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Wednesday, March 5, 2008
By Robert Jackson
Sports Editor
Maybe the third time will be the charm.
In the previous two games against the Cougars, the Prairie Stars basketball team lost in two distinct, harrowing ways.
“Playing them here we know we let one slip away,” Assistant Head Coach Aaron Boettcher said.
Fans saw the Prairie Stars’ inability to shoot free throws in the second half allow the Cougars to send the game into overtime during the first date at TRAC.
In the second half, the team shot 60 percent from the freethrow line, missing two free throws in the final six minutes of play that could have possibly secured the win.
The Cougars ended the second half on a 21-11 scoring run. They used that momentum to steamroll the Prairie Stars in the overtime session, eventually winning the game 78-68.
At the Southwell Complex in Columbia, the Prairie Stars were outplayed losing 60-75, according to Boettcher. But both luck and the Cougars were against the Prairie Stars that night.
“It seemed like we couldn’t get that big basket or a big stop on defense when we needed it,” Boettcher said.
The Prairie Stars have had success, though, in Columbia, with an 88-72 victory against the team just last year. That, along with an experienced roster, has Boettcher excited for a rematch.
“Our guys are coming in confident they can win. We’ve had some guys who’ve been through conference tournaments in the past and know what it’s like to play those tough games,” Boettcher said.
Even one newcomer to the lineup this year from the junior college ranks, guard Jacob Motteler, has tournament experience from his time at Southwestern Illinois College.
Motteler and the ’05-’06 SWIC Blue Storm finished sixth in the national tournament after winning 26 consecutive games leading up to the regional tournament.
The Cougar’s 1-2-2 zone that they will mix in along with their man-to-man defense, however, could frustrate the Prairie Stars’ attacks to the basket.
With one player lined up at the top of the three point arc, then two players near the free-throw line (the elbow) and two players near the baseline (the block), the defense is flexible enough to either trap players in the corner or inhibit any entry passes into the paint.
Coach Boettcher said the
zone uses the Cougars length on
defense and can be irritating to
move the ball against, much like
Syracuse’s 2-3 zone.
“We got to do more to dictate the tempo,” Boettcher said to counteract the slow, grinding style the Cougars play.
Breaking down the Cougars’ defense relies on shot selection among other things, according to Boettcher. “We don’t put many rules on our guys for offense. But we do expect them to take the open shot if they have it.”
The Prairie Stars experienced their share of stacked situations during February with three comeback victories, including one where the team was down by 18 at half.
So the pressure against Columbia with a possible berth into the NAIA national tournament on the line should be nothing new to the team.
“Our team typically responds well to tough situations. They will be ready to play Wednesday,” Boettcher said.
The Prairie Stars will head to Columbia, MO. on March 5 to face the Cougars in the semifinal game.
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