One for the record books

Only four players in the 27-year history of the Collinsville Schnucks Holiday Classic had been perfect from the field in a single game.

Make that five players.

Quincy High School junior forward DeAngelo Dean went 11 for 11 from the field in the Blue Devils’ 61-60 loss Thursday in the third-place game to East St. Louis. Dean is the second Quincy player to accomplish perfection, joining J.D. Summers, who went 11 for 11 in a victory over Granite City in 1999.

The others were Blake Lucas of Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, who went 13 for 13 against Riverview Gardens in 2001; Darius Miles of East St. Louis, who went 10 for 10 against Chatham Glenwood in 1999; and xxxx Flock of Saint Louis University High, who went 10 for 10 against Decatur Eisenhower in 1999.

Dean’s night included two field goals off second-chance opportunities, one off an alley-oop, a 15-foot jumper from the high post, a 12-footer from the wing and six inside 5 feet.

All-tournament team

Dean, who averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, was Quincy’s lone representative on the all-tournament team. Dean shot 63.8 percent from the field (30 of 47) and 64.3 percent from the line (9 of 14) with seven assists, six blocked shots and five steals.

He was joined on the all-tournament team by East St. Louis’ DeShawn Munson and Keante Minor, Belleville East’s Sean Pettiford and Malcolm Hill, Springfield Southeast’s Tives Gardner and Herman Senor, Lincoln’s Jordan Nelson, Plainfield South’s Ed Presniakovas and Oakville’s Javier Duren.

Hill was named the tournament MVP after fourth-seeded Belleville East beat third-seeded Springfield Southeast 71-64 in the championship game.

Something to believe in

When Quincy coach Sean Taylor called a timeout with 7.4 seconds remaining in regulation and the Blue Devils leading East St. Louis 60-59, his intent was to set up his defense.

It also gave Flyers coach Ray Coleman a chance to design a length-of-the-floor play for the winning basket. However, when the Flyers broke the huddle, Coleman wasn’t sure his team believed it could score.

“I don’t think the guys had too much confidence it was going to work,” Coleman said. “We had to make some adjustments once they got out on the floor. The main thing we wanted to do was get the ball in a better position to set up another play with a couple of seconds left.”

The Flyers didn’t wait. They swung the ball to Munson, who drove from the left wing and made the game-winning basket on a tip-in of his own miss.

“He was just there,” Coleman said. “It was getting in the right position.”

A first time for everything

In 22 previous tournament appearances, Quincy had played in the third-place game four times, winning all four. This was the 14^th time the Blue Devils have finished in the top four – they have four championships and five second-place finishes.

Quincy also won the consolation championship in 2006.

On the money

The Blue Devils shot a season-high 60 percent from the field in the loss to East St. Louis, knocking down 24 of 40 shots. Inside the 3-point stripe, the Blue Devils could hardly miss, hitting 20 of 29 attempts – a 69-percent clip.

Overall in the tournament, Quincy shot 47.9 percent from the field.

The improved offensive success is directly related to the team’s unselfish nature. The Blue Devils had 57 assists on 82 field goals – that’s an assist on 69 percent of the makes.

The Boxscores

Third-place game

East St. Louis 61, Quincy 60

QUINCY (7-6)

Player fg-fga ft-fta reb pf pts

T. Dean 2-3 0-0 3 0 4

D. Dean 11-11 0-0 5 0 22

Marold 2-5 2-2 2 2 8

Davis 5-7 0-0 4 3 10

Givens 0-4 0-0 0 0 0

Fairley 2-3 5-6 1 1 10

Kvitle 0-1 0-0 1 0 0

Beebe 0-1 0-0 2 4 0

Schmitt 2-3 1-2 2 0 6

Radovic 0-2 0-0 1 0 0

Team 1

Totals 24-40 8-10 22 10 60

EAST ST. LOUIS (11-3)

Player fg-fga ft-fta reb pf pts

Weston 3-9 0-0 0 0 9

Minor 4-12 2-5 6 4 10

Johnson 1-2 0-0 2 0 2

Munson 11-15 0-0 7 0 23

McCray 5-6 0-0 3 5 10

Gillespie 1-8 0-0 1 0 3

Faulkner 1-2 0-2 4 2 2

Lockhart 1-2 0-0 0 0 2

Team 2

Totals 27-56 2-7 25 11 61

Quincy 13 16 15 16 – 60

East St. Louis 15 14 12 20 – 61

3-point field goals – Quincy 4-11 (Marold 2-4, Fairley 1-1, Schmitt 1-1, Givens 0-3, Kvitle 0-1, Radovic 0-1), East St. Louis 5-16 (Weston 3-8, Gillespie 1-6, Munson 1-2). Assists – Quincy 17 (Marold, Davis, Fairley, Beebe 3), East St. Louis 15 (Minor 7). Steals – Quincy 5 (T. Dean, Davis, Givens, Kvitle, Beebe), East St. Louis 9 (Munson 3). Blocked shots – Quincy 4 (D. Dean 3), East St. Louis 1 (McCray). Turnovers – Quincy 14, East St. Louis 8. Officials – Ken Church, Daren Hendrickson, Ray Wesley.

