BOYS BASKETBALL: Panthers shut down Sesser-Valier at B.I.T.
Stifling defense by Pinckneyville held Sesser-Valier to just a dozen first half points and the Panthers cruised to a 58-37 win on day one of the Benton Invitational Tournament on Monday night despite playing without key players that were sitting out with injuries.
PCHS post players Clayton Houghland (knee), Sam Simpson (knee) and Caleb Dahn (chest) were all spectators as the Panthers utilized some key minutes from Alex Howard, Jackson Brand, J.C. Moll and Justin Bauersachs - players who haven't seen a whole lot of varsity action in their careers.
"They haven't had a lot of time in practice," said PCHS head coach Bob Waggoner, "but the motto is next man up, play your minutes, and do what you're supposed to do. Basketball is basketball, people sometimes make too big of a deal of it, but if you pass, shoot, rebound and can dribble a little bit, you'll be alright."
The scoring load for the Panthers was split up relatively evenly between Waggoner's five starters - Nolan Luke had 17 points, Tyler Rulevish 15, Tristan Fisher 11, Brian Taylor 7 and Adam Banach 6. Moll also chipped in with a bucket for two points.
A three by Luke gave the Panthers an 11-7 lead after the opening quarter, but it was the second period where Pinckneyville dominated on both ends of the floor.
Six different Panthers scored in the quarter, including a three-pointer by Fisher near the end of the half that made it 25-12 Pinckneyville at the break.
Nick Marlo, Sesser-Valier's primary offensive threat, became the latest PCHS opponent to be stranded on 'Fisher Island,' managing only three first-half points against the Panthers' top defender, and only ten in the game. He made just one made field goal all night.
"We made sure that we kept a constant hand on Marlo," Waggoner said, "and I thought our guys did a really good job of rotating and always making sure that we contested their shots. Fisher and Luke did a great job on him, he never got to a point where he wasn't being touched."
The Devils got no closer than eleven points down in the second half, when Luke put in 12 of his 17 points, including the last six of the game at the free throw line.
The Panthers had already adjusted to the losses of Simpson and Houghland, but Dahn's injury was an aggravation of a previous injury suffered in last Friday's game at Carterville while taking a charge.
"We need to rest him and get him healthy," said Waggoner. "It's pretty much how he feels. He tried to get through it, he did a great job at Carterville (last Friday), but he got hit really hard on a charge and I think it jarred some things loose. We just want him to be healthy. If he feels better, he could play Wednesday. We're going to leave that up to him."
Pinckneyville (15-4, 1-0 at the B.I.T.) will take on Meridian (14-3) this Wednesday night at Benton in a matchup that, on paper, could be between the best two teams in the tournament. Meridian knocked off Hamilton County in Monday's tournament opener. Benton easily defeated Carlyle in the nightcap.