Back-to-Back Unbeaten Seasons
For 'Bago Boys
For 'Bago Boys
Winnebago blows open the gate in the second quarter for 53-40 win over Byron ...
| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
By Cody Cutter
Northern Illinois Sports Beat Publisher
WINNEBAGO (Feb. 19) – When it comes to choosing who to play against, along with
most other things basketball-related, the Winnebago boys basketball team is pretty good.
For the second straight season, the Indians ended their regular season without a defeat.
They did so having solidified it with a 53-40 Big Northern West victory over Byron on
Winnebago's Senior Night. The win also gave the Indians (27-0, 10-0) an outright division
championship. Byron (20-6, 8-2) finishes in second place in the division.
Winnebago has won 59 consecutive regular season games dating back to January 2008,
which is third best all-time behind Breese Mater Dei (63 from 1983-85) and Franklin Park
East Leyden (108 from 1974-79).
The interesting bit of trivia is simply that in the minds of the team.
“Right now we're just looking forward to the (Regional) tournament,” said Winnebago
coach Joe Murphy. “That's just the way it is, you can't dwell on what's happened right now
and just move on and get ready for the next one.”
At first the Tigers looked as if they were going to be serious contenders to stop the
streak. Byron held a 7-6 lead after one quarter, but Winnebago finally found a way to
break the game open in the second quarter. The Indians outscored Byron 22-4 in the
second quarter to lead 28-11 at halftime.
An 8-0 run by Winnebago started the quarter as a pair of Chas Cross free-throws gave
them a 8-6 lead. Two minutes later, Brad Reinke scored after putting back an offensive
rebound from a Mike Mann-failed three-point attempt. Reinke's shot gave his team a 10-7
lead, which was the biggest lead at the time. It would only get bigger.
Cross had 12 of his game-high 25 points and also had four rebounds in the second
quarter, while Reinke added three rebounds and A.J. Thomas added three assists. Cross
ended the Indian's paint presence of the quarter with a two-handed dunk with 1:17 left.
Jeff Sartorius hit a three-pointer with six seconds left in the quarter, one of four on the
night for the team.
“We were able to get the tempo a little higher a couple of times,” said Murphy. “Once we
got the lead, they couldn't hold the ball as much and had to force things a little bit. The
biggest thing was just lobbing the ball to Chas because of his height.”
Winnebago's quest for perfection was boosted by near-perfect accuracy from the field, as
the Indians went six-for-seven during the quarter, with the only miss being recovered for a
Cross putback. Byron could only go two-for-seven from the field in the second quarter
with Matthew Groharing and Adam Head providing the only buckets for the Tigers.
“We just picked up our 'D' and they made some silly turnovers,” said Cross, who also had
five blocks in the game. “That was the biggest part; our defense led to our fast-break and
got us some easy points.”
Although the Tigers would get back on the board in the third quarter, the lead was
extended to twenty points after a three-point play from Mann with one second left to go in
the third quarter. Both teams combined to shoot 28 free-throws as the game wound down
in the fourth quarter. Hunter Hill nailed six-of-six while Cross nailed seven-of-ten.
The game's biggest lead was at 23 points after the 6'8” Cross hit a three-pointer from a
Reinke pass with 3:27 left.
Reinke added eight points and six rebounds. Thomas and Mann each had seven points,
with Sartorius and Seth Gustafson each having three. Winnebago combined to shoot 17-
for-29 from the field in making over half of their shots. Byron, who outscored Winnebago
22-15 in the final frame, was led by Hill's 16 points with 14 of them coming in the fourth.
Head had five rebounds for the Tigers.
The only other time Winnebago had an unbeaten regular season was in 1991-92, having
gone 24-0 during the regular season. They lost in the regional final that year. If
Winnebago were to meet Byron again, it would be in the Stillman Valley Regional final
game.
“We know we're probably going to play Byron next Friday again,” said Murphy. “So you
know we're going to have to do it again.”
Eleven seniors on the Winnebago team were honored before the game. Seniors on the
band, dance and cheerleading teams were also honored. The players can boast that they
have never lost a home game in a varsity uniform.
“It's unusual to have 11 seniors,” said Murphy. “That is great in itself. All season long the
seniors – even the guys that don't play much – work hard in practice, and that's what you
ask for out of all of your seniors.
“We had a lot of unselfish seniors this year that are willing to get out and practice hard,
and make the other guys successful. It was great for us.”
It seemed fitting that the final home game was for the division title.
“The least we could do was tie, but we wanted to go out on our Senior Night and win it for
us,” said Cross. “The support and everything we've had ... our emotions are so high."
Byron Wins Fresh-Soph Game: With both teams coming into the game with just one
loss, the Winnebago and Byron fresh-soph team played in front of a not-yet sold out
crowd. Byron used a great second half to upend Winnebago 62-52.