Semifinals

Belleville East 70, Quincy 58

BELLEVILLE EAST (8-3)

Player fg-fga ft-fta reb pf pts

Ferguson 7-10 6-8 3 2 20

Pettiford 7-8 2-3 3 2 20

Goodwin 1-5 0-0 7 2 2

Hill 5-9 3-4 2 2 13

Pugh 2-4 1-2 5 3 5

Gardner 0-0 0-0 0 1 0

Reddick 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Smith-Taylor 1-1 2-2 1 0 4

Rainey 1-3 1-2 0 2 3

Brock 0-0 0-0 1 0 0

Siddle 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Douglas 1-3 1-4 6 0 3

Team 1

Totals 25-43 16-25 29 14 70

QUINCY (7-5)

Player fg-fga ft-fta reb pf pts

T. Dean 0-1 0-0 2 1 0

D. Dean 8-12 3-3 6 4 19

Marold 4-8 3-3 3 3 11

Beebe 3-6 0-0 1 1 7

Davis 5-11 1-5 9 2 11

Bordewick 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Kline 0-0 0-0 0 1 0

Fairley 1-3 1-4 0 2 4

Kvitle 0-2 0-0 0 1 0

Forrest 0-2 0-0 0 1 0

Schmitt 2-2 0-0 0 0 6

Givens 0-1 0-0 0 2 0

Radovic 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Team 2

Totals 23-48 8-15 23 18 58

Belleville East 17 13 18 22 – 70

Quincy 13 15 12 18 – 58

3-point field goals – Belleville East 4-10 (Pettiford 4-5, Goodwin 0-2, Hill 0-2, Ferguson 0-1), Quincy 4-12 (Schmitt 2-2, Fairley 1-3, Beebe 1-2, Marold 0-3, T. Dean 0-1, Forrest 0-1). Assists – Belleville East 8 (Ferguson, Goodwin, Rainey 2), Quincy 15 (Marold, Beebe, Fairley 4). Steals – Belleville East 13 (Pettiford, Goodwin, Pugh 3), Quincy 10 (Davis 5). Blocked shots – Belleville East 5 (Hill, Douglas 2), Quincy 1 (Davis). Turnovers – Belleville East 16, Quincy 15. Officials – Mike Devening, Jim Kowazan, Andy Speciale.

Making key contributions

If it had happened just once, Quincy High School basketball fans would have been calling Tomas Dean johnny-on-the-spot.

Since he grabbed three offensive rebounds Wednesday night against top-seeded Lincoln – none were bigger than the one he snared in the second overtime – Dean epitomized what the coaching staff loves about this team. It is relentless.

The Blue Devils outrebounded the Railers 43-19, including a 15-4 edge in offensive boards, as they pulled off the first major upset of the 27^th annual Collinsville Schnucks Holiday Classic with a 62-54 double-overtime victory. And Dean was at the heart of Quincy’s 8-0 closing run.

After forcing the Railers to turn the ball over on the first possession of the second overtime, the Blue Devils chewed nearly three minutes off the clock before Dean grabbed the weakside rebound of a miss by his brother, DeAngelo, and made the putback to give Quincy the lead for good with 1:14 to go.

“We came together and trusted each other a lot more,” said Tomas, who finished with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists. “And we all made plays.”

Dean made several in the second overtime, scoring five points as he hit 3 of 4 free throws.

“What (Tomas) is doing, moreso lately, is he is playing relaxed,” Quincy coach Sean Taylor said. “He’s not worrying about making mistakes. He’s just making great decisions.”

Going and going and going

Part of Quincy’s success rebounding is the fact junior forward Mike Davis never thinks a play is over unless he gets his hands on the ball. No wonder he posted his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

“Mike Davis just goes,” Taylor said. “He’s an energizer bunny. He just goes every time. He gives up height. He gives up weight. And he still goes.”

Handling the pressure

Austin Beebe’s stat line isn’t going to catch anyone’s attention.

One point, one missed 3-point attempt, four defensive rebounds, two assists and three turnovers.

