Strong defense, late free-throws propel Highland to big road win over rival Triad
During the last three weeks, the Highland boys basketball team had struggled to put together a complete 32-minute game.
On Tuesday, Feb. 8, the Bulldogs did just that. Thanks to strong guard play from sophomore Jake Ottensmeier, relentless defense, and some clutch free throw shooting in the final two minutes, Highland prevailed against archrival Triad for a 39-30 road win at a raucous Rich Mason Gym at Triad High School.
The victory came at the perfect time as the Bulldogs snapped a deflating five-game losing streak.
“It’s a great feeling (to win this one),” Ottensmeier said. “We came together as a team this past week and tried to figure out what we could do better and just improve on the offensive end. We came together with some new schemes and we got it done as a team.”
Both teams came out sharp but tight defense led to a 11-11 tie after the first quarter before a Grant Fleming jumper gave the Bulldogs a 19-16 lead late in the second quarter.
After Triad’s McGrady Noyes answered with a bucket to cut the lead to one, Highland’s Gunnar Mackey delivered a field goal just before halftime for a 21-18 edge heading into intermission.
Highland (11-16, 5-4) opened the third quarter with a 7-3 run keyed by a Joe Jansen jumper and capped by an Ottensmeier dunk, extending the margin to 28-21. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs defense went to work shutting down Triad sharpshooters Drew Winslow, Jake Stewart and Aiden Hitt. Highland held the Knights to just three points in the third quarter and 12 points total in the second half.
“They (the guys) did a good job of paying attention to detail and I thought that we fought for 32 minutes and they (Triad) didn’t give in. This late in the season that’s what it takes (to win),” Highland coach Deryl Cunningham said.
Hitt pulled Triad (14-15, 3-5) within 32-27 on his third and final 3-pointer of the night with 3:57 left in the game.
That’s when Fleming and Jansen went to work. Fleming keyed a 7-3 run with a bucket and four free throws and Jansen added a foul shot in the closing seconds as HHS sent the visiting student section into a frenzy with their second win of the season over the Knights.
“It’s our archrival and we know all these guys, so we’re going take it so they can’t talk (smack) to us for the rest of the year,” Ottensmeier said. “We have to get back bragging rights.”
Coach ecstatic with performance
Cunningham was thrilled with his team’s wire to wire effort and is hopeful it will carry into the final three regular season games and beyond.
“That’s what we’re trying to get down the stretch and I talked with the guys about that and told them about fighting through adversity,” Cunningham said. “You learn a lot more about people when you go through adversity.”
Ottnesmeier led Highland with 10 points. Fleming added 8 points and Jansen scored 7 points.
Winslow, before fouling out late, topped Triad with 13 points. Hitt scored 11 points and Noyes chipped in 6 points.
Highland then followed up the Triad win by defeating Civic Memorial 56-47 on Friday, Feb. 11.
Highland girls basketball
The Highland girls basketball team ventured to Troy to face MVC rival Triad on Tuesday, Feb. 8, and for about a half, things looked good for the Lady Bulldogs.
HHS held a 19-17 lead over the Knights at halftime but their offense dissipated in the second half as Triad outscored Highland 33-18 to prevail 50-37.
Abby Huelsmann paced Highland with 15 points and Grace Wilke added 13 points.
Highland completed the regular season at home Thursday, Feb. 10, with a 46-37 Senior Night loss to conference foe Civic Memorial (27-4, 10-0). HHS trailed just 20-16 at halftime, before the MVC leaders turned the tables in the third quarter, holding Highland to just six points and pulling away late for the win.
Olivia Durbin paced the Eagles with 18 points. Larissa Tayler led Highland with 14 points followed by Grace Wilke with 9 points and Huelsmann with 5 points. Highland finished the regular season at 7-23 overall and 2-8 in league action.
Highland girls bowling
The Highland girls bowling team enjoyed a strong outing Saturday, Feb. 5, as they qualified for the IHSA sectional tournament. The Lady Bulldogs keglers finished second with 5,305 pins as a team behind host Collinsville at the Collinsville Regional at Camelot Bowl in Collinsville.
Top finishers for HHS included Carissa Merkle, who finished fourth overall with a 1,248 series, and Tiffany Hediger, who finished in fifth place with a 1,235 series.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 1:00 PM.