Victory of Titan-ic proportions: West Hancock wins West Central Conference title, beats QND at The Pit

QUINCY — As he dribbled from one side of the court to the other, West Hancock senior guard Gavin Grothaus found himself dangerously close to a five-second violation. 

A turnover could have changed the outcome of the game. Instead, Grothaus avoided the mishap and made the biggest pass of Tuesday’s showdown with Quincy Notre Dame, finding his 6-foot-9 teammate Cooper Knowles alone for a two-handed dunk.

“Technically, it wasn’t a play for Cooper,” Grothaus admitted. “It was supposed to be a handoff, but (QND) was completely denying it. Then I saw him sitting down there and gave him the shovel pass. The crowd went nuts.”

Knowles’ easiest basket of the game pushed the Titans’ lead to four points in the game’s final minute. The flush was the exclamation point as West Hancock defeated QND 65-58 in a West Central Conference clash at The Pit.

“I was just trying to set screens the best I can,” Knowles said of the pivotal play. “(Grothaus) had multiple guys on him, and he just threw it to me. I just try to get open for my teammates the best I can.”

West Hancock (27-4) extended its winning streak to 13 games while snapping a two-game skid with the Raiders. A packed house made the annual rivalry feel more like a postseason affair rather than a regular season contest.

“That’s why I love playing this game,” Titans coach Jeff Dahl said after West Hancock wrapped up the WCC championship. “I like it because it tests us.”

Justifiably disappointed in the outcome, QND coach Greg Altmix was quick to point out how much playing in Tuesday’s atmosphere will benefit the Raiders (15-10) with regional play only a week away.

“It’s a great environment because I thought it will prepare us for next week when (the QND players) aren’t going to be able to hear me,” Altmix said. “They’re going to have to be able to understand what they need to do.”

The Raiders held a 15-14 lead after the first quarter, but the Titans rebounded to grab a 30-28 advantage at halftime. West Hancock maintained that slim spread (47-45) through three quarters and made just enough plays down the stretch to pull out the victory.

QND held West Hancock’s top two scorers, senior guard Lewis Siegfried and Knowles, a junior post, to a combined 19 points. However, Grothaus and sophomore guard Hunter Froman proved to be the difference. Froman finished with a team-high 19 points and Grothaus added 16 points and nine rebounds.

“We’ve got like seven guys that can (score) in the teens or in the 20s every night,” Froman said. “It’s great to have that.”

Dahl was happy to see some of his other players rise to the occasion.

“That tells me that I got some dudes that can play,” Dahl said. “Somewhere there’s going to be a mismatch. There are not many teams that have five players that can match up with us, so we have to take advantage.”

Siegfried, who was face-guarded by QND throughout the contest, added 11 points while Knowles filled the stat sheet with eight points, nine boards and eight blocks.

On the flipside, the Raiders had difficulty finding their consistency on offense. QND wound up shooting 22 of 65 from the field (33.8 percent) and 5 of 27 from beyond the arc (18.5 percent).

QND’s bright spot came in the form of junior guard Jace Allensworth, who had a game-high 26 points, including 16 in the first half. He was the only Raider in double figures.

“I think he showed tonight he was the best player on the court,” Altmix said. “There were times where he kind of had a look on his face like he was going to take the ball and score, and to me that can be extremely dangerous in the postseason. If teams have to key on him all of a sudden, he’s a great passer, and he’s going to find the open man for good looks.”

QND junior guard Beau Eftink and freshman guard TJ Togarepi, who made his first varsity start, had eight points apiece. The Raiders played without starting junior forward Robbie Reed due to a violation of team policy. 

West Hancock, playing its final regular season contest, made 21 of 39 field goal attempts (53.8 percent) and went 3 of 10 from 3-point range. The Titans start postseason play against the Buffalo Tri-City/Athens winner in the Class 2A Pleasant Plains Regional at 6 p.m. Feb. 26.

“This is perfect timing for this game (against QND),” Dahl said. “I’m really proud of my guys. We got so much stuff to clean up from watching this (game film), and it’ll be a growing time for us.”

QND visits Keokuk (Iowa) on Friday to close the regular season before heading to the Class 2A Pittsfield Regional where the Raiders will face Petersburg PORTA at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26.

“I think now everybody has bought in,” Altmix said of his players. “If they can believe in themselves, if they can stay out of their own way, if they can play together, if they play as a team, I think we got a shot against anybody in the state.”