By Dennis Bowling
Peotone Coach Ron Oloffson was hoping to finish on a positive note in a very important contest against No. 1 seeded Pontiac. The Blue Devils ended their up and down season on February 24, as Pontiac eliminated the Blue Devils, 54-39, in the title game of the Class 2A Momence Regional in Momence.
The Blue Devils were sitting pretty holding a 25-21 half time lead. However, in the third quarter, the Indians outscored Peotone by a 16-4 count, with Pontiac holding a commanding 37-29 lead at the close of the stanza. The Blue Devils never recovered. The Blue Devils (17-15) did the best they could against highly touted Pontiac, but seven turnovers in the third quarter wasn’t helpful.
“We just made too many turnovers in the third quarter,” said Oloffson. “They got some easy baskets, and we didn’t score any points. They turned up the heat on us, and we couldn’t match it.”
Peotone senior Miles Heflin, a 6-foot-4 outstanding forward, had 12 points and 6 rebounds. “Miles did it all for us,” the Coach said. “We didn’t box out around the basket, but I’m very proud of my team.”
Heflin was the cornerstone of this team, always making the clutch shots. He also was a strong rebounder and was a three-point threat, too.
“We had fire in the first half of the game,” he said. “We came out slow in the third quarter of the game, and their pressure defense gave us trouble.”
“Brandon (Weiss) did a good job of handling the ball,” he continued. “He was able to drive to the basket and is a key contributor. He has a great future.”
Weiss, a sophomore, finished with nine points, including three treys. He did a great job of bringing the ball up the court against the Indians’ pressure defense, while senior Wil Graffeo finished with four points and five assists and always plays the game at a very high level.
“We were able to pull things together for the post season,” he said. “We had a rocky regular season but did very well in the post season playoffs. Miles played tough for us and was an offensive threat. Brandon (Weiss) will do very well next season and will be a big threat for us in conference.”
Peotone senior James Kuypers had five steals and four assists.
“In the third quarter, we just came out soft,” he said. “We had a tough time with their pressure defense and had a couple of calls that didn’t go our way. They just beat us. Miles is a phenomenal player and has a nice finishing touch around the basket, plus Brandon is a real three-point threat.”
The Blue Devils will be a very competitive team next season. Talented returning juniors include Hunter Becker, Colin Emsweller, and Landen Hamm. Sophomores to keep an eye on are Weiss, Chase Rivera, and Ruben Velasco.
The Devils finished the season at 17-15, along with the first winning record since the 2016-17 season.