Pilot Grove takes it to the next level;
quarterfinals at Columbia
By Mike Phillips
Contributing sportswriter
Get on board boys and we'll take you
to the next level.
Junior guard Jacob Schuster and
senior center Zach Glenn put their Pilot Grove Tiger teammates on their
shoulders in the fourth quarter March 9 as Pilot Grove advanced to the Class 1
quarterfinals with a 67-54 win over a scrappy Bosworth Bulldogs team in the
sectional round at Smith-Cotton High school.
Schuster and Glenn combined for 16
points in the fourth quarter as Pilot Grove finally pulled away from the tenacious
Bulldog squad. Pilot Grove, leading 48-43 after three quarters, went on a 6-1
run to start the fourth quarter and the Bulldogs finally began to wilt.
The 5-foot-11 Schuster, averaging 19
points per game, knocked down a trey from deep on the left wing to begin the
quarter. It was Schuster's fourth of five treys on the night.
After Bosworth's Tyler Clark made one
of two free throws, Glenn was fouled on a shot and made one of two free throws.
Brett Twenter scored a layup on a steal by Colby Kraus to give Pilot Grove a
10-point bulge at 54-44.
Bosworth cut it to 54-47 on a trey by
Jacob Galbrecht, the Bulldogs seventh trey of the game.
A Glenn bucket, assisted by Schuster,
and a steal and layup by Kraus made it 58-47.
Bosworth, which closed out its season
16-9, got no closer than nine the rest of the way as Pilot Grove marched on to
the Class 1 quarterfinals at Missouri Valley College in Marshall.
The Tigers, Cooper County Activities
Association champions, led by as many as 16 points late in the fourth quarter
on baskets by, guess who? Schuster and Glenn.
Pilot Grove, making their third
appearance in the state playoffs in the last four years, improved to 26-3 on
the season and are ranked 4th in Class 1.
The game was like watching two NBA
teams go at it, up and down at a frenetic pace. There was just no quit in the
small, but quick Bosworth squad. They kept pace with the bigger
Tiger squad and knocked down five treys in the first half.
Pilot Grove went up 13-7 in the first
quarter on a free throw by Glenn, but back came the Bulldogs. Vance Bruce
drained a trey, and then drove the lane for a bucket, Clark made a layup and
then hit a three and Bosworth was up 17-15 at the end of the first quarter.
The lead changed hands six times and
the game was tied once in the first four minutes of the second quarter.
Schuster hit his second trey, Aaron Schuster went backdoor for a layup and
Jacob Schuster hit an eye-popping banker in the lane off a drive and suddenly
Pilot Grove was up 29-24.
The packed house hardly had a moment
to breathe as the two teams ran up and down the floor like race horses.
Bosworth cut the lead to 33-31 on two free throws by Bruce with 2:44 left in
the half.
Kraus and Aaron Schuster scored and
Pilot Grove was up 37-33 and they took a 39-33 lead into the halftime break.
It was more of the same in the third
quarter. Pilot Grove would build a lead and Bosworth would come right back.
Glenn made a steal and drove for a
layup to start the third quarter and put the Tigers up 41-33. Bruce scored five
points in a 9-0 Bulldog run to put Bosworth on top 42-41.
Jacob Schuster, who led all scorers
with 23 points, nailed his third trey that put Pilot Grove up to stay 44-42.
Glenn and Aaron Schuster each tacked on a bucket and the Tigers took a 48-43
lead to the fourth quarter.
When the Tigers started the final frame with a 6-1 run, the Tiger faithful
could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Bosworth got no closer than seven the
rest of the way
Schuster led the Tigers with a
game-high 23 points with five treys, five steals and three assists. Glenn,
averaging 18 a game from his post position, added 19 points, numerous rebounds
and five blocks. Kraus had 10 points and Twenter contributed seven.
Walker led Bosworth with 18 points,
Bruce added 15 and Galbrecht 11.
In a strange twist of fate, Pilot
Grove shot just six free throws and made two. The Bulldogs were seven of 16
from the line.
Girls Game
Hardin Central 46,
Pilot Grove 45
With Hailey Bader driving inside and
Whitney Wessing knocking down treys early, the Lady Tigers led 18-9 after the
first quarter.
For the next two quarters, it was all
Lady Bulldogs.
Pilot Grove's Kendra Wessing knocked
down a trey to start the second quarter and put the Lady Tigers up 21-9. It
looked like a rout, but that was the last time the Pilot Grove offense was
heard from that half. Hardin Central went on a 15-0 run to end the quarter and
led 24-21 at the half.
After starting the game in a 1-2-2
zone, Hardin Central switched to a 2-3 in the second quarter an extended the
zone to near midcourt and also applied a press and trap that caused Pilot
Grove to play faster than they wanted to.
Hardin Central went up 30-22 early in
the third quarter on a basket by Hannah Noelker but Pilot Grove closed the gap
to 32-28 on a free throw by Bader.
When Allison Oyler made a steal and
layup at the buzzer, Hardin Central was up 37-28 heading into the final frame.
Things got interesting in the final
eight minutes. Despite some foul trouble, Pilot Grove put on a press and began
a comeback.
Hardin Central began the final
quarter with a 7-2 run to open up a 44-30 lead.
However, Pilot Grove wasn’t going to
quit. The Lady Tigers went on a 15-4 run to take a 45-44 lead on a trey by
Wessing with 15 seconds left.
Hardin Central called time with 12.3
ticks left to play. Pilot Grove then made a grave mistake, fouling Lindsey
Arbogast with 10 seconds remaining. Arbogast made both free throws and Pilot
Grove’s ensuing shot came up short as Hardin Central advanced to the Class 1
quarterfinals Saturday at Missouri Valley College in Marshall.
Bader led Pilot Grove, whose season
end with a 23-6 record, with 16 points. Wessing added 13 with three treys
and Kendra Wessing contributed eight points.
Megan Layman led the Lay Bulldogs
with 17 points and Oyler added 14.
The Lady Tigers, regular season and CCAA Tournament
champions, were ranked #10 in Class 1 entering the game.
Randy
Kirby photo
Tiger flies off to become an Owl
Smith-Cotton senior Tanner
McKee, seated in center, signed a national letter of intent to attend William
woods University on a baseball scholarship, Wednesday in the S-C Library. He
was joined by his mother Robin, seated at left, and his father, Larry, seated
at right. Standing on the back row, left to right, are S-C Athletic Director
Rob Davis, S-C Assistant Baseball Coach Clyde Ditto, William Woods University
head baseball coach Darren Munnz, S-C Head Baseball Coach Jeff Mays and S-C
Assistant Baseball Coach Kevin Ditzfeld.
