A sluggish start was the culprit Friday night as the visiting Mendota Trojans pounced early and hung on for a 62-57 conference win over Kewanee.
Mendota came out firing on all cylinders and caught the Boilers flat footed in the 22-13 first quarter start. Kewanee outscored the Trojans 44-40 in the final three quarters, but the Boilers extended a lot of energy fighting their way back into contention.
“We didn’t seem ready to play in the first quarter and that’s on me as the head coach,” said Kewanee Coach Matt Clark. “We knew they were an aggressive team and we didn’t match their intensity early on. We have to, collectively, do a better job starting games fast and focused on the game plan,” added Clark.
Kewanee started clawing their way back in the second quarter and outscored Mendota 14-11 to cut the lead down to six by halftime at 33-27.
Kewanee senior guard Braden Clark scored 10 first quarter points and nine in the second frame for a 19-point first half effort. Sophomore guard Aden Tillman led Mendota with 11 points and three other players combined to score 16 for the Trojans in the first half.
The Boilers caught up and briefly surpassed Mendota by the time the third quarter buzzer sounded. Clark put up 11 more points as Kewanee topped the Trojans 18-11 in the third frame to take a 45-44 lead.
The guard tandem of Tillman and Izaiah Santiago Nanez took over in the fourth quarter and scored 14 of Mendota’s 18 points. Tillman made two key 3-pointers in the final eight minutes and Nanez connected on 6 of 8 free throws down the stretch.
Junior guard Catrelle Reed made six points in the fourth quarter, but the Boilers were outscored 18-12 in the closing minutes. Kewanee junior Greyden Lewis contributed seven second half points.
“Give credit to Mendota, they came in well prepared and executed throughout the game,” noted Clark. “We’ve got to get back in the gym and prepare for a big home game Tuesday against Princeton.”
Tillman led Mendota with 19 points and senior guard Cale Strouss added 11 in the win. Nanez and junior forward Braiden Freeman each scored 10 in support.
Braden Clark led all scorers with 31 points (three points shy of his career high). Reed added 10 and Blaise Lewis had eight for Kewanee.
KHS All-Time Scoring List
Senior Braden Clark currently sits at No. 5 on the KHS all-time scoring list with 1,552 points. He needs just six points to move into fourth place behind Matt Salisbury.
Senior point guard Blaise Lewis is currently at No. 40 with 738 points. By the end of the season there’s a good possibility he could crack the top 25.
1.) Donovan Oliver 2016 2,355
2.) Kavon Russell 2020 1,687
3.) Matt Salisbury 2001 1,634
4.) Juan Contreras 2017 1,558
5.) Braden Clark 2024 1,552
