WCLT upsets No. 2 TRV in OT
By ERIC VANSICKLE, News-Tribune Sportswriter
CRYSTAL LAKE - The Woden-Crystal Lake-Titonka boys' basketball team finished its regular season with a bang.
The Tigers came back from a 10-point deficit with four minutes to go and forced overtime with No. 2-ranked Twin River Valley Thursday, eventually winning 89-87.
"To be down by 10 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter to an undefeated, second-ranked team in the state shows a lot about the character and heart of these kids," Tiger coach Seth Thompson said.
"They would not accept losing and made the plays down the stretch to get the win."
With Scott Meinders and Casey Buns disqualified with five fouls each, Derek Schutjer hit two big shots late to force the extra frame.
Schutjer finished with five points and a team-leading 13 rebounds.
"In a very emotional and intense game, we kept our composure and didn't get frustrated when our leading scorers (Meinders and Buns) fouled out on very questionable calls," Thompson said.
Andrew Hanna paced the Tigers with 23 points on the night. He also had six boards, a steal and an assist.
Steve Tjaden added 19 points on 8-16 shooting, including 2-8 from three-point land.
Before fouling out, Buns scored 15 points and Meinders had 13. Both grabbed eight caroms.
Trevor Arnold dished six assists to go with his nine points.
"This was a great way for these seniors to finish at home and a huge win for our school and our basketball program," Thompson said.
The Tigers were to play West Hancock Friday night, but the school decided to dismiss early due to concerns with area roads and cancelled the game.
They will next face Ventura in the district quarterfinals at Buffalo Center Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
WCLT 89, Twin River Valley 87, OT
TRV 18 21 19 20 9 - 87
WCLT 24 16 14 24 11 - 89
Individual scoring - Andrew Hanna 7-14 7-10 23, Steve Tjaden 8-16 1-2 19, Casey Buns 6-10 2-2 15, Scott Meinders 6-10 1-1 13, Trevor Arnold 3-4 2-2 9, Derek Schutjer 2-2 1-5 5, Nolan Harmon 1-3 3-4 5, totals 33-60 17-28 89. Twin River Valley 32-63 19-35 87.
Three-point shooting - WCLT 6-17 (Hanna 2-5, Tjaden 2-8, Arnold 1-1, Buns 1-2, Harmon 0-1), TRV 4-14.
Rebounds - WCLT 39 (Schutjer 13, Buns 8, Meinders 8, Hanna 6, Arnold 2, Tjaden), TRV 35.
Assists - WCLT 15 (Arnold 6, Tjaden 3, Meinders 3, Hanna, Buns, Harmon), TRV 18.
Steals - WCLT 3 (Hanna, Buns, Schutjer), TRV 11.
Turnovers - WCLT 20, TRV 6.
Fouled out - Buns, Meinders.
Tigers 72, Lakeland 68
CRYSTAL LAKE - Tjaden paced the Tigers with 20 points Tuesday night in WCLT's 72-68 victory over Lakeland.
Tjaden hit 6-13 from the floor on the night, including 2-5 from three-point land.
Three other Tigers also hit double digits. Meinders had 17 points and eight rebounds, while Andrew Hanna added 14 points.
Buns had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Arnold had another great game running the offense, dishing 10 assists. He also stole three, rebounded four and scored a pair of free throws.
Thompson said the Tigers started and ended the game well. WCLT had a 9-0 run in the first two minutes of the game and closed with a 13-2, four-minute climax.
"Our offense carried us early and our defense won the game for us down the stretch," Thompson said. "We forced a couple of big turnovers in the last four minutes."
However, WCLT let Lakeland back into the game with a 24-14 third quarter.
"We came out flat in the second half," Thompson said. "We need to work on coming out in the second half with the same intensity we ended the game with."
WCLT 72, Lakeland 68
Lakeland 18 14 24 12 - 68
WCLT 23 16 14 19 - 72
Individual scoring - Tjaden 6-13 6-10 20, Meinders 7-15 3-6 17, Hanna 5-16 2-3 14, Buns 4-5 3-8 11, Harmon 2-2 0-0 4, Schutjer 2-2 0-0 4, Arnold 0-1 2-2 2, totals 26-55 16-29 72. Lakeland 30-63 4-7 68.
Three-point shooting - WCLT 5-16 (Tjaden 2-5, Hanna 2-8, Meinders 0-1, Arnold 0-1), Lakeland 6-16.
Rebounds - WCLT 32 (Buns 10, Meinders 8, Hanna 5, Arnold 4, Tjaden 2, Schutjer 2), Lakeland 30.
Assists - WCLT 17 (Arnold 10, Meinders 3, Hanna 2, Harmon), Lakeland 11.
Steals - WCLT 8 (Arnold 3, Meinders 2, Hanna 2, Tjaden), Lakeland 5.
Turnovers - WCLT 9, Lakeland 14.
Story created Feb 24, 2004 - 09:51:02 CST.
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