Highland grinds out emotional victory

Emotions were running high at Highland High School during the third quarter on Friday night.

The Highland boys? basketball team held a 16-point lead over Pekin, but a rash of fouls started to change the complexion of the game.

In the span of a minute, Highland picked up four fouls, then a technical foul was tacked on, leaving reactions aplenty from the crowd and athletes.

Pekin, meanwhile, took full advantage, going on a 13-0 run and closing the gap to three points.

After that, the Huskies regained their control on the game, and cruised to a 68-59 victory over the Panthers.

?We didn?t need calls to go our way,? Highland head coach Marcus Hall said. ?We didn?t need breaks to go our way. If we play hard on defense and offense, the score will take care of itself. Quite frankly, we can?t allow that to happen. We have to control the moment and not let it define us.?

The Huskies are now 3-1 on the season, and have won back-to-back games since losing to Wapello on Dec. 4, something that has been a chip on their shoulder.

?We could have played a lot harder than we did (against Wapello),? Highland senior Tucker Hall said. ?Now we are looking at it like we are the underdog again.?

Tucker Hall knocked down five 3-pointers in the contest, helping him to a team-high 16 points in the contest.

He was joined in double figures by Tereze Lanfair?s 13, Trey Lasek?s 12 and Trent Lasek?s 11 points.

Highland opened the game strong on an 8-2 run, and four 3-pointers from four different athletes helped them lead 14-8 at the end of the first quarter.

Highland kept on the pedal in the second quarter, using four more triples to take a 33-24 lead at halftime.

Trey Lasek came out of the gates at halftime and quickly added a pair of three-point plays for the Huskies, before Pekin started its run.

The fouls piled up for Highland, but when Pekin had built up a 14-2 run, Tucker Hall ended the run with a 3-pointer of his own.

?To control our emotion, we have to remember that we can?t worry about calls,? Hall said. ?The refs have their jobs to do and we have ours. We just have to play through it no matter what. We just have to control (our emotions).?

After that shot by Hall, Pekin never got within five points of the Huskies, as they cruised to the win.

?We?ve made a change (after the loss to Wapello),? Marcus Hall said. ?We understand that playing defense hard is a workout. You can tell the difference between when someone isn?t playing hard, and it?s a grind. You can?t be soft in this game.?

Highland will have a big test on Tuesday night when it travels to face rival Lone Tree, who swept the Huskies last season.

?There isn?t too much overthinking that needs to occur,? Marcus Hall said. ?Whoever decides to play harder will win. It?s a big game and a tough place to play. We are going to have some good practices and do what we need to do.?

The girls?-boys? varsity doubleheader will start at 6 p.m.