Knights top BHS
By MATT LEVINS
mlevinsmlevins
When it rains it pours, and for the Burlington High School boys basketball team, it has been a veritable gullywasher this season.
Just when the Grayhounds thought they had all the pieces in place to make a nice little run in the rugged Mississippi Athletic Conference, yet another obstacle was thrown in front of the Grayhounds.
This time it is the loss of starting forward Nick Kohlhof, who suffered a torn labrium in his right shoulder in a game against Mount Pleasant just before the Christmas break. Kohlhof is likely done for the season and will probably have to undergo surgery to repair the damaged shoulder.
So BHS coach Jeff Bloomer had to make yet another adjustment to his lineup for Friday night’s MAC game against Davenport Assumption.
BHS was poised to upend the Knights and claim its first MAC win of the year. But the Grayhounds ran out of gas, connecting on just two fourth-quarter field goals as Assumption pulled away for a 50-36 victory on the Don Gibbs Court at Johannsen Gymnasium.
Sometimes its seems that if the Grayhounds don’t have bad luck, they don’t have any luck at all.
“In our last game before Christmas against Mount Pleasant, we made an adjustment in what we were doing and were ready to make a move,” Bloomer said. “Then Nick’s injury happens and we’re back to square one. It was devastating for us and devastating for him. But it’s like I told our kids — all we can control is our effort, our attitude and our improvement.”
Burlington (2-6 overall, 0-4 MAC), perhaps playing for their fallen teammate, took it to the Knights early on. Senior center Denton Cahill put the Grayhounds on his back and carried them early on. In his best game of the season, Cahill poured in a game-high 14 points for the Grayhounds.
“Sometimes when you take a major player out of the lineup, you are forced to start playing the way you are capable of to pick up the slack,” Bloomer said. “With Nick not down there, I think Denton understands that he needs to be aggressive, needs to look to score more. He did that tonight.”
BHS knotted the game at 11 on a leaner by Cahill late in the first quarter, his third consecutive basket.
Moments later, Glasgow buried a 3-pointer and Matt Brueck sank a jumper from the top of the key to give the Grayhounds a 16-14 lead heading into the second quarter.
A duck-under by Cahill and a drive down the right baseline by Shaq Baker gave BHS a 20-14 lead early in the second quarter.
But the Grayhounds would get just one more basket in the quarter and trailed 23-22 at halftime.
Assumption sophomore center Joe Daniels, held scoreless through the first 16 minutes, came to life in the second half. Daniels scored all 12 of his points in the second half as Assumption pounded the ball inside time after time.
Still, BHS would not go away. A layin by Cahill and a long trey by Jack Flaherty with one second left knotted the game at 31 heading into the fourth quarter.
But Assumption scored the first three baskets of the fourth quarter — a short jumper by Asa Klein and back-to-back baskets by Daniels.
BHS had just two field goals — a short jumper by Glasgow with 6 minutes, 15 seconds left and a layin by Cahill with 2:14 left — in the final eight minutes.
Daniels came up with two of the biggest plays in the final quarter. He blocked a layup by Flaherty which would have brought the Grayhounds within six points with just over a minute left. He then came up with a rebound off a missed free throw by Sean Finn, then scored on a layin to give Assumption a 45-35 lead.
DAVENPORT ASSUMPTION (50)
Ben Bush 2-4 0-0 5, Tom Pettis 2-7 4-6 8, Sean Finn 4-9 2-3 13, Joe Daniels 6-10 0-2 12, Asa Klein 5-8 2-2 12, Jeff Karlix 0-0 0-0 0, Mike Furlong 0-0 0-0 0, Chris Hansen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 19-38 8-13 50.
BURLINGTON (36)
Zach Glasgow 3-12 3-4 11, Jack Flaherty 1-6 0-0 3, Matt Brueck 1-4 0-0 2, Conner Davis 1-4 0-2 2, Denton Cahill 7-10 0-2 14, Trey Ramsey 1-2 0-0 2, Zachery Danekas 0-0 0-0 0, Brock Anderson 0-0 0-0 0, Shaq Baker 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 15-39 3-8 36.
Score by quarters
Dav.Assumption 14 9 8 19 – 50
Burlington 16 6 9 5 – 36
Fouls: Davenport Assumption 10, Burlington 12. Fouled out: None. Technicals: None. 3-point goals: Davenport Assumption 4-14 (Finn 3-8, Bush 1-3, Pettis 0-3), Burlington 3-14 (Glasgow 2-7, Flaherty 1-4, Ramsey 0-1, Brueck 0-2).
Records: Davenport Assumption 4-6 (3-3), Burlington 2-6 (0-4).
Tags: attitude, best game