BASKETBALL: Panthers earn another shot at Du Quoin
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Panthers let a large early lead slowly slip away, but got big shots and quality defense at the end of the game to hold on for a 44-39 victory over Watleroo (Gibault) in Wednesday night's IHSA Class 2A Sparta Regional semifinal.
After leading by as many as thirteen early on, Pinckneyville led by only two with 2:14 to play but got a huge bucket and free throws from Steve Brueggeman in the closing moments to escape with a win over a team the Panthers lost to back in December, their second game of the season.
"We're better as a team (now than we were in December)," said Panthers' head coach Bob Waggoner, "but at the same time we had a little bit better understanding of what Gibault likes to do offensively and defensively. I think we attacked them a little bit better tonight."
Brueggeman wasn't the one doing the damage for the Panthers in the first half, however, as the senior failed to score despite a handful of shot attempts until the third quarter.
Pinckneyville led 7-5 in the first when Kyle Lamb hit a pair of free throws, starting an 11-0 Panther run to close out the period. Dylan Hardin penetrated for two, then Payton Nippe stole the Hawks' inbounds pass attempt and laid it in for a 13-5 lead.
Hunter Queen added a fast break layup and Bryant Shute hit his second three-pointer of the quarter to build an 18-5 Pinckneyville lead after one.
With Brueggeman still struggling from the floor, Lamb was called upon to do the scoring in the second quarter, putting in all six points the Panthers scored in the period while Gibault closed the gap to 24-14 at the break.
Brueggeman finally connected with 1:46 to go in the third, a three-pointer to make it 33-22 Panthers, but the Hawks were about to heat up.
Justin Rueter hit two threes and John Pratl and Auggie Sexaure also hit triples, and suddenly Gibault was in business. Lamb missed the front end of a one-and-one at the free throw line, setting up Pratl's inside hoop with 2:14 to go that cut the Pinckneyville lead to 38-36.
"They're good shooters and they have a good senior-oriented ball club," Waggoner said of the Hawks. "It's just good to come away with a win against a team that beat us earlier in the year."
After a Panther timeout, Brueggeman got the ball inside and fought his way in for just his second basket of the game, but a crucial one.
Gibault would miss on a pair of shot attempts, then foul Brueggeman, who calmly knocked down both free throws to extend the Panthers' lead to six.
The Hawks finally cooled off and could only muster one final three-point heave before the final buzzer sounded and their season came to a close.
"We were struggling a little bit offensively, but I thought overall as a team we guarded pretty well tonight and that was the main difference," said Waggoner.
"Early in the game it was tempo and pressuring them and getting some turnovers, some easy baskets, and late in the game just hanging on defensively."
Lamb's 15 points led the way for Pinckneyville, Shute added 8, Brueggeman 7, Queen 5, Christian Shopinski 4, hardin 3 and Nippe 2. Pratl led the Hawks with 10 points.
The victory puts the Panthers in Friday's Sparta Regional final against the Du Quoin Indians, who have eliminated them from the postseason in each of the past two season.
"I think you know their strengths and their weaknesses, when you've seen each other as much as we have, I think they know ours, we've just got to come ready to play," said Waggoner.
The win also gives the Panther program yet another 20-win season to add to its' long list of impressive credentials.
"It means a lot, it's an accomplishment for your seniors and for your program, it's a marker for programs," Waggoner said. "We sure don't want to mark it just on wins, we want to mark it with how we play and the type of kids that we have in our program, I'm proud of these guys and the type of people they are, and how they represent our program day in and day out."
Tip-off for Friday night's Regional Championship at Sparta High School is set for 7:30 p.m., doors open at 6:15 p.m.
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