Five-minute drought in second quarter too much for Pittsfield to overcome in Class 2A regional setback

WARSAW, Ill. — Too many empty possessions.

It was a recurring theme for the Pittsfield boys basketball team this season.

The Saukees failed to score during the final five minutes of the first half and were unable to keep pace with Pleasant Plains after closing within four points early in the fourth quarter Wednesday night to drop a 57-47 decision in the semifinals of the Class 2A Warsaw Regional.

Meanwhile, the tandem of forward Liam Hatfield and guard Cooper Schallenberg combined for 50 points to propel the fourth-seeded Cardinals into Friday night’s championship game against top-seeded West Hancock.

For seventh-seeded Pittsfield, which bows out at 21-9, the ending was all too familiar.

“It’s not the first time we’ve seen it this year, and it just happened in a bad spot,” Saukees coach Brad Tomhave said of his team’s inconsistent scoring. “We’ve gone through some stretches where we’ve gotten good looks. We just haven’t been able to knock anything down.

“That’s not taking anything away from Plains. They were guarding us and making us maybe shoot it a little quicker than we were comfortable shooting.”

Defensively, Pittsfield had few answers for Hatfield, a 6-foot-5 senior who set the tone by scoring Pleasant Plains’ opening 11 points, most of them by cutting and driving to the basket. He also hit three 3-pointers on the night and finished with a game-high 32 points.

When the Saukees managed to limit his chances, Schallenberg picked up the slack. The 6-foot-2 junior’s 3-pointer from the top of the circle, part of an 18-point effort, gave the Cardinals the lead for good at 14-11 with 42 seconds to go in the first quarter.

“You spend some focus on the Schallenberg kid, and then Hatfield is able to find his spots a little easier,” Tomhave said. “And then when you try to take Hatfield away, Schallenberg makes you pay. That’s why they’re so good.”

A back-door layup by Brennan Tomhave pulled Pittsfield with 19-17 three minutes into the second period, but those were the last points the Saukees scored in the first half. The Cardinals, however, managed just two buckets by Schallenberg to lead 24-17 at intermission.

Pleasant Plains stretched its advantage to 11 twice in the third quarter before a blocked shot by Eli Mendenhall set up a driving layup off transition by Brennan Tomhave to trim the deficit to 35-29 entering the final period as both teams struggled to score.

Konner Allen’s inside bucket off a steal by Javan Petty made it 35-31, and it appeared as if momentum was swinging in Pittsfield’s favor. But Hatfield flipped in a shot while being fouled near the basket, and his free throw made it 38-31.

Hatfield then drove the lane for a layup after the Saukees came up empty on the ensuing possession, and Schallenberg followed with a free throw and a driving layup to push the lead to 43-33 with 4:18 left.

The Saukees closed within 46-37 on a pull-up jumper by Petty with 2:11 to go, but by that time, they were forced to foul. The Cardinals sank 11 of 14 free throws in the final 1:54 to beat Pittsfield for the second time this season and improve to 17-14.

Brennan Tomhave finished with 18 points and Petty 14 for Pittsfield.

“I can’t fault the kids for their effort or their desire to win,” Brad Tomhave said. “The guys played hard. We just came up short.”