Breese Closes Book on Pana's Basketball Season in Sectional Final, 69-44
PANA'S DEREK ADE, number 15 in dark jersey, launches a 3-point attempt during Pana's Class 2A sectional final game in Nashville on Friday, Mar. 5.
Ade had 9 points to lead Pana, but the Panthers' season came to a halt as the Breese Central Cougars prevailed, 69-44.
At left is Pana's Jake Adcock, who had the unenviable job of going against Breese's 6-7 senior David Wiegmann, number 22, and Nick Spracklen, right, for the Panthers.
(Gene Reed Photos)
SOPHOMORE RESERVE MITCHELL Beyers, number 20, of the Panthers made the most of his playing time Friday night with 4 points and 4 rebounds for Pana against Breese Central.
In back is number 10, Clint Epley of the Panthers.
When a project's complete, it's said you've "Closed the Book" on it. Unfortunately for the Pana Panthers, they were unable to close the Book Friday night, Mar. 5. Breese Central's Brandon Book, that is.
The 6-6 sophomore forward was nearly unstoppable as he scored 29 points and the Breese Central Cougars finished off the Pana Panthers' basketball season, 69-44, in the Class 2A IHSA Sectional Title Game at Nashville Community High School Friday night, Mar. 5.
After posting a 12-11 first quarter lead Friday night, Pana Head Coach Gary Bowker's words from Wednesday night became prophetic.
"We can't afford to let them get some separation from us," Bowker said after Wednesday's, Mar. 3, win over Alton Marquette.
But that's exactly what the Cougars did over the next 8 minutes. Breese went on an 8-0 to start the second quarter as they took advantage of 6 Pana turnovers in the period. Pana's Clint Epley finally stopped the bleeding stroking a 3-pointer from the right wing at the 5:23 mark, making it a 19-15 advantage for the Cougars.
Book scored 11 of his points in the second frame, hitting from all over the court. He had a pair of 3's, two deuces and a free throw. By the time the period ended, Breese had out-scored the Panthers, 20-6, and entered the locker room with 31-18 advantage.
"We might have surprised them in the first quarter," Bowker said. "I think they were expecting something from us like what Nashville did to them in the regionals. But our game plan was to play our game. We wanted to stay in our half-court and be patient. But Book caught fire in that quarter. I don't think he missed a shot."
At the start of the third quarter, the Cougars continued the onslaught and they pushed the lead to 20, 39-19 - on another Book 3-pointer - at the 5:44 mark. Bowker used a time-out to revise the strategy.
"I wanted us to stay in our half court offense, but we needed to shed the patient part of it," he said of the time-out discussion. "We needed more possessions if we were going to get back into the game. Unfortunately, we came down, got a shot, but Breese got the rebound."
Falling behind by 25, 46-21, with 2:26 on the clock in the third, the Panthers started to make the climb out of the hole. Pana made a run at the Cougars over the next two minutes with 7 unanswered points. Jared McMillen put in a short jumper, followed by a Mitchell Beyers rebound basket. Epley hit another 3 with 37.2 seconds left as Pana chipped the lead down to 18, 46-28. The Cougars stopped the run with a buzzer beater by Book on a rebound, and the third quarter ended with Breese on top, 48-28.
Pana kept the pressure on the seventh ranked team in the state to start the fourth quarter. They cut the lead to 14 at one point, 49-35, with 5:46 left. The margin could have been even closer, but the Panthers missed several shots and missed 4 out of 5 free throw attempts along the way.
Derek Ade opened the frame with a leaner off the glass. After Breese's 6-7 senior David Wiegmann made 1-of-2 free throws, Nick Spracklen scored off an in-bound play under Pana's basket and Dakota Rudow was fouled on his basket after Ade dished off to him. He was fouled on the play, but missed the charity. McMillen was fouled on a shot, but he failed to convert, then Adam Metzger made 1-of-2 free throws for the 49-35 score.
"We kept taking the ball to the basket, but we didn't take advantage of all our opportunities," Bowker said.
Pana didn't let up for a moment. They continued to take the game to the Cougars and had to foul in an effort to get the ball back.
The Cougars made 3-of-4 from the line before Spracklen's rebound bucket with 4:14 left in the game to make it 52-37 Breese. Book would hit a pair of free tosses, then drive for a short jumper at 3:19. He was fouled but missed the free throw and they were up 56-37. Beyers got one to fall and would follow that up on the next possession with a free throw for a 57-40 game with 2:51 left on the clock.
Book literally closed the book on the Panthers - and his night - with 2:36 left, getting a lay-up on an inbounds play and make the Cougars lead, 59-40. Jake Adcock made a Pana free throw at the 1:32 mark and Rudow hit a 3 at the top of the key with :53.4 left to finish Pana's scoring and make it a 20-point game, 64-44.
Derek Ade was Pana's leading scorer with 9 points. Clint Epley and Jared McMillen each had 8 points for the Panthers. Dakota Rudow and Nick Spracklen scored 5 points each Jake Adcock and Mitchell Beyers finished with 3 apiece. Lucas Rochkes had 2 points and Adam Metzger had 1 point. Also playing but not scoring were Max Schmitz, Phillip Arnold, Logan Kile and David Kirkbride.
