Loyal boys wrap up season after loss in second playoff game
By Valorie Brecht The Loyal boys basketball team reached the end of their season after losing to a familiar foe, Columbus Catholic, in the second round of the WIAA Division 5 playoffs.
The Greyhounds traveled to Marshfield Friday, hungry for a win after losing to the Dons twice in the regular season, the first time, Dec. 21, with a score of 81-42. As a testament to how much the Greyhounds improved over the course of the season, though, the second time they faced Columbus they only lost by 15, with a score of 59-44 on Feb. 2.
This third matchup would prove equally as challenging as the second. While the Greyhounds had improved even more over the last month of the season, so too had the Dons as they honed their skills and increased their confidence heading into the playoffs.
The Columbus gym was packed to standing-room only by the time the referee tossed the ball for the tip-off. Columbus snagged it and Blake Jakobi drove down the court for a layup, something that would become a common theme that evening. Cain Toufar was quick to respond with a jumper from the paint to tie it at 2. Unfortunately for the Hounds, the Dons quickly took off after that, scoring 13 unanswered points.
The Greyhounds struggled on offense, with shots not falling and Columbus’ aggressive coverage getting the better of them sometimes. Loyal was called for an overand-back and had the ball stolen away a couple of times in those first few minutes.
Things changed around six minutes into the game when Loyal put a run together, starting when Reed Stieglitz was fouled upon and sent to the line. He made both his free throws to put Loyal up 2. Shortly after that, his teammate, sophomore Joe Treffinger, sunk a corner 3. The success continued when fellow sophomore Hunter Walter made a layup off a fast break. All of a sudden, Loyal was right back in it, trailing by 4 at 15-11. Columbus wasted no time in knocking down another 3-pointer, this time from Emmitt Konieczny. However, just after that, Stieglitz was fouled again and again went to the charity stripe, making both.
There was a short lull in the action until Blake Jakobi brought down a three with 6:53 remaining in the half. Not to be deterred, Loyal fought back with an offensive rebound by Cain Toufar that he put back in for a basket. Columbus responded with two free throws. But, at 5:04 left, Loyal’s Bryce Deegan hit a three from the corner to make it 23-18.
Over the rest of the half, the Hounds’ scoring rate slowed as they tired from playing behind the whole game. But, Walter still popped up a mid-range jumper and Treffinger completed one free throw. However, as Loyal let up on the gas pedal, the Dons accelerated. They scored 14 points in the last five minutes of the half, strengthening their lead to 37-21 at halftime. Loyal fans still held out hope though, as they knew this wasn’t the only time their team had played from behind and came back to win.
However, unfortunately for the Hounds, while they didn’t lose any ground in the second half, they also didn’t gain any. The 16-point gap remained. The Dons kept a steady pace of scoring in the second half, helped by three 3-pointers. “The biggest challenge we faced (this game) was being able to challenge all of their shooters, and being able to keep all the speed they have in front of us while guarding them,” said Loyal coach Brandon DeSmet. “They have four to five guys on the court at all times that can shoot really well from three, so it required all of our guys to play great manto- man defense.” When all was said and done, Columbus won 66-48.
Despite the loss, the Loyal boys showed what it looked like to play as a cohesive team, with various players contributing in valuable ways, whether it was Stieglitz making all four of his free throws in the first half to help keep Loyal in it; Walter becoming more confident on the inside and powering his way in for four 2-pointers; or Toufar creating more shot opportunities through rebounding.
“I was proud of how hard our players competed and never backed down. We handled all of their pressure with poise and composure, and we were not afraid to take a big shot. You could see us play with confidence and togetherness,” said DeSmet.
Points scored for Loyal were as follows. Cain Toufar scored 12, his third-highest point total of the season. He brought some much needed energy to the second half with 8 points then. Stieglitz, Deegan and Walter each scored 8, with Deegan knocking down two 3-pointers. Treffinger had 4, as did Landyn Johnston. Isaac Jakobi and Rhett Lamovec each had 2.
Loyal vs. Pittsville The Loyal boys started their playoff run at Pittsville on Feb. 27. The team scored twelve 3-pointers during the game to defeat the Panthers and move on to play Columbus Catholic on March 1.
After an initial 3-pointer by Loyal and a field goal by Pittsville, the Greyhound boys went on a 19-point scoring run in the game’s first nine minutes. Pittsville made multiple shots during that time, but none hit their targets. Treffinger and Deegan both scored one 3-pointer while Stieglitz scored two 3-pointers during the team’s longest scoring run.
Scoring between Pittsville and Loyal settled a bit in the second part of the first half, as the Panthers made some
Please see Greyhounds, page 19
Jacob Schill prepares to launch a 3-pointer from the corner during the Greyhounds game against Pittsville on Feb. 27.
CHEYENNE THOMAS/STAFF PHOTO
Hunter Walter pops up for a field goal in the team’s second-round playoff game against Columbus on March 1.
VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTO
adjustments to begin putting more points on the board. With the score 22-6, Jacob Schill nailed a 3-pointer and Hunter Walter went in for a layup before the Panthers made it to their own basket for a score again. Deegan made a field goal for Loyal and Schill shot another 3-pointer.
In the last 30 seconds of the first half, Pittsville scored a field goal, which Deegan responded to with a field goal of his own. Just as the buzzer went off to mark the end of the first half, Pittsville nailed a 3-pointer to set the score at 37-13.
Pittsville’s scoring in the second half of the game was pretty comparable to Loyal’s, as the Greyhounds cooled down on scoring while giving the Panthers more chances to score. Stieglitz opened up the second half with a 3-pointer, the only points scored in the first few minutes of the game. The next points scored were Pittsville’s, as they went 1-for-2 on a free throw shot at the 16:30 mark. Stieglitz responded for the Greyhounds, scoring both a layup and a 3-pointer before Pittsville scored a 3-pointer of their own. Loyal responded with two more 3-pointers to lead 50-17.
At the 11:24 mark, Lamovec went 1-for-2 on a free throw opportunity and Deegan scored a layup to add to Loyal’s score. Pittsville responded with another 3-pointer, but Deegan scored two more field goals for Loyal before Pittsville managed to score again. Isaac Jakobi scored a field goal and Schill put Loyal over 60 points with a 3-pointer.
Field goals were exchanged again between the Panthers and the Greyhounds, setting the score 64-30 with 2:30 left in the game. Treffinger scored Loyal’s last points in the game off a short jumper before Pittsville scored a field goal, 3-pointer and one free throw to end with the score 66-36.
Stieglitz was the top scorer for the Greyhounds at Pittsville, scoring 22 points, with six 3-pointers. Deegan scored 16 points with two 3-pointers and Schill contributed nine points, which all came from 3-pointers.
The Loyal team is fairly young; Stieglitz, Treffinger, Deegan, Toufar and Walter are all sophomores. With a couple years left for this group of athletes and their growing level of experience, DeSmet felt the future looked bright for them.
“I am incredibly grateful to have had the chance to coach this team this year,” said DeSmet. “We can be really proud of how far we came and how well we were playing at the end of the year. The strides our players made and the confi dence gained hopefully helps propel us into next year.”
CHEYENNE THOMAS AND VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTOS
