BOYS BASKETBALL: Panthers handle Bulldogs, Pilots
Putting the bad taste left in their mouths at Carlyle a week earlier behind them, Pinckneyville came away with a pair of home wins this past weekend - a 56-34 conference victory over Sparta on Friday and a 62-50 triumph over Du Quoin Tip-Off champ Cairo on Saturday.
On Friday night, the Bulldogs had absolutely no answer for the Panthers' post game. Seniors Clayton Houghland and Sam Simpson combined for 34 points in a game PCHS never trailed.
The Panthers came within less than a second of tossing a first-quarter shutout. An impressive 16-0 run started the game for Pinckneyville, including three-pointers from Houghland and J.C. Moll. The Bulldogs finally got on the board on an offensive put-back at the buzzer, but were buried in a hole they could never climb out of.
PCHS led 27-14 at the half and 37-23 after three periods before putting Sparta out of their misery with a 19-point fourth quarter.
Houghland led the way with 18 points, Simpson had 16, Alex Howard finished with 6, Moll 5, Kyle Luke 3, and Cale Jausel, Jackson Brand, Caulden Lazenby and Brady Louis each scored 2.
Alyze Nesbitt led Sparta with 10, Gabe Yearian had 9, Ethan Gwin finished with 8.
Saturday saw the Cairo Pilots come to town fresh off their 4-0 run through the Du Quoin Tip-Off Classic a week earlier. Again, it was the post presence of Houghland and Simpson that carried the load for PCHS, as the duo scored 23 and 17 points respectively.
"I thought in spurts we had some very good possessions and got the ball where it needed to be," said PCHS head coach Bob Waggoner. "We could have made it a lot easier on ourselves in the fourth quarter but we didn't know how to play with the lead."
"I thought it was, overall, a very good game for us. I wasn't sure how this game was going to go, but I really thought our kids came in and executed a lot of the things we'd worked on."
The Pilots led the majority of the first half, getting four threes from Demarius Taylor, but PCHS freshman Dylan Houghland sank a three of his own just before the half to give Pinckneyville a 32-31 edge at the break.
"That was a big momentum lift," Waggoner said. "Dylan is somebody we're expecting to play and be a varsity contributor before the season is over."
The third quarter is where the Panthers were able to take control. Five players combined for 14 points while holding Cairo to just 6, giving Pinckneyville a 46-37 lead heading to the fourth.
In the final frame, C. Houghland and Simpson combined to go 7-for-8 at the free throw line to close it out.
Waggoner gave a nod to the bench play of Howard, whose defense made a difference against the Pilots.
"Alex gave us a great lift, not just defensively but offensively," said Waggoner. "He attacked and played very well tonight."
Luke added 8 points for the Panthers, Lazenby had 5, Howard 4, D. Houghland 3 and Brand 2.
Pinckneyville (4-2, 1-0) travels to Du Quoin on Friday and to Herrin on Saturday.