Yet, the number of turnovers should catch someone’s eye. Forced to attack Lincoln’s vaunted 1-2-2 ball press, the QHS senior point guard handled the pressure and gave the Blue Devils some much-needed leadership that won’t show up in the boxscore.

“To do that for 40 minutes, with Lincoln coming at you constantly, you have to be mentally tough,” Taylor said. “He did a great job of that.”

Beebe tried to keep it as simple as possible.

“Don’t get rattled, don’t make dumb passes and just handle the ball,” he said.

Missed chances

The outcome might have been different had the Railers not split two pairs of free throws in the final minute of regulation or missed two from the charity stripe with 1:11 to go in the second overtime when they trailed 52-51.

“I believe eight to 10 games out of the year are going to be decided from the free throw line,” said Railers coach Neil Alexander, whose team went 8 of 14 from the line. “That’s one area in the past we’ve been pretty strong at. This year, we’ve struggled.”

Lincoln also struggled from the perimeter for three quarters, going 4 of 19 from 3-point range. The Railers finished 10 of 29 from beyond the arc as senior guard Jordan Nelson made four of his final five attempts and finished 6 of 15 from 3-point range with a game-high 29 points.

But the struggles from the perimeter the first three quarters but Lincoln in a bind.

“Their defense was solid,” Alexander said. “They didn’t let us have any (good looks).”

The boxscore

Collinsville Schnucks Holiday Classic

Quincy 62, Lincoln 54

QUINCY (7-4)

Player fg-fga ft-fta reb pf pts

T. Dean 3-7 6-8 5 2 13

D. Dean 3-11 5-8 15 4 11

Marold 4-11 2-2 1 2 12

Beebe 0-1 1-2 4 2 1

Davis 5-6 5-6 12 2 15

Fairley 2-3 0-0 3 1 6

Kvitle 1-4 1-2 1 4 4

Givens 0-1 0-0 0 0 0

Team 2

Totals 18-44 20-28 43 17 62

LINCOLN (10-1)

Player fg-fga ft-fta reb pf pts

Nelson 9-22 5-8 4 4 29

Smith 6-14 0-0 3 4 14

Kirby 1-4 0-0 1 5 2

Gesner 2-5 0-0 1 4 6

Coyne 0-0 3-4 3 5 3

Van Hook 0-2 0-2 6 2 0

Olsen 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Team 1

Totals 18-47 8-14 19 24 54

Quincy 12 8 14 14 6 8 – 62

Lincoln 9 11 7 21 6 0 – 54

3-point field goals – Quincy 6-20 (Marold 2-8, Fairley 2-2, T. Dean 1-4, Kvitle 1-4, Beebe 0-1, Givens 0-1), Lincoln 10-29 (Nelson 6-15, Smith 2-6, Gesner 2-5, Kirby 0-3). Assists – Quincy 12 (Marold 4), Lincoln 11 (Nelson, Smith 4). Steals – Quincy 7 (D. Dean 3), Lincoln 11 (Nelson, Smith 3). Blocked shots – Lincoln 2 (Coyne, Van Hook). Turnovers – Quincy 21, Lincoln 15. Officials – Marc Parker, Jimmy Lomax Jr., Ken Church.

Showcasing some toughness

Throughout the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s first nine games, junior forward DeAngelo Dean showcased his athleticism and knack for scoring around the basket. He overmatched opponents with finesse and ability, not strength and brute force.

Tuesday night, he showcased it all.

Held to four points in the first half and without a field goal attempt in the second quarter, Dean came to life in third quarter of Quincy’s 39-37 victory over Chatham Glenwood in the opening round of the 27^th annual Collinsville Schnucks Holiday Classic. He scored all 10 of the Blue Devils’ third quarter points, going 5 of 7 from the field. He added three points in the fourth quarter as Quincy rallied from a seven-point deficit to advance in the winner’s bracket.

More importantly, Dean showed he can play strong. On one attempt in the third quarter, Dean lowered his shoulder, powered into Glenwood defender Nick Sharp and forced his way to the rim for a layin.

“Maybe for the first time this year, he wasn’t getting the fouls,” Quincy coach Sean Taylor said. “He was getting bumped and they were physical. I think we was wanting to be bailed out with calls. When he knew he wasn’t, he started taking it stronger, concentrating and scoring.”

Dean finished 8 of 13 from the field with 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.

“We ran this play where I screened away, Mike (Davis) screened for me and I was wide open,” Dean said. “It was a great play.”

