Andrew Pokrzywinski calmly hit four consecutive free throws to turn a one point lead into a 53-48 advantage as Steeleville held off Marissa-Coulterville 56-50 in its conference opener Friday night.
“You always want to start off the conference schedule on a good note,” said Steeleville coach Gerald Mumbower. “We did not shoot the ball well, but Marissa-Coulterville did a lot with their defense to take us out of our game. We found out tonight that we can grind out wins and pull out close victories in tight game. Our defense was much better tonight, especially late.”
The Warriors trailed 24-21 at the intermission but turned things around quickly in the second half, as they made a conscious effort of getting the ball inside.
“We tried to get the ball down low more in the second half for some easy baskets, and it worked,” added Mumbower.
After a three-pointer by Logan Tabor, the Meteors only trailed by one point, 49-48, but Marissa-Coulterville couldn’t get any closer, as two empty possessions combined with Steeleville’s clutch free throw shooting, made the difference in the game down the stretch.
“We don’t have a lot of experience handling these pressure situations,” said Marissa-Coulterville coach Dirk Miller. “It seems like we are making the same mistakes in each game, but as a young team, we will have to take our lumps and learn from them. Steeleville is a difficult place to play at, and they took advantage of our weaknesses. This team needs the will to win, and offensively, we are still trying to find ourselves. We have the potential of having a good season, but mediocre decisions continue to plague us.”
Neither team shot the ball well in the first quarter, as Steeleville was 3-of-11 from the field, and Marissa-Coulterville was 4-of-10.
Mike Lloyd had a big first quarter for the Meteors, scoring six points, while the Warriors were paced by Pokrzywinski with five.
The second quarter saw four lead changes, as neither team could take control of the contest.
Steeleville used a 9-4 run early in the second quarter for a 17-14 lead. However, Tabor knocked down two three-pointers to switch the momentum back to Marissa-Coulterville for a 20-17 advantage. Steeleville fought back to reclaim the lead with  a 4-0 run, but the Meteors countered with a 4-0 run of their own, which was highlighted by a last second shot by David Parkinson for the 24-21 first half lead.
Steeleville was 6-of-11 in the quarter compared to just 6-of-16 for Marissa-Coulterville, but the Meteors dominated the offensive glass with seven compared to just one for Steeleville in the quarter.
The Warriors opened the second half, with a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead, 27-24, with a bucket by Pokrzywinski and a pair of baskets by Coire Reel. The Warriors scored 12 points in the paint during the third, while Nick Potter drained two three-pointers to give Steeleville a 41-35 lead heading into the fourth.
Joey Martin scored five points in the third to pace Marissa-Coulterville, but five turnovers by the team led to the Warriors taking control of the game.
The Meteors answered right back early in the fourth with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 41-41 with 6:30 to play. Colin Smith scored six of his game high 18 points in the final minutes to give Steeleville a 49-45 lead.
Tabor nailed another trifecta to pull Marissa-Coulterville within one, but the clutch free throw shooting by the Warriors iced the game.
Steeleville improved to 5-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play with the win, while Marissa-Coulterville dropped to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
Behind Smith’s 18 points, Steeleville was led offensively by Reel with 13 points, Pokrzywinski with 12 and Potter with 10.
Lloyd finished with 14 points to lead the Meteors, while Joey Smith added 10, and Tabor and Martin each had nine.