JERSEY - The Jersey Community High School Mid-Winter Classic Boys Basketball Tournament has not been entirely kind to the Marquette Catholic High School Explorers.
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In Friday night’s battle against the Cahokia High School Comanches, Steve Medford’s team was defeated 44-38 at the final buzzer.
The only win that the Explorers have grasped was last Friday night’s victory against the Jersey Panthers.
“It was all a matter of fear,” Medford said after the game. “We were a bit intimidated. I felt like once we calmed down and got a little bit relaxed, I thought we did things alright.”
Coach Medford commended the Comanches team for their athleticism and determination.
“They’re probably more an athletic team than us,” he said, “and there wasn’t that comfort there for us. It’s a good experience for us, especially for our guys who haven’t seen that kind of pressure. It’s hard to come back from a team that puts you down 16-3 in the second.”
Cahokia coach Darian Nash said: “These guys just come in every day and work hard,” he said. “They’re hungry for wins and I’m pretty hard on them. Losing to Jerseyville was unacceptable. I decided to tell them today before we got on the bus that everybody goes to the playoffs and this was just dress rehearsal.”
Cahokia’s command began early on in the first. Kicking off the night, junior Thomas Bell, senior Chris McRoberts and junior Jackorey Davs knocked in six points before Marquette had the chance to rebuttal.
On a basket and a foul point, Trey Aguirre finally put the explorers on the board. However these two plays were the only thing his team could muster against the tough boys from Cahokia.
Meanwhile, Davis went on to land two more three-pointers and Bell earning another basket to bring the score to 14-3 at the end of the first.
The Comanches got the second quarter started with a play by freshman Elijah Rice. A foul committed on Shandon Boone gained Marquette one more point.
Rice went on to knock in another basket before the Explorers’ offense unfroze. Junior Nick Messinger brought in a free throw and followed up his own play with a three-pointer. Shortly after, Boone knocked in another basket to bring the score to 18-10.
After a timeout, Bell locked in another basket for Cahokia to widen their lead by 10 points.
Boone did what he could before the end of the period to keep his team alive, putting the ball in the basket once more for a 2-point shot and making a successful free throw before the end of the second. At the buzzer, the score was 20-13 in Cahokia’s favor.
The third began as Bell swooshed in a three-pointer. Shortly after, his classmate Malik Johnson tossed the ball in the basket for two more to bring the score to 25-13. Fouls committed on Aguirre and Boone landed them two points each right in a row from free throws. After finding an undefended opening, Davs locked down yet another three-pointer.
Sophomore Reagan Snider assisted his team in bringing in a three-pointer himself before Boone had the opportunity to bring in one himself. At this point, the score was 28-23.
After a time out, Davs had the chance to make the closing play of the period and put in a basket with a little over 45.6 seconds left on the board. At the end of the period, Cahokia continued to lead the Explorers 30-23.
Boone kicked off the fourth period with a three-pointer, telling the Comanches that the Eagles were not going to just lay down and easily let them take the win.
After senior Eugene Gully Jr. made his first basket of the game for Cahokia, senior Ben Sebacher’s offense came alive for Marquette. Unfortunately, it was stalled after Bell locked in two points from free throws and McRoberts swooshed in another two-point basket.
Sebacher landed another basket before Davs could lock in a free point from the goal line. Then, Boone knocked in his third consecutive three-pointer. At this point, the score was 37-33 in Cahokia’s favor.
The Explorers found themselves in some foul trouble after the three-minute mark. Gully, Bell and Davs were able to all lock in two points each from consecutive free throw shots, bringing the score to 43-33.
Boone swooshed in his fourth and final three-pointer of the night to prove that his team wasn’t giving up. After a timeout, Gully knocked in another ball from the foul line to bring his team’s score to 44.
In the last few seconds of the game, Sebacher brought in his team’s final play after landing a basket. At the final buzzer, the Marquette Catholic High School Explorers had been defeated by the Cahokia High School Comanches with a score of 44-38.
Shandon Boone locked in a total of 20 points in three active scoring quarters. Ben Sebacher scored six points entirely in the fourth. Trey Aguirre kept his team alive with five points scored in the first and third periods. Nick Messinger locked in four points in the second and Reagan Snider swooshed in a three-pointer in the third.
For Cahokia, Jakorey Davs brought in a whomping 16 points. Following him with 13 points was Thomas Bell. Eugene Gully Jr. locked in five points in the fourth quarter. Both Chris McRoberts and Elijah Rice scored four points each. Malik Johnson closed out the Comanches’ scoring with two points added in the third.
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