Home Delivery |
Contact Us |
Jobs |
Alerts |
News Archives |
Site map |
Log In |
Webmail |
Internet Services |
Mobile
Text size: 
Another loss, but UT takes defensive strides
|
Marc Polite yelled "cut'' so many times Saturday night, the United Township boys' basketball coach sounded like the director of a Hollywood blockbuster. Unfortunately, Polite's Panthers proved again to be not-quite-ready-for-Prime-Time players. Youthful UT clawed as close as five points a couple of times in the fourth quarter, but fell for the 13th time in 16 starts, dropping a 33-24 decision to Pekin and Northwestern signee Nathan Taphorn at the Panther Den. Both teams hit only 9 of 37 shots from the field, for matching shooting nights of a frigid 24 percent. UT shot just 9 of 28 in a Friday loss to Peoria Notre Dame, but disappointed Polite with much-less effort defensively. "We really struggled again offensively,'' Polite said. "We struggled making the extra pass. "A team like us, we have to work the ball and not be stationary. We have to work the ball around and keep cutting.'' Yet, despite UT suffering through the worst of the offensive lulls, Pekin (11-4) had to score a bucket off a last-minute turnover to force an 8-8 halftime tie with the Panthers (3-13). However, "East Mo'' went 18 minutes between points -- a full two quarters and then some -- to fall behind 18-10 late in the third frame. The Panthers not only went scoreless in the second quarter, but didn't score a basket between the 3:06 mark of the first quarter, on a Deveric Rogers jumper, to four seconds remaining in the third quarter, on a Trevor May drive. "But, Pekin makes you play that way,'' Polite said. "They sag, and they're long and they switch everything, so it's almost like playing against a zone (defense). "When you have a big guy like (Taphorn), who erases mistakes, and clogs the lane, they just don't let you get many, if any, clean looks inside. "We got some shots, but we're a confidence team, and when things didn't fall for us early, I thought our kids got gun-shy. That's where we have to be mentally tough to fight through that.'' In the fourth quarter, the Panthers clawed back to within five points on another May drive inside of four minutes, and on a Keegan Wenskunas 3-pointer with 1:04 showing. However, Pekin hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final minute to close out the comeback. "To have a high-level Division I player like they have and then make them work as hard as they did for quality shots is a testament to where we're going defensively,'' said Polite, whose club resumes Western Big 6 Conference play Friday at Galesburg. "I've been there as a player before where you feel nothing is going right offensively. So it's a huge credit to our kids to lock down and focus and play defense like they did.'' May finished with nine points and three assists to pace the Panthers. Pekin's scoring leaders were Zac Hansen (12 points, nine rebounds) and Taphorn (10 points, seven rebounds on 2-for-10 shooting). 
|
|
 |
|
||
Rapids city, IL Details |
|||
Pork Sausage Balls
(More recipes)
| (More Print Ads) |
Today is Sunday, May 19, the 139th day of 2013. There are 226 days left in the year.
1863 -- 150 years ago: The Rt. Rev. Harry I. Witherspoon, D.D. Bishop of Illinois, willpreach in Trinity (Episcopal) Church, in this city this evening.
1888 -- 125 years ago: At 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon the Mississippi River flooded itsbanks at Rock Island, destroying the warehouse of the Rock Island Lumber companyand damaging the Lumber Company and arsenal power plant. Total loss isestimated at $100.000.
1913 -- 100 years ago: Residents of South Rock Island township are circulating a petitionfavoring the annexation of that area to the city of Rock Island.
1938 -- 75 years ago: Mrs. Thomas Ackles, of Rock Island, has been elected president ofthe Playcrafters for the next season. She succeeds Warren Leonard.
1963 -- 50 years ago: Some 8,000 people filed through the gates of Rock Island Arsenal on Saturday to view a display of a part of the nation's armed strength. The occasion was theannual observance of Armed Forces Day.
1988 -- 25 years ago: Willis Kuschmann, of Moline, who already has won his laurels as oneof the most artistic men in the Quad-Cities area, has a new hobby. He is deeply involvedin miniature railroading. At the age of 88, when many other seniors are dozing in theirchairs or sitting before the television, Mr. Kuschmann is planning and working on hiscollection.
(More History)