Plainsman boys take care of English Valleys, then drop a close one to HLV on Friday
by JEFF ORVIS
Union editor
After posting a 71-61 win at English Valleys on Tuesday, the Belle Plaine boys gave HLV all they could handle Friday at home before falling to the second place Warriors, 54-51.
English Valleys has just one win in 11 outings this season and the Plainsmen were not ready to become their second victim.
“This was a game where we were in control from start to finish,” coach Brad Haverback said. “We were able to force them into 20 turnovers which led to some easy buckets. English Valleys has improved since earlier in the year and we did have some trouble with their inside game. I was pleased with how well our offense played,.However, our team defense, especially in the half court, wasn’t as good as we would have liked.
“We were up by as much as 20 points in the fourth quarter, then we let them hit a string of 3-pointers to cut into the lead. However, a win is a win and we were happy to move to 6-4 on the year. Tate Demeulenaere had a season-high 25 points including six 3-pointer’s. He also had four assists, two steals and two rebounds to go with it. Wes Spading added 14 points and five rebounds. Brandon Janss had a good game on the boards with nine rebounds to go with five points.”
Myles Kelly had nine points, four rebounds and four assists. Chris Janss had four points, with three rebounds and two assists. Phillip Stanerson had seven points, three rebounds, two assists and a block. Jake Wauters had two points, two rebounds and two assists. Tyson Squiers also had two points and Keegan DeMeulenaere had three points, three rebounds and a block.
The Plainsmen hit on 27 of 61 from the field and 10 of 23 free throws.
The game on Friday against HLV came down to the wire, with the Plainsmen just a couple of feet shy of a tie on a last-second shot attempt.
“This was a great game. It was really a fun atmosphere to play in,” Haverback said. “We had the largest crowd that we have had since I started coaching and they were into the game. We really appreciate the support!
“We always talk about the importance of getting out of the gates and we did a pretty nice job of that by leading 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter it was back and forth until we ended the half with an 8-3 run to put us up 25-18 following a very physical and fast-paced first half. We picked up where we left off in the third quarter as we were able to maintain our lead and head into the fourth, up 41-33. However, in the fourth quarter, our foul trouble caught up to us and they were able to get the ball inside and get some easy buckets, and we also turned the ball over a few times.
“Down the stretch, both teams exchanged buckets, but they ended up hitting more than we did in the last couple of minutes. We had a great look at a shot at the buzzer from just behind the arc that didn’t go.
“I was very proud of the way our guys battled all night. If we play with this type of intensity, emotion and execution, we can play with anybody. It’s tough to play the type of game that we did and come away with out a win, but there are a lot of things that we can take from a game like this and one of them is the experience of being put into situations where every possession is so important. We are a better team for having competed in a game like this and I know that we will be able to get over the hump in the games to come.
“Brandon Janss had another great game with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Stanerson also had a nice game with eight points and nine rebounds. Four of Phillip’s points came down the stretch and they were huge buckets. I was also pleased with how well Myles Kelly did at running the point and with Myles’ defense.”
Kelly finished with seven points. Spading had six points, five rebounds and two blocks. Tate DeMeulenaere had six points, four rebounds and two assists. Wauters added two points.
“We have three games coming up this week and our goal is to be 9-5 at week’s end,” the coach said.