Cougar squad encounters ups, downs
From our weekly issue dated February 24, 2010
To borrow from Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times“ for the Illinois Valley High School boys varsity basketball team last week, with a blowout loss countered by a crucial win.
On Tuesday, Feb. 16, the Cougars visited Hidden Valley High School in Murphy and lost 61-29.
“That was a pretty ugly game,“ said coach Jeff Winters. “We were cold.“
Contributing to the loss was the squad“s 22 percent shooting from the field. Only 10 of 45 shots were made throughout the game, and the team scored 9 points in the second and third quarters.
“We didn“t score,“ Winters said. “Our defense wasn“t too bad. We gave up a lot of layups, but we didn“t shoot very well.“
Three Cougars did all the scoring during that contest. Junior Roger Hults put up 22 points, sophomore Fred Hults scored 4, and sophomore Troy Mikels scored 3.
But on Friday, Feb. 19, the team went to North Valley High School in Merlin and triumphed 68-65.
That game was extremely important for the Cougars, as a loss would have meant playing the first round of the playoffs against the Knights on the road. Instead, Illinois Valley will get to host North Valley for that playoff game.
Roger Hults and junior Jesse Bethke led with 15 points. Bethke also grabbed 7 rebounds.
Senior Ben Kendall scored 13 points in an impressive showing.
“He probably had one of his best games of the year and his career,“ Winters said.
Fred Hults scored 12 points and contributed 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Senior Tobin Mikels scored 6 points, and sophomore Tyler Robbins scored 3.
Sophomore Andrew McLaughlin also had a breakout game, with 4 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
On offense, the Cougars only turned the ball over 9 times.
“That was our best effort of the year taking care of the basketball,“ Winters said.
The Illinois Valley hoopsters scored 18 points in the fourth quarter. Winters credits many members of the squad for making critical plays as the clock ticked into the game“s final moments.
Kendall made a pair of foul shots in the stretch, and so did Tobin Mikels. Robbins and McLaughlin also contributed to the late scoring surge.
Consistent scoring throughout the game also helped put the Cougars over the top.
“We played intense basketball for all four quarters, and that“s the difference between winning and losing,“ Winters said.
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