By Dennis Bowling
With the IHSA post season regional tournament just around the corner, the seeding portion will be coming up very soon. Look for the Beecher Bobcats to get a very respectable seed on February 7.
Beecher is heading into the post-season play with plenty of momentum, as the Bobcats beat host Reed-Custer, 71-62, in a high energy type of atmosphere in Braidwood. It was the season finale for both clubs.
The Comets (22-5) are the first place team in the Illinois Central Eight Conference. It was a very nice accomplishment for the Bobcats (23-5), who are the top team in the River Valley Conference, to be able to beat them.
“This was just an evenly matched game,” said Beecher Coach Tyler Shireman. “It had a regional feeling to it and was good timing for a win.”
“I am very happy to be able to play in an important game,” he added. “It’s a road win, an especially tough one against an ICE opponent. I am very proud of our efforts.”
Reed-Custer Coach Mark Porter tossed accolades of praise at the Bobcats, and especially outstanding junior Adyn McGinley, who finished with a team-high 25 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds.
“Beecher is one of the top teams in this area,” he said. “They are very good and have the players who can knock down their shots.”
“He (McGinley) is really very good,” Porter continued. “He sees the floor very well and always is able to find his open teammates on the floor. Give him an inch, and he can make a shot.”
McGinley is hoping the win over the Comets will give the Bobcats a well-deserved high seed.
“This win has seeding implications to it and should really help us,” he said. “We are sitting really well.”
Junior Jack Hayhurst, a sharp shooting guard, finished with 14 points and 4 rebounds, including three treys.
“I was able to get some open looks,” he remarked. “It was a good experience to play them. We know what they have.”
At the close of the first quarter, Beecher owned an 18-11 lead. To begin the second quarter, the Bobcats outscored the Comets by an 11-3 count, for a 29-14 advantage.
In the second, McGinley came out on fire and made consecutive treys for a 24-14 lead, then completed a jump shot basket to make it 26-14. A Hayhurst trey from the top of the key pushed the Bobcat margin to 29-14, with Beecher owning a 38-28 half time advantage.
In the third quarter, Reed-Custer outscored Beecher by a 9-0 count, which narrowed the Bobcats advantage 38-37. At that point, Beecher did not panic at all. The Bobcats answered by outscoring the Comets by a 10-0 count to hold an impressive 48-37 advantage.
Rio Llamas’ (6 points) rebound basket made it 40-37. A Hayhurst trey stretched the margin to 43-37, followed by Ethan Rydberg’s (11 points, 6 rebounds) basket to make it 45-37. Another McGinley bucket pushed the lead to 47-37, while Zachary Johnson’s (9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) single free throw gave the Bobcats a 48-37 advantage.
With the win, the Bobcats are hoping to have a very successful post season run.
In the junior varsity contest, Reed-Custer beat Beecher, 48-44. Noah Berry led the Bobcats with 14 points, Dominick DeFrank had 11 points, and Wences Baumgartner finished with six.