BOYS BASKETBALL: Bulldogs take fifth away from Du Quoin

The Indians trailed by as many as sixteen points before clawing their way back to within four, but the Bulldogs made enough of their free throws late to stay in front for a 62-57 victory in the fifth place game of the Sparta Mid-Winter Classic.

Du Quoin was 9-for-18 on free throws in the game, going 8-for-15 in the fourth quarter alone.

"We missed enough free throws in the fourth quarter to win," pointed out DHS head coach Wendell Wheeler, "and that's one of those things we really talked about was, that we've got to knock down free throws. I don't think that's the first time where we've outscored people from the floor and lost the game at the line."

A slow start hurt Du Quoin, too, as the Bulldogs jumped ahead 16-9 heading into the second quarter.

"We had about a four minute stretch during that first quarter that was really bad, and that got us in a hole," Wheeler said. "We didn't defend well."

The Indians drew closer with second-quarter three-pointers from Hank Stewart and A.J. Smith, getting to within five at 27-22, but their free throw woes would surface.

"We missed the front end of a one-and-one just before the half," Wheeler recalled, "so instead of cutting the lead from five to three, we miss it, they go down and get fouled, they make both of theirs. So that's a four-point swing and you're looking at a seven-point halftime game instead of a three-point halftime game, and that's a huge difference."

But with 6:08 to play and on the wrong end of a 49-33 score, Du Quoin clawed their way back in it.

Tucker Kuhnert drove the baseline for a lay-up, and Bullar hit a three-pointer a possession later. Stewart followed with a steal and fast-break bucket to cut it to nine.

Caleb Vogel finished off a 9-0 run with a pair of free throws with 4:37 to go, but Sparta still led 49-42.

Vogel later had a three-point play to cut the lead to six, and Smith drove to the basket for two with a minute to go to bring the Indians to within four, but Sparta made 5-of-6 at the line in the final minute to hang on.

Stewart led Du Quoin with 14 points and was one of four Indians in double figures. The other three were Smith (12), Kuhnert (11), and Vogel (10). Bullar added six points, Levi Brening had four.

Du Quoin (8-13) will resume conference play this Friday night at Carterville.