamilton County at 9:00.