MADISON VS. GIBAULT
02-28-03
BY JACK BULLOCK
WATERLOO - The game plan for the Gibault Hawks Friday night was not to get into a track meet with the top-ranked Trojans.

" Get them in a half-court game and they are beatable."

That was the mentality, and apparent "battle cry" of every Madison opponent this season.

But on this night, and every other night this season against Class A opponents, the Trojans proved that they can play any style of game and still win.

Madison's smothering defense forced Gibault out of every offensive set that they tried on this night.

And the end result was a dominating 75-55 rout that was as bad as the score indicated.

The Trojans advance to the East Alton-Wood River Class A Sectional where they will take on Breese Central, who won the Mater Dei Regional with a 58-48 win over Trenton-Wesclin.

When the Trojans got the chance to run, they ran like a relay team.

When they were forced to play a half-court game, they ran their offense beautifully.

"They were much better than I thought they were." said Gibault coach Dennis Reuter. "They are just so good defensively and they defended well all night. If they play that well the rest of the way, they can win the state title."

Madison, now 26-3, never trailed and never was really in danger on a night where a packed house at Gibault expected a close game.

The game everyone expected (or maybe just hoped for) never materialized.

Madison jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, thanks to a defense that kept Gibault from getting a good look at the basket in the first two minutes of the game.

A lay up by Maurice Hughes, a 3-pointer by Rico Newsome and a 10-foot baseline jumper from Robert Kennedy in the first 1:31 of the game had the Hawks back on their heels.

It didn't help matters that the Hawks missed their first six shots from the field.

Jacob Toal scored Gibault's first bucket on a drive in the paint.

However Kennedy, and Keith Long, started inflicting the Madison brand of pain to the Hawks when they began hitting the offensive glass.

Kennedy scored a pair of baskets in the first quarter on offensive rebounds and Long muscled his way into the paint for four early points.

Kennedy's put back with 1:20 left in the first quarter gave Madison a 17-10 lead.

After a Gibault turnover, the Hawks third in the first quarter, Travonti Walker canned a 10-footer from the left baseline just before the horn and Gibault was in a hole at 19-10.

"Our goal is to always get a lead and to get off to a good start," said Madison mentor Al Collins. "Tonight our kids were fired up. We wanted to pressure them early and make them earn everything that they got."

The pressure really started to take its toll on Gibault in the second quarter as the easy baskets started to come to the Trojans.

A short bank from Kennedy, who rebounded his own miss, and a Keith Long short bank shot pushed Madison to its first double-digit advantage at 23-12.

Kyle Row hit on a drive to the basket with 4:45 remaining before the half to cut Madison's advantage to 23-14.

However the versatile Trojans got a 3-pointer from Rickey Salmond and another Kennedy put back to make it 28-14 Trojans with 3:35 left before halftime.

Silent for most of the first half, 6-6 Gibault senior Lance Stemler finally got on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer from the right side to cut the Madison lead to 28-17.

Row also managed a 3-pointer before the half for Gibault. But Kennedy hit two rebound baskets on the offensive glass, one following his own shot.

After a Gibault miss, the top-ranked team in the state milked the clock for a final shot before intermission.

Hughes tipped in Newsome's missed shot with :06.2 left and the Trojans skipped into the locker room with a 32-20 lead.

Madison stuck a dagger into Gibault early in the third quarter with a quick as lightning 10-0 run.

A Kennedy basket was followed by a pair of buckets by Walker to get things rolling at 36-20.

Two additional baskets, one by Hughes and then a lay in by Newsome on an incredible defensive stop by Kennedy, resulted in a 42-20 advantage.

"Our blocked shots were big tonight. We have guys that can defend the basket and when we do it like we did tonight, we are going to be tough to beat." added Collins, who is trying to take his second team to the Elite Eight, after taking a squad to Peoria.

The doubting people who thought that Madison couldn't run a good half-court offense got a lesson in the third quarter as the Trojans dissected Gibault with some easy baskets.

Newsome set up a pair of his teammates on backdoor cuts during a stretch when Stemler was trying to get the Hawks back into the game.

Newsome found Salmond on the right side and his lay in made the score 44-23.

Stemler scored on a nice hook shot and then he put back his own miss.

But Newsome surveyed the court and found Hughes on the baseline for another easy lay in to make 50-29 with 1:36 left in the third.

Gibault tried to make a game of it in the final quarter with Stemler scoring the first four points for the Hawks in the frame.

But Madison, now going for the kill, put the game away with Hughes scoring five straight points starting a string that finished off a very fine Gibault team's 25-3 season.

A Keith Long dunk on a pass from Newsome sealed the regional deal for the Trojans.

"They jumped on us early and I don't know what we could have done different to stop them." said Stemler, who finished his high school career with a game-high 24 points. "I don't see anyone beating them if they play like that."

Madison was led in scoring by Hughes with 17.

Kennedy added 16 while Walker stuck in 14. Keith Long added 13 for a team that has yet to hit its peak, according to Collins.

"We still have some work to do, and it won't get any easier for us." added Collins. "Every night it is a showdown for us. We played the toughest schedule in the south and it has gotten us ready for this."

TOP RIGHT
Madison's Keith Long makes a spin move on Waterloo Gibault's Jacob Toal during the first quarter of Madison's 75-55 demolition of the Hawks Friday night.
(Jack Bullock Photo)

BOTTOM LEFT
Gibault's Lance Stemler hauls down a defensive rebound in front of Madison's Rico Newsome in the second quarter.
(Jack Bullock Photo)