Madison Gives Cougars the Skids
Cougars are unable to stop Madison's quickness and shooting in a 75-56 loss for third
place ...
place ...
By Cody Cutter
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
PEORIA – Poor shooting doomed the Eastland Cougars in their semifinal loss to Salt
Fork. Poor shooting also doomed the Madison Trojans in their semifinal loss to Sesser-
Valier.
Good shooting was accomplished by both Eastland and Madison in the Class 1A
Consolation game. Eastland, who shot 25.6% from the field yesterday, increased its
accuracy to a respectable level. However, Madison had an even bigger turnaround. The
Trojans combined their speed and flexibility with the ball with putting up shots in
successive fashion to daze Eastland 75-56.
Madison (24-8) shot with less accuracy than Eastland did in the semifinal - a dismal 23.1%
from the field against Sesser - and turned that around to a 54.1% performance.
Eastland (28-6) played all but thirty seconds of the game without their lead scorer, Tony
Dunlap, Jr., who separated his left shoulder in the semifinal game. He came in for a final
hurrah with 1:34 left in the game, missing his only two shots by using just his right
shooting arm.
His father, coach Tony Dunlap, used this game to find out who will be leaders for the team
during the summer season. The younger Dunlap is the only senior on the team.
“We just wanted to find leaders for the summer, because we have to get better,” said
coach Dunlap. “That’s what we were looking for. I wanted everyone to play. That was our
goal.”
They wanted to win the game, too, but that task seemed to be derailed pretty quickly. The
Cougars never had a lead in the game, and got as close as 5-4 with 6:48 left in the first
quarter. Madison then scored eight straight points to lead to a 19-7 run to close the
quarter.
Delaudus Farrar gave the Trojans a three-point advantage at 7-4, putting back his
offensive rebound. Eastland's ensuing change failed as Kevin Glastetter's jumper was
blocked by Torian Gregory, who scored the next two points. Even more athleticism was
displayed by Gregory, who dished a no-look behind-the-back pass to Farrar for the next
two points.
Brad Dunlap's three-pointer with 46.2 left in the quarter brought the Cougars to within 15.
“Madison is quick,” said coach Dunlap. “That’s my thoughts, they’re real quick.”
The Cougars didn't give up, however. They tried to budge a eight-to-10-point deficit that
was accomplished midway through the second quarter, and did so midway in the third.
The effort was similar to what they accomplished at the same time during their semifinal
game. The Cougars put up three straight three-pointers, two coming from Brad Dunlap
and one from Reid Lessman, to erase a nine-point deficit and tie the game at 42-42.
Madison came right back, as Kendal Echols hit a three-pointer to give his team the lead
once again. It was the start of another Trojan spurt, scoring 13 unanswered.
“They just broke us down,” Brad Dunlap said. “They were really fast and our legs got a
little tired.”
A 12-point spurt followed in the fourth quarter, four of them coming off the offensive glass,
giving the Trojans the biggest lead of the game at 69-46.
Brad Dunlap, who is the youngest of the brotherly duo, had a double-double with 19
points and 12 rebounds, while going seven-for-19 from the field. Brother Tony tried to
hold back tears after the game when talking about playing with his younger brother for the
last time in a Cougar uniform.
“He’s a great player. And we’re going to miss him a lot. And we’re going to try our best to
get back here next year.”
Byers had 12 points and Collin Macomber had 10 points. Lessman had six points,
Glastetter had four, Zeke Hartman and Austin Hansen had two, and Dylan Stichter
chipped in one. The Cougars as a team shot 33.3% from the field.
“We were all thinking we could actually win this,” Brad Dunlap said. “We thought that the
whole game, but at that point, we were all thinking it. We can all do this, we just have to
come together as a team.”
The three Madison seniors all scored in double figures. Farrar led all scorers with 22
points. Echols had 18 points and Eric Mason had 12. Four of Madison's five starters
pulled down more than five rebounds in the game, with Corey Hardin's nine leading.
