Raiders adjust to how officials call tight, physical game and run away from Tigers for WCC victory

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Greg Altmix didn’t have to think too long when asked to describe how his Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team regrouped following a first quarter riddled with fouls and even more free throw attempts.

“We started moving our feet more and hands less,” the Raiders coach said.

The defensive shift allowed QND to find its groove over the final three quarters in Saturday’s West Central Conference clash at Beardstown. The first eight minutes featured 19 combined fouls and a collective 26 trips to the free throw stripe.

“We had to just calm down and realize what (the officials) are going to call and just mature and learn,” QND junior forward Robbie Reed said.

Once the Raiders settled in, the outcome was never in doubt. 

QND outscored Beardstown 31-8 in the second quarter to take a 62-23 lead into halftime and never looked back in sprinting to a 91-36 victory on the road.

The result was a far cry from 24 hours earlier when the Raiders were on the other end of a one-sided affair in a 66-33 loss to Chicago Simeon in the Quincy Shootout at The Pit.

“Going from playing Simeon where the refs didn’t call a lot to playing a (Class) 2A team tonight where they were definitely calling a lot more fouls, we got used to it and found ourselves,” QND junior guard Jace Allensworth said.

Allensworth’s night epitomized the Raiders’ initial shortcomings but eventual dominance. He picked up two fouls in the game’s first minute but didn’t get whistled for another foul the rest of the contest. Allensworth scored a game-high 19 points, including 15 in the second and third quarters combined when QND scored 51 points collectively.

“Our intensity and our energy. We just came alive,” Allensworth said of the Raiders’ focus following the first quarter woes.

QND had four players finish in double figures, including Reed with 14 points, while senior guard Alex Dance and junior guard Beau Eftink had 12 apiece. In total, the Raiders had 14 players get in the scoring column.

“I thought we filled the lanes well which opened up good baskets for us,” Altmix said. “When we were attacking, we were able to draw a guy to us, then hit the open man for the open look and the easy layup. I thought transition was big for us tonight on the offensive end.”

QND also took advantage of Beardstown’s mistakes. The Raiders forced 31 turnovers.

“You want to be able to get out and get after it physically and bust your rear end, but you also have to do it in a smart manner,” Altmix said.

The collective effort on defense was a vast improvement from Friday when the Raiders found themselves down 32 points through three quarters against Simeon and were turbo-clocked on their home floor.

“It was much better,” Altmix said of the defensive difference against Beardstown compared to Simeon.

In Saturday’s victory, the Raiders made 34 of 66 shots from the field (51.5 percent) and finished 16 of 26 (61.5 percent) from the free throw line. QND was 5 of 13 (38.5 percent) from the 3-point line. The Raiders had twice as many field goal attempts than the Tigers’ 33 shots and nearly three times as many makes.

With three games in five nights on the horizon, starting with Tuesday’s conference home tilt with Illini West, Reed hopes the Raiders carry the momentum into next week.

“We’ve got to come into every game like we came into this one, and our confidence has got to be there,” he said. “Sharing the ball is what we really need to do and get offensive rebounds and force turnovers. We just need to lock in and come into these games with a different kind of energy.”