Highland basketball team battles, falls short in MVC opener against Mascoutah

Sophomore guard Jake Ottensmeier and the Highland basketball team came out hot and gave the Mascoutah Indians plenty of early problems.

The undefeated Indians, however, did not flinch and, over the final 28 minutes, senior forward Justin King asserted himself at both ends of the floor.

King exploded for a game-high 27 points and the Indians held off Highland in the closing moments for a 56-47 victory Friday, Dec. 3, in the Mississippi Valley Conference opener for both teams at Highland High School.

Highland moved the ball well and scored effectively throughout the game but had few answers for King’s inside drives and the timely inside work of Mascoutah senior forward/center Jack Siebert, who pumped in 12 points.

“Defensively we were giving up way too many easy baskets,” Highland assistant coach Cody Best said.

Best filled in for Bulldogs head coach Deryl Cunningham, who was home recovering from his kidney transplant procedure that took place Wednesday, Dec. 1.

“We knew Justin King was going to get his points and we were trying to get them off the boards. They’re a lot bigger and a lot stronger. Overall we competed, but we didn’t compete for 32 minutes,” Best said.

Ottensmeier’s two 3-pointers pushed Highland (2-4, 0-1) to an early 12-8 advantage.

Mascoutah (6-0, 1-0), however, surged ahead in the final minute of the first quarter as King’s driving layup capped off a 6-3 run for a 19-15 margin.

King’s trey and a pair of free throws stretched Mascoutah’s margin to 31-20 late in the first half and the Indians ultimately carried a 33-22 lead into the break.

The Bulldogs continued to stay close in the third quarter thanks to timely buckets from Ottensmeier, Brendan Gelly, and Trey Koishor. Ottensmeier drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer to pull HHS within 43-38 heading into the fourth quarter.

A baseline bank shot from Gunnar Mackey drew the Bulldogs within 51-47 with just 4:44 left. However, foul trouble for Mackey and Joe Jansen and overall fatigue left HHS struggling to get and make shots against Mascoutah’s experienced defense.

“They (Mascoutah) are deep and they’re very well-coached, so it’s a learning experience for us right now,” Best said. “We got tired and they’ve got seniors and they’re built for those types of runs.”

Scoring breakdown, next up

Ottensmeier led Highland with 19 points while Koishor and Gelly added 11 points each. Ottensmeier’s and Koishor’s performances pleased Best.

“Jake and Trey have been playing together for a long time and they really feed off each other,” Best said.

Cunningham is expected back next week at Highland and the team looks forward to his return.

“We’re sending prayers to coach DC, we’re thinking about him and we love him,” Best said.

Highland returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, with an MVC road game at Jerseyville.

This story was originally published December 4, 2021 at 12:40 AM.