Both teams scored 11 in the first quarter. Winnebago led 29-23 at halftime with Matt
Reinke and Jacoby Posley scoring the last five points of the half. Byron made the
necessary halftime adjustments in putting together a 15-4 third quarter performance.
Byron's Gavyn Nelson had nine of his 17 points in the quarter, while the defense forced
itself into the bonus situation early.
Anthony Misuraca had 14 points for Winnebago.
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
WINNEBAGO (Feb. 19) – When it comes to choosing who to play against, along with
most other things basketball-related, the Winnebago boys basketball team is pretty good.
For the second straight season, the Indians ended their regular season without a defeat.
They did so having solidified it with a 53-40 Big Northern West victory over Byron on
Winnebago's Senior Night. The win also gave the Indians (27-0, 10-0) an outright division
championship. Byron (20-6, 8-2) finishes in second place in the division.
Winnebago has won 59 consecutive regular season games dating back to January 2008,
which is third best all-time behind Breese Mater Dei (63 from 1983-85) and Franklin Park
East Leyden (108 from 1974-79).
The interesting bit of trivia is simply that in the minds of the team.
“Right now we're just looking forward to the (Regional) tournament,” said Winnebago
coach Joe Murphy. “That's just the way it is, you can't dwell on what's happened right now
and just move on and get ready for the next one.”
At first the Tigers looked as if they were going to be serious contenders to stop the
streak. Byron held a 7-6 lead after one quarter, but Winnebago finally found a way to
break the game open in the second quarter. The Indians outscored Byron 22-4 in the
second quarter to lead 28-11 at halftime.
An 8-0 run by Winnebago started the quarter as a pair of Chas Cross free-throws gave
them a 8-6 lead. Two minutes later, Brad Reinke scored after putting back an offensive
rebound from a Mike Mann-failed three-point attempt. Reinke's shot gave his team a 10-7
lead, which was the biggest lead at the time. It would only get bigger.
Cross had 12 of his game-high 25 points and also had four rebounds in the second
quarter, while Reinke added three rebounds and A.J. Thomas added three assists. Cross
ended the Indian's paint presence of the quarter with a two-handed dunk with 1:17 left.
Jeff Sartorius hit a three-pointer with six seconds left in the quarter, one of four on the
night for the team.
“We were able to get the tempo a little higher a couple of times,” said Murphy. “Once we
got the lead, they couldn't hold the ball as much and had to force things a little bit. The
biggest thing was just lobbing the ball to Chas because of his height.”
Winnebago's quest for perfection was boosted by near-perfect accuracy from the field, as
the Indians went six-for-seven during the quarter, with the only miss being recovered for a
Cross putback. Byron could only go two-for-seven from the field in the second quarter
with Matthew Groharing and Adam Head providing the only buckets for the Tigers.
“We just picked up our 'D' and they made some silly turnovers,” said Cross, who also had
five blocks in the game. “That was the biggest part; our defense led to our fast-break and
got us some easy points.”
Although the Tigers would get back on the board in the third quarter, the lead was
extended to twenty points after a three-point play from Mann with one second left to go in
the third quarter. Both teams combined to shoot 28 free-throws as the game wound down
in the fourth quarter. Hunter Hill nailed six-of-six while Cross nailed seven-of-ten.
The game's biggest lead was at 23 points after the 6'8” Cross hit a three-pointer from a
Reinke pass with 3:27 left.
Reinke added eight points and six rebounds. Thomas and Mann each had seven points,
with Sartorius and Seth Gustafson each having three. Winnebago combined to shoot 17-
for-29 from the field in making over half of their shots. Byron, who outscored Winnebago
22-15 in the final frame, was led by Hill's 16 points with 14 of them coming in the fourth.
Head had five rebounds for the Tigers.
The only other time Winnebago had an unbeaten regular season was in 1991-92, having
gone 24-0 during the regular season. They lost in the regional final that year. If
Winnebago were to meet Byron again, it would be in the Stillman Valley Regional final
game.
“We know we're probably going to play Byron next Friday again,” said Murphy. “So you
know we're going to have to do it again.”
Eleven seniors on the Winnebago team were honored before the game. Seniors on the
band, dance and cheerleading teams were also honored. The players can boast that they
have never lost a home game in a varsity uniform.
“It's unusual to have 11 seniors,” said Murphy. “That is great in itself. All season long the
seniors – even the guys that don't play much – work hard in practice, and that's what you
ask for out of all of your seniors.
“We had a lot of unselfish seniors this year that are willing to get out and practice hard,
and make the other guys successful. It was great for us.”
It seemed fitting that the final home game was for the division title.
“The least we could do was tie, but we wanted to go out on our Senior Night and win it for
us,” said Cross. “The support and everything we've had ... our emotions are so high."