Making the most of their chances

Neither Martin Kvitle or Andre Givens attempted a shot in the first three quarters, but when they found themselves open in the left corner late in the fourth quarter, neither missed their opportunity to contribute to Quincy’s comeback.

The Blue Devils were down 34-27 when they converted a Titans turnover into Kvitle’s open 3-pointer from the left corner with 5:02 to play. On the next possession, Tomas Dean buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to pull Quincy within 35-33. The teams traded turnovers before Glenwood’s Tyler Thurston hit a runner in the lane. Givens answered with a 3-pointer with 3:01 remaining.

Quincy had been 1 of 12 from 3-point range before stringing those three makes together.

“That’s the beauty of this team,” said senior guard Mitch Marold, who was 1 of 8 from 3-point range. “You can’t just focus on one guy. You have to guard everybody, which makes it a lot easier for everybody.”

A lot of help from their friends

The Blue Devils continue to be as unselfish as any team they might face. Quincy had 13 assists on their 17 field goals against Glenwood with Tomas Dean dishing out five assists and Austin Beebe handing out four. Conversely, the Titans had just five assists on their 14 field goals.

He’s a freshman?

The way Peyton Allen found himself contributing in the flow of Glenwood’s offense, it gave the impression he was a seasoned veteran and not just a freshman. Well, he is in fact a ninth grader, Allen went 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range, scoring a team-leading 16 points.

Scouting Lincoln

Quincy will face top-seeded Lincoln in the second round at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Railers survived a first-round scare, beating Decatur Eisenhower 42-32 by outscoring the Panthers 11-2 over the game’s final three minutes. Lincoln went an uncharacteristic 2 of 19 from 3-point range as Jordan Nelson, the team’s leading scorer and top shooter, went 1 of 9 from 3-point range. 

Nelson and Nathaniel Smith both came off the bench for the Railers. They had missed the previous two games while serving a suspension for violating team rules. Even without Nelson and Smith, the Railers have proven to be solid.

“They could win a state title,” Marold said. “We’re going to go out and do the best we can.”

It’s an opportunity the Blue Devils relish.

“It will be an opportunity for our guys to play in a great game and see if they can create some magic in this gym,” Taylor said.

The boxscore 

Collinsville Schnucks Holiday Classic

Quincy 39, Chatham Glenwood 37

QUINCY (6-4)

Player fg-fga ft-fta reb pf pts

T. Dean 2-7 0-1 1 0 5

D. Dean 8-13 1-3 8 4 17

Marold 2-10 0-0 5 3 5

Beebe 0-0 0-0 1 0 0

Davis 3-4 0-0 1 1 6

Fairley 0-1 0-0 0 1 0

Kvitle 1-1 0-0 1 3 3

Forrest 0-1 0-0 0 1 0

Givens 1-2 0-1 0 0 3

Team 1

Totals 17-39 1-5 18 13 39

GLENWOOD (6-4)

Player fg-fga ft-fta reb pf pts

Fuchs 0-2 0-0 5 5 0

Esperum 0-1 1-2 3 2 1

McAdams 1-5 0-0 6 1 2

Gates 1-4 0-0 3 3 3

Thurston 6-12 3-5 5 0 15

Allen 6-9 0-0 0 2 16

Brennan 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Nicholson 0-0 0-0 1 1 0

Sharp 0-0 0-0 1 1 0

Team 4

Totals 14-33 4-7 28 15 37

Quincy 6 7 10 16 – 39

Glenwood 8 10 10 9 – 37

3-point field goals – Quincy 4-16 (Marold 1-8, T. Dean 1-4, Kvitle 1-1, Givens 1-1, Fairley 0-1, Forrest 0-1), Glenwood 5-14 (Allen 4-5, Gates 1-4, McAdams 0-2, Fuchs 0-1, Esperum 0-1, Thurston 0-1). Assists – Quincy 13 (T. Dean 5), Glenwood 5 (Thurston 2). Steals – Quincy 4 (Davis 2), Glenwood 3 (McAdams, Allen, Sharp). Blocked shots – Quincy 3 (D. Dean 3), Glenwood 1 (Fuchs). Turnovers – Quincy 6, Glenwood 14.

Some may argue the UConn women’s basketball team’s 89-game winning streak — or more specifically, the dominant way in which the Lady Huskies have steamrolled opponents — goes down as one of the greatest streaks of all-time. Some may argue it’s No. 1 without question.

I would argue against that.

There are some legendary streaks. The UCLA men’s basketball team’s 88-game winning streak. Cal Ripken’s 2,632 consecutive games played. The Boston Celtics’ eight consecutive NBA titles. The Oklahoma football team’s 47-game winning streak. Wilt Chamberlain’s seven straight games of 50 or more points. Edwin Moses winning 122 straight races in the 400-meter hurdles.

