Late 4th quarter surge propels Highland boys past conference rival Triad
Highland guards Cade Atadonna and Jake Ottensmeier both came up big for the Bulldogs when the pressure ramped up late during Friday’s Mississippi Valley Conference road showdown with archrival Triad.
Altdonna and Ottensmeier each knocked down a three-ball, keying a 13-5 run in the final three minutes, pushing the Bulldogs past the Knights 51-43.
The two guards scored 19 and 17 points, respectively, to help the Bulldogs move to 6-3 overall and 1-2 in the MVC.
Defeating Triad was extra sweet for Altadonna and the Bulldogs, who now have won three straight against the Knights since sweeping them in back-to-back games last season.
“It’s awesome (to win here). It’s a big rivalry with Highland-Triad as a senior, and it really feels good to get one now and then we’ve got one at home (against them),” Altadonna said.
The teams traded buckets early against tight man-to-man defense with Highland utlimately taking a one-point lead into the second quarter.
Down 16-13 late in the second quarter, Ottensmeier drilled a pair of three-balls to put the Bulldog up 19-16. However, a 5-0 run keyed by a Tyler Thompson trey and a Drew Winslow back-door basket gave Triad a 21-19 halftime margin.
Highland pulled ahead 29-25 with 3:50 left in the third quarter on an Altadonna 3-pointer and a driving layup for two.
Triad once again responded as McGrady Noyes got loose on the baseline for two, and Winslow dropped in a bucket to tie it at 29-29.
The Knights held a 38-37 lead with 2:54 to go, and that’s when Altadonna — who scored just five points in the first half — and Ottensmeier went to work on Triad.
Altadonna and Ottensmeier kickstarted the decisive 13-5 Bulldogs run over the final three minutes, topped off by a Brendan Gelly bucket and an Altadonna free throw that finished the job for Highland.
“I just really think that on the defensive end, we were getting it done,” Altadonna said. “The guys started playing a little looser and we weren’t as sped up in the second half. The guys started to hit shots. Shots started falling and I started getting more confident with it.”
Highland coach Deryl Cunningham knew his club would have to battle with the Knights, and he was pleased with the Bulldogs’ gutty performance.
“The guys dug down ... either team could have won it. Triad’s a very good team and we’ll have to see them late in the year, but I thought we made some plays during crucial times like any good team can,” Cunningham said. “I thought our guys did a good job of staying with the game and when we could have caved in a little bit, I thought they showed some resiliency.”
Triad, meanwhile, dropped to 7-3 overall and 2-1 in league play.
“I think we had a couple of critical breakdowns there (late), and there were missed rebounds, free throws and they got back and made a three after that, and that kind of shifted the momentum towards them,” Knights coach Jeff Guidry said. “We didn’t shoot well — they did.”
‘We need to respond’
Despite the loss, Guidry likes where his team is at after 10 games and believes they will bounce back quickly.
“We have to,” Guidry said. “We’ve got Mascoutah on Tuesday night, and I think that’s a big game and it’s here (at home) again, and we need to respond and come out and play how our team can play.”
Noyes paced Triad with 12 points while AJ Mills and Thompson added 10 points each.
A look ahead
Highland entertains Civic Memorial at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19. Triad hosts Mascoutah at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20.
This story was originally published December 16, 2022 at 8:48 PM.