PECATONICA — If your ears are still ringing an hour after a basketball game, you know the atmosphere was electric. That was the situation for me after reporting on the highly anticipated sectional final between Pecatonica and Eastland on Friday, March 7.
The sold-out gym at Pecatonica was rocking from start to finish as Eastland defeated the top-ranked team in 1A, 36-31. The 1,600 fans in attendance were treated to a high level of drama because to the numerous twists and turns.
How about 1-0 at the end of the first quarter? How about Eastland leading 8-5 at halftime, with each team missing only one shot?
The oddity began one minute into the game, when Pecatonica coach Bobby Heisler urged his squad to quit wasting energy trying to guard an Eastland team that was purposefully waiting.
Essentially, the court became a real-life wax museum for many minutes, with Eastland’s Parker Krogman clutching the ball with one arm. After 5 minutes, he attempted a quick pass to teammate Adam Awender.
“We had a terrible start the first two times (67-36 and 63-55 losses),” Eastland coach Tyler Zumdahl admitted. “We had to do something different and slow it down.”
Even though Eastland turned the ball over on its only two possessions in the first quarter, Pecatonica appeared to be influenced by the game’s progression.
Eastland trailed 3-0 and made four straight baskets before missing for the first time with 1:20 remaining in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Pecatonica shot 3-for-8 from the free throw line, falling down 8-5.
With points at a premium, missed free throws were critical, as the Indians finished 10-18 on free throws. Eastland also did themselves no favors by shooting poorly from the charity stripe.
