Rock Falls tops Mendota in OT; L-P handles Kewanee in Colmone Classic

SPRING VALLEY – The opening game Wednesday night at the 50th Colmone Classic saw Rock Falls battle to a 77-72 overtime victory over Mendota.

The Rockets, behind three long-range 3-pointers from Kuitim Heald, led 51-49 heading into the fourth quarter.

Freshman Cole Tillman drove the lane for the Trojans and cut the Rockets’ lead to 56-55, but moments later off a miss, Nehemiah Menendez tipped the ball to Christian Hernandez for a basket and a foul. Hernandez converted the three-point play to push the lead to four points.

The lead ballooned to 62-55 when Ryken Howard drained a 3-pointer for Rock Falls. But Tillman had back-to-back drives that quickly cut the Trojans’ deficit to 62-59.

Rock Falls’ advantage grew to 65-59 when Howard converted a bucket and a foul, but with exactly a minute left in the contest Aden Tillman hit a shot from behind the arc and the foul shot for a four-point play that cut the deficit to 65-63.

Mendota got a turnover moments later, and Braiden Freeman hit a layup to tie the score at 65. After a Mendota blocked shot with seconds left in regulation, Dane Doyle had a look at the bucket that rolled off the rim, sending the game into overtime.

“What a finish there,” Mendota coach Dell Dennis said. “We had a huge four-point play and then had a chance to win it in regulation, but the effort was tremendous and great game.”

Overtime saw Heald continue to be hot with two more long-range baskets, and the Rockets were able to get into the lane down the stretch and came away with the victory.

“Great high school basketball game,” Rock Falls coach Zach Sandrock said. “Heald was on fire tonight, and Ryken Howard was, as well. We needed every bit of it against a good Mendota team.”

Back at the start, Mendota went on a 9-0 run to take a 17-16 lead with the help of an Aden Tillman 3-pointer, but a Howard jumper gave Rock Falls an 18-17 lead heading into the second quarter. In the second, Tillman caught fire with four 3-pointers as the Trojans took a 38-32 lead, but the Rockets cut the lead to three as Hernandez drained a 3-pointer.

For the game, it was Heald leading with 32, while Howard added 26 for Rock Falls. Mendota was led by Cole Tillman with 25 and Aden Tillman with 22.

La Salle-Peru 50, Kewanee 33

In the nightcap, La Salle-Peru led for a good portion of the contest against Kewanee, as Nick Olivero scored five first-quarter points and the Cavs led 15-13.

L-P started to control the tempo in the second quarter. Olivero drained a 3-pointer as well as converting a drive for a 23-16 halftime lead. The Cavs dominated the third quarter, limiting the Boilermakers to six points.

Olivero again hit a 3-pointer, then Cordell Wheatley came off the bench for a 3. Kewanee got buckets from Catrelle Reed and Brayden Conley, but the Cavs increased their lead to 39-22 through three quarters.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say Kewanee took any bad shots,” L-P coach John Senica said. “I just think we had a hand in their face and got after it defensively and then got some good looks on offense, and then Cordell Wheatley had another big 3-pointer off the bench for us.”

Things got sloppy for both teams in the fourth with several unforced turnovers at both ends of the court. The Boilermakers got a 3-pointer from Reed, who also collected a layup to make it 41-27 Cavs, but then it was Olivero with dribble penetration that led to layups for Marion Persich and Erick Sotelo, and the Cavs finished off the victory.

“Our two senior captains, Olivero and Mikey Hartman, had solid nights,” Senica said. “Olivero shot well, and Hartman was consistent throughout as well for us.”

Olivero ended with a game-high 19 points, while Hartman added 10.

Kewanee was led by Conley with 13.

The Cavaliers and Rockets will meet Friday night for the right to advance to Saturday’s championship against the Fieldcrest-Eureka winner.