PLANO – After dropping a tough overtime contest Monday against Kaneland to open the 58th Annual Plano Christmas Classic, Streator coach Beau Doty knew a quick bounce-back win would be necessary for his Bulldogs to regain some momentum for the final three games of the tournament.
The veteran bench boss got just that Tuesday afternoon, as the No. 8 seed regained its swagger with a hard-fought, 49-40 triumph over unseeded Newark during the fourth consolation quarterfinal matchup of the day at Reaper Gymnasium.
Streator held a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter before embarking on a 10-0 run that spanned better than three minutes to move ahead by 13 with only a few minutes left.
Newark did manage to climb back to within seven with 60 seconds to play, but it was too little too late as the Bulldogs were able to regroup after the heartbreaking loss less than 24 hours earlier.
“Give a lot of credit to Newark for the style of basketball that they played today, because they’re tough to guard, and we had trouble with their pressure,” Doty said. “But we were able to gap them late, go ahead by double digits, and we were also able to get step one in bouncing back after the tough loss in the opener here against Kaneland.”
Streator (7-4) received a game-high 18 points from sophomore Christian Benning, 11 tallies off the hands of senior Alex Ward along with 10 markers and a contest-best 12 rebounds from senior post Jack Haynes. The Bulldogs shot consistently well from the field, dropping in 18 of the 32 attempts they took (56%) to help seal the deal.
Conversely, Newark (5-7) shot poorly, hitting on only 14 of its 59 (24%) and 7 of its 37 (19%) from 3-point range.
Seniors Austin Tollefson and Grandon Mitchell led the way with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while junior Zach Carlson chipped in with a team-best eight rebounds in a gritty effort for the Norsemen, who have only eight varsity competitors.
“I’m really proud of our kids and how hard they played against a much bigger school that’s very talented on the court,” said NHS veteran coach Rick Tollefson. “We held them to 49 points, and I’m not sure what Streator averages per game, but I’d like to think what we did defensively against them today is something we can be proud of. We just couldn’t hit many shots.
“But I love these kids, and I love the way they play. Credit to Streator, because they’re a quality basketball team for sure.”
Newark led 11-9 after one quarter as Mitchell nailed a pair of 3s and a free throw to give the Norsemen the early advantage. But Streator outscored Newark 15-11 in the second period, as Benning tallied nine points before the half to help put his team ahead 24-22 at the break by consistently driving to the hoop for scores.
“There were times when we needed him to get it and go to the bucket, and I think he did a great job of that tonight,” Doty said. “I thought he saw the floor pretty well today.”
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 35-31 after three quarter before Austin Tollefson nailed a top-of-the-key triple at 6:50 of the final stanza to cut the gap to 37-34. But that’s where Streator went on its big rally, starting with Ward’s left baseline trey at 6:05 and culminating with his bucket in close with three minutes to go that put the Bulldogs in command up 47-34.
Austin Tollefson would add a pair of triples at 1:55 and 1:05, but Streator ultimately ended the proceedings with the nine-point victory.
The Bulldogs now advance to the consolation semifinals on Wednesday at 2 p.m. versus unseeded Plano, while the Norsemen will take on Mendota in the 13th-place bracket.