Mid-Winter Tournament Week: Indians Again Play for Third
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ For the second consecutive year, <span id="lw_1232778336_0" class="yshortcuts">Du Quoin High School¹s Basketball team</span>
ended pool play at the Sparta Mid-Winter Classic with a 2-1 record.
And, for the second consecutive, a narrow loss in the free throw percentage
battle has sent the Tribe into the third place playoff.
Du Quoin, despite an impressive 78-35 dismantling of <span id="lw_1232778336_1" class="yshortcuts">Lebanon</span>, was a narrow
victim to Trico (73% to 71%) in the tiebreaker and will play Steeleville
(7-14, 1-2) at 7 p.m. Columbia and Trico meet for the championship
afterwards. The Indians are 13-6 overall.
³Again its not the ideal way to find out you won¹t be playing in the final
game,² Indians coach Mike Crews said.
³But we did what we had to do tonight in order to have a shot. We played
well, probably one of our better games of the year, and hit our foul shots
(15-for-19). We could lace it up pretty well against a lot of people with
the kind of effort we had here.²
Du Quoin took control of things against the Greyhounds in the final three
minutes of the opening frame, putting together a 10-0 run.
Ahead 17-10 after one period, the lead stretched to 35-24 by intermission
despite the hot shooting of <span id="lw_1232778336_2" class="yshortcuts">Lebanon guard Jeremy Moore</span>.
A talented 6-foot junior, Moore connected for all 16 of his points in the
first two quarters as the Greyhounds hung close.
The third quarter, however, was all Du Quoin.
The Indians outscored Lebanon 19-8 with 11 of the points coming from A.J.
Hill.
Jamor Reed delivered an early dagger, swishing a pair of three-pointers as
the quarter wound down.
In the final eight minutes, Crews subbed freely as all 12 Indians dressing
saw action. All but one‹starting guard‹ Marcus Clarry, scored.
The 78-point outburst was Du Quoin¹s best of the season.
³Everyone who saw action tonight made very positive contributions,² Crews
said. ³We played pretty well. I thought our defense was as good as its been
in quite awhile.²
Hill topped Du Quoin with 15 points and five rebounds. Reed scored 11 and
Dalton Morgan snared eight rebounds while scoring nine points.
Matt Gossett added nine more points with Cody Youngman netting eight.
For the record, Trico was 45-of- 61 in pool play at the foul line.
Du Quoin finished 32-of-45. Red Bud (30-48) hit 62% and plays Sparta for
third place.
Friday¹s games
Du Quoin 78, Lebanon 35
Du Quoin (13-6. 2-1): Hill 5 5-6 15, Clarry 0 0-0 0, Reed 0 (3) 2-2 11,
Morgan 4 1-2 9, Gossett 3 (1) 0-0 9, Youngman 1 (2) 0-0 8, Davis 1 4-4 6,
Flint 2 0-0 4, Schneider 2 1-2 5, C. Rose 2 0-0 4, D. Rose 1 2-2 4, Carson 0
(1) 0-0 3. Total 21 (7) 15-19 78.
Lebanon (10-8, 0-3): Bush 0 (1) 0-0 3, Moore 2 (4) 0-0 16, W. Essenpreis 1
0-2 2, Clark 1 1-2 3, Johnson 2 0-0 4, D. Essenpreis 1 0-0 2, Neill 1 0-0 2,
Sonsucie 0 1-4 1. Total 8 (5) 2-7 35.
Du Quoin 17 18 19 24‹78
Lebanon 10 14 08 03‹35
Three-pointers: <span id="lw_1232778336_3" class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Du Quoin</span> 7 (Reed 3, Gossett, Youngman 2, Carson). Lebanon 5
(Moore 4, Bush). Rebounds: Du Quoin 30 (Morgan 6, D. Rose 6). Lebanon 21.