Craig boys shoot down Parker
Photo Gallery
JANESVILLE — It’s official.
Other than Madison Memorial, no team is playing better in Big Eight Conference boys basketball than Janesville Craig.
The Cougars, behind 19 points from Lucas Burns, dialed in from long distance Thursday night en route to a 66-40 over Janesville Parker in a Big Eight at Craig.
Craig High (11-4, 8-4) made 10 three-point baskets, including three straight to start the fourth quarter, as a seven-point lead quickly grew to 18. The Cougars went on to their 10th win in the last 12 games.
“It’s a good thing we can shoot because we can’t rebound, and we can’t catch the ball,” Craig coach Bob Suter said. “We have to start doing things with both hands instead of trying to make every pass