Eastland uses slow down to upset #1 Pec in 1A sectional final

PECATONICA – If your ears are still ringing an hour after a basketball game is over, you can tell it was an electrifying atmosphere. That was the case for me after covering the highly anticipated sectional final between Pecatonica and Eastland on Friday, March 7.

The sold out gym at Pecatonica was loud from start to finish in the 36-31 win by Eastland over the No. 1 ranked team in 1A. With so many twists and turns, it was high drama for the 1,600 fans in attendance.

How about a 1-0 score at the end if the first quarter? How about Eastland taking an 8-5 halftime lead and each team only having one missed shot?

The weirdness kicked in 1 minute into the game when Pecatonica coach Bobby Heisler told his team to stop wasting energy trying to guard an Eastland team that was intentionally stalling.

Basically, the court turned in a real-life wax museum, as nobody made a move for several minutes with Parker Krogman of Eastland holding on to the ball with one arm. After 5 minutes, he did make a short pass to teammate Adam Awender.

“We had a terrible start the first two times (67-36 and 63-55 losses),” Eastland coach Tyler Zumdahl said. “We had to do something different and slow it down.”

Even though Eastland turned the ball over on its only two possessions of the first quarter, Pecatonica seemed to be affected by how the game was transpiring.

Trailing 3-0, Eastland made four consecutive baskets before finally missing for the first time with 1:20 left in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Pecatonica went 3-for-8 from the free throw line and fell behind 8-5.

With points at a premium, missed free throws were crucial and the Indians would finish 10-18 in free throws. Eastland didn’t do themselves any favors either with equally poor shooting from the charity stripe.

In the third quarter, Eastland turned the ball over on its first three possessions and Pecatonica took a 13-12 lead. Was this the point where the favored Indians would finally take off?

Nope. As the minutes ticked down and the pressure ratcheting up, Pecatonica appeared tight. Uncharacteristic missed shots (9-for-24) were evidence of that, as the Indians never were able to play free and easy.

Meanwhile, the Cougars were quite comfortable with its own brand of offensive slow down. The Cougars would go on to shoot 14-for-22, with Zycan Haverland leading the way with 6-for-8, mostly near the basket.

An advantage of stalling is not taking a shot unless it is high percentage. What else worked in Eastland’s favor was steady ball handling in the face of Pecatonica’s defensive pressure.

“We played smart the whole game,” Zumdahl said. “This group was so hungry after last year. The emotions are incredible right now.”

Last year, Eastland lost 60-50 in the sectional final to Pecatonica and hadn’t beaten the Indians for five years. But, Pecatonica bore the burden of trying to beat Eastland for the third time this year, a feat that is analytically difficult, even for the favored team.

Fate was a cruel to the Indians, who desperately wanted to join the girls teams in the Final Four downstate. The worst of it was losing all-time leading scorer and team leader Cooper Hoffman with 4:19 left in the third quarter.

On a twisting drive to the basket where he was called for traveling, Hoffman came down on his foot and fell to the floor. Down for a couple minutes, he limped backed to the bench and ended his career with 5 points, all on free throws.

“You hate to see that,” Zumdahl said. “He means so much to their program.”

About the only thing the fans on both sides could agree on all night was combining for a standing ovation for Hoffman when he eventually was able to stand after the fall. He did try to come back a couple times, but left after a minute or so and was seen in a walking boot after the game.

Another example of the breaks going Eastland’s way came at the end of the third quarter when senior Brayden Jackson came in for the last 3 seconds. A rebound of missed Eastland free throw was fumbled by Pec and Jackson alertly grabbed it and scored at the buzzer for a 22-19 cushion.

“That may have been the play of the game,” Krogman said.

It was a boost, as the Eastland crowd erupted and Haverland staked his team to a 26-19 lead early in the fourth quarter. Brody Black (1-for-7), who was hounded all night by the Cougar guards, did make a much-needed 3 to close his team within 26-24.

Immediately afterwards, nobody was guarding Tanner Stern under the basket and he made an easy lay up to give Eastland a 4-point edge. With Hoffman on the bench and 6 out of 7 missed shots to close out the game, the Indians never could regain the lead.