Hounds drive to basket to win against O-W

In their first meeting this season, Owen-Withee controlled the paint against Loyal, winning by 19 points. Loyal was ready to not let that happen again as the Greyhounds hosted the Blackhawks on Feb. 13, getting inside much more frequently but also relying heavily on the 3-point shot. Both teams were deliberate as they looked to find any possible chink in the armor of their opponent. Jacob (“Mr. 3-Pointer”) Schill got the ball rolling with a 3-pointer with just over two minutes off the clock. Owen-Withee countered with two. Bryce Deegan canned a 2-pointer and Schill drilled another 3 making it 8-2. The Blackhawks scored, followed by Reed Stieglitz hitting a 3-pointer, putting Loyal up 11-4 with just over 11 minutes to play in the half. The Blackhawks tightened up their defense and went on a 10-0 run to forge ahead by 3. Cain Toufar made a basket to stop that run with just under seven minutes left. Over the next three minutes, the teams traded baskets.

Stieglitz and Deegan both hit from beyond the arc and Isaac Jakobi made two free throws. Owen-Withee scored the last seven points of the half, taking a 25-21 lead into the locker room.

Jakobi scored first as the second half got underway. Owen-Withee countered with a two. The next four minutes saw Stieglitz and Toufar each make a basket and Schill drilled another three to knot the score at 34-34. Both teams scored as the clock went to 7:00. Jakobi made a 2-pointer and Schill hit yet another three, pushing the Greyhounds’ lead to 5 points.

The Hounds held on to the lead down the stretch. Owen-Withee did manage to tie the game up, but could not get over the hump.

With three minutes remaining, both teams were hoping to put something together. Loyal got the first break as Hunter Walter smothered a loose ball and was fouled with 32 seconds left. Going to the line, he calmly sank both ends of a bonus situation giving his team a 2-point lead. The Blackhawks still had life, but disaster struck as the ball bounced off a Blackhawk player, going out of bounds. With 5.2 seconds left, Deegan was fouled, sending him to the line for a double bonus. If he made both, the Hounds would be up by 4 points. The first clanked off the rim. Deegan carefully stepped to the line for his second shot. Taking a deep breath, he set himself and let the ball go, hitting nothing but net. A 3-point shot just inside half court was off the mark, giving the Hounds a 45-42 victory.

In the early going, it looked like Owen Withee was going to control the lane once again. Loyal made adjustments as they started attacking the basket, which paid dividends with made baskets and some needed free-throws. On the night, Loyal made eight 3-pointers to just seven 2-pointers. They Hounds made seven free throws, but three came as the game was winding down.

Schill made four 3-pointers to lead Loyal with 12 points. Deegan scored 10 points (including two 3-pointers) and went two-for-four from the line. Stieglitz garnered 9 points, including two 3s. Jakobi scored 8 points. Toufar scored 4 points and had a team-leading 10 rebounds. Walter’s two clutch free throws at the end gave him 2 points.

Greenwood, Loyal compete on basketball court

The Loyal Greyhounds traveled to play the Greenwood Indians last Friday night in both teams’ last regular conference game of the season. Loyal won 57-30. To left, Joe Treffinger scores a basket for the Hounds. Above, Greenwood senior Kody Johnson demonstrates his vertical and scores 2. Above right, Keagan Gipe picks up 2 points for Greenwood after a fast break. To right, Reed Stieglitz makes a quick bounce pass to Cain Toufar, which he put in for a score.

VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTOS