By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
BROOKS, Ore.–The Willamette Valley Christian of Brooks found themselves in a track race with Illinois Valley Saturday afternoon as they and the Cougars were tied at 55, entering the fourth quarter.
Both teams brought the intensity and energy. The physicality was there too as they entered those final eight minutes of the game. It was a mental test for the two squads as the preseason slate draws to a close in the coming days.
“It was definitely one of those games where three quarters we stuck with them the whole time. We didn’t finish like we wanted to, but it’s just a learning experience for all of us with how each other plays and good pressure situations to help us through the rest of the season,” said the Warriors Ben Sellers.
“Good teams like this who are really aggressive. We need to execute more. We have the effort these last couple of games, but we need to execute a little more on offense, box out and it comes down to a little more mental readiness when it comes to these kind of games.
Illinois Valley turned to their size and length in the fourth quarter to help pull away in the fourth to take the game 66-58. They remembered the talk they had in the locker room during halftime, fixing the mistakes, and coming together as a team was the message they took to heart to overcome a sluggish first half to start the contest.
“Our team is really five guy oriented. We need everyone at the same time. That’s anyone coming off the bench or whoever has the ball in their hands. We all five have to be dialed in,” said Illinois Valley’s Jesse Connell. “Definitely rebound intensity. We focus a lot on practice about getting to the board offensively and defensively. It’s something we need to improve on, too. Playing five defenses, defensive intensity as a five and getting the offensive boards, and getting the second-chance points.”
Connell finished with 17 points for the Cougars in the win.Brantly Arroyo led Illinois Valley with 22 points. The Cougars head to Umpqua Valley Christian on Monday.
Sellers led the Warriors with 21 points and had five three-pointers in the game.Navi Monjaras scored 11 points for Willamette Valley Christian, who will host Manahouse Academy on Monday.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