“That’s the team I was looking for last night,” said Cotto. “We didn’t play nearly that well
last night and I have to give credit to my three seniors, they wanted to come out and show
the state of Illinois how we play.”
The Cougars end what has been the best season in program history. They had achieved
a similar feeling two years ago when they made an Elite Eight appearance for the first
time. That year, they fell to St. Anne in the Supersectional, a team that was similar in
speed and agility to the one Eastland played today.
Coach Dunlap had been on the State Tournament floor as an assistant coach for
Pittsfield in their 1991 Class A title win. That was 19 years ago. All of the players on this
year's team – minus the younger Tony – can, down the road, say they were there just last
year.
“I guarantee these guys will go next year,” said Tony, Jr. “You’ll never find a harder-
working group. They’ll do it. If they work hard during the summer and step up, they’ll be
back here.”
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message
Boards!
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
PEORIA – Poor shooting doomed the Eastland Cougars in their semifinal loss to Salt
Fork. Poor shooting also doomed the Madison Trojans in their semifinal loss to Sesser-
Valier.
Good shooting was accomplished by both Eastland and Madison in the Class 1A
Consolation game. Eastland, who shot 25.6% from the field yesterday, increased its
accuracy to a respectable level. However, Madison had an even bigger turnaround. The
Trojans combined their speed and flexibility with the ball with putting up shots in
successive fashion to daze Eastland 75-56.
Madison (24-8) shot with less accuracy than Eastland did in the semifinal - a dismal 23.1%
from the field against Sesser - and turned that around to a 54.1% performance.
Eastland (28-6) played all but thirty seconds of the game without their lead scorer, Tony
Dunlap, Jr., who separated his left shoulder in the semifinal game. He came in for a final
hurrah with 1:34 left in the game, missing his only two shots by using just his right
shooting arm.
His father, coach Tony Dunlap, used this game to find out who will be leaders for the team
during the summer season. The younger Dunlap is the only senior on the team.
“We just wanted to find leaders for the summer, because we have to get better,” said
coach Dunlap. “That’s what we were looking for. I wanted everyone to play. That was our
goal.”
They wanted to win the game, too, but that task seemed to be derailed pretty quickly. The
Cougars never had a lead in the game, and got as close as 5-4 with 6:48 left in the first
quarter. Madison then scored eight straight points to lead to a 19-7 run to close the
quarter.
Delaudus Farrar gave the Trojans a three-point advantage at 7-4, putting back his
offensive rebound. Eastland's ensuing change failed as Kevin Glastetter's jumper was
blocked by Torian Gregory, who scored the next two points. Even more athleticism was
displayed by Gregory, who dished a no-look behind-the-back pass to Farrar for the next
two points.
Brad Dunlap's three-pointer with 46.2 left in the quarter brought the Cougars to within 15.
“Madison is quick,” said coach Dunlap. “That’s my thoughts, they’re real quick.”
The Cougars didn't give up, however. They tried to budge a eight-to-10-point deficit that
was accomplished midway through the second quarter, and did so midway in the third.
The effort was similar to what they accomplished at the same time during their semifinal
game. The Cougars put up three straight three-pointers, two coming from Brad Dunlap
and one from Reid Lessman, to erase a nine-point deficit and tie the game at 42-42.
Madison came right back, as Kendal Echols hit a three-pointer to give his team the lead
once again. It was the start of another Trojan spurt, scoring 13 unanswered.
“They just broke us down,” Brad Dunlap said. “They were really fast and our legs got a
little tired.”
A 12-point spurt followed in the fourth quarter, four of them coming off the offensive glass,
giving the Trojans the biggest lead of the game at 69-46.
Brad Dunlap, who is the youngest of the brotherly duo, had a double-double with 19
points and 12 rebounds, while going seven-for-19 from the field. Brother Tony tried to
hold back tears after the game when talking about playing with his younger brother for the
last time in a Cougar uniform.
