Trojans weather Panthers storm
Hillsboro boys shake off
rust, down Nickerson, 56-44
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
As the saying goes, '"good teams always find a way to win."
Friday night's game in Hillsboro between the Trojans and the Nickerson Panthers proved it.
The stubborn Panthers threw everything they could at the Trojans the first half before Hillsboro's game got on track (6-0) the second half for a 56-44 win.
Mother Nature iced the Trojans' Tuesday night meeting against El Dorado and practices.
"I was happy that we showed good character again and played through the tough times when we just weren't looking very good and were able to win the ball game," said Trojan coach Darrell Knoll. "I thought we showed a good effort considering we didn't practice much."
Frigid shooting, ragged execution, and fouls kept Hillsboro from running the Panthers out of the game.
They stayed on top of the Trojans until Eric Weinbrenner buried a three with just inside 4:00 to go, giving Hillsboro its first lead, 11-9.
Weinbrenner scored a game-high 20 points, hitting 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-7 from behind the arc to finish as the only Trojan in double figures.
Patrick Harrison's three with 3:42 left pushed Hillsboro's lead to 14-9, marking the last field goal the Trojans could get to fall for the next 6:00.
During that time, the Panthers used an 18-4 run to pull in front of the Trojans, 27-18, with 2:30 to go in the first half.
But Hillsboro outscored the Panthers 8-3 from there, hitting 10-for-11 at the free throw line the second quarter.
Despite shooting 7-of-18 from the floor, nine turnovers, and foul trouble, the Trojans were still in the game at the break, down 30-26.
"I was pleased that we played through the tough times, especially in the second quarter," Knoll said. "We could've very easily given it up big and we were able to cut it down to four.
"We had a chance to cut it to less than that, but our spacing wasn't good. That comes from not practicing."
The Trojans still hit 57 percent from the floor and 44 on the night from 16-of-36 overall.
Hitting 7-for-12 the first quarter, Nickerson was limited to just 18 shots the rest of the game while the pesky Trojan defense forced 16 turnovers.
The Panthers pulled ahead 36-32 after Lucas Hamm knotted the game up at in the opening 3:00 of the second half.
But an intentional foul followed by a technical took the wind right out of the Panthers' sail.
Weinbrenner finally got the Trojans over the hump for the first time since the 3:42 mark in the first quarter, 37-36, with 1:56 left in the third.
The lead changed hands once more before Weinbrenner buried a three that made for a 42-40 score heading into the last stretch.
Kyle Kroeker and Derek Hamm each added nine points in the contest.
Kroeker's three-point play to start the fourth quarter sparked a 7-0 run with all the points coming off Nickerson mistakes which he had a big hand in.
Going without a field goal the entire fourth quarter, the Panthers had to make do trying to catch Hillsboro from the free throw line.
Lucas Hamm chipped in eight points amidst pulling down a team-high seven rebounds.
He picked the Panthers' pockets and threw down a dunk at the 5:00 mark.
Unfortunately for the Trojan fans, his dunk was waived off after being charged with a technical for hanging on the rim.
The Trojans hit an impressive 21-for-26 at the foul line, including 7-for-8 in the fourth quarter.
"I thought in the second half we played more like ourselves, a lot better on the offensive end in terms of getting things done the right way," said Knoll. "It was just a tougher, sharper effort the second half."
The Trojans face a stiff test at a home Friday night against the visiting Lyons Lions around 8 p.m.
Hillsboro then opens what could arguably be the best Trojan Classic yet Tuesday against eighth-seeded Belleville at 7:30 p.m.
Junior varsity boys defeat Nickerson
Hillsboro High School junior varsity boys' basketball team defeated Nickerson 49-37 last Friday.
Juniors Tim Funk and Peter Fast and sophomore Darren Enns led the team with eight points each.
Other scorers included Chad Hughbanks, seven points; Nate Holmes, six; Adam Scheele, four; Wade Weibert, three; Macy Fadenrecht and Brett McIntosh, two points each; and Justin Moore, one point.
