Raiders able to meet Panthers’ physical challenge, open WCC play with victory

CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team’s first West Central Conference game of the season served as a reminder of what the Raiders need to expect as they get deeper into league play.

Nothing is going to come easy.

Central used its physical, aggressive defense to stun, stall and starve the QND offense at times Friday night, but the Raiders managed to score 14 points in the fourth quarter and fend off the Panthers for a 43-38 victory.

“Central battled and that’s what they do,” QND coach Kevin Meyer said. “They controlled some tempo for a little while, and they were really physical defensively. We knew they were going to play that style and really get into us and get after us.

“But we made some free throws down the stretch, which was really big for us.”

And the Raiders (5-2, 1-0 WCC) got physical, especially with junior forward Josh Bocke on the floor.

He made his only field goal in the fourth quarter, kicked out a pass for an assist on Blake Bozarth’s 3-pointer, grabbed two offensive rebounds and played tough on the defensive end.

“He stepped up and gave us some minutes we really, really needed tonight,” Meyer said.

Held scoreless for the game’s first 3½ minutes, the Raiders scored only seven points in the first quarter and had only 19 points by halftime. QND had only one field goal in the third quarter — a Jackson Stratton 3-pointer — but carried a 29-25 lead to the final frame.

Bozarth and Jake Wallingford both hit 3-pointers, while the Raiders went 4 of 7 from the line in the fourth quarter but 4 of 5 in the final two minutes.

“We haven’t been shooting it well from the free-throw line,” Meyer said. “But we were tough down the stretch.”

It offset the effort of Central point guard Nick Moore, who scored a game-high 15 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. It nearly compensated for the loss to Breyhar Wiskirchen, who scored six points before leaving in the third quarter with an injury. He didn’t return.

“They gave us everything we expected and more … Nick Moore,” Meyer said. “He was on fire tonight. He played really well.”

Jake Hoyt and Stratton led the Raiders with 10 points apiece. Hoyt went 7 of 8 from the free-throw line and helped QND find a way to survive a slugfest.

“Every time you got a little bit of separation, there was a little grab to pull you back in,” Meyer said. “It’s the little things they do that they do well. You think you’re getting a rebound, and the next thing you know, they’ve moved you 2 feet under the basket and they are getting the rebound and going. They make it a challenge for you.”

It doesn’t get any easier with the Raiders playing host to Quincy High School at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pit.

“We can talk about that game now and get ready for it,” Meyer said. “It’s going to be just as physical.”