That’s just to name a few.

There are two streaks that mean more. Much, much more.

The first is Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. No one has come within 12 games of matching this streak. Heck, only five other players in major league history have hit in 40 or more consecutive games. He didn’t just show up for work every day. He produced every day. During his 56-game hitting streak, DiMaggio had 22 games with two or more hits. He batted .408 with 16 doubles, 15 homers and 55 RBI. He faced four Hall of Fame pitchers, including Bob Feller, who DiMaggio went 3 for 6 against.

Ford C. Frick, the commissioner of baseball from 1951-65, called DiMaggio’s streak one of baseball’s unbeatable marks. It’s a valid argument. DiMaggio did it in 1941 and no one has come close since.

No football team has come close to matching what Pittsfield did, either.

From 1966-73, the Saukees won 64 consecutive football games, including seven straight 9-0 seasons. The playoffs in Illinois didn’t begin until the 1974 season, so the Saukees have no state championships or other significant achievements to help validate the streak. But they have the streak, the longest there has ever been in Illinois.

New Lenox Providence is the only school to come close, and that streak ended at 50 games. Had those Pittsfield teams played in the playoff era, would the streak be as lengthy or would it be even greater? It’s hard to answer that. Just consider this, in 1970, the Saukees did not allow a point, shutting out all nine opponents. That came during a stretch in which the Saukees set the state record for most consecutive shutouts with 15.

The Saukees did this with new faces throughout the streak. The players in the senior class to go undefeated at Pittsfield — the Class of 1973 — were in sixth grade when the streak started. Pittsfield’s streak hardly compares to that of De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., which set the national record by winning 151 consecutive games. There is a distinct difference — De La Salle is a private, all-boys school with an enrollment of around 1,000. Pittsfield is a rural community which doesn’t recruit or have the chance to recruit. In my opinion, that makes what the Saukees did more significant and impressive.

Stop the comparisons.

The UConn women’s basketball team did not break the UCLA men’s basketball team’s 88-game winning streak. The Lady Huskies simply enhanced their own record for the longest winning streak in NCAA women’s basketball when they extended it to 89 games with Tuesday night’s blowout of nationally-ranked Florida State.

Take nothing away from the Lady Huskies. It is an amazing streak, one that many may consider the most impressive streak ever put together, especially since we don’t know when it will end. If the streak lasts past 100 straight games and keeps going, UConn will be considered a dynsaty unlike any other.

But the winning streak belongs to NCAA Division I women’s basketball, not college basketball in general.

You can’t compare the UConn to the UCLA streak. You just can’t.

Why? Men’s and women’s basketball are different. They play with a different sized basketball. They play with 3-point stripes at different distances. They play the game differently. And above all, they don’t play against each other. NCAA soccer records are kept separately for men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s swimming, etc., etc., etc.

So are basketball records, which is why comparing UConn to UCLA or anyone else is unfair.

Let the record stand on its own. Celebrate it. Embrace it.

Just don’t compare it.

There are moments that make you take pause and make you reassess the trivial things in your life.

These are the moments that give you perspective.

It’s been four months since it happened, but one of those moments took place the second week of August.

A close friend told me he had cancer.

I tried to be encouraging and supportive, but at the same time, it hit me hard. How could a vibrant, energetic colleague — I call Daniel Makarewicz a kid because he is just 24 years old, but he is a solid professional reporter who is a talented writer covering the Western Big Six Conference for the Moline Dispatch, but he is an even better person — get hit with the sobering news he had testicular cancer? I tried to understand it. I couldn’t. Neither could he, but never once asked “Why me?” I never let him, either. When we talked, we talked about the future, about beating cancer, about surviving.

Before his first treatment, he uttered something I can still hear vividly today.

“Schuck, I’m going to beat it,” he said.

He is and he intends to help others who are fighting the same disease beat it, too.

Makarewicz underwent successful surgery, did a round of chemotherapy and begins a 10-year surveillance period soon. He’s healthy. He’s a survivor. And he’s helped organize a testicular cancer awareness night in conjunction with a high school basketball shootout to spread the word and help the fight.

Saturday’s Genesis PSP Shootout at Augustana College’s Carver PE Center in Rock Island will feature seven games, a testicular cancer awareness night and fundraiser. There will be information on testicular cancer, the most common cancer among males between 15 and 35. All proceeds will go to Genesis Health System for testicular cancer reseach in the Quad-Cities.

To read what Makarewicz wrote about the event, click here.

