Boys Prep Basketball: Tribe moves two steps closer to SIRR crown
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[More times than not- especially in recent seasons-Nashville's Assembly Hall has more
resembled a chamber of horrors than a gymnasium for Du Quoin High School's basketball team.
Saturday night, the Indians reversed their seven-year stretch of bad luck with an impressive showing.
Du Quoin held back Nashville 46-40 in a battle of 20-game winners, leaving Assembly Hall with a victory for the first time since 2003.
Now 21-6, the Tribe also secured no worse than a tie for the River-to-River Conference's Mississippi Division crown. The Indians are 8-1 in league play, finishing up against Anna-Jonesboro.A win wraps up an outright conference championship.
The last time that happened was also 2003.
"I thought our kids did just a great job tonight," Indians coach Mike Crews said. "I am just so proud
and happy for them. I had some sleepless nights earlier in the week and had a lot of trepidation about playing Pinckneyville and Nashville on consecutive nights, but our kids really answered the challenge."
Du Quoin started slowly against the Hornets (20-7, 6-3) and fell behind 12-3 just four minutes into the contest. Kyle Heggemeier scored nine of his team-high 14 points in the frame as Nashville carried a 14-7 lead at period's end.
Trailing 18-9, the Indians closed the first half on an 11-2 run to snatch a 20-19 halftime lead.
Logan Carson's long three-pointer started the flurry- which included baskets by Matt Gossett and a buzzer-beater from Logan Schneider.
With Nashville on top 19-18 and just 3.8 seconds left, Cody Rose dribbled length of the floor to split three Hornet defenders. Rose got to the baseline before zipping a pass to Schneider at the opposite elbow.
Schneider's jumper then swished through the nets as the horn sounded, giving Du Quoin its first lead.
They would never trail again.
"That was just a huge play by Cody Rose," admitted Crews. "There aren't many kids anywhere as quick as Cody in the open court. I don't really know of too many kids who could make that play."
Nashville managed to pull within one point at three different junctures of the third quarter, but the Indians would answer each time. The lead reached five (32-27) Jamor Reed sliced through the lane for a lay-in.
In the final quarter, the Indians hit 8-of-11 foul shots to keep the Hornets at bay.
Gossett- who had game-best totals of 20 points and nine rebounds- wiggled free inside for three field goals to help deliver the final dagger in Nashville's title dreams.
"Anytime you go 17-for-20 at the foul line in high school basketball you have to be pretty proud," Crews said. "We had the right people at the line at the right times. And the people that got there did the job."
Schneider had eight points and six rebounds for the Indians. Reed had six points, four steals and four assists.
C.Rose, Carson and David Rose were superb in relief roles.
"I thought both Rose's and Logan Carson gave us some great minutes off the bench again," Crews said.
"David Rose, especially, was just a demon on defense."
Marcus Clarry was also a force defensively, helping the Indians frustrate Heggemeire and Brock Pries in the second half. The duo had just nine points in the second half, all coming after the outcome was decided.
Du QUOIN 50, PINCKNEYVILLE 41
Against its Perry County rival, the Indians started fast and finished even faster to secure another 20-win campaign.
The Indians led 13-5 midway through the first quarter, forcing Pinckneyville into a pair of timeouts.
PCHS ended the period strong, closing the margin to just 13-12 on Landon Chandler's three-pointer.
The second quarter was all Panthers as Du Quoin committed four turnovers and hit on just three of nine shots.
Ahead 23-19 at intermission, Pinckneyvile's lead disappeared in the final minutes of the third quarter as Carson, Davis and Reed combined for six buckets.
A three-ball from Davis at the 6:09 mark pushed the Indians lead to six. Davis later gave Du Quoin more cushion after turning a steal into an easy lay-up.
Pinckneyville trailed only 45-41 with 90 seconds left after Chandler's three, but wouldn't score again as Reed hit four straight free throws to seal the deal.
"Our guard play was just outstanding," Crews said. "J.C., Jamor and Marcus Clarry all had great games. J.C. hit some big shots. Our kids just rallied around each other."
Reed had 13 points with Davis adding 11. Clarry scored nine.
Gossett was held to a season-low three points, spending most of the contest saddled with foul trouble.
He still led Du Quoin with nine rebounds. Schneider adding eight.
Nathan Morton had a game-best 15 for the Panthers. Drew Dudek added 11 and Chandler scored eight.
