BOYS BASKETBALL: Pioneers whistle past Indians, 67-52
In a game that featured a mind-boggling 86 free throw attempts and 60 personal fouls between the two teams, Trico was able to hang on for a 67-52 win at Du Quoin on Saturday night, scoring 31 points from the charity stripe.
The same three obstacles that have gotten in the way of DHS victories several times this season - poor free throw shooting, a slow start, and foul trouble - all reared their ugly heads again on Saturday. Six Indians and two Pioneers fouled out of the game, which lasted approximately two hours and thirty minutes despite ending in regulation. Du Quoin outscored Trico 40-to-36 from the floor, but the visitors made 31 of their 56 free throws.
"I don't think we've ever had that many guys foul out," said DHS head coach Wendell Wheeler. "We couldn't keep them off the line. We outscored them from the floor, but we couldn't keep them off the line, so it's just really frustrating for us."
Trico jumped on top 16-6, thanks to a couple three-pointers from Chase Rednour, but Jarred Thomas closed the gap with a triple of his own just before the first quarter buzzer.
Jake Chapman, who led all scorers with 20 points for Trico, hit two threes in the second quarter, helping the Pioneers take a 33-24 lead into the break as three Indians played sparingly in the period with three fouls.
Du Quoin refused to go quietly, cutting into the lead with threes by A.J. Smith and Brock Bullar early in the fourth quarter. Bullar's made it 47-41 Trico with just over five minutes to go, but from there on, the Indians made only 4-of-10 free throws. Meanwhile, the Pioneers were 16-of-30 from the stripe in the final frame, as Bullar, Smith, Thomas, Caleb Vogel, Levi Brening and Tucker Kuhnert all picked up their fifth foul and were banished to the bench.
Vogel led four Indians in double figures with 13 points, Smith and Thomas each added 11, Bullar 10, Nolan Showlater 4, Brening 2 and Hank Stewart 1.
The Indians were coming off a disappointing performance at Nashville the previous night when the Mississippi Division leading Hornets thrashed Du Quoin 70-39, getting double-digit scoring efforts from three players, including a game-high 16 points from Dylan Mueller.
"We did come out and fight, we did play hard after (Friday's loss to Nashville)," Wheeler said, "that was a big deal to do that. If we could have knocked down some shots, hit a couple free throws, get a couple stops, maybe it's a different story. I think we lost three buckets to travels, if we can not have those wiped off the board, now it's a closer game. Down like we were with guys in foul trouble, it was an unbelievable hole to try to dig out of."
Du Quoin (7-10, 1-4) doesn't get much of a break before heading to Sparta on Tuesday to begin play in the annual Mid-Winter Classic. The Indians will meet Waterloo at 5:30 p.m. that night, then return on Wednesday to face Steeleville at 8:30 p.m., and on Thursday to take on Murphysboro at 7:00 p.m. A cross-over game will take place on Saturday once pool play is finished up on Friday night.