McLeansboro Times-Leader

Sports

January 12, 2012

Woodlawn clips Foxes 63-51

By CHARLES PENDELL charles.pendell@mcleansborotimesleader.com

McLEANSBORO — In its first home game of the new year, Hamilton County’s boys basketball team found Woodlawn to be a tough opponent.

The Cardinals upended the host Foxes 63-51.

Both teams took turns with the lead in the first frame. CJ Lemmons got the Foxes on the board with a long trey and then Chad Flannigan scored inside and added a free throw. Adam Rubenacker then got loose for a layup and Flannigan scored again inside. Flannigan hit the front end of the one and one to put the Foxes ahead 11-9, then Woodlawn tied the game at 11. Rubenacker came down just before the horn sounded and drilled a trey to give the Foxes a 14-11 lead after one.

Woodlawn scored the first two baskets of the second quarter to take a one point lead, but Levi Lueke answered with a basket on the inbounds play.Woodlawn moved out to a 22-17 advantage, but Rubenacker came down and hit another trey to cut the lead to 22-20. Garrett Biggerstaff took a charge giving the ball back to the Foxes with less than a minute left in the first half. Travis Stevens found Lueke all alone inside to tie things up at 22-22 at the half.

The turning point of the contest came at the beginning of the third as Woodlawn’s Gabe Owens went on a 7-0 run himself and Woodlawn extended their advantage to 35-22 adding six more points for a 13-0 run. Lemmons finally scored on an inside basket and Rubenacker drained a trey getting the Foxes deficit down to 10. Woodlawn hit two treys around a Flannigan rebound basket as the Cardinals were holding strong to a 43-29 lead after three quarters of action.

The Foxes started the fourth with a short jumper by Rubenacker and a rebound stick-back by Flannigan to cut the lead once again down to 10. Lemmons drove the lane for two and added a free throw to complete the three point play to get the Foxes within 7 with 4:34 left. The Foxes tried to get back into the game as Flannigan made a move inside and Lemmons and Rubenacker both knocked down treys in the last minute of the game, but the Foxes kept fouling Owens, and he responded by hitting six free throws to secure the 63-51 victory.

Lemmons had 17 points to lead the Foxes, with Flannigan adding 16, Rubenacker 14 and Lueke 4. The Foxes were six of 14 from the free-throw line, while Woodlawn was 18 of 29.

Owens led the Cardinals with 17 points.

“Woodlawn is a good squad,” Fox coach Keith Welch said. “They are 11-2 and have two kids that played in the state tournament last year. I thought we did a lot of theings right in the first half. There is something for the kids to build on down the road. Owens is a nice player and the third quarter was hard on us. We were down 13 and battled back to within six and had a good look to cut it to less than that, but they didn’t fall and we had to foul and unfortunately Owens shoots 98 percent from the free-throw line. The kids played hard and battled back, which is Foxes basketball. I understand we didn’t win the game, but we will keep plugging away. We’re going to get better every game and that is what we are after. The attitude is still positive no matter what; we are a team.

“We have to stay positive and keep working toward our goal,” Welch said. “When it comes to regional time, it’s 0-0.”

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