Highland boys close out season in big fashion with Senior Night win against Waterloo
After a two-win campaign in 2019-20 and the stress of COVID-19 this season, Highland boys basketball coach Deryl Cunningham could have given up on his team. That didn’t happen.
The Bulldogs lived up to their nickname again Thursday, March 11, and for Highland seniors Evan Peterson, Jake Brauns, and Caleb Carter, it was a Senior Night finale they will long cherish.
Highland battled through a tight defensive-themed first half and thanks to a late surge in the fourth quarter, HHS held on for a 50-46 Senior Night home win over Mississippi Valley Conference rival Waterloo.
The night was the culmination of all the hard work that turned the Bulldogs from an also-ran last year into a respectable team in 2021 as Highland finished the season at 6-6 overall and 6-4 in the MVC.
“We finished .500 and we won two games in about 30 last year, so to go .500 and 6-4 in the conference ... and we beat every team in the conference except for Mascoutah,” Cunningham said.
In the opening half, the teams traded shots and valued possessions on the offensive end. A pair of Logan Calvert buckets spurred a 6-0 Waterloo run, giving it a 20-14 lead late in the second quarter.
Highland responded with a six-point string of its own as Cade Altadonna knocked down two free throws, Jake Brauns added a put back two, and Altadonna dropped in a driving layup at the buzzer to force a 20-20 tie at halftime.
The teams exchanged leads seven times late in the fourth quarter. But Highland, behind the play and scoring of freshman guard Jake Ottensmeier and Altadonna, took control and brought home the Senior Night victory. Ottensmeier scored a team-high 21 points.
“Jake Otts had a good game (for us),” Cunningham said.
Altadonna finished with 17 points.
In what easily was the game’s highlight, Cunningham started all three HHS seniors — Peterson, Brauns and Caleb Carter — which drew a rousing ovation from the Highland fans.
Cunningham was definitely gratified to see the team finish on a strong note and said Peterson, Brauns, and Carter were grateful he came back this year.
“The seniors were really glad that I stuck with them and Jake Brauns said to me ‘Thanks for sticking with us,’” Cunningham said.
HHS regroups to defeat Jerseyville
A final road trip for the 2021 season worked out to be just the tonic Highland needed to keep their season from going south.
Just a day after getting blasted by MVC champion Mascoutah 52-22, the Bulldogs got back up and rebounded in hard-nosed fashion.
The Bulldogs overcame an early 9-0 hole and foul trouble to Altadonna and slipped past Jerseyville for a gutty 42-39 road win Tuesday, March 9.
“We were down 9-0 at the beginning with Altadonna with two fouls, and the boys responded well,” Cunningham said.
Peterson helped the Bulldogs in the first half as he knocked down a pair of clutch 3-pointers to help HHS grab a 23-20 lead at the half.
In the second half, Ottensmeier poured in a game-high 13 points to help key the victory. Altadonna added 8 points for Highland.
Highland falls to Mascoutah
The night prior to defeating Jerseyville, Highland dropped a tough verdict to league champion Mascoutah.
The Indians guard pressure led by senior standouts Justin King and Cedric Rhodes took HHS out of its element and forced the Bulldogs into unforced errors which allowed MHS to get off to a strong start early.
HHS trailed by 11 after the first quarter and 28-12 at halftime and never recovered.
“We got blown out,” Cunningham said. “We struggled with guard play, and we forgot how we got to where we are (now).”
King and Rhodes paced Mascoutah with 10 and 8 points, respectively.
Brendan Gelly and Joe Jansen led Highland with 6 points each.
This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 10:00 AM.