HTC boys spent in loss to Danville

BY JOHN BOHNENKAMP
PCC SPORTS

FORT MADISON - There wasn’t much left in the tank for the Holy Trinity boys basketball team, and it showed in Saturday’s 49-44 loss to Danville.
The Crusaders (9-9 overall, 7-7 SEI Superconference South Division) had a 22-point fourth quarter for a 60-55 win at Central Lee on Friday night.
Less than 24 hours later, they were playing another division rival, and were a step slow all night.
“The kids expelled a lot of energy last night,” Holy Trinity coach John Hellige said. “I was worried about a letdown game. And sure enough, we had a letdown game.
“There wasn’t anything we did terribly wrong. Our kids were very fatigued today, and I think you kind of saw that just a little bit.”
Holy Trinity led, 21-20, at halftime, but Danville (8-7, 6-6) took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Crusaders 15-10. The Bears led by as much as nine points in the fourth quarter before Holy Trinity began to rally.
Jason Thurman’s 3-pointer cut the Danville lead to 45-39 with 2:19 left, then 30 seconds later Chandler Rung came up with a steal and fed a pass ahead to Mikey DiPrima, whose layup cut the lead to four points. And when Kadin Medland buried a 3-pointer 24 seconds later, Holy Trinity was within 47-44.
The two teams combined for three turnovers on the next three possessions, giving the Crusaders a chance to tie the game. But Thurman’s 3-point attempt hit the front of the rim, rolling around the basket before falling off.
The Bears then finished off the game at the free-throw line.
Jason Thurman and Vasin Thurman each had 11 points. Rung had nine. DiPrima came off the bench for six second-half points.
“I thought Mike came off the bench and really gave us a lot of energy,” Hellige said. “He played within himself, didn’t try to do too much. I think if we can continue to get those contributions out of him, it will be good for us.”
The Crusaders get a day to rest before preparing for Tuesday’s game against Notre Dame.
“The boys were just a step slow, pretty fatigued,” Hellige said. “We were playing on tired legs tonight.”