***William Ly is a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.
This past week, the Boilermakers entered the IHSA playoffs. For their first game, they played the Monmouth-Roseville Titans for a quarter-final matchup.
Earlier in the season, the Boilermakers lost to the Titans 62-52 in Brockman Gym. This time, the Boilermakers traveled to the Titans’ home gym to stay alive in the playoffs.
The Boilermakers started strong by taking momentum in the first quarter.
All the shots fell for the Boilermakers, as they shot over 50 percent for the whole first half. The Boilermakers took a decisive 31-19 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, the Titans caught a stride of their own by forcing turnovers. The Titans slowly started to come back.
By the end of the third quarter, the score was 39-34 The Boilermakers managed to keep their lead but needed a strong fourth quarter to close the game out.
Through some tough defense, the Boilermakers were able to shut down the Titans’ offense and end with a win. The Boilermakers finished strong, 48-43, and moved on to the next round.
On Wednesday, the Boilermakers traveled to Mercer County to face off against the Sherrard Tigers for their semi-final matchup. Similarly, the Boilermakers lost to Sherrard earlier in the season.
Sherrard is deemed one of the toughest teams in Class 2A this year, so the Boilers knew the game would be challenging.
Kewanee started the game strong. Unfortunately, they caught some early foul trouble, and the Tigers were able to get eight points in the first quarter through free throws. The Boilermakers ended the first trailing 14-19.
In the second quarter, the Boilermakers kept their intensity. They were able to cut down on their turnovers, and buckets started to fall. By half, the score was 32-30 in favor of the Tigers.
The third quarter was the turning point of the game, as the Boilermakers were outscored 18-2. After the third quarter, the deficit was too big for the Boilermakers to close.
After a valiant effort in the fourth, the Boilermakers lost to the Tigers 48-63, officially eliminating them from the playoffs.
The Boilermakers end with a 15-18 record and fifth in the TRAC EAST. The leading scorers were seniors Catrelle Reed (12 ppg), Colson Welgat (10.4 ppg) and Greyden Lewis (7.4 ppg).
