Our Savior's cuts it close again.
The Eagles’s second game at home wasn’t very comfortable but a big run in the second half lifted them over Rockford Lutheran, 56-43, on Saturday night.
“What’s the saying,” asked head coach Phillip Heppe. “There’s no such thing as a bad win. Thought it was a gritty, tough, defensive-minded basketball game tonight.”
The Eagles (3-1) offense started slow shooting 0-of-7 from the floor in the first two minutes with two turnovers, much of the struggles coming from inside. Our Savior's tried getting the ball to Wes Mullen and Christian Lahniers early, but neither looked ready to go. Mullen shot 1-of-7 from the floor to and committed three turnovers in the first half, with Lahniers only pitching in five points.
“We didn’t help Wes in the first half,” Heppe said. “Got him quick looks but didn’t make the defense move. He still rushes things now and then. Second half, we ran better offense, got him deeper in post, made some nice moves.”
Jace Easley and Conor McCaffrey connected on back-to-back three-point attempts to spark as much offense as we were going to see in the first 212 minutes. Easley finished the half with eight points to lead Illinois and Frazier with seven.
Despite the rough start offensively, the first half was highlighted by strong defensive play. Our Savior's forced turnovers and bad shots resulting in Rockford shooting 12-of-33 from the floor. Wes Mullen lead the way with three blocks and thirteen defensive rebounds, and the Eagles kept the fouls to a minimum, committing just two violations. Still the Eagles headed to the break tied with Rockford (3-2) at 26.
Cold shooting was just a thing of the past as Our Savior's jumped out early in the second half to the tune of a 16-4 run. Ball movement down low allowed Mullen to start the half a couple easy buckets in the first few minutes. McCaffrey picked up his play in the second half, finishing with 13 in the ballgame. And Gabe King had his best game of the year scoring six points in a supporting role, including a beautiful spin move through the paint.
“We know Gabe can score the basketball, and he’s an excellent passer,” Heppe said. “His productivity tonight was vital. We need that consistently from him.”
Conor McCaffrey reestablished himself as one of the best shooters on the team, finding the bottom of the net on 3-of-4 long ball attempts and totaling 13 points. Rockford couldn’t keep pace with Our Savior's as they fell, 56-43.