Eastland beats Dakota to face No. 1 Pecatonica again for sectional title

PECATONICA – In a bruising rematch with Dakota, Eastland’s athleticism and shot-making helped the Cougars pull away Wednesday night.

Four Cougars scored in double figures as Eastland won 55-39 to advance to a 7 p.m. Class 1A Pecatonica Sectional championship matchup with top-ranked Pecatonica (33-2) on Friday night.

Eastland got off to a strong start Wednesday, taking a 9-3 lead and never letting Dakota get within a possession en route to the win.

The Cougars (31-4), ranked No. 5 in the final Associated Press Class 1A poll, had its typically balanced offensive attack as Peyton Spears scored a game-high 18 points, Parker Krogman had 14, Zy Haverland had 12 and Adam Awender added 11 and directed the offense.

Spears said the team was ready for a physical matchup with Dakota (27-6). They won a previous matchup this season 69-50 in the second game of the season.

“They’re bigger than us, they’re taller than us and we knew it was always going to be physical,” Spears said. “And I feel like we were ready for that.”

Eastland led just 20-14 at halftime before the turnover margin began to widen. Eastland forced 11 turnovers with just four giveaways itself.

“We kept up the defense,” Spears said. “They had to get out of their zone; I feel like that helped us a lot so we could keep getting downhill and get assisted shots.”

Spears hit three straight 3-pointers to make it 33-19 midway through the third quarter. Eastland led 35-25 after three and would only miss one shot in a 20-14 fourth-quarter advantage to close it out.

“We knew it was going to be a tough, physical battle with their size and their length and their physicality,” Eastland coach Tyler Zumdahl said. “I thought our guys really did a good job matching that.

“Just really, really good fundamental team defense. Even when they had a size mismatch, I thought our guys did a good job of being in position.”

Winning the turnover battle again was also key as Eastland scored in transition and took advantage of extra possessions.

“We took care of the ball really, really well,” Zumdahl said. “That’s something that we’ve done really well in the last month or so. Down the stretch we’ve taken care of the ball, really finding the open guy really well and it’s made us hard to guard.”

Austin Stuckey led Dakota with 15 points, Micah Schrader had eight and Brody Keeney and Cason Mayer scored six each.

Eastland’s offense kept the pressure on as Dakota struggled to get stops down the stretch.

“Once they have to go out, start pressuring, that’s when we start to attack with the ball handlers we have and get it to our big guys in the paint,” said Awender, “who always seem to find the right spot.”

Eastland advances to face Pecatonica for a sectional title for the second straight year. The Cougars fell 63-55 in their last matchup Jan. 18 after losing 67-36 earlier in the season.

Round 3 with Pecatonica will take a strong start for the Cougars.

“We failed to do that the last two times,” Spears said. “Keep up the defense, slow the game down.”

Krogman said a strong mindset will be key to that.

“We’ve got to come out ready to go, with confidence,” he said. “We’ve got to know that we can win this game if we come out and play our best.”

Zumdahl said it will take a complete effort.

“We’re going to have to play really well for four quarters,” Zumdahl said. “We’re going to have to win the turnover battle, we’re going to have to win the rebounding battle , we’re going to have to knock shots down. It’s just going to have to be a complete game in every facet.”

In what should be a loud an intense atmosphere in a true road game, both sides should be filled on Friday.

“Eastland always brings a good crowd,” Krogman said. “It doesn’t matter where. ... We always seem to pack the stands. We like their court so I don’t see that as too big an advantage, and I think our crowd will be packed.”

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Eastland’s Parker Krogman goes strong to the hoop against Dakota Wednesday, March 5, 2025, during the Class 1A boys basketball Sectional semifinal at Pecatonica High School. (Alex T. Paschal)