Du Quoin ends Sparta's season

Posted February 22, 2016 10:00 pm

By Pete Spitler Staff Writer

SPARTA -- Hank Stewart scored 14 points to lead three players in double figures and made two critical free throws down the stretch to give Du Quoin a 56-52 win over Sparta in Monday's quarterfinals of the Bulldogs' own Class 2A regional.

Sparta's Ethan Gwin cut the Bulldogs' lead to a bucket, 52-50, on a free throw with 18.9 seconds left.

Forced to foul, Sparta sent Stewart to the line with 14.1 seconds left and the Du Quoin sophomore drained both to make it a two-possession game.

"I thought when we switched to the 1-3-1 zone out of the timeout with about 30 seconds left, it took a few seconds off the clock and (Sparta) wasn't comfortable," said Du Quoin coach Justin Barrington. "They had a set drawn up out of bounds and switching to the zone took the set away. Our kids rebounded down the stretch - like we needed to win games - we didn't make free throws a lot of the game, but we made them down the stretch and that's what you've got to do in postseason play."

Barrington also commented on Stewart's free throws.

"Hank had missed a few, but he made the ones in the last 15 seconds that we needed," Barrington said. "It allowed us to only really worry about playing rebound basketball because (Sparta) was out of timeouts, we knew that, and it made it a two-possession ballgame."

Braden Heape added 12 points and Caleb Vogel contributed 10 for Du Quoin (7-21), which advanced to meet top seed Pinckneyville (23-6) tonight at 7 p.m.

Sparta's season ended at 8-22.

"(Du Quoin) made some plays when they had to and we didn't," said Sparta coach Jeff Bowlby. "Pretty simple. We spot them a nine-point lead at halftime, we don't play much in the first half.

"Devin Brown picks up two quick fouls and has to go to the bench and we dig a hole."

Brown scored a game-high 20 points for Sparta, while Gwin (11) and Gabe Yearian (10) also reached double figures for the Bulldogs.

Du Quoin led 12-5 at the end of the first quarter and threatened to run away with it in building a 23-13 advantage with 1:56 left in the second. The Indians took a 25-16 lead into the locker room at halftime.

But Sparta battled back with a 13-2 run to take a 29-27 lead with 4:17 left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Brown.

The remainder of the game was a see-saw battle with Du Quoin holding a slim advantage until the final seconds.

"I thought we played well in spots," Bowlby said. "I just thought we came out pretty sluggish in the first 16 minutes of the game. This time of year, you can't do that."

The winner of Tuesday's semifinal contest will face the winner of Wednesday's semifinal battle between No. 4 seed Chester and No. 5 seed Trico at 7 p.m. Friday in the regional championship.

It will be the fourth meeting this season between the Yellow Jackets and Pioneers. Chester has won two of the three previous contests.

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