Trojan boys edge league foe Collegiate
Hillsboro comes from behind to top Spartans, 61-59
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Don't be too surprised if a New Year's resolution for the Hillsboro High School boys' basketball team is figuring out a way to close out a game when it's got the chance.
Rack up the Trojans' second consecutive close call in their final game of the 2001 season Tuesday night at home against bitter-nemesis Wichita Collegiate.
Hillsboro had to come from behind for a 61-59 victory on their way to a 6-0 record after trailing by as many as 12 against the Spartans.
Blame it on the Trojans' sub-par night on the defensive side of the ball.
"I thought defensively that we weren't with it the whole night," said Trojan coach Darrell Knoll. "We need to learn to put games away. We had our chances; we didn't convert our free throws."
Fresh off a big game at the free throw line Friday night at Ellinwood, the Trojans' percentage dipped from 82 down to a stale 59.
For about the first 4:00 of the game, the Trojans played like the team that's worthy of a top-five rating.
Adam Woods scored eight of his career-high 14 points to help the Trojans jump in front 10-3, 4:00 in.
But the Spartans used a 13-2 run to regain the lead after the first quarter, 19-11.
'Then it seemed like we went dead on our defense," Knoll said. "We got beat everywhere."
What was once an eight-point deficit grew to 25-13 after a Chris Preboth field goal with just over 6:00 left in the first half.
Preboth scored a game-high 16 points with a 5-for-6 night from the foul line.
With Layne Frick and Tyler Weinbrenner faced with a suffocating defense, Hillsboro got a spark off the bench from Dustin Jost.
Jost scored seven of his 11 points in the final 4:00 of the first half, including a triple with 18 seconds left that helped Hillsboro head to intermission with momentum on its side.
The Trojans, plagued by nine first half turnovers, trailed 37-31at the half.
"I was happy to at least see us make a run at the end of the second quarter and close the gap," said Knoll. "That was pretty big. I felt fortunate we were down by six at halftime because our defense wasn't with it."
Off on Friday against the Eagles, the Trojans' three point-shooting helped them stay right with the Spartans in the third quarter.
Hillsboro was 50 percent from downtown with half of its six coming in the third quarter.
One of two triples by Weinbrenner pulled the Trojans to 47-46 before Jost finally got Hillsboro over the hill with just 3:00 left in the third.
Weinbrenner hit a perfect 2-for-2 from behind the arc to finish with 13 points.
A three by Andy Brubacher stretched Hillsboro's lead to 58-51 early in the fourth quarter to match its largest of the night.
The lead shrunk back down to three after the Spartans took advantage of a pair of Trojan-turnovers on baskets by Ron Horton and Tim Rheem.
Ross Duerksen finished the game with 10 points aided by a 6-for-9 night from the free throw line.
He gave Hillsboro a gasp of breathing room making his sixth with 18 seconds left.
Preboth had the chance to send the game to overtime but his shot with 2 seconds left, rimmed out to secure the win for Hillsboro.
The Trojans return to action Jan. 4 in a big road game against the surprising defending Class 3A state champion Halstead.
HILLSBORO 61, COLLEGIATE 59
Collegiate — Grant Mitchell 4, Ben Hawley 7, Tim Rheem 8, Horton 15, Jess Cornejo 5, Preboth 16, Sean Kennedy 2, Darren Anderson 2, Totals 21-42 2-9 11-13 59.
Hillsboro — Andy Brubacher 6, Weinbrenner 13, Frick 5, Jost 11, Duerksen 10, Tyler Peachey 2, Woods 14, Totals 15-29 6-12 13-22 61.