“He’s a great player. And we’re going to miss him a lot. And we’re going to try our best to
get back here next year.”
Byers had 12 points and Collin Macomber had 10 points. Lessman had six points,
Glastetter had four, Zeke Hartman and Austin Hansen had two, and Dylan Stichter
chipped in one. The Cougars as a team shot 33.3% from the field.
“We were all thinking we could actually win this,” Brad Dunlap said. “We thought that the
whole game, but at that point, we were all thinking it. We can all do this, we just have to
come together as a team.”
The three Madison seniors all scored in double figures. Farrar led all scorers with 22
points. Echols had 18 points and Eric Mason had 12. Four of Madison's five starters
pulled down more than five rebounds in the game, with Corey Hardin's nine leading.
“That’s the team I was looking for last night,” said Cotto. “We didn’t play nearly that well
last night and I have to give credit to my three seniors, they wanted to come out and show
the state of Illinois how we play.”
The Cougars end what has been the best season in program history. They had achieved
a similar feeling two years ago when they made an Elite Eight appearance for the first
time. That year, they fell to St. Anne in the Supersectional, a team that was similar in
speed and agility to the one Eastland played today.
Coach Dunlap had been on the State Tournament floor as an assistant coach for
Pittsfield in their 1991 Class A title win. That was 19 years ago. All of the players on this
year's team – minus the younger Tony – can, down the road, say they were there just last
year.
“I guarantee these guys will go next year,” said Tony, Jr. “You’ll never find a harder-
working group. They’ll do it. If they work hard during the summer and step up, they’ll be
back here.”
Cody Cutter is the Publisher of Northern Illinois Sports Beat. He can be reached at
Northernillinoissportsbeat@yahoo.com. --- Talk about what's written on our Message
Boards!
| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
At Carver Arena, Peoria
Class 1A State Tournament
Consolation Game
Madison 75 - Eastland 56
key: 2pt, 3pt, ft, pts
Madison (75) - Corey Hardin
1-2 0-0 0-0 2, Eric Mason
6-12 0-0 0-0 12, Kendall
Echols 7-13 4-8 0-0 18,
Torian Gregory 4-8 0-0 1-1 9,
Delandus Farrar 10-17 0-0
2-4 22, Surrendric Smith 0-0
0-0 1-2 1, Torian Wright 3-4
0-0 1-3 7, Lanez Gregory 1-3
0-0 0-0 2, Denico Kirkwood
1-1 0-0 0-0 2, Demetrius
Williams 0-1 0-0 0-0 1, Ivan
Simms 0-0 0-0 0-0 0. Totals:
33-61 4-8 5-10 75.
Eastland (56) - Mack Byers
6-8 0-0 0-0 12, Reid
Lessman 2-12 1-5 1-1 6,
Collin Macomber 4-9 0-0 2-4
10, Brad Dunlap 7-19 4-9 1-1
19, Ty Hartman 0-4 0-1 0-0 0,
Dylan Stichter 0-1 0-1 1-1 1,
Austin Hansen 1-4 0-1 0-0 2,
Drake Walker 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Tony Dunlap 0-2 0-0 0-0 0,
Kevin Glastetter 2-6 0-0 0-2 4,
Fisnik Seferi 0-2 0-0 0-0 0,
Calvin Cassens 0-0 0-0 0-0
0. Totals: 23-69 5-19 5-9 56.
Madison 24 11 22 18 - 75
Eastland 11 14 19 12 - 56
Offensive Rebounds -
Eastland 15 (B. Dunlap 4),
Madison 12 (Farrar 4).
Defensive Rebounds -
Madison 34 (Hardin 8),
Eastland 20 (Dunlap 8).
Assists - Madison 18 (Farrar
7), Eastland 10 (Glastetter 3),
Steals - Madison 8 (T.
