Raiders able to breathe life into their attack, get back on track with victory over Mustangs

QUINCY — Take a breath.

Such a simple directive, but it’s one the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball players needed to hear and follow.

Back-to-back losses to state-ranked Jacksonville Routt and 20-win Southeastern made Tuesday night’s game at The Pit against Unity a must win in the words of Raiders coach Kevin Meyer. But instead of a fire-and-brimstone approach, Meyer reminded his players to embrace and enjoy the moment and just breathe.

“A lot of us were trying too hard,” junior guard Jackson Stratton said. “When you get in a slump, you try to get out of it and sometimes you try too hard or try to do too much. Coach Meyer was telling us, ‘Take a breath. Take a breath.’ It’s one thing he just kept saying.

“It worked in the second half obviously.”

A three-point edge at halftime turned into a 12-point advantage in the first two minutes of the third quarter with Stratton getting a 9-0 run started with a four-point play. The Raiders used it to fend off the scrappy and relentless Mustangs, winning 67-55 in West Central Conference action.

“I truly felt like it was a must win for our guys,” Meyer said. “We had to have it.”

Friday’s trip to Liberty with first place in the WCC at stake is one reason why.

Seeing the effort and energy translate into a victory was the other.

“We were focused on running our stuff and hopefully being good enough to pull out the win,” QND junior forward Alex Connoyer said. “We were just trying to get back on track and give ourselves a chance for a win streak going into the playoffs.”

The start wasn’t as crisp as the Raiders wanted. The Mustangs’ Cody Shaffer and Vincent Maglioacchetti made back-to-back for a 6-0 lead before QND even attempted a shot. The Raiders answered by attacking the rim, scoring four times in the paint and converting on five straight possessions.

And just when it felt like the Raiders (15-9, 5-1 WCC) were about to run away — they were 17-10 after going on a 17-4 run — the Mustangs scored seven of the final nine points of the first quarter.

QND didn’t extend the lead to double digits until the second half.

“I’m very happy they challenged us,” said Stratton, who finished with 11 points. “All the games we play on our schedule are tough. That’s what I like about it. It’s nice when you’re doing really good, but when you’re in a slump, it kind of sucks sometimes. Right now, we’re working on getting out of it.

“I’m really proud of our guys for the way we handle adversity. We could have been really upset about (Monday’s) loss, but we came back ready to play.”

The second-half start was the boost the Raiders needed.

After forcing Unity (6-20, 2-5 WCC) to turn the ball over on its initial possession of the third quarter, Stratton buried a 3-pointer from the left wing while being fouled. He made the free throw for a four-point play. Braden Sheffield scored at the rim, Jake Wallingford converted a putback and Jake Hoyt split a pair of free throws to complete the 9-0 run.

“We went in at halftime and challenged them,” Meyer said. “I thought we were still a little disconnected defensively. We weren’t flying around and talking like we had been. So there was a challenge. … Got to check your heart a little bit and then let’s build you back up.

“I thought they responded well to that in the third quarter.”

Wallingford and Sheffield led the Raiders with 14 points apiece, while Hoyt added 10.

“I liked our tempo,” Connoyer said. “I like the way we got up and down the floor, but with that, we have to take care of the ball a little better.”

Maglioacchetti and sophomore forward Melvin McMillen led the Mustangs with 15 points apiece, while Gavin Koening added 10 points. However, Unity had just three field goals in the fourth quarter as the Raiders began to really lock in defensively and position themselves to start a win streak.

“We played two good teams prior to this, but we did not play to our potential,” Stratton said. “That was our focus here.” 

The focus needs to be clear Friday as Liberty, ranked fourth in Class 1A, is primed for a postseason run.

“There will be a crowd out there, but we’re used to crowds,” Stratton said. “It’s going to be a heck of a game.”