Eagles capture Dieterich title, Mammoser gets 200th
By TERRY LIDY
After the #3 seeded NCHS Eagles knocked off #2 Dieterich 64-52 in semi final action last Tuesday and #4 North Clay upset #1 Red Hill 50-36, earlier in the evening, it set up a championship match between the Eagles at 7-3 and the undefeated North Clay Cardinals at 8-0 last Wednesday. When the evening was finished, the Eagles not only prevailed before a full house at the DHS Gym 60-50, but also handed Eagle mentor Doug Mammoser his 200th career victory at the annual Dieterich Holiday Tournament.
The Eagles started slowly as they tried to figure out the 2-3 Cardinal zone. The Eagles led 1-0 on a Brian Emmerich foul shot. However, the Cardinals scored the next 5 points as Colton Bailey nailed a three and Perry Pearson scored. Taylor Kerner then scored the Eagles first basket at the 5:19 mark with a shot along the baseline. Andrew Grahn then countered with a jump shot and Peyton Wyatt got in scorebook with a 15-footer as the Eagles trailed 7-5. A Bryan Harrington free throw made it 8-5 after which Japheth Bear scored in the lane to cut the deficit to one point. However, Pearson scored again to make it 10-7. A Jake Pilman field goal in the paint made it 10-9 with 1:30 left. With 38 seconds remaining Alex Frohning converted two free throws to give the Eagles an 11-10 edge. After a North Clay miss, the Eagles played for the last shot of the period. Peyton Wyatt came through with a long three-pointer to give the Eagles a 14-10 advantage.
North Clay came out and quickly tied it at 14 with 6:59 left and regained the lead at 16-14 on an Andrew Grahn field goal. Japheth Bear next tied it at 16 and Taylor Kerner scored inside at the 5:18 mark as the lead see-sawed with the Eagles ahead 18-16.
After lefty Micah Schnautz tied it at 18, Taylor Kerner converted one of two foul shots to up the Eagles again at 19-18 with 4:32 left in the half. However, Colton Bailey also made a free throw on the next Cardinals possession to tie it again at 19. The tie didn't last long as Jake Pilman was fouled inside. The Eagle center sank both tosses to make it 21-19 with 4:11 left. Back came the Cardinals as Schnautz answered with a field goal to tie it once again at 21.
From here on out, there would be no more ties or lead changes as the Eagles grabbed the lead for good as Jake Pilman and Taylor Kerner scored to give Newton a 25-21 edge.
Later in the closing seconds, Jake Pilman canned a pair of free throws with 32 seconds left to give the Eagles a 29-24 lead. As time wound down, the Eagles played again for the last shot of the period. This time, Brian Emmerich drilled a long trifecta from the left corner as the Eagles enjoyed a 32-24 margin going into the half.
With momentum as an ally, the Eagles quickly upped the margin to 12 at 36-24 as Peyton Wyatt and Brian Emmerich scored back to back baskets. Here North Clay refused to buck as Grahn and Bailey banged home threes. The last one made it 40-34 midway in the third quarter. When Alex Frohning and Peyton Wyatt scored back to back, the Eagles had their 10 point lead back with 3:21 left in the third. Once again the Cardinals whittled away and closed to within 6 at 44-38. However, the Eagles ended with a spark as Scott Jansen nailed a three and Jake Pilman scored at the buzzer on a nifty pass from Peyton Wyatt to up the margin to 11 at 49-38. It was the third final shot for the quarter by the Eagles.
In the final period, the Eagles never were in serious trouble as their lead reached 14 at 53-39 after a Wyatt jumper with 5:30 remaining. North Clay did score the next two hoops as Schnautz scored and Grahn nailed a three to make it 53-44. But Japheth Bear scored inside with an assist from Scott Jansen to take off the pressure at 55-44.
With North Clay forced to foul to stop the clock, the Eagles sank five of eight free throws down the stretch in the final minute and one-half to secure the title and give Doug Mammoser his 200th win. Peyton Wyatt sank five of eight charity tosses in the time frame. It was fitting as Wyatt was named the MVP for the holiday classic.
"We will enjoy this one for a day or two and then get back to work against Stew-Stras and Effingham," said a happy Doug Mammoser afterwards. "We played well enough to hold off every challenge that North Clay threw at us. It was nice to get the 200th win, but I am so happy for the kids who have now won two tournaments on the road this year," added Mammoser in his 13th year at the helm.
The Eagles next will welcome Stew-Stras at 9-2 and Apollo foes Effingham on Friday and Olney and Salem next week on Tuesday and Friday, which will give Eagle fans the opportunity to see the 8-3 Jasper County lads.