Gregory 3), Eastland 4 (four
tied with 1). Blocks - Madison
6 (Mason 2, T. Gregory 2),
Eastland 2 (Hartman, Seferi),
Turnovers - Madison 14,
Eastland 12. Total Fouls -
Eastland 9, Madison 8.
Fouled out - none.
Records: Madison 24-8,
Eastland 28-6.
Class 1A State Tournament
Consolation Game
Madison 75 - Eastland 56
key: 2pt, 3pt, ft, pts
Madison (75) - Corey Hardin
1-2 0-0 0-0 2, Eric Mason
6-12 0-0 0-0 12, Kendall
Echols 7-13 4-8 0-0 18,
Torian Gregory 4-8 0-0 1-1 9,
Delandus Farrar 10-17 0-0
2-4 22, Surrendric Smith 0-0
0-0 1-2 1, Torian Wright 3-4
0-0 1-3 7, Lanez Gregory 1-3
0-0 0-0 2, Denico Kirkwood
1-1 0-0 0-0 2, Demetrius
Williams 0-1 0-0 0-0 1, Ivan
Simms 0-0 0-0 0-0 0. Totals:
33-61 4-8 5-10 75.
Eastland (56) - Mack Byers
6-8 0-0 0-0 12, Reid
Lessman 2-12 1-5 1-1 6,
Collin Macomber 4-9 0-0 2-4
10, Brad Dunlap 7-19 4-9 1-1
19, Ty Hartman 0-4 0-1 0-0 0,
Dylan Stichter 0-1 0-1 1-1 1,
Austin Hansen 1-4 0-1 0-0 2,
Drake Walker 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Tony Dunlap 0-2 0-0 0-0 0,
Kevin Glastetter 2-6 0-0 0-2 4,
Fisnik Seferi 0-2 0-0 0-0 0,
Calvin Cassens 0-0 0-0 0-0
0. Totals: 23-69 5-19 5-9 56.
Madison 24 11 22 18 - 75
Eastland 11 14 19 12 - 56
Offensive Rebounds -
Eastland 15 (B. Dunlap 4),
Madison 12 (Farrar 4).
Defensive Rebounds -
Madison 34 (Hardin 8),
Eastland 20 (Dunlap 8).
Assists - Madison 18 (Farrar
7), Eastland 10 (Glastetter 3),
Steals - Madison 8 (T.
Gregory 3), Eastland 4 (four
tied with 1). Blocks - Madison
6 (Mason 2, T. Gregory 2),
Eastland 2 (Hartman, Seferi),
Turnovers - Madison 14,
Eastland 12. Total Fouls -
Eastland 9, Madison 8.
Fouled out - none.
Records: Madison 24-8,
Eastland 28-6.
FOURTH PLACE: Eastland's
boys basketball team poses for
a photo with their fourth-place
trophy. Top row (L to R): Asst.
Coach Scott Hartman, Head
Coach Tony Dunlap, Fisnik
Seferi, Austin Hansen, Collin
Macomber, Mack Byers, Kevin
Glastetter, Dylan Stichter, Calvin
Cassens, Chase Wilhelms and
Asst. Coach Lary Tigges.
Bottom row (L to R): Drake
Walker, Brad Dunlap, Reid
Lessman, Tony Dunlap, Ty
Hartman, and Zeke Hartman.
Photo by Cody Cutter
boys basketball team poses for
a photo with their fourth-place
trophy. Top row (L to R): Asst.
Coach Scott Hartman, Head
Coach Tony Dunlap, Fisnik
Seferi, Austin Hansen, Collin
Macomber, Mack Byers, Kevin
Glastetter, Dylan Stichter, Calvin
Cassens, Chase Wilhelms and
Asst. Coach Lary Tigges.
Bottom row (L to R): Drake
Walker, Brad Dunlap, Reid
Lessman, Tony Dunlap, Ty
Hartman, and Zeke Hartman.
Photo by Cody Cutter
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