Working together

Figuring Rock Island Alleman would double team junior forward DeAngelo Dean after he scored 13 points in the first half, Quincy High School coach Sean Taylor told Mike Davis to be ready.

How prophetic.

Davis scored three of the Blue Devils’ first five field goals of the second half and teamed with Dean to score 14 second-half points in the Blue Devils’ 47-29 victory Friday night at Blue Devil Gym. The Blue Devils outsocred the Pioneers 28-8 in the paint and never trailed after taking the lead on Dean’s post move with 1:54 to go in the first quarter. Dean finished with a career-high 21 points, while Davis had six and they combined for seven rebounds and five assists.

“He played really well,” Dean said of Davis, who returned to the starting lineup after three games coming off the bench. “He grabbed some rebounds. He made some shots. He proved himself, most definitely.”

They played really well together.

“It’s always been there,” Dean said. “Since we were little kids we’ve been friends.”

They played off each other well, one flashing to the high post while the other moved to the block. Their movement and setting screens led to easy baskets as Quincy shot a season-high 54 percent from the field.

“We improved this week,” Davis said. “We had to.”

Getting defensive

It’s been nearly three seasons since the Quincy High School boys basketball team held an opponent to less than 30 points, but Friday night’s 47-29 victory over Rock Island Alleman doesn’t rank as the best defensive effort in Sean Taylor’s coaching tenure. That distinction goes to a 43-20 victory over Hinsdale South on Jan. 19, 2008, at Blue Devil Gym.

Officially in the books

LuKa Radovic, a 6-foot-7 freshman forward, made his season debut Friday night, and he officially is in the record book after picking up a foul in 4 minutes, 17 seconds of action. Radovic played with the Blue Devils during the summer, but suffered a broken arm during the preseason. Doctors cleared him to begin practicing and playing this week.

Radovic played extensively in the sophomore game and will dress with the varsity.

Knocking one down

Quincy junior guard Carter Kline had missed his only field goal attempt this season, but with 1:35 remaining in the fourth quarter Friday night, Kline dribbled to the left elbow and knocked down a 15-foot jumper for his first varsity field goal. Moments later, junior guard Chris Shelor hit a 12-foot jumper for his second field goal of the season and first since a 57-38 victory over St. Louis Normandy in the second game of the season.

The sophomore game

Quincy’s Joey Laws scored 33 points and knocked down five 3-pointers as the QHS sophomore team beat Alleman 62-55 to improve to 7-4 overall and 2-1 against Western Big Six Conference foes.

The boxscore

Quincy 47, Alleman 29
ALLEMAN (3-5, 0-3)
Player    fg-fga    ft-fta    reb    pf    pts
Noe    1-6    0-0    1    0    2
Hoogerwerf    1-4    0-0    2    0    3
Long    1-3    0-0    3    2    3
Schaecher    1-3    0-0    4    1    2
Correthers    2-4    1-2    3    3    5
Barrett    1-7    2-2    1    1    5
Morrisey    1-4    0-2    3    2    2
Yeocum    0-2    1-2    1    0    1
Kelly    0-0    0-0    0    0    0
Rodgers    0-0    0-0    1    0    0
Ewald    0-0    0-0    1    0    0
Barry    2-3    0-0    1    0    6
Team            3
Totals    10-36    4-8    24    9    29
QUINCY (4-4, 1-2)
Player    fg-fga    ft-fta    reb    pf    pts
T. Dean    0-4    0-0    2    1    0
D. Dean    10-15    1-4    4    0    21
Marold    2-4    2-4    6    1    8
Beebe    1-3    0-0    3    3    3
Davis    3-4    0-0    3    0    6
Fairley    1-1    0-0    1    2    3
Kvitle    0-2    0-0    2    3    0
Givens    1-1    0-0    0    0    2
Schmitt    0-0    0-0    2    0    0
Radovic    0-0    0-0    0    1    0
Bordewick    0-0    0-0    0    0    0
Kline    1-2    0-0    0    0    2
Shelor    1-1    0-0    0    0    2
Ervin    0-0    0-0    0    0    0
Team            2
Totals    20-37    3-8    25    11    47
Alleman    9    5    6    9—29
Quincy    11    13    10    13—47
3-point field goals—Alleman 5-18 (Barry 2-2, Barrett 1-4, Hoogerwerf 1-3, Long 1-3, Noe 0-4, Morrisey 0-1, Yeocum 0-1), Quincy 4-13 (Marold 2-4, Beebe 1-3, Fairley 1-1, T. Dean 0-2, Kvitle 0-2, Kline 0-1). Assists—Alleman 5 (Long 2), Quincy 16 (Marold 4). Steals—Alleman 6 (Noe 2), Quincy 6 (D. Dean 3). Blocked shots—Quincy 2 (D. Dean 2). Turnovers—Alleman 15, Quincy 13. Officials—Phil Benson, Steve Spivey, Rick Shaffer.

