Macomb High boys basketball coach Jeremy Anderson knew exactly the task ahead of his team in Saturday’s home opener at The Hangar against Quincy Notre Dame.
And while the Bombers more than held their own, a second period offensive lull proved to be the difference as the visiting Raiders left Macomb with a 65-60 victory.
QND moved to 4-0 on the season, while the Bombers dropped to 5-2.
“I think QND’s athleticism and physicality sets the tone for the game,” said Anderson. “Your kids have to be ready to meet that physicality and that intensity. I thought our guys did a good job of that.”
Macomb dialed long distance in the opening period, connecting on four 3-pointers, including two by Drew Watson.
Meanwhile, QND’s Jace Allensworth countered with nine points, while Beau Eftink added a trey as the Raiders led 14-13 after the initial eight minutes.
“Your plan going in has to be to try to make it a halfcourt game,” said Anderson. “You do not want them to get out in transition. You don’t want them to extend their defense. Or when they do extend their defense, you have to make them pay for it.”
“I thought we did a really good job in the first half as they pulled their pressure back because we were doing a good job and beating it down the floor,” said Anderson.
But the offense went silent in the second period as the Bombers managed just six points, three points each by Nolan Hoge and Nick Elbe.
Macomb had seven turnovers in the period and missed seven shots. The Bombers went nearly five minutes without a field goal before Elbe’s basket at the 3:05 mark.
Meanwhile Eftink and T.J. Togarepi combined for 10 points as the Raiders built a 29-19 advantage by halftime.
“I felt like we handled their full court pressure pretty well,” said Anderson. “We needed to do a little bit better job of being more disciplined once we broke the full court pressure of getting the best available shot in the halfcourt.”
A Watson layup at the 4:56 mark of the third quarter cut the MHS deficit to 33-27.
But a pair of baskets by Eftink later in the period, including a 3-pointer, helped QND maintain its double- digit lead that stood at 44-34 entering the last eight minutes.
“Defensively when you make it a halfcourt game, you have to be really, really solid because they have so many different guys that can score,” said Anderson.
The Bombers opened the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run that closed the gap to 46-42 with 6:20 remaining.
But the Raiders called a timeout and responded with a 10-2 run, capped by a Togarepi layup that gave QND a 56-44 advantage with 3:37 to go.
Still trailing 61-50 with 70 seconds remaining, the Bombers refused to fold.
A pair of baskets by Carter Havens, along with a pair of 3s by Watson, closed the gap to 64-60 with 12.8 seconds left.
Allensworth added one final free throw that closed out the win for QND.
“I was extremely proud of their effort and their attitude,” said Anderson of his squad. “We weren’t going to quit until the game was over.”
“We did some things we don’t ordinarily do,” he added. “We picked up full court. And we executed those things well. We got a basket off it. We forced (QND) to throw a bad pass and they had to call another timeout.”
“We don’t like to rely on doing those types of things,” said Anderson. “That’s just not our style. But I was thrilled with the way they handled themselves.”
Macomb had three players reach double figures in scoring.
Watson led the way with 16 points that included four 3-pointers.
Hoge added 15 points, 12 in the second half, while Havens added eight of his 11 points in the second half.
Elbe was next with nine points, followed by Kellen Martin with five. Isaac Leinbach and Cooper Hobson chipped in two points apiece for the Bombers.
QND also had three players finishing in double figures, led by Allensworth’s 20 points. Allensworth scored nine points in both the first and fourth quarters.
Efting added 16 points, including three treys, while Gavin Doellman added 12 for the Raiders.
QND won despite shooting just 10-of-21 from the free throw line. MHS made 12 of its 18 attempts.
Due to weather and travel concerns for QND, the sophomore contest consisted of just two quarters with the Raiders holding the upper hand at 24-14.
QND led 11-5 after the initial period. Luke Chapla topped MHS with nine points. Collin Knupp added three points and Cameron Keene two for the Bombers.
Jake Pyatt and Kaden Marth topped QND with seven and five points respectively.
The Bombers return to action Tuesday, heading to Farmington for a non-conference contest.
The Farmers are currently 1-4 on the season after Saturday’s 47-35 home loss to Illini West.
