In a game that was close throughout, the Kewanee Boilermakers (16-7, 4-2) gutted out a 62-52 road win Tuesday night over the Hall Red Devils (11-11, 3-4).
Hall outscored Kewanee 13-12 in the first quarter and 16-15 in the third quarter, but the difference in the game was the second and fourth quarters. In those two quarters, combined, the Boilers outscored Hall by 12 points.
“Hall is a tough matchup for teams because they go five-out with a bunch of players that can shoot the three,” said Kewanee Coach Matt Clark.
“They bring guys off the bench that do the same, so you have to play really sound, defensively, and control the ball handlers so you don’t have to over help and give up open, uncontested shots,” he added.
Kewanee held a 29-23 lead at halftime. Senior guard Braden Clark led the Boiler charge in the first half, scoring a steady 15 points and fellow senior Blake Johnston scored five in the half.
Mendota made a run at Kewanee in the third quarter, but senior point guard Blaise Lewis gave the Boilers a boost by nailing three treys to help Kewanee maintain a 44-39 lead heading into the final quarter.
Lewis continued his strong play in the fourth quarter by putting up 11 more points as the Boilers outscored the Red Devils 18-13 down the stretch to secure the 62-52 win.
Clark added nine second half points to go with his game-high 24 points. Lewis scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half. Junior guard Catrelle Reed chipped in with eight points on the night.
“Our two senior guards (Clark and Lewis) stepped up huge on the offensive end tonight,” said Clark. “It seemed like whenever we needed a basket we could call on them tonight and they delivered.”
TRAC-East Standings
Princeton 10-11 5-2
Kewanee 16-7 4-2
Newman 17-9 4-3
Hall 11-11 3-4
Mendota 9-13 2-3
Bureau Valley 11-11 2-5
