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BASKETBALL: Teutopolis too much for runner-up Du Quoin

Posted December 29, 2011 10:00 pm

Doug Daniels

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[An early-morning upset of Benton in which the Indians shot 17-for-21 at the free throw line gave Du Quoin an opportunity to play for their first Duster Thomas Hoops Classic championship on Wednesday night, but instead it was Teutopolis racing to a 68-39 victory and their second title at the Pinckneyville holiday tournament.

Du Quoin, Benton and Olney each finished at 2-1 in pool play after three sessions, meaning the free throw percentage tie-breaker would come into effect since each of the three teams split with one another on the court. The 81% effort against the Rangers on Wednesday morning gave the Indians enough to earn the top spot in Pool B.

Benton had their chance to win the pool at 3-0, but a big third quarter in which the Indians were a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe helped Du Quoin dash the Rangers' title hopes with a 57-46 decision. John Galik torched the Rangers for 20 points and led the Indians with 48 total points in the Classic to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

"(Galik) really stepped up in this tournament," said Du Quoin head basketball coach Gabe Sveda. "He's starting to be a leader out there on the floor for us."

Galik and Cayle Diggins sank three-pointers in the second quarter as the Indians threatened to pull away 24-17, but the Rangers scored the last five points of the half to trail by just two at the break.

"I thought we took some possessions off in the first half," said Sveda. "Playing their third game in 24 hours that may happen, they're still kids. In the second half I didn't think we took plays off, that was the key down the stretch. We finished the game again and that's good for the kids to have that experience."

After the half, Du Quoin came out firing from the free throw line. Brenden Fred was fouled on a three-point attempt and sank all three shots from the line, then Diggins stole it away from Benton and was fouled on a fast break. His two free throws made it 29-22 Du Quoin.

The Indians got up as many as eleven at 37-26 in the third, but again the Rangers fought back with an 8-0 run. Fred then came up with a loose ball under the goal, put it up and in and completed the three-point play at the line with 1:42 left in the quarter, then an offensive foul on the Rangers gave the ball back to the Indians.

Boss sank a pair at the line to put the Indians up 42-34 heading to the fourth, where Thomas Simpson's three-pointer with 5:38 to play cut Du Quoin's edge to 46-42.

Benton went cold from there, however, as Du Quoin scored six unanswered points and never let the Rangers back in it. Fred and Diggins each hit big free throws down the stretch to extend the Indians' lead.

Neither team shot particularly well from the floor, Du Quoin at 36% (18-for-5) and Benton at 33% (18-for-54), but the Indians held a tremendous advantage at the line, making good on 17-of-21 attempts while the Rangers could manage only 4-of-11.

"Every day we're getting better and every game we're getting better," Sveda said. 'Down the stretch our kids really kept their composure."

Du Quoin continued a strong stretch of rebounding, bettering Benton on the boards 35-30.

Fred joined Galik in double figures against the Rangers with 14 points, Nate Boss added 9, Diggins 7, Brandon Williams 6 and Dillon Beltz 1. Williams led the way in rebounding with 9.

The victory assured the Indians of their best finish in the five-year history of the Duster Thomas Hoops Classic, but standing in their way were the 2008 Classic champions, Teutopolis.

The Wooden Shoes wrapped up their second title with a 4-0 mark over the two-day tournament by whipping the Indians 68-39 and landing three players on the All-Tournament Team, including most valuable player Mark Niebrugge.

"That's one heck of a ball club, give them credit," Sveda said. "They came out and just took care of business. We were concerned about their pressure, and it got to us early and often."

Du Quoin's defense held its own in the opening minutes, allowing Williams' shot with 3:40 remaining in the first quarter to tie the game at 4-4. Niebrugge buried a three-pointer a few seconds later, though, and T-Town would not trail the rest of the way.

With the Shoes up 9-6, Niebrugge drove baseline for a layup with 40 seconds on the clock, then after an Indians' miss, Derek Smith sank a three to give Teutopolis a 14-6 lead after one.

Williams' powerful two-handed slam with 5:10 left in the half provided the Indians a glimmer of hope, but T-Town responded with a 9-0 run and would have had an even bigger lead at the break if not for Diggins' buzzer-beating bank shot three making it 28-12.

"I know T-Town took a lot of things away from us in this game, but when you play four games in two days and you have no time to prepare for a team like (Teutopolis), it's tough," Sveda said.

"We're starting to find some things out about our team, finding some strengths, a few weaknesses we have to work on, but I thought our identity offensively got a lot better as far as finding the open man, working together, moving without the basketball."

Williams had a solid game in the post for Du Quoin, leading the Indians with 17 points. Daulton Donoghue had 8, Daulton Beltz 4, Galik and Diggins 3, Di. Beltz and N. Boss 2. Smith topped four T-Town players in double figures with 16 points, Jarred Waldhoff had 15, Niebrugge and Jon Mette 10.

Teutopolis now has a 10-2 mark in three appearances at the Duster Thomas Hoops Classic.

The Indians (6-6, 2-2 in DTHC) now get a break until January 6 when they are at Pinckneyville with the Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference Mississippi Division lead on the line.

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