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Dunlap, Ill. —
Judging just by records, it looked like Dunlap would have an easy time on Friday against East Peoria.
However, the Raiders (1-11, 0-5) battled throughout the game, cutting a 16 point advantage at one point down to five in the third quarter.
The Eagles did not give up, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter to go on to a 60-43 victory.
“On the road, that’s difficult when a team gets you down to five points when you’ve been up 16,” Dunlap coach Jeff Barker said. “I was really proud of our guys that they could come together and continue to get good shots during that stretch.”
After trading baskets, Dunlap (5-9, 2-3) went on a eight point run, followed by a seven point run, both in the first quarter.
“We didn’t rebound very well and we didn’t play defense for the first half,” East Peoria coach Ron Kelch said.
While Dunlap did not have big point streaks in the second quarter, the lead increased to 14 points by halftime off multiple turnovers by the Raiders.
“We turned the ball over a lot,” Kelch said. “They were unforced turnovers. That’s been a common theme through most of the year.”
The third quarter saw the Raiders playing better defense and capitalizing on shots, going on a nine point run toward the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth to pull within five.
Overall, East Peoria outscored Dunlap 14-9 in the third.
“I have to give East Peoria a lot of credit,” Barker said. “They didn’t quit. For their situation, they played awfully hard and defended their home floor well.”
However, the Eagles went on a 10-0 run in the fourth to finally put the game out of reach at 49-34.
The teams traded baskets back and forth until the score increased to the final, 60-43, with 34.6 seconds left.
East Peoria’s Corey Crotz finished with a game-high 23 points.
“He’s the best guy we got,” Kelch said. “He does a good job of taking the ball to the basket. He made pretty good decisions tonight, I thought. But, again, we’ve got to have somebody else step up and make a basket because there was two to three guys waiting for him every time he went.”
Nate Gosnell finished with 17 points, while Sam VanDenAvond finished with 11.
“We were able to get the ball inside and get some good opportunities for VanDenAvond inside,” Barker said. “Our guys did a good job of being patient.”
Judging just by records, it looked like Dunlap would have an easy time on Friday against East Peoria.
However, the Raiders (1-11, 0-5) battled throughout the game, cutting a 16 point advantage at one point down to five in the third quarter.
The Eagles did not give up, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter to go on to a 60-43 victory.
“On the road, that’s difficult when a team gets you down to five points when you’ve been up 16,” Dunlap coach Jeff Barker said. “I was really proud of our guys that they could come together and continue to get good shots during that stretch.”
After trading baskets, Dunlap (5-9, 2-3) went on a eight point run, followed by a seven point run, both in the first quarter.
“We didn’t rebound very well and we didn’t play defense for the first half,” East Peoria coach Ron Kelch said.
While Dunlap did not have big point streaks in the second quarter, the lead increased to 14 points by halftime off multiple turnovers by the Raiders.
“We turned the ball over a lot,” Kelch said. “They were unforced turnovers. That’s been a common theme through most of the year.”
The third quarter saw the Raiders playing better defense and capitalizing on shots, going on a nine point run toward the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth to pull within five.
Overall, East Peoria outscored Dunlap 14-9 in the third.
“I have to give East Peoria a lot of credit,” Barker said. “They didn’t quit. For their situation, they played awfully hard and defended their home floor well.”
However, the Eagles went on a 10-0 run in the fourth to finally put the game out of reach at 49-34.
The teams traded baskets back and forth until the score increased to the final, 60-43, with 34.6 seconds left.
East Peoria’s Corey Crotz finished with a game-high 23 points.
“He’s the best guy we got,” Kelch said. “He does a good job of taking the ball to the basket. He made pretty good decisions tonight, I thought. But, again, we’ve got to have somebody else step up and make a basket because there was two to three guys waiting for him every time he went.”
Nate Gosnell finished with 17 points, while Sam VanDenAvond finished with 11.
“We were able to get the ball inside and get some good opportunities for VanDenAvond inside,” Barker said. “Our guys did a good job of being patient.”
Brett Renner chipped in 12.
On Dec. 30, the Eagles lost the last game of the Collinsville Tournament against Decatur Eisenhower in the fifth-place consolation matchup, 44-40.
Dunlap took a one point lead into halftime, 19-18, but saw the lead disappear at the end of three when the Panthers tied it up.
Angevine led the team with 13 points, while VanDenAvond had 12, along with 17 rebounds. Gosnell chipped in six.
“I just continue to be amazed at the way we’re playing hard and together, practicing hard, staying focused and working to get better at this time of the year.,” Barker said. “This time of the year is when good teams really continue to improve and that’s what we’ve been focusing on all week and we’ll focus on the same thing next week.”
The Eagles next play at 7 p.m. Friday against Limestone at home before taking on Streator Township at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at home.
