Highland boys basketball team opens 2021 season with hard-fought setback to Roxana

Highland’s boys basketball team trailed Roxana by only four points late in the contest Feb. 9.

However, a 5-0 run keyed by a driving layup from senior Parris White propelled the host Shells to a 51-42 win in Highland’s opener of the COVID-shortened 2021 basketball season.

The night marked the first game in nearly a year for the Bulldogs, who, like other metro-east teams, had to wait until recently to begin games. Despite the outcome, Highland coach Deryl Cunningham generally was pleased with the effort.

“The kids played very hard and they just have to have a better understanding of where the ball needs to go and how to get it done down the stretch,” he said. “We needed two or three more plays and to finish layups and if a guy gets a wide open three, we’ve got to be able to step up and knock it down.”

In the first half, both teams took turns knocking down shots. However, a pair of White buckets and a Cade Slayden layup gave the Shells a 12-6 margin after the first quarter.

Senior guard Drew Beckman’s field goal extended the lead to 22-14 with 4:34 left before intermission, prompting Cunningham to call a timeout to settle his club down.

HHS responded, using a pressure defensive to fuel a 9-4 run. An Evan Peterson to Jake Brauns layup and a Peterson steal and two free throws trimmed the margin to 26-23 at halftime.

Highland continued in stay close in the third quarter as Peterson and freshman guard Jake Ottensmeier began drilling shots, keeping HHS within 37-34 heading into the final eight minutes.

Down seven points with 3:32 left, sophomore guard Brenden Gelly buried a 3-pointer to pull HHS within 46-42.

Roxana, however, called timeout and regrouped, scoring the next five points while controlling the boards to pull away.

“The thing that really killed us was the rebounds,” Cunningham said. “I was really disappointed in that because we had the size advantage.”

An off night from Cade Altadonna also slowed the Bulldogs, as the sophomore guard managed just six points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

“I think it hurt us that Cade never really got going. This team was a tough match-up because they play five guards and that’s tough for us,” Cunningham said.

Although hoping for a win, Cunningham was encouraged.

“The kids are trying, we’ll get back to practice and we’ll tell them some things that we need to clean up in practice,” Cunningham said.

Ottensmeier led the Bulldogs with a team-high 11 points and Peterson scored 10 points.

“Evan played a pretty good overall game,” Cunningham said. “Defensively I challenged him to do more against 23 (Gavin Huffman) and I thought he did in the second half. I thought he gave their defense a lot of problems with the dribble penetration. Ottensmeier stepped up and made his free throws, too, so I thought he really gave a great effort.”

Huffman led Roxana with a game-high 19 points. Braeden Wells scored 15 points and White added 10 to give the Shells three double-figure scorers.

Highland falls to Mater Dei 67-40

After almost a year without playing a real game at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bulldogs finally took the floor for live game action at Highland High School.

The Bulldogs gave their home fans plenty to make noise about early Friday night, playing Mater Dei to a 9-9 tie late in the first quarter.

From the second quarter on, however, foul trouble and defensive lapse hurts the Bulldogs and the senior-laden Knights took advantage en route to a 67-40 win.

Cunningham liked Highland’s early energy but lamented the breakdowns that led to Mater Dei leading by 20+ in the second half.

“I just thought that we got (into) some foul trouble and then it (the game) went downhill really fast (after that),” Cunningham said. “The score was tied at 9 a piece and I thought we were doing a really good job, but the same two issues that we’ve tried to address this week — offensive boards and transition defense — were not there.”

Despite the outcome, Cunningham expects a strong response against Mississippi Valley Conference rival Triad at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17.

“I expect us to bounce back and just like I told the guys we don’t have any easy games on the schedule, but I’m looking for us to play better,” Cunningham said.

Ottensmeier led Highland with 15 points while Peterson added nine points. Mitchell Haake and Tyler Jasper paced Mater Dei with 14 points each.

This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 11:31 AM.