By Dennis Bowling
Peotone senior Miles Heflin knows quite well that, when playing Manteno, there is plenty at stake and such was the case on January 6.
Heflin saved the day for the Blue Devils, scoring his biggest pair of baskets this season late in the second overtime, to help Peotone outlast Manteno, 51-48, in double overtime. It was a very exciting Illinois Central Eight Conference game before a capacity gathering in Manteno.
Heflin, who has evolved into a remarkable player with very impressive abilities, played a significant role in defeating Manteno.
At the end of the fourth quarter, Peotone was clinging to a 36-34 lead. That was thanks to Blue Devil Lucas Gesswein’s (12 points) pair of free throws. With time running out, the Panthers Porter Chandler’s pair of free throws tied the contest at 36-all, which forced the overtime session.
At 1:19 in the second overtime, the Panthers’ (5-10, 1-5) Porter Chandler (17 points) shot a pair of free throws giving Manteno a 47-45 lead.
Then, with 43 seconds to go in the second overtime, Heflin’s bucket tied the game at 47-all. Moments later, following a Panther missed shot, Heflin went the full length of the floor and made a basket for a 49-47 advantage, much to the delight of the cheering Blue Devil fans.
With 26 seconds left on the clock, Manteno’s Jeremiah Renchen’s (11 points) single free throw cut the Blue Devils lead to 49-48.
Four seconds later, Peotone’s Brandon Weiss made a clutch pair of free throws to secure the win at 51-48. With time running out, Manteno’s Matt Regan’s pair of jump shots missed the basket.
When the game ended, Blue Devil students came out of the bleachers and sang the school song with the Peotone basketball team. Inside the Blue Devils locker room, they were celebrating loudly.
Blue Devil Coach Ron Oloffson summarized the impact of the win over rival Manteno, “That was just a typical rival battle, but we did not do that well on offense. Miles is our go to guy and helped us to win this game. I am very proud of my team.”
“Brandon (Weiss) is our best free throw shooter,” he continued. “He played the entire game and never came out. He got to run the show.”
Heflin, who is the best player in the Illinois Central Eight Conference, was happy to beat rival Manteno.
“We played tough and hard throughout the entire game,” he said. “This is an awesome, great win. Brandon was able to handle the ball and made a pair of clutch free throws. He wanted to help us win.”
Weiss, who made the most important pair of free throws for this season, was very happy, and said, “I didn’t do anything during the game. I just thought that I had to make those free throws.”
“It feels amazing, and it’s a great thing to be able to beat Manteno,” he noted. “Miles put us on his back and carried us.”
Peotone will play host to the Wilmington Wildcats on January 13, at 7 p.m. The Panthers will host Herscher High School’s Tigers also on January 13, at 7 p.m.