News

2010 BIT: Pinckneyville 'six-peats' at Benton

Posted January 24, 2010 10:00 pm

Doug Daniels

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ For the sixth consecutive season, the Pinckneyville Panthers are Benton Invitational Tournament Champions with a perfect 5-0 record after winning their 34th consecutive game at Rich Herrin Gymnasium - a 56-45 victory over Sesser-Valier in Saturday's finale.

"There were a lot of different guys who contributed," said Panthers' head coach Bob Waggoner. "(With everybody back), we can be fresher, we can play at a quicker pace, and we can really try to keep the defensive intensity level up."

After coasting by Benton in the 11:00 a.m. game and working overtime to beat Carlyle the night before, the Panthers had already wrapped up a share of the B.I.T. with four wins.

The Devils couldn't miss from beyond the arc early on, as T.J. Eubanks connected for four first-half three-pointers. The fourth trifecta kept his team in the game just before halftime, following up a Drew Dudek basket that had put the Panthers up by seven with a minute to go.

"(Eubanks) wasn't supposed to touch the ball," said Waggoner. "He ended up with 14 in the first half and kept them in it. We made some adjustments in the second half that made it more difficult for him to touch the ball."

Kyle Lamb's one-hander inside midway through the third put the Panthers on top 37-30, but Sesser refused to go quietly.

Eubanks' fifth three-pointer of the night came with 6:42 remaining in the ball game and brought Sesser within a single point at 41-40, as Eubanks and center Justin Matyi continued to do all the work on offense for the Devils, scoring all but eight of their team's points in the entire contest.

With a baseline drive with 6:30 to go in the game, Dudek started a 10-0 run that was the difference-maker for Pinckneyville. Nathan Morton chipped in at the free throw line, Lamb added an inside bucket, and Landon Chandler had a three-pointer and a put-back to extend the Panther lead.

Matyi's bucket for Sesser with 3:42 made it 51-42, but Pinckneyville had found themselves defensively, and held on for the 11-point win.

Jake Bathon's 11 points led the way for the Panthers.

Morton, Lamb and Shay Kellerman were all named to the B.I.T.'s all-tournament team for Pinckneyville following the tournament's conclusion.

For much more on all three Pinckneyville games over the weekend, pick up Monday's edition of the Du Quoin Evening Call.

Article Categories
News