Highland boys basketball team gets first win, finishes 6th in Effingham tournament
A solid start on the floor helped the Highland boys basketball team against Teutopolis.
However, a late scoring drought doomed the Bulldogs as they fell to the Wooden Shoes 52-44 in the opening round of the St. Anthony High School Tournament in Effingham on Tuesday, Nov. 23.
Although the Bulldogs fell short in their season opener, Highland coach Deryl Cunningham said he felt his club did several things well against Teutopolis.
“We didn’t finish (well), but I told the guys that there’s a lot of positives to take away (from the game) and we’re figuring it out without Cade (Altadonna) right now,” he said. “I still like the positives and we had quite a few guys give us a boost playing tonight. We’ve just got to tighten up on some things and the guys just have to know not to be satisfied with being close.”
Altadonna, who normally handles the Bulldogs point guard duties, is out five weeks with an injury from the football season. However, sophomore guard Jake Ottensmeier stepped up big as he pumped in a team-high 18 points.
Cunningham has been pushing Ottensmeier to take on a bigger role with the club and he responded well against the Wooden Shoes.
“What I’ve been on Jake about is his leadership,” Cunningham said. “I know he can score the ball — and he always has — but I’ve really challenged him defensively and he’s responded well. And I thought Jake did a really good job of picking his spots tonight.”
Highland started strong, grabbing a 13-2 lead and held a 24-22 halftime advantage.
However, Teutopolis found its stride in the third quarter, scoring 16 points to forge ahead 38-34 heading into the final eight minutes.
HHS was within striking distance down 47-42 with a little less than four minutes remaining. From there, though, Teutopolis turned up its man to man press, forcing five empty Bulldogs possessions in the final three minutes that snuffed out any chance of a late comeback.
“We made some costly turnovers as a team and we just need to learn from it,” Cunningham said. “The guys, they are learning and we’ve got our heads high.”
Gunnar Mackey added 10 points for Highland.
Highland grabs first win
After dropping consecutive games to Teutopolis (52-44) and Mattoon (63-30) to start the Effingham St. Anthony Tournament, Highland rebounded to defeat Rantoul 52-48 on Friday, Nov. 26, for its first win this season.
It was a timely victory for the Bulldogs, who had battled in their first two games but came up short.
Ottensmeier — who made the all-tournament team — led the Bulldogs with 20 points against Rantoul and Mackey pumped in 12 points. Logan Powers and Brendan Gelly each chipped in 6 points.
On Saturday, Nov. 27, HHS (1-3) fell to Robinson in overtime 62-60 in the fifth-place game.
This story was originally published November 24, 2021 at 1:23 AM.