|  02/23/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
BREESE - The description of Friday night's regional title game
is difficult to candy coat so I won't try.
The
Breese Central Cougars dominated Pinckneyville.
Coach
Jeremy Shubert's bunch never had any serious trouble as they
jumped out to an early lead while throwing a blanket on the
Panthers' offense in a commanding 42-21 win.
The
Cougars held Coach Matt Laur's crew to just 9-of-32 shooting
and 0-of-11 from the 3-point line.
The
final score is even a bit deceiving as Pinckneyville's reserves
went on a 7-0 run in the last 2:19 of the game as Central led
42-14 when the coaches' emptied the benches.
With
the win Breese Central heads to the Benton Sectional on Tuesday
where they will face Massac County.
The
Patriots defeated Vienna, 62-58, to win their own regional on
Friday night.
Six-five
senior Zane Schrage scored 14-points in the victory and junior
Kaden Rakers added 10, including a pair of 3-pointers in a dominating
third quarter where the Cougars put the game away.
This
is the program's 19th regional title and the third in a row
for Coach Shubert and the outcome wasn't in doubt by halftime.
The
Cougars held Pinckneyville to a 3-of-15 effort first half from
the field, 0-6 from the 3-point arc in the victory.
No
Pinckneyville player reached double-figures in scoring as the
Panthers were led by sophomore reserve 6-6 forward Ty Laur with
six-points while senior guard Hunter Smith ended up with just
four-points.
“They
(Central) are so physical and not in an illegal way. They do
a great job. I give all of the credit in the world to them.
We got some good looks. We're a team that makes five or six
3's a game, 35 percent from behind the arc but we were 0-11
tonight and obviously their defense did that to us,” said
Coach Laur. “It just kind of wore on us and we couldn't
ever get it going.”
Another
impressive stat from Breese Central was their marksmanship from
the foul line.
The
Cougars hit 11-of-12 free throws, 10-of-11 in the final 4:07
of the contest.
At
one point in the fourth quarter Central ran nearly two minutes
off of the clock and then the free throw parade began as the
Panthers were forced to foul.
Central
broke the game's only deadlock with a score in the lane by 6-4
junior Griffin Becker as he was fouled.
His
subsequent free throw made it 5-2 with 5:10 left in the first
quarter.
Scores
by senior Colten Arnold on a fast break lay in off a steal and
pass from Shubert and a Shubert drive in the lane closed the
first quarter at 9-4 Cougars.
Pinckneyville
6-6 senior forward Karsen Konkel scored a basket in the lane
in the first quarter.
It
was his only basket of the game as he finished his prep basketball
career with just three-points after he added a made free throw
in the fourth quarter.
The
Panthers were forced into a 2-of-10 shooting mark in the first
quarter and three of their eight-turnovers.
Pinckneyville
managed to get consecutive trips down the floor for points to
open the second quarter with Laur scoring in the lane and then
adding 1-of-2 free throws as the Central advantage was just
9-7.
The
three-points were all that the Panthers could muster in the
quarter as Central held them scoreless for the final 7:05 of
the half.
Shubert
added points for Central on a 3-pointer from the right wing
and a drive in the middle of the lane.
Senior
reserve guard Jake Robke added a put back for an offensive rebound
score and Arnold scored again in transition off of the Panthers'
third turnover of the quarters as the hosts went to the break
leading 18-7.
“I
thought we guarded them pretty well, holding them to 18-points
at the half but they just guard the heck out of you,”
said Coach Laur. “That's why they're the number one team
in the state.”
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