The Rock Island Alleman boys basketball team is suffering a similar fate to that of Quincy High School. The effort is unquestioned. The execution is less than desired.

“We played hard again,’’ Alleman coach Bob Szorc told the Moline Dispatch following last Saturday’s 50-45 loss at Wheaton St. Francis. “We just need to start playing smart now. We need to execute a little bit better down the stretch of games.’’

In three of the Pioneers’ four losses, they have failed to execute in a critical situation. Tied with St. Francis with a little more than three minutes to play, Alleman went nearly three minutes without a field goal. The drought ended on Douglas Noe’s 3-pointer with 22 seconds that left Alleman trailing by only four, but it was too little, too late.

That’s become an uncomfortable feeling. In the Geneseo Thanksgiving Tournament, Alleman could have won the championship had it beaten Chicago Raby. Instead, the Pioneers gave up a 3-pointer from NBA range at the buzzer in a 56-53 loss. Alleman lost its Western Big Six Conference opener 44-37 to Moline.

“Execution. Execution. Execution,’’ Szorc told the Dispatch. “When we need a good possession, we need to be able to have it. This (outcome vs. St. Francis) underscores that. They got a basket when they needed it, and we didn’t answer. It’s a tie ballgame and we put a guy at the line and then we come down and take a not-so-good shot. So it’s understanding situations right now — time and score — and playing to that.’’

The Blue Devils have struggled to execute as well, losing four straight games. A Sean Taylor-coached Quincy team has never lost five in a row.

How do the Blue Devils keep that from happening? Here’s three keys to it …

1. Get selfish

The Blue Devils have been very good at sharing the basketball, averaging 12 assists per game. But some shooters need to look more for their shot when they are open and less to pass. Part of that has to do with confidence, which has waned with some of the Blue Devils because of the team’s shooting woes. When they feel good about their shot, they need to take it. That’s the only way confidence can grow.

2. Get ’em easy

Forcing turnovers and converting them into layups or easy baskets would certainly help the shooting percentages and allow the Blue Devils to play with more confidence. The defense has been good, very good at times, but it hasn’t led to much offense. If QHS can put pressure on Alleman and force some mistakes, the struggling offense may get the jolt it needs.

3. Get ahead

Quincy hasn’t led enough this season to get comfortable playing from ahead. That was clear when the Blue Devils built a 20-10 last Saturday against Springfield and saw it slip away. If the Blue Devils can get ahead and stay ahead, they can create some good mojo before heading to the Collinsville Schnucks Holiday Classic.

Here are some trends, news and notes about the Quincy High School boys basketball team …

Free throw woes

Overlooked in Quincy’s 3-0 start and QHS Thanksgiving Tournament championship was the fact the Blue Devils struggled from the free-throw line.

Quincy went 8 of 17 from the line in a two-point victory over Poplar Bluff, leaving the Blue Devils shooting 51.7 percent from the line in the tournament. Had the Blue Devils lost to the Mules, it would have forged a three-way tie for the championship and Quincy would have lost since the tiebreaker was free-throw percentage.

Although the percentage has improved slightly — the Blue Devils are shooting 53.8 percent from the line overall — Quincy continues to struggle from the charity stripe. The Blue Devils went 16 of 32 in last Saturday’s 58-48 loss to Springfield and made 10 straight trips to the line without making both attempts.

With that said, there have been improvements. DeAngelo Dean began the season 1 of 9 from the line, but in the last two games, he has made 10 of 18 free throws and is shooting more confidently. Mitch Marold is 6 of 9 from the line and is arguably the Blue Devils’ best free throw shooter.

Sharing the wealth

Despite the struggles shooting the ball in the last two games — Quincy went 13 of 42 from the field against Moline and 13 of 43 against Springfield — the Blue Devils continue to be unselfish. Quincy is averaging 12 assists per game and the last three games the percentage of field goals coming off assists has been significant. Against Batavia, the Blue Devils had assists on 17 of 27 field goals, while against Moline and Springfield, the Blue Devils 17 assists on 26 field goals.

All told, Quincy has 85 assists on 136 field goals or 62.5 percent of the scoring comes with help.

Stitched up, ready to go

Following the loss to Springfield, Marold needed two stitches to close a cut just above his right eye. In the fourth quarter with the Blue Devils trailing 47-40, Marold was on the left side of the floor when he was caught with an elbow from the Senators’ Willie Wiley and immediately started bleeding.

