Three-point barrage in fourth quarter falls just short in West Hancock’s upset bid

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — The West Hancock boys basketball team appeared to be primed for a massive upset when it got within 31-30 with 5:15 remaining to play in the third quarter.

Five minutes of a leaky zone defense proved costly.

The Titans gave up 16 of the game’s next 18 points, and not even a late barrage of 3-pointers could help them get out of the hole in a 63-61 loss to second-seeded Pleasant Plains on Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Class 2A sectional at Beardstown.

West Hancock finished the season with a 13-18 record. Senior Isaac Siegfried said the Titans would have received much higher than the 10th seed they received in the regional had they played all season like they did against the Cardinals.

“We just needed to come together sooner,” he said. “I still think we could have beaten (the Cardinals).”

It looked like it might happen in the third quarter.

Pleasant Plains (19-9) grabbed a 13-4 in the first quarter on the strength of three 3-pointers by Cooper Schallenberg, but the Titans only trailed 27-20 at halftime. 

Both teams scored on their first possession of the third quarter, but Siegfried hit two 3-pointers — his first baskets of the game — and Brian Gerhardt converted a turnover into a layup during an 8-2 run that put West Hancock within 31-30.

Then Plains took over.

Schallenberger, who finished with 20 points, hit a 3-pointer. Tristen Gleason followed with a steal and a layup. Zach Powell then scored the next nine points as the Cardinals consistently punched the ball into the middle of the Titans’ 2-3 zone.

Gleason’s basket in the lane put the Cardinals ahead 49-34 early in the fourth quarter.

“They were starting to figure (the zone) out,” Siegfried said.

“We didn’t execute on offense very well, and we had executed really well to that point,” Titans coach Jeff Dahl said. “Then we didn’t guard the high-low pass three times in a row. They got the ball to a guy who we didn’t care if he shot it, and we didn’t rotate down. And the (deficit) was 15, just like that.

“The thing was, we kept getting great shots, but we just missed them. We haven’t missed those open shots like that forever. We ran our plays wonderfully, and we got what we wanted, but we just missed.”

The Titans didn’t miss many in the fourth quarter.

Junior Luke Jacquot converted a three-point play to start the comeback. Siegfried hit another 3-pointer, then Colin Lemaire, who finished with 25 points, made another one. Alec Hymes then scored inside the lane on an inbounds play to get the Titans within 51-45 with 4:45 remaining.

“Lemaire was really good today,” Dahl said. “I just wanted him to drive it, because his guy couldn’t stay in front of him. He was fantastic.”

Powell, who finished with 25 points, drive in for a basket, and Nick Sabo hit a 3-pointer for the Cardinals. However, West Hancock retaliated again with a 7-2 run on two buckets by Lemaire and a 3-pointer by sophomore Gage Scott with 1:01 remaining.

Plains finished the game by making five out of six free throws, but West Hancock didn’t stop shooting. Lemaire hit a 3-pointer, and Scott drained two more, the last one coming with 3.3 seconds to play. However, the Titans had no timeouts left, and the Cardinals didn’t even try to inbound the ball as time ran out.

“Before, when adversity hit, we’d spread apart,” Dahl said. “At the end of the year, we came together. As a coach, that’s fun to see. Adversity always separates bad teams. I said we’re going to make some noise if we stay together. (Plains) was the one seed. We were the 10 seed. It shouldn’t have been close, but I love being the underdog.”