Byron Wins Fresh-Soph Game: With both teams coming into the game with just one
loss, the Winnebago and Byron fresh-soph team played in front of a not-yet sold out
crowd. Byron used a great second half to upend Winnebago 62-52.
Both teams scored 11 in the first quarter. Winnebago led 29-23 at halftime with Matt
Reinke and Jacoby Posley scoring the last five points of the half. Byron made the
necessary halftime adjustments in putting together a 15-4 third quarter performance.
Byron's Gavyn Nelson had nine of his 17 points in the quarter, while the defense forced
itself into the bonus situation early.
Anthony Misuraca had 14 points for Winnebago.
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!
At Winnebago
Winnebago 53 - Byron 40
Key: 2pt, 3pt, ft, pts
Byron (40) – Justin Rosecke
1-3 1-4 1-2 6, Cody French 0-
0 0-0 0-0 0, Mark Goldsmith 0-
0 0-0 0-0 0, Matthew
Groharing 1-2 0-0 2-2 4,
Christian Enna 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Justin Nason 0-2 0-0 0-0 0,
Hunter Hill 5-7 0-1 6-6 16,
Connor Bernhard 3-5 0-0 1-4
7, Nathan Anderson 0-1 0-1 1-
2 2, Adam Head 2-5 0-0 2-2
6, Luke Bliton 0-0 0-0 0-2 0.
Totals: 12-25 1-6 13-20 40.
Winnebago (53) – Brandon
Clinite 0-0 0-0 0-0 0, Jeff
Sartorius 0-0 1-1 0-0 3, Mike
Mann 1-3 1-4 2-3 7, Seth
Gustafson 0-1 1-1 0-0 3, Alex
Johansson 0-1 0-0 -0-0 0,
Marcus Posley 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Joe Bronkema 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Kyaton Sanklin 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
T.J. Lindgren 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Brad Reinke 3-4 0-0 2-3 8,
Seth Booker 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Zach Draves 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Derek DeMars 0-1 0-0 0-0 0,
Chas Cross 6-10 1-1 10-14
25, A.J. Thomas 3-3 0-0 1-2
7. Totals: 13-22 4-7 15-22 53.
Byron - 7 4 7 22 - 40
Winnebago - 6 22 10 15 - 53
Offensive Rebounds - Byron
6 (Head 3), Winnebago 3
(Reinke 2); Defensive
Rebounds - Winnebago 15
(Cross 7), Byron 12 (four tied
with 2); Blocks - Winnebago 5
(Cross 5); Turnovers -
Winnebago 8, Byron 7.
Records - Winnebago 27-0
(10-0 BNC West), Byron 20-6
(8-2)
F/S Result - Byron 62,
Winnebago 52
Winnebago 53 - Byron 40
Key: 2pt, 3pt, ft, pts
Byron (40) – Justin Rosecke
1-3 1-4 1-2 6, Cody French 0-
0 0-0 0-0 0, Mark Goldsmith 0-
0 0-0 0-0 0, Matthew
Groharing 1-2 0-0 2-2 4,
Christian Enna 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Justin Nason 0-2 0-0 0-0 0,
Hunter Hill 5-7 0-1 6-6 16,
Connor Bernhard 3-5 0-0 1-4
7, Nathan Anderson 0-1 0-1 1-
2 2, Adam Head 2-5 0-0 2-2
6, Luke Bliton 0-0 0-0 0-2 0.
Totals: 12-25 1-6 13-20 40.
Winnebago (53) – Brandon
Clinite 0-0 0-0 0-0 0, Jeff
Sartorius 0-0 1-1 0-0 3, Mike
Mann 1-3 1-4 2-3 7, Seth
Gustafson 0-1 1-1 0-0 3, Alex
Johansson 0-1 0-0 -0-0 0,
Marcus Posley 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Joe Bronkema 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Kyaton Sanklin 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
T.J. Lindgren 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Brad Reinke 3-4 0-0 2-3 8,
Seth Booker 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Zach Draves 0-0 0-0 0-0 0,
Derek DeMars 0-1 0-0 0-0 0,
Chas Cross 6-10 1-1 10-14
25, A.J. Thomas 3-3 0-0 1-2
7. Totals: 13-22 4-7 15-22 53.
Byron - 7 4 7 22 - 40
Winnebago - 6 22 10 15 - 53
Offensive Rebounds - Byron
6 (Head 3), Winnebago 3
(Reinke 2); Defensive
Rebounds - Winnebago 15
(Cross 7), Byron 12 (four tied
with 2); Blocks - Winnebago 5
(Cross 5); Turnovers -
Winnebago 8, Byron 7.
Records - Winnebago 27-0
(10-0 BNC West), Byron 20-6
(8-2)
F/S Result - Byron 62,
Winnebago 52
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