‘They made more plays’: Blue Devils suffer first loss to top-ranked Wolverines at Highland Shootout

HIGHLAND, Ill. — There was optimism amid disappointment Saturday night, which is a sign the Quincy High School boys basketball team will be better because of this.

For starters, the Blue Devils were adamant a single loss will not derail them.

“We are still hungry and not satisfied where we are right now,” senior guard Dom Clay said after the 59-56 loss to St. Louis Vashon in the Highland Shootout, which was Quincy’s first setback following a 13-game win streak.

Furthermore, the Blue Devils became more inclined to look at ways to improve.

“Execution on offense was a big thing I thought we didn’t do and is definitely something we have to do going forward with our schedule,” senior guard Bradley Longcor III said. “And getting back on transition defense especially against a team like that is a big deal. So a lot of things that are doable and things that we just got to do, which is a good thing in my opinion.”

Having those things exposed by arguably the best team on Quincy’s schedule wasn’t such a bad thing either.

As Quincy coach Andy Douglas noted, there is plenty to dissect — good and bad — to dissect before diving into a sinister four-week stretch where first place in the Western Big 6 Conference will be on the line and two shootout appearances against highly touted opponents loom.

“The last thing we said going out of the locker room is the good thing is we can dive into film,” said Douglas, whose team was ranked No. 2 in the final pre-Christmas Associated Press Class 4A state poll and No. 1 in the most recent nestohoops.com Class 4A poll. “We’re going to see a lot of things we did really well, but we’re also going to see a lot of things where we need to be better.”

That starts at the start.

Vashon, the four-time defending Missouri Class 4 state champion and currently the state’s No. 1-ranked team, scored the game’s first eight points and 10 of the first 13. However, the Blue Devils chiseled the deficit to one before scoring on just one of its final six possessions of the first quarter.

The Wolverines (12-1) pushed the lead to double digits with less than three minutes to go in the first half as the Blue Devils went through another 1-in-6 stretch of scoring possessions. Mark Louthan’s 3-pointer with a minute to play and reverse layup just before the buzzer enabled Quincy to close within 28-21 at halftime.

That was despite going 3 of 15 from 3-point range (20 percent) and 9 of 25 overall from the field (36 percent).

“Knowing when moments like that are tough for us and shots aren’t falling, we have to stay disciplined as a team, keep moving the ball and stick to the game plan,” said Clay, who scored a game-high 20 points. “Early in the half, we were not on our game plan.”

The third quarter changed things.

Keshaun Thomas, Quincy’s 6-foot-6 forward who was coming off an MVP performance at the Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic, scored on the first two possessions of the second half as the Blue Devils scored on its first three possessions and six of its first nine.

At the same time, the defense improved. The Wolverines scored just one field goal over a 10-possession stretch, opening the door for a rally. Clay hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with a minute to go to pull within 39-38, and Louthan followed with a 3-pointer from the right corner with 25.3 seconds left for the Blue Devils’ first lead at 41-39.

However, Vashon’s Terron Garrett buried a step-back 3-pointer as time expired to give the Wolverines a 42-41 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

“We said this going into the game after watching film, but they are a team where they shoot what most players and coaches would say is a forced shot,” Douglas said. “Fadeways here, running jumpers, 3-pointers from 6 feet off the line, contested shots.

“But they have five (NCAA Division I recruits) for a reason. They make those plays. This time, they made more plays.”

The lead changed hands four times in the fourth quarter with Vashon taking the advantage for good when Trey Williams Jr. buried a 3-pointer from the left corner with four minutes to play. Quincy pulled within 52-51 on a Clay baseline drive for a layin with 2:25 to go, but Williams answered with another 3-pointer from deep on the right wing.

Longcor banked in a 3-pointer with six seconds remaining to make it a 58-56 deficit, and Vashon’s Jimmy McKinney III, who led the Wolverines with 17 points, split a pair of free throws with 5.1 seconds left to give Quincy a glimmer of hope at tying the game.

However, Thomas’ desperation 3-point attempt from the right corner at the buzzer was off target, leaving the Blue Devils to ponder what could have been done differently.

“It’s very tough, especially when we know that’s a game we can win,” Longcor said. “There were just so many other things we could have done better leading up to the final minutes that could’ve changed the game as well though.”

It all comes down to execution.

“We should think we’re the best team on the floor every game that we play,” Douglas said. “Thinking it is one thing, but you have to be able to execute. We will work to get better at executing that.”