BOYS BASKETBALL: Indians win in Barrington's first game as coach
The first game of the Justin Barrington era at Du Quoin High School is in the books, and if early indications are any sign of how the team will play the remainder of the season, the Indians should have a good shot at improving on last year's 8-win campaign.
DHS used runs of 8-0 and 7-0 during the second quarter to build a 9-point lead at the half then scored 12 unanswered points in the third as they took care of Lovejoy 58-40 on Monday night at the Du Quoin Tip-Off Classic.
Three Indians finished in double figures on a night where Du Quoin owned the offensive glass, creating several second, third, and even fourth-chance opportunities for their offense.
"The kids really crashed the boards hard tonight," said Barrington. "It was one of those things, there were some shots that normally we'll make but may have had some first game jitters. The ability to get those second, third chance points for us was a big key, especially in the second and third quarters."
DHS had a pair of stick-back buckets in the opening period, the second one coming from Braden Heape at the buzzer to put the Indians up 12-9.
Up 14-13 early in the second quarter, Du Quoin's first big run started with six consecutive points by Caleb Vogel, who led all Indians with 18 points for the game. Both Vogel and Jacob Wright showed an ability to get to the rim against the Wildcats.
"That's one thing they're going to have to do," Barrington said. "In order to keep the defense honest they're going to have to hit some jump shots. Vogel hit a three tonight, that will help him be able to get to the rim. He's one of the better athletes in Southern Illinois, he's a three-sport athlete. His ability to get to the rim is definitely an asset to us."
Vogel put an exclamation point on a 7-0 run later in the period, grabbing a steal and going the distance for an emphatic slam dunk to give DHS a 29-18 lead.
Lovejoy got to within six on a lay-up by Khari Jackson to start the second half, but the Indians responded with their biggest run of the night. A three-pointer by Brock Bullar and another put-back by Heape highlighted the 13-0 spurt that put the game out of reach.
"It's good to get (the first win) out of the way," Barrington said. "We'll get back to work tomorrow and be ready to go against Carmi on Wednesday."
Heape (10 points) and Tucker Kuhnert (12) joined Vogel in double figures for the Indians.
"Tucker's really shot the ball well," said Barrington. "He shot the ball well all summer, all pre-season. He's going to be a key to us. If he continues to score the basketball it's going to make it a lot easier for everybody else."
Wright and Ryne O'Rourke each added 6 points, Bullar had 4, and Trace Klein scored 2. Kuhnert led the team in assists with 6, Wright led rebounds with 7. Kuhnert and O'Rourke each added 6 boards.
Cameron Wallace led all scorers with 20 points for the Wildcats.
Du Quoin (1-0) returns to the floor on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. against Carmi-White County (1-0). The Bulldogs slipped past Sesser-Valier 52-51 in the tournament opener on Monday.