Indians overcome slow start against Hawks

Class 3A regional game between Pontiac and Prairie Central

Erich Murphy

Prairie Central’s start to Monday’s regional game against Pontiac was something that might have harkened to the days of Tom Posey’s teams. The Hawks were hot early and creating a big lead.
   “I asked them to jump out on them early instead of getting down like we did the last two games,”PC head coach Alan Dunahee said. “They did a wonderful job, they hit shots and got stops. It was a real good start.”
   But it wasn’t meant to be. Pontiac, the third seed at the Class 3A Herscher Regional, has shown an ability to make things happen at both ends of the floor, and a little change in personnel went a long way to pushing the Indians into the semifinal round with a 96-79 victory.
   “I knew they were going to come out with high energy,” Pontiac head coach Durrell Robinson said. “They came out more excited and played like it was their last game; they played with a passion.
   “Our bench did a great job of stepping in and changing the impact of the game on the defensive end, which showed what we’re all about this year, the ‘we, not me’ mentality — next man up.”
   Robinson pulled four of hist starters as Prairie Central was building a 20-6 lead in the game’s first 4½ minutes. Only Ben Schuler stuck around after the first wave of substitutions.
   Schuler had hit a pair of 3-pointers that accounted for Pontiac’s points until Peyton Amm, one of those to get the call off the pines, nailed a trey with 3:04 left in the opening period. It started what became a 17-6 run to close out the quarter and bring the Indians to within three, at 26-23.
   Pontiac’s surge was highlighted by the scoring of Cam Dawson, but it was triggered by the defense.
   “The big thing was they put the pressure on us and we didn’t handle it as well as we could have,” Dunahee said. “That threw us out of our rhythm.”
   Colton Walsberg hit two free throws with 3:29 left in the half to draw the Tribe to within one, at 35-34, and then converted a steal in the backcourt moments later that put the Indians ahead, 36-35.
   Alden Rutledge drained a pair of free throws with three minutes left in the half to cap a six-point spurt in 29 seconds for the Indians.
   The tempo of the game was really more to Pontiac’s liking and favor. It helped the Indians find a groove.
   “We knew they were going to make a run back at us,” Dunahee said. “I thought we stemmed the tide fairly well (but) they hit some shots they didn’t hit early.”
   Pontiac took a 49-43 lead into the break and was up 71-57 after three quarters. Dawson scored six points for PTHS in the first 75 seconds as the Tribe extended its advantage to 77-57.
   “(Cam Dawson) had a nice game, he made some shots inside that he didn’t do against us the first two games,” Dunahee said. “He established himself and I think he was the difference. There were some other things, but he just stood out in my mind. We couldn’t put the stop on him.”
   Prairie Central managed to hang around, but time was getting away from the Hawks, and Pontiac was able to keep them at bay.
   Noah Lewallen led the Prairie Central (8-19) offense with a game-high 23 points. He had 13 points in the first half in trying to keep PC in contention. Jake Bachtold added 14 points and Keegan Stein had 9 as 10 different Hawks scored. Jake Crane added 8 points, Peyton Rigsby, Wyatt Steidinger and Eddie Shumaker each had 5 and Billy Printz scored 4. Trey Seeman and We Semmerling had 3 points apiece.
   So, what’s next for Pontiac?
   “Prepare for Streator, which is another tough opponent, but just focus on what we need to do to have a chance at winning,” Robinson said. “That’s focus on the defensive end and dictate that way, and just stay together. Postseason is about winning and surviving.”
   The Indians (15-12) were paced by Dawson and Schuler with 18 points apiece. Luke Fox and Carter Dawson each had 10 points with Rutledge and Ryan Weir chipping in 8 points apiece. Walsberg hit for 7, Amm added 5 points, Tyler Rich and Michael Davis each scored 4, Isaac Nollen had 3 and Clay Miller checked in with 1 point.