Janesville Craig keeps it close for three quarters
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JANESVILLE — All the elements were in place for Janesville Craig’s boy’s basketball team to finally post its first victory of the season.
The Cougars had a hot start, a shooter who couldn’t miss, and an opponent that struggled with consistency.
Unfortunately for Craig High (0-14, 0-11), it still wasn’t quite enough to knock off arch-rival Beloit Memorial
After clinging to a two-point lead after three quarters, Beloit outscored Craig 22-12 the rest of the way to escape with a 73-61 victory in a Big Eight Conference game here Tuesday night.
Leketreius Broomfield led the way with 19 points, including 12 in the final quarter. K.J. Evans added 18, and Sharod Stone had 11 to help Beloit (9-5, 7-4) complete the season sweep of the Cougars.
Broomfield’s strong finish, along with a worn-down Craig team, proved to be the difference.
“They’re a very deep team,” Craig coach Mike Miller said of the Purple Knights. “They threw a lot of guys at us, and I think we got a little tired down the stretch and had trouble with the boards.”
The Cougars’ rebounding woes got the best of them early in the fourth. Broomfield’s putback and layup, coupled with an Evans tip, gave Beloit a 57-49 lead with 5:43 to play.
Bret Bates banked in a jumper from the top of the key to keep the deficit at eight with 3:50 to play.
Bates finished with a game-high 22 points, including six three-pointers, while Cody Dare added 16 to keep the Cougars in contention.
But any hope of a Cougar comeback was quickly ruined by Broomfield’s eight points in the final two minutes.
“We take what the defense gives,” Beloit coach Jay Bryant said. “But he (Broomfield) has a knack of reading defenses and getting the seams and making plays.”
The Cougars made their share of big plays in the first quarter.
A pair of Evan Holznecht layups and a Bates three-pointer gave the Cougars a
7-0 lead early in the first quarter. Craig maintained an advantage for the rest of the quarter en route to a 16-13 lead after one.
The Purple Knights responded with a 13-2 spurt in the second quarter and had a 35-29 halftime lead.
Bates then unloaded three three-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half to give the Cougars a 40-35 lead.
Momentum shifted back and forth the rest of the quarter, with Beloit finally grabbing the upper hand at 51-49 by the end of the third.
The Purple Knights then put the game out of reach in the fourth.
“They have about four or five guys that they can go to down the stretch,” Miller said. “They just had guys step up.”
BELOIT 73, CRAIG 61
Beloit (73)—Johnson, 1-2-4; Condon, 2-4-8; Dare, 6-3-16; Holznecht, 3-1-7; Kyle, 2-0-4; Bates, 8-0-22. Totals: 22-10-63.
Craig (61)—Stone, 3-3-11; Broomfield, 5-7-19; Shamsid-Dean, 2-1-7; Roegner, 3-1-8; Evans, 7-2-18; Weston, 2-0-4; Crosby, 1-0-2; Douglas, 1-2-4. Totals: 24-16-73.
Beloit Memorial 13 22 16 22—73
Janesville Craig 16 13 20 12 – 61
Three-point goals—Beloit 9 (Stone 2, Broomfield 2, Shamsid-Dean 2, Roegner, Evans 2), Craig 7 (Dare, Bates 6). Free throws missed—Beloit 9, Craig 5. Total fouls—Beloit 14, Craig 18. Fouled out—Evans.
Sophomores—Craig 46, Beloit 40.
Jan 27, 2010 at 6:11 p.m.
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tyger.....I am quite sure your gumshoe God never had any trouble dusting off those gold balls in the Cougar display cases.
Jan 27, 2010 at 5:33 p.m.
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Wins and losses, sure, but is Mike doing a good job of turning boys into men? That's his real job. That's how he should be rated.
Jan 27, 2010 at 5:20 p.m.
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Mike Miller you are no Bob Suter. In fact you are not good enough to chew gum from the bottom of his shoe.
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