Illinois Valley Central had a chance to take the inside track to winning the North Central Illinois Conference Friday at Princeton, but faltered in a game that was a tale of two halves.
A win would mean that the Ghosts would tie the Tigers for conference lead and, if IVC beat Spring Valley Hall Friday, they would win the conference, having beat Princeton twice.
With that in mind, the Ghosts started the game on fire.
Although Princeton scored first, junior Alex Koch put the Ghosts on the board when he knocked down a three pointer.
Senior Keegan Horack sent home two three pointers in a row to give the Ghosts a 13-10 lead, and the team took a 16-14 lead after the opening quarter.
The Tigers tied the game to start the second quarter, but a tap-in from senior Chris Martin put the Ghosts back up.
The defense of IVC continued to wreak havoc on Princeton by not allowing them second-chance opportunities, thanks to Ghosts grabbing rebounds.
“Defensively, we did a good job of limiting them to a shot per possession by out-rebounding them,” coach Jim Thornton said.
Junior Brock Adcock broke away on a fast break and put in a layup at the last second to give IVC a 37-24 lead at halftime.
When the teams took the floor for the second half, the Ghosts played like a completely different team.
“Princeton switched to a 1-3-1 zone defense, and we struggled in all facets of our zone offense,” Thornton said.
The Ghosts scored only two points for the quarter, which came when Koch knocked down two free throws early in the game.
The Tiger offense began to find its rhythm and began to close the gap on the Ghosts by using long-range shots.
Although the Tigers outplayed IVC, the Ghost defense was able to slow Princeton down enough to hold a 39-37 lead heading into the final quarter.
“We scored eight second-half points and didn’t shoot well,” Thornton said. “Our defense kept us in the game when our offense struggled.”
Princeton tied the game to start the fourth quarter, but the Ghosts regained the lead when junior
Dan Semtner shot a two-point basket in the low-post.
The Tigers, behind the momentum of the home crowd, took a 44-41 lead.
The Ghosts had trouble scoring still when the zone defense continued to keep them from driving to the hoop.
Adcock put IVC within three, 46-43, by making two free-throws late in the quarter.
Koch then moved IVC within one by driving to the hoop to throw in a layup.
The Tigers took the ball down and scored again, putting themselves up, 48-45.
IVC, with one chance to tie the game, missed the final shot and Princeton took the victory.
The Ghosts next play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Spring Valley Hall.
“We need to go out and try to put a complete four quarters together,” Thornton said. “That’s been our problem the last two games.”