In the championship game, Peyton Wyatt led the way with 16 points. Jake Pilman, who also made the all tournament team had 12. Brian Emmerich added 8 as did forward Alex Frohning. Taylor Kerner had 7 points with another good relief role. Japheth Bear tallied 6 points on three baskets. Scott Jansen added a three-pointer as the Eagles swished 20 field goals including three from behind the arc. They converted 17 of 25 foul shots. Derek and Dylan Casey, Marc Brandenburg, Jerry Howze, Mitch Mammoser and A.J. Hyatt, also saw action for the 8-3 Eagles.
North Clay scored 17 field goals with five good for three points. The Cardinals were 11 of 16 from the line. Andrew Grahn who made the all tournament team led with 14. Colton Bailey, who also was an all tournament selection, scored 8 as did teammate Micah Schnautz. Bryan Harrington had 7, Perry Pearson scored 6, Dalton Zimmerman had 4 and Dylan McKnelly scored 3.
The boys all tournament team consisted of Peyton Wyatt (MVP) and Jake Pilman of Newton, Colton Bailey and Andrew Grahn of North Clay. Blake Kuhl and Cody Hinterscher of Dieterich, Matt Wirth of Red Hill, Willie Conner of Chicago Hope, Nick Lindenmeyer of Arcola and Drew Morecraft of Oblong.
In other games last Wednesday, Cowden-Herrick won seventh place over Oblong 80-77 in overtime. Chicago Hope defeated Arcola 52-50 for the consolation champion. Dieterich edged Red Hill 33-31 for third place.
It wasn't the title game, but the NCHS Eagles returned the favor last Tuesday as they knocked off the #2 seeded Dieterich Movin' Maroons in the annual Dieterich Holiday Tourney 64-52. Last year, both teams battled for the crown with Dieterich edging Newton 55-53.
The Eagles led at all stops and used a 20-point opening quarter to build a six-point lead at 20-14. Dieterich crept closer at the half trailing only 32-29 as they outscored the Eagles 15-12 in the second quarter. The Movin' Maroons came back with a 10-8 edge in the third period to trail only 40-39 going into the final stanza.
After a 20 point first quarter, the Eagles came back with one of their best outputs of the year in the final eight minutes. The Eagles tallied 24 points and outscored the Movin' Maroons by 11 to post a 64-52 victory to improve to 7-3 for the season.
Japheth Bear led the attack with 17. Jake Pilman and Peyton Wyatt were also in double figures with 14 and 10 to form a balanced production. Brian Emmerich chipped in with 7 points. Alex Frohning and Taylor Kerner each added 6. Jerry Howze had a basket, while Scott Jansen and A.J. Hyatt converted free throws.
The Eagles made 19 baskets including four from three-point range. They converted 22 of 32 from the line, which turned out to be the difference in the contest. Dieterich had 18 baskets including six for the three-point value. The Movin' Maroons converted 10 of 17 from the charity stripe. Cody Hinterscher and Sam Thoele led Dieterich with 14 each. Blake Kuhl added 12.
Lady Eagles finish third at Dieterich
By TERRY LIDY
After going 2 and 1 in Pool B with wins over Casey-Westfield 63-50 and Palestine-Hutsonville 59-49 and a 62-45 loss to eventual champion Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City, the NCHS Lady Eagles won third place with a 48-42 victory over the host Dieterich Lady Movin' Maroons last Wednesday.
With Assistant Coach Stephanie Beverlin filling in for the ailing Katie Lurkins at home with the flu, the Lady Eagles built an early 13-4 first quarter lead. Up 19-9 midway through the second period, Dieterich came roaring back to score six straight points to make it 19-15. Free throws by Chelsea Storm and Candace Niemerg and a basket by Brandi Orsborn featured the run. Terra Flowers broke the streak with a pair of free throws with 1:51 left in the half. Dieterich came back to score the next two hoops to make it 21-19 as Miranda Goodman scored twice. The Lady Eagles countered with late field goals by Amy Bierman and Morgan Swingler. The half ended after Chelsea Storm converted a free throw as Newton led 25-20.
The Lady Eagles upped their advantage to eight at 28-20 when Megan Jansen converted a free throw and Amy Koebele scored inside. However, the Lady Movin' Maroons caught fire after a timeout by scoring the next 12 points to take a 32-28 edge as the third quarter evaporated. Mallory Kocher broke the ice with a long three-pointer as the Lady Eagles trailed 32-31 going into the final eight minutes.
Amy Durbin from Dieterich scored the first basket in the final quarter for a 34-31 lead. Amy Koebele answered with a pair of charity tosses with 7:09 left to make it 34-33. Next, a Koebele basket regained the lead for Newton at the 6:21 mark at 35-34. Seconds later, Katelyn Hartke scored as Dieterich led by one at 36-35. In crunch time, the Lady Eagles went to Amy Koebele who scored the next two baskets to give Newton a 39-36 edge with 3:39 left.
