• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Mistakes continue to hurt Parker

JANESVILLE — Wins continue to elude Janesville Parker's boys basketball team.

After a victory in the season opener, the Vikings dropped their sixth straight game Thursday night.

Madison West took advantage of 14 missed free throws by Parker in pulling away for a 49-40 Big Eight Conference win.

Parker (1-6, 0-5) trailed by nine early in the fourth but cut the deficit to three on Decker Thompson's free throw with 4:02 left. West (4-4, 3-2) responded with a 5-0 run to push the lead back to eight and never looked back.

"We're not doing things on a consistent basis, and that's hurting us right now," Parker coach Ryan Masterson said. "It's the little things, but they add up.

"Two things we talked about coming into the game were rebounding and taking care of the basketball. And we had a couple of spurts tonight where we didn't rebound or take care of the basketball, and West took advantage."

Parker led by one after the first quarter before West turned up the defensive intensity in the second quarter. The Regents forced five Viking turnovers in the second in taking a 21-19 halftime lead.

The Vikings got nine first-half points from Erik Albeck and eight from Andrew Somerville, but got nothing offensively from anyone else the first half. Somerville led all scorers with 15 points, while Albeck added 12.

Parker missed a chance to build a lead in the second quarter but missed six free throws.

"We go through these stretches, I don't know what it is, where we have trouble putting the ball in the basket," Masterson said. "And then we get a chance to go to the free-throw line like tonight, we don't capitalize.

"It's frustrating because I still think we're a much better basketball team than we've shown."

West led by five after three and scored two quick baskets to push the lead to nine.

Terrell McFadden scored 11 points to lead West.

Parker plays at Verona on Saturday night.

WEST 49, PARKER 40

West (49)—Latimer, 3-0-8; Kell, 2-0-4; Jackson-Bey, 3-3-9; McFadden, 4-2-11; Crayton, 1-0-2; Clements, 2-2-6; Wilson, 1-3-5; Cuevas, 2-0-4. Totals: 18-10-49.

Parker (40)—Somerville, 5-5-15; Albeck, 4-3-12; D. Thompson, 2-3-7; Grafft, 1-0-2; Smith, 2-0-4. Totals: 14-11-40.

Madison West 9 12 13 15—49

Janesville Parker 10 9 10 11—40

Three-point goals—West 3 (Latimer 2, McFadden), Parker 1 (Albeck). Free throws missed—West 7, Parker 14. Total fouls—West 16, Parker 22. Fouled out—D. Thompson.

Sophomores—West 48, Parker 47. Parker leading scorers—Cullen Osmond, 13; Sam Buck, 10.