Not many headtoppers

Dean has recorded two double-doubles this season and is averaging eight rebounds per game, but the problem for the Blue Devils is no one else is snaring rebounds in bunches. Quincy has been outrebounded in five of its seven games, something that shouldn’t come as a surprise since only one starter is taller than 6-foot-1.

Radovic cleared to play

LuKa Radovic, a 6-foot-7 freshman forward, has been cleared by doctors to begin playing this week. Radovic suffered a broken arm during the preseason and has been able to only do conditioning drills. Expect Radovic to play with the sophomore and dress for the varsity game.

Low voltage

You’re going to have to dig deep in the archives to find the last time a Quincy High School boys basketball team scored fewer than 10 points in a half like it did Friday night when the Blue Devils scored just five first-half points in a 45-42 loss at Moline. 

The lowest scoring half of the last decade is believed to be the 12 points scored in the first half of a 75-48 loss to Edwardsville in the sectional semifinals in 2005. The Blue Devils went 3 of 22 from the field and 2 of 8 from 3-point range and found themselves trailing 39-12.

Friday night, Quincy went 1 of 14 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range.

However, the two-point quarter the Blue Devils suffered through in the first quarter isn’t so unusual. Last year, in a 44-43 loss to Moline at Wharton Field House, Quincy was outscored 9-2 in the second quarter as the Blue Devils went 1 of 5 from the field.

Sophomore still Fairley accurate

Mason Fairley continues to shoot with confidence. The sophomore guard knocked down 2 of 4 3-pointers, including one from the right corner with 1:43 to play in regulation to pull the Blue Devils within 41-40 – the closest they had been in the game.

Fairley is now 11 of 16 from 3-point range – a 68.8 percent clip.

Defense remains solid

In four of Quincy’s six games, the Blue Devils have allowed 45 or fewer points. Quincy had been 3-0 in such games before Friday night. They’ve done it by taking away shooters.

Anthony Lindauer, Moline’s sharp-shooting junior guard who was averaging better than 19 points per game and had made 19 3-pointers on the season, managed just 12 points and went 1 of 3 from 3-point range. A groin pull hindered some of Lindauer’s mobility, but the Blue Devils were aggressive in denying him the ball.

The sophomore game

The Quincy sophomore team suffered its second loss of the season, falling 78-61 to Moline. The Maroons scored 30 points in the first quarter, building a 15-point lead, and were never threatened. Cole Abbey led the Blue Devils (4-2) with 12 points, while Jason Salrin added 10.

The boxscore

Moline 45, Quincy 42

QUINCY (3-3, 0-2)

Player fg-fga ft-fta reb pf pts

D. Dean 4-10 6-10 7 3 14

Fairley 2-6 1-2 2 1 7

Kvitle 0-1 0-0 0 1 0

Marold 2-10 0-0 1 4 6

Beebe 2-3 0-0 4 4 6

T. Dean 2-5 2-2 3 2 6

Givens 0-3 0-0 1 0 0

Shelor 0-0 0-0 1 1 0

Schmitt 0-2 0-0 0 0 0

Davis 1-2 1-1 1 0 3

Team 6

Totals 13-42 10-15 26 16 42

MOLINE (5-2, 1-1)

Player fg-fga ft-fta reb pf pts

Giovanine 2-7 1-2 3 2 7

Lewis 2-4 4-7 3 1 8

Lindauer 2-5 7-8 3 1 12

Johnson 2-2 0-0 1 5 4

Atwater 3-6 1-2 2 4 8

Miner 2-3 0-0 7 0 4

Maffie 1-2 0-0 0 1 2

Team 2

Totals 14-29 13-19 21 14 45

Quincy 2 3 15 22—42

Moline 9 8 12 16—45

3-point field goals—Quincy 6-22 (Marold 2-9, Fairley 2-4, Beebe 2-2, Givens 0-3, T. Dean 0-2, Kvitle 0-1, Schmitt 0-1), Moline 4-15 (Giovanine 2-6, Atwater 1-4, Lindauer 1-3, Lewis 0-1, Maffie 0-1). Assists—Quincy 9 (Fairley 3), Moline 6 (lindauer 3). Steals—Quincy 2 (Beebe, T. Dean), Moline 6 (Lindauer, Atwater 2). Blocked shots—Quincy 2 (D. Dean 2), Moline 3 (Atwater 3). Turnovers—Quincy 14, Moline 16. Officials—Chuck Frail, Dave Mueller, Al Corwin.