Points in paint difference for Pekin over Sigourney

Pekin was hoping to get a big win against their rival opponent Sigourney, when the two teams faced off in the Panther Den on January 13. The night prior, the Panthers had come up just shy of beating Mediapolis, but responded in a big way with a a 59-20 win over the Savages.

Pekin came out with some fire, knocking down a couple early threes and attacking the basket. Sigourney wasn't finding as much success, but they did score on their first couple possessions of the game, as they converted on some mid-range jumpers. Pekin held a 14-4 lead after the first quarter.

"First and foremost, we wanted to make them beat us from the outside," Savages coach Mitch Eslick said. "We had to give something up and they hit some early. We were hoping they wouldn't shoot well from behind the arc, and they did."

From there, the Panthers kept finding ways to add on points in a hurry. Some came from transition baskets, beating the Sigourney defense before it could get completely set. Other times, baskets were made as the result of good and quick ball movement, often finding an open shooter. Sigourney was getting some good production from Brett Striegel, as he was able to convert on multiple shots. Pekin extended their lead to 33-12 heading into the half.

"We wanted to put more pressure on the perimeter and deny them a little bit," Panthers coach Ken Hutchinson said.  "This was a huge game for us to come back from the game against Mediapolis the night before."

Pekin turned the game into a rout in the second half, as they were able to exploit their physical post play, leading to multiple high-percentage baskets. If the shot wasn't made, it often led to free throw opportunities for the Panthers, who continued to keep their foot on the gas. While a majority of the Pekin shots were falling, the same couldn’t be said for Sigourney. The Savages didn't do themselves any favors by committing some timely turnovers on offense.

"They were pressuring us on the ball and playing off the ball as well. When we really struggle is when we’re not taking care of the basketball and uncomfortable," Eslick said. "We learned that some nights we won't play well and some nights the other team plays very well. Both were the case against Pekin."

The final quarter of play allowed some of the bench for the Panthers to come in and log some more minutes on their season. Pekin put up another nine points, while the Savages had four points in the final minutes. The Panthers wound up winning 59-20, in a statement game on their home court.

"We wanted to play through the post tonight, and we have some pretty unselfish post players," Hutchinson said. "If we weren't going to score, we could kick it back out and swing it around the perimeter a little bit."

Cameron Millikin and Caleb Comstock had 12 points apiece for the Panthers, knocking down a combined three threes along the way. Comstock also had eight rebounds, six assists and one steal on the night. Levi Long came up just shy of double figures, ending up with eight points to go along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. A majority of the Panthers roster ended up scoring in the game including Dayne Eckley with six, Ryan Stansberry with five, Keenan Winn with five, Cody Hassinen with four, Chandler Eckley with four and Connor Reed with three points.

The Savages were led by Striegel, who had eight points on the night. Trey Shafranek had three points, Spencer Magill had two, Brady Powers had two, Eric Johnson had two, Dawson Baumert had two and Kyle Weber had one point in a rough shooting night.

The Savages hosted Keota next on January 16, while the Panthers traveled to face Lone Tree on the road.