After Book's 29 for Central, David Wiegmann had 20 points. Pana's "Breese Connection," senior Garrett Gaffner, was held to just 4 points in limited playing time as he was forced to the bench with foul trouble throughout the night. Garrett is the son of PHS alumni and former Panthers basketball start, Clark Gaffner. Gaffner graduated from Pana in 1974.
The Panthers shot 36% for the game, making 16-of-44. The hot shooting Cougars were 22-of-32 from the floor, 69%. At the free throw line, Pana connected on 9-of-22 for 41% and the Cougars were 17-of-32, 53%.
Despite the height advantage, Pana won the battle of the board, 26-23. Adcock and Beyers each had 4 rebounds and Ade, Spracklen and McMillen grabbed 3 each. For the Cougars, Wiegmann pulled down 8 and Keaton Scheer and Book had 5 each. Pana committed 14 turnovers while the Cougars had a dozen.
Breese, 29-3, will face Murphysboro in the West Frankfort Super-Sectional on Tuesday night, Mar. 9, at 7:30 p.m. Murphysboro defeated DuQuoin, 68-57, in the Herrin Sectional final Friday night.
Although the Panthers will not play at the state tournament this year, they will be represented by a team mate in the 3-point shootout. Derek Ade made 10-of-15 3-point attempts in the sectional finals on Friday night to advance to the state finals of the event.
For the Panthers, they end the year with a 24-8 record and a lot of great memories. Friday's game was the final one for graduating seniors Jake Adcock, Derek Ade, Clint Epley, Adam Metzger and Dakota Rudow.
"At the start of the year, considering we were 16-14 and lost seven seniors, I was thinking 15, 16 wins this year would be a good season," Bowker said in reflection. "But this was so much more than we ever expected. This team was special because of the senior leadership exhibited."
As an example, Bowker pointed to the two regional games in which the Panthers trailed in both with less than a minute to play. Usually, the team likes to practice end-of-game "situations," like the ones in Vandalia. But with six games in nine days to end the regular season, there wasn't a lot of time to go over them.
"Our senior leadership handled those situations great," said Bowker. "You couldn't have scripted better finishes. The coach can call a time-out and make a decision on what to do, but it's the good decisions those seniors made in going to the basket that went above and beyond."
He credited those seniors with turning around a late season slump.
"We were struggling a bit and after the loss at home to Roxana, I told them maybe there were just some things we couldn't fix," Bowker said. "But Adam Metzger stood up and said, 'No coach, we're going to fix it.' And that's just what we did and ran off 8 in a row. The kids really took off."
He said his lasting memory of the seniors will be their willingness to succeed.
"They came to practice everyday and gave it everything they had," Bowker said. "Sometimes, during the long season, you have some let down and really have to try to motivate some players. That never happened with this group. They always went full throttle.
"I'm extremely proud of the seniors and this entire team."
PHS Bowling Team Honored
AWARDS WERE HANDED out in the Panthers Den of Pana High School recently to honor members of the 2010 Pana High School bowling team.
Michelle Day, third from left, won the Peoples Bank and Trust Grade Point Average Award. The award goes to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the team.
From left are her parents, Michael and Jana Day; Michelle Day, and PHS Bowling Coach Dustin McDonald.
NAMED THE BOWLING team's Freshman of the Year was Delaney Van Doren, center in the left photo.
She is flanked by her mother, Alisa Van Doren, and Bowling Coach Dustin McDonald.
In the right photo is Holly Billiter, named the winner of the Panther Award.
To the left is her mother, Becky Billiter, and at right is Bowling Coach Dustin McDonald.
THE ROOKIE OF the Year Award went to Hali Carls, third from left.
At left is PHS Bowling Coach Dustin McDonald. At right are her parents, Rod and Nikki Carls.
Ade Advances
PANA HIGH SCHOOL senior Derek Ade has advanced to the County Insurance 3-Point Shootout in Peoria on Thursday evening, Mar. 11. Ade made 10 of his 15 three-point shot attempts in the finals at the Nashville Sectional Friday night, Mar. 5.
Ade and Staunton's Any Goebel each made 10 three-pointers to be the top finishers at the sectional. A total of four qualify from each sectional. Ade and Goebel will join the top four shooters from the other seven sectionals from across the state in the finals competition.
(Gene Reed Photo)
Pana's 'Spirit' Continues in Basketball Play-Offs
WITH THE NASHVILLE Class 2A Sectional plaque are father and son, Garrett Gaffner and Clark Gaffner. Breese Central defeated Pana, 69-44 in Friday's, Mar. 5, contest in the Nashville High School gym and advanced to the West Frankfort Super-Sectional Tuesday night, Mar. 9.
While cheering on his son's team was priority, the elder Gaffner "wore his heart on his sleeve," so to speak. A 1974 graduate of Pana High School and standout basketball player at PHS, sewn on Gaffner's Cougars shirt was an orange left sleeve.
(Gene Reed Photo)
