With a perfect 5-0 run through its own Trico Pioneer Invitational Tournament, Trico showed exactly why they are state ranked in Class 1A.
The Pioneers beat every team by double digits to repeat as tournament champions.
Junior 6’6 forward Chase Heins was named tournament MVP, while teammates Jesse Smith and Tyler Coleman were also named to the all-tournament team.
The Pioneers clinched the tournament title Saturday morning with a victory over Shawnee, but the biggest game of the weekend came Friday night when Trico and Steeleville faced each other as the lone undefeated teams left in the tournament.
Even though the season is barely two weeks old, the game had the feel of a regional championship game, and the Pioneers executed on offense like they had been playing for several months, with a 61-44 win over Steeleville Friday night.
“The first couple of games, we weren’t playing at our pace,” said Trico coach Shane Hawkins. “We were able to correct that, and the results were seen tonight. Games are not like practice, it actually takes game experience to get used to playing at your speed.”
The Pioneers had no trouble finding their tempo Friday night as they made their first six shots of the game to grab a 13-4 lead.
Dylan Witthoft opened the game by draining a three-pointer and added a layup in that first stretch for Trico.
The Warriors overcame the early barrage by closing out the first quarter with an 8-2 run to trail 15-12.
Senior Coire Reel had five points in the opening quarter, and Torrey Gerberding nailed a late three-pointer for the Warriors.
The play of Heins and Smith carried Trico through the second quarter as the two combined to score all of the team’s 11 points as Trico held a 26-22 lead at the break.
Smith scored seven points in the second, while Heins added four. Colin Smith knocked down two jumpers in the quarter, and Joey Wittenbrink made good on a three-point play to keep their squad close.
Steeleville opened the third quarter with a 5-2 run to close within a point, 28-27.
Trico didn’t panic and answered with an 11-0 run to take total control of the game.
Heins was once again unstoppable for the Pioneers, scoring eight points in the quarter to help push the lead up to 12 points. Trico’s offensive execution was unmatched in the third as the team scored on 7-of-12 possessions.
“Our shot selection was very good, and when we ran our offense, we got what we wanted,” added Hawkins. “We had less than 10 turnovers in the game, and we really set the tone of the game with our defense early on.”
Steeleville point guard Andrew Pokrzywinski scored four late points to bring his club within 10 points, 41-31 heading into the final quarter.
“Missing those free throws in the third quarter really killed us,” said Steeleville coach Gerald Mumbower. “When you miss free throws, it is the same as a turnover. The guys had the effort, they just panicked when they got down, instead of taking their time and chipping away at the lead. Hopefully, we can learn to value every possession and to take good shots from a loss like this.”
Trico looked to put the game away early in the fourth quarter going on a 10-4 run to take a commanding 51-35 lead.
The Warriors made one final run, and after seven points from Gerberding and two free throws from Pokrzywinski, Trico’s lead was down to 53-44 with 2:50 left.
Trico ended the game on a 8-0 scoring run for the 61-44 victory. The Pioneers went 14-of-22 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to pull away.
Heins finished with a game-high 24 points, while Smith added 17 in the win.
“To be a very good team, you have to have a good point guard and someone who can control and score in the paint,” said Hawkins. “Jesse was good tonight, he was really good. He made good decisions with the ball and was able to take the ball to the basket almost at will.
Steeleville is a very good basketball team. They have one of the better point guards in southern Illinois, and they can flat out shoot the basketball. We knew they would make runs at us. We made it a point to get the ball to Chase as much as we could, and we will continue to do that all season long. Once you establish the inside, it opens up everything else.”
Gerberding and Reel each finished with 11 points to lead Steeleville, while Pokrzywinski had 10.
Red Bud, Egyptian and Steeleville all finished with identical 3-2 records. The tie-breaker used was free throw percentage. Red Bud claimed second place followed by Egyptian then Steeleville.
Trico 53, Sparta 30
Trico sealed the perfect run through its own invitational Saturday night by outscoring Sparta in every quarter en route to a 53-30 victory.
The Pioneers led 13-6 at the end of the first quarter and 27-16 at the break. The Pioneers would go on to outscore the Bulldogs 19-10 in the third and 7-4 in the fourth for the 23-point decision.
Chase Heins finished with 12 points, and Jesse Smith added 11 to lead the Pioneer attack.
Weslen Kiner and Jordan Thompson each had eight points to pace Sparta.
Sparta finished tournament play at 1-4 with the loss.
Steeleville 63, Red Bud 52
Steeleville finished off tournament play on a high note, as the Warriors used a strong third quarter to defeat Red Bud 63-52 Saturday night.
The Warriors, trailing by two-points, outscored Red Bud 17-7 in the third and 18-15 in the fourth for the 11-point win.
Coire Reel led Steeleville with 18 points, while Colin Smith added 16 and Torrey Gerberding finished with 15.
Alex Phegley finished with 14 to lead Red Bud.
Red Bud 70, Sparta 65
The Musketeers outscored Sparta 8-3 in overtime to scratch out a 70-65 victory Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs ran out to a 20-15 first quarter lead, and held a 41-27 halftime advantage.
The Musketeers battled back in the second half, outscoring the Dawgs 28-13 in the fourth quarter to force the extra session.
Adam Kunkel went 22-of-29 from the foul line and scored a game-high 40 points to lead Red Bud.
Jordan Thompson led a balanced scoring attack from Sparta with 14 points. Aaron Rushing, Austin Peck and London Oliver all had 12 points in a losing effort.
Trico 58, Shawnee 18
Trico held Shawnee to under 20 points, as the Pioneers rolled to a 58-18 victory.
The Pioneers held a 7-4 lead in the first quarter and then outscored the Redskins 26-6 in the second and 20-4 in the third to run away with the win.
In his season debut, Taylor Pyatt led Trico with 12 points. Jesse Smith added 10 in the win.
Egyptian 80, Steeleville 73
In the 10 a.m. game Saturday, Egyptian pulled off an upset win over Steeleville 80-73.
Trailing 43-38 at halftime, the Pharaohs outscored the Warriors 21-16 in the third and 21-14 in the fourth for the victory.
Torrey Gerberding knocked down six three-pointers and finished with 24 points to lead Steeleville. Colin Smith added 18 points in the loss, and Andrew Pokrzywinski had 10.
Sparta 75, Shawnee 32
Sparta notched its first win of the tournament by coasting past Shawnee 75-32 in the nightcap Friday.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 22-7 first quarter lead and a 45-15 halftime advantage.
Austin Peck, Tyler Morrison and Darius Jackson all scored 10 points in the win for Sparta.
Red Bud 69, Egyptian 55
Red Bud got good offensive performances in the first and third quarters to pull out a 69-55 victory over Egyptian Friday night.
The Musketeers led 22-12 at the end of the first and 34-28 at the break. Red Bud got some breathing room in the third, outscoring Egyptian 19-8 for a 53-36 lead.
Adam Kunkel and Tyler Magruder combined for 53 points with 32 and 21 respectively. Magruder nailed five three-pointers in the game.
Red Bud improved to 2-1 in tournament play, while Egyptian dropped to 1-2.