Not to be denied, Dieterich scored the next four points to take a 40-39 edge with 2:28 remaining. After a Chelsea Storm free throw made it 41-39 with 1:58 left, Mallory Kocher tied it at 41 with a big basket with 1:34 left. Seconds later Amy Bierman gave the Lady Eagles the lead for good with a shot. Dieterich answered with a free throw by Miranda Goodman at the 1:04 mark to make it 43-42 as the Lady Eagles held a precarious edge. With 30 seconds left, Dieterich fouled Terra Flowers. The 5'5" sophomore calmly sank both charity tosses to up the Newton advantage to 45-42. After holding Dieterich at their basket, Amy Bierman was fouled with 22 seconds left. The 5'8" freshman made one of two foul shots to make it 46-42 and a two possession game.
When Dieterich missed on a three-point attempt, Morgan Swingler was fouled with one second left. The 5'7" freshman drilled both tosses to seal the Lady Eagles' victory and a third place plaque in a hard fought battle.
The Lady Eagles made 17 baskets including two from beyond the arc. They converted 12 free throws. Amy Koebele and Terra Flowers, who both made the all tournament team, led in scoring with 14 and 11 points. Amy Bierman came in to score 7 points in a relief role. Mallory Kocher scored 5 points, all in the second half. Brianna Nail connected on two field goals and Morgan Swingler also tallied 4 points. Megan Jansen added a basket and a free throw for the Lady Eagles who improved to 4-11 for the season.
Dieterich scored 15 baskets including a three-pointer with 11 free throws. Candace Niemerg, who made the all tournament team, led Dieterich with 11. Chelsea Storm had 10. Miranda Goodman scored 9. Amber Durbin and Brandi Orsborn each had 4. Brittney Niemerg and Katelyn Hartke each had a basket.
The tournament began for the Lady Eagles on Monday with a convincing 63-50 win over Casey-Westfield. On Tuesday, Newton played twice winning their first game over Palestine-Hutsonville 59-49 and losing to Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City 62-45.
In the Palestine-Hutsonville victory, the Lady Eagles built an early lead only to have the Lady Pioneers, coached by NCHS graduate Travis Blank, come roaring back from a 24-12 deficit to trail only 25-21 at the half. The third quarter belonged to the Lady Pioneers outscoring the Lady Eagles 16-9 to take a 37-34 lead into the final eight minutes.
From here 6'0" sophomore Amy Koebele took over control of the game scoring 14 of the Lady Eagles' 25 fourth quarter points to seal the victory. It was a season and personal high for Koebele who canned 10 field goals and 9 free throws. Koebele received plenty of support from Terra Flowers who scored 11 and Mallory Kocher with 10. Megan Jansen added 5 points and Amy Bierman tossed in 4 as the Lady Eagles made 19 field goals including 3 for 3 point value and converted 18 free throws.
Palestine-Hutsonville scored 19 baskets with 6 being of 3 point value. They added 5 free throws. Carmen Beabout led with 12 points.
After a couple of hours rest, the Lady Eagles took on Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City (CHBC) only to lose 62-45. The loss left the Lady Eagles with a 2-1 record in Pool B play, while CHBC won Pool B at 3-0.
In this game, the Lady Eagles trailed the Lady Hornets only 15-14 after one quarter and 27-26 at the half. However, the third quarter proved to be decisive as CHBC outscored Newton 20-5 to open a 47-31 margin that the Lady Eagles could not overcome.
The Lady Eagles made 15 field goals in the contest including 6 from behind the arc. They converted 9 free throws. Terra Flowers who made four of the six three-pointers, led with 17. Mallory Kocher had the other two trifectas among her 10 points. Amy Koebele and Morgan Swingler each scored 6. Megan Jansen converted 3 free throws. Brianna Nail scored a basket and Amy Bierman converted a free throw.
The Lady Hornets made 26 field goals including 4 from the arc. They added 6 foul shots to win Pool B at 3-0. Newton was 2-1, Palestine-Hutsonville was 1-2 and Casey-Westfield was 0-3. In Pool A, South Central was 3-0, Dieterich 2-1, North Clay 1-2, Arcola 0-3.
On Wednesday in the seventh place game, Casey-Westfield won over Arcola 46-37. For fifth place, North Clay won over Palestine-Hutson 44-28. Newton edged Dieterich 48-42 for third place. Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City won the title game over South Central 71-56.
Hillary Shelton of CHBC was named the MVP of the girls' tournament. The Lady Eagles had Amy Koebele and Terra Flowers named to the All Tournament Team. Also selected were Katie Anderson of Palestine-Hutson, Alyssa Fender of North Clay, Candace Niemerg of Dieterich, Micah Jones of CHBC, and Ashley Pollard, Krista Lotz and Audrey Matheny of South Central.
"We played pretty well in the tourney. We seem to like to play in this gym. Cowden-Herrick is a good team," said Katie Lurkins after the Tuesday action.
The Lady Eagles return to Apollo play with the next three contests at home against Effingham on January 7, Olney on the 11th and Salem on the 14th after a non-conference game at Altamont.
Newton, Ill. —
