‘Hustle plays’ key to road win at Greenville

GREENVILLE – Two second-half plays defined Vandalia’s 52-39 win against Greenville last Friday.

Junior Bryan Hosick lost control of his dribble late in the third quarter with the Vandals leading 30-23.

But instead of giving up on the loose ball, Hosick dove to the floor, briefly gained control the ball and flipped it to senior Marty Johnson, who promptly made a bucket to put Vandalia ahead by nine.

Then with about 5:30 left in the fourth quarter, junior Dathan Berning missed a bucket and chased the offensive board all the way to the 3-point line, only to miss another try.

But on a nearly identical play, sophomore Leyton Godoyo chased the rebound and converted a basket to put Vandalia (3-3, 2-0 South Central Conference) ahead, 42-29.

“The hustle play,” said coach Kevin Jackson. “Hustle plays win ballgames.”

That’s not even counting the rest of those plays the defending SCC champions made in the second half of a game in which they trailed 23-22 at halftime, after playing just well enough to stay on pace with Greenville in the first half.

Jackson said the team showed a lot of  “toughness” in the second half by crashing the boards, taking charges and chasing down loose balls, but the Vandals also had “great” offensive possessions and played hard-nosed defense.

That complete effort clearly made the difference in the game.

Greenville scored just two points in the third quarter, and those did not come until there were 45 seconds left in the period.

“What we talked about at halftime, we transferred to the floor,” Jackson said. “I expect us to play that good of defense all the time.”

That defense held Greenville to 1-of-13 on field goal attempts in the third quarter, after the Comets had made 10-of-18 in the first half.

Vandalia had three takeaways in the period, including a breakaway steal by Berning at the end of the quarter, to give the Vandals a 36-25 lead.

The Vandal offense certainly didn’t hurt the cause, either.

Berning scored 14 of the Vandals’ 30 second-half points. He had a career-high 24 points in the contest.

“Dathan had a big night,” Jackson said. “That’s what he’s capable of. It’s not that he doesn’t start because he’s not capable; he doesn’t start because we feel like we have seven or eight starters.”

That deep rotation almost played a vital role against the Comets.

Junior Nate Henna suffered an ankle injury during practice last Wednesday and was a gameday decision.

He did play and ended the game with a gritty effort that included four points and six rebounds.

The Vandals opened conference play two Fridays ago with a resounding win at East Alton-Wood River. With six conference road games in total, Jackson is already stressing the importance of the early wins.

“To win the conference, you have to get road wins,” he said.

But a team also needs home wins, which is what the Vandals got on Tuesday against Hillsboro, in a 62-45 effort.

The Vandals used a balanced offensive attack, which included no fewer than 13 points in any quarter and at least eight points from five players.

Berning just missed a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Tuesday, Dec. 14
vs. Hillsboro
Vandalia 62
Hillsboro 45
Points – Berning, 18; Daniel Bell, 10; Hosick, 10; Godoyo, 8; Johnson, 8; Henna, 5; Wade Cowger, 3.
Rebounds – Berning, 9; Bell, 8; Henna, 6; Hosick, 4; Godoyo, 3; Johnson, 1.
Record – 4-3 (3-0 SCC)
Hillsboro  6–9–13–17—45
Vandalia  15–13–16–18—62
JV – Vandalia won 55-44
Points – Derrick Herker, 19; Michael Wells, 12; Aaron Harter, 9; Chase Woolsey, 7; Joey Dunn, 4; Cowger, 2;  Colton Woolsey, 2.
Up Next – Friday at Litchfield

Friday, Dec. 10
at Greenville
Vandalia 52
Greenville 39
Points – Berning, 24; Johnson, 11; Godoyo, 7; Henna, 4; Hosick, 4; Bell, 2.
Rebounds – Hosick, 7; Henna, 6; Johnson, 4; Bell, 3; Godoyo, 3; Berning, 2.
Record – 3-3 (2-0 SCC)
Vandals  14–8–14–16—52
Comets  13–10–2–14—39
JV – Vandalia lost 35-33
Points – Chase Woolsey, 14; Cowger, 6; Herker, 5; Dunn, 4; Harter, 2; Wells, 2