VGH boys’ basketball ends another 20-win season, looks forward to next season
BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
The Villa Grove/Heritage boys’ basketball season ended in Wednesday’s semifinal round with a 56-40 loss to the host Spartans.
After three lead changes in the early minutes, SJ-O shot ahead 5-4 as part of a 16-0 run. The Hawks were unable to recapture the lead although they pulled within six points (42-36) in the game’s final seven minutes before SJ-O went on a 14-4 run to end the game.
Jake Eversole nailed a team-high 16 points. Logan Nohren added 11 points.
On Tuesday, the Hawks picked a great time to earn their first overtime win of the season.
VG/H used the extra four minutes to power past Tolono Unity 67-63 and secure a spot in the Class 2A regional semifinals.
Eversole led the way for the Hawks, hitting the 30-point mark for the second game in a row. His 30 points included four three-point baskets.
Nohren added 16 points to the VG/H cause and Blake Smith contributed 12 points.
Unity led 15-6 after one quarter and 27-22 at halftime. VG/H took a 40-36 lead into the final period. The teams ended in a 55-55 deadlock after regulation.
Until Tuesday, VG/H was 0-2 for the season in overtime games.
VG/H ends the season with a 21-11 overall record. SJ-O snapped the team’s season-best five-game winning streak in the regionals.
For the season, Eversole was the team’s top scorer in 17 of the 23 games in which he played, including the final nine.
Nohren led – or shared – the team lead in scoring in nine games. Both Eversole and Nohren hit the 30-point mark in two games.
Blake Smith was the scoring leader in five games, Issac Mahoe in two games and Ierik Sorenson in one game.
Eversole (40), Smith (22), Mahoe (17) and Sam Reno (16) were the team’s top three-point marksmen.
Coach Corey White didn’t know what to expect coming into a season where four starters from the previous year’s 20-win team had to be replaced and one of those candidates – Ezra Ely – never played basketball this season following a football injury that sidelined him throughout most of the winter.
“For the first month, we were trying to see the best combination,” White said. “By mid-January we figured it out and took off from there (winning nine of 11 games before Wednesday).”
For the majority of the season, four juniors and senior Sorenson were in the starting lineup.
“We’ll have a nice nucleus back,” White said. “It’s great to have back-to-back 20-win seasons and we hope to make it three in a row next year.
“We’ll keep building and try to get to the point where we can play for a regional championship and win one.”
In addition to the underclassmen who played prominent roles this season, Ely is expected to return next year along with junior Nick Coffin, who suffered a season-ending injury in December.
In addition to Sorenson, Reno and Anthony Arbuckle were the other seniors who were a part of the Hawks’ regular rotation this season.
