Kewanee was down 27-25 at the half, but the Boilers cranked up the heat and outscored the Chiefs 30-15 in the second half to get the 55-42 non-conference home win.
“We seemed a little sluggish early in the first quarter,” said Kewanee Coach Matt Clark. “This was our sixth game the last 12 days and it showed up a little bit early on with our lack of focus, defensively, and lack of execution on the offensive end.”
Braden Clark scored 10 first quarter points to help Kewanee stay close at 14-16, while Shawn Denniston and Coen Gilbert combined to score 12 for DC-M.
Each team scored 11 points in the second quarter as the Chiefs held a 27-25 lead at the half. Clark scored eight more points in the second frame and 18 total in the first half.
The tide started to turn in Kewanee’s favor in the third quarter as they outscored DC-M 11-5 and took a 36-32 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
Blaise Lewis scored seven of Kewanee’s 11 third quarter points.
The Boilers continued their strong play in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Chiefs 19-10 to get the win.
Eight of Kewanee’s 19 points came at the free throw line (8-15). Clark and Colson Welgat scored six and five in the closing minutes.
“Our depth has played a huge part in our success recently. Overall, we’ve had several players step up their level of play and the effort (during the last month) is starting to pay off in several tough games,” noted Clark.
“Credit to the guys, since the new year they’ve dedicated themselves to becoming more of a team and our team chemistry has improved which has been a big reason we are playing our best basketball of the season.”
Clark led all scorers with 24 points, Lewis added nine and Welgat contributed seven.
Shawn Denniston led Deer Creek-Mackinaw with 12 points and Coen Gilbert added seven in vain.