"Give Du Quoin all the credit," Panthers coach Bob Waggoner said. "They were the aggressors and made us play to their strengths."
JAYVEES SWEEP TWO MORE
Du Quoin (11-3, 7-2) moved two steps closer to repeat SIRR Junior Varsity championships,
posting impressive wins over Pinckneyville (60-46) and Nashville (56-45).
Against the Panthers, James Williams ripped the nets for 14 first quarter points and finished
with a game-high 25 point effort.
Jesse McDicken and Seth Baxter each added nine points with Sam Gossett scoring seven.
Taylor Pyatt (11), Peyton Nippe (10) and Hunter Queen (nine) were tops for PCHS.
At Nashville, the young Indians pulled away with a 20-6 third quarter and cruised to victory.
Gossett (19), Williams (16) and Baxter (seven) were the top point-makers.
Du Quoin opened a 23-point fourth quarter lead before Nashville rallied late.
The Indians can sew up the junior varsity league crown for the third time in four years by beating
Anna-Jonesboro Friday night.
Boys Prep Basketball
Friday's games
Junior Varsity
Du Quoin 60, Pinckneyville 46
PCHS 9 10 20 7- 46
DHS 22 7 15 16- 60
PCHS: Pyatt 11, Shopinski 8, Opp 4, Nippe 10, Hardin 4, Queen 9.
DHS: J. Williams 25, McDicken 9, Gossett 5, Baxter 9, Diggins 3, Galik 5,
J. Boss 4, B. Williams 0.
Varsity
Du Quoin 50, Pinckneyville 41
Pinckneyville (20-5, 6-2):
Dudek 4 2-4 11, Chandler 3 0-0 8, Brueggeman 0 0-0 0, Lamb 1 3-6 5, Morton 6 3-6 15,
Kellerman 0 0-0 0, Bathon 1 0-0 2, Pyatt 0 0-0 0. TOTALS 15-40 (3-8) 8-16 41.
Du Quoin (20-6, 7-1):
M. Gossett 1 1-2 3, Reed 3 7-9 13, Schneider 3 0-1 6, D. Rose 0 0-0 0, Clarry 3 2-4 9,
Davis 5 0-0 11, Carson 2 0-0 4, C. Rose 1 2-2 4. TOTALS 18-39 (2-5) 12-18 50.
PCHS 12 11 7 11- 41
DHS 13 6 14 17- 50
THREE-POINTERS -PCHS 3 (Chandler 2, Dudek), Du Quoin (Clarry,Davis).REBOUNDS-PCHS 36, Du Quoin 28
(Schneider 9). ASSISTS- Du Quoin 11 (Reed 4, Davis 4). TURNOVERS-PCHS 11, Du Quoin 12.
Saturday's games
JUnior Varsity
Du Quoin 56, Nashville 45
DHS 12 12 20 12- 56
NCHS 11 10 6 18-45
DHS: Williams 13, Baxter 10, Galik 5, Gossett 19, Diggins 6, Kuhnert 2, N. Boss 1,
McDicken 0, N. Boss 0.
Varsity
Du Quoin 46,
Nashville 40
Du Quoin (21-6, 8-1):
Davis 1 3-4 5, Carson 1 0-0 3, D. Rose 0 1-2 1, Clarry 1 1-2 3, Reed 1 4-4 6, C. Rose 0 0-0 0,
Schneider 3 2-2 8, M. Gossett 7 6-6 20. TOTALS 14-34 (1-4) 17-20 46.
Nashville (20-6, 7-2):
Guest 1 1-2 4, Mammel 1 0-0 2, Meyer 2 1-2 7, Fieber 0 0-0 0, Pries 4 0-0 9, Brown 1 0-3 2, Heggemeier 5 1-4 14, Holle 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 15-36 (7-18) 3-12 40.
DHS 7 13 12 14- 46
NCHS 13 6 8 13- 40
THREE-POINTERS: Du Quoin 1 (Carson), Nashville 5 (Heggemeier 3, Meyer 2, Pries, Guest). REBOUNDS- Nashville 24, Du Quoin 30 (M.Gossett 9). ASSISTS- Du Quoin 10 (Davis 4. STEALS- Du Quoin 5 (Clarry 2).TURNOVERS-Nashville 11, Du Quoin 9.