Vandals suffer tough week of basketball

PANA – The Vandals suffered one of their worst losses in the past several years, and if the problems that led to it aren’t fixed soon, a new cast of players will likely see extended playing time.

Vandalia trailed just 12-10 early in the second quarter, but poor rebounding and ball handling for the rest of the game let Pana run away with a 71-29 South Central Conference victory on Tuesday night.

“We didn’t do many things right tonight,” said first-year coach Brian Buscher. “I compared this to a breaking point, and what happened tonight is that it got too tough for us mentally, we broke down and got blown out of the gym.”

The Panthers scored 16 second-chance points off of 10 offensive rebounds in the second half, and added 13 points off of 10 Vandalia turnovers.

In the same span, the Vandals got two second-chance points on two offensive rebounds and no points off of three Pana turnovers.

“We didn’t box out all night, and it obviously wasn’t important to our kids on the floor,” Buscher said. “I take the blame for allowing them to continue playing.

“They will have to start getting better, or I will start playing younger kids,” he said. “That’s their motivation now.”

Senior Michael Wells led the Vandals in scoring for the sixth time in seven games, scoring 10 points, and senior Chase Woolsey added seven points.

Sophomore Jake Bowen scored the first four points of his career in the final four minutes of the game, and junior Carson Smith scored the first two points of his career with seven seconds left in the game.

Starting point guard Tim Ritchey was unavailable for the game.

Wells scored a layup 11 seconds into the game for the first basket, but Pana quickly followed with a 10-0 run until Wells scored again with 1:30 left in the first period.

That started what would become an 8-0 run for the Vandals (13-8, 4-1 SCC) that extended 1:34 into the second quarter, but in the next 6:26, Pana would win the scoring battle, 16-2, including nine straight points from Raustin Zahradka, who led the game with 12.

The Panthers added 24 points in the third period – which tied for the most the Vandals have allowed in a single quarter this season – and made three of their nine 3-pointers in the period to take a 52-22 lead.

Included were 10 second-chance points and nine points off of turnovers.

“We can’t start all over,” Buscher said. “But we have to take a couple of steps backwards to understand what we are trying to do offensively and defensively by having better possessions in practice.”

Vandalia hosts Staunton on Friday in SCC action, and will also take on Teutopolis at home on Tuesday.

Tuesday, Jan. 29
Pana 71
Vandalia 29
V: 6-6-10-7—29
P: 12-16-24-19—71
Points: Wells, 10; Ch. Woolsey, 7; Bowen, 4; Wade Cowger, 2; Leyton Godoyo, 2; Aaron Harter, 2; Smith, 2.
Rebounds: Godoyo, 7; Wells, 6; Ch. Woolsey, 5; Collin Nestleroad, 2; Team, 2; Cowger, 1; Harter, 1; Smith, 1; Colton Woolsey, 1.
Assists: Godoyo, 4; Cowger, 1; Wade Harre, 1; Harter, 1; Nestleroad, 1; Jake Shulman, 1.
Steals: Godoyo, 3; Luke Hollinshead, 1; Wells, 1.
Blocks: Godoyo, 2; Colin Ledbetter, 1.
Record: 13-8 (4-1 SCC)

***

VANDALIA – Just when it looked like the Vandals were going to cruise to victory against Litchfield last Friday, the team lost its focus and came away with just a six-point victory.

Vandalia led 29-16 at halftime, but was outscored 32-25 in the second half of a 54-48 nonconference win against Litchfield last Friday.

“It started when the buzzer went off in the second half,” said coach Brian Buscher. “We walked off the court and thought we were done for the night.

“As a team, we totally lost our focus in the second half.”

The Vandals (13-7) were dominant in the second quarter, using a 14-0 run in the period to establish their big lead. They led just 13-8 after the first period.

In the first half, Vandalia committed just four turnovers, and senior Chase Woolsey was well on his way to a double-double with nine rebounds and six points.

“I’m proud of the guys for the way they worked in the first half. They did a lot of nice things,” Buscher said. “A 14-0 run on any team is impressive, and that was very important with the outcome.”

Woolsey ended up with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and senior Tim Ritchey added 12 points, six in each half.

The third period actually went OK for the Vandals, as their lead remained 12, but after scoring five points in the final 43.8 seconds, it seemed that they believed that margin would be enough.

Vandalia committed five turnovers in the final eight minutes, and allowed the Purple Panthers to score 23 points.

In the final 45 seconds of the game, Litchfield cut a 12-point deficit in half, due in large part to back-to-back 3-pointers from Mason Steffans, whose 14 points paced the Purple Panthers.

Senior Leyton Godoyo had two of his game-high five steals in the fourth quarter, and he also led the team in assists with four, while scoring six points.

Friday, Jan. 25
Vandalia 54
Litchfield 48
L: 8-8-9-23—48
V: 13-16-10-15—54
Points: Ch. Woolsey, 15; Ritchey, 12; Wells, 7; Godoyo, 6; Harter, 6; Cowger, 5; Co. Woolsey, 3.
Rebounds: Ch. Woolsey, 11; Godoyo, 6; Cowger, 3; Ritchey, 3; Wells, 2; Team, 1.
Assists: Godoyo, 4; Harter, 3; Ch. Woolsey, 3; Ritchey, 2; Cogwer, 1; Co. Woolsey, 1.
Steals: Godoyo, 5; Cowger, 1; Harter, 1; Ritchey, 1.
Blocks: Godoyo, Wells, 1; Ch. Woolsey, 1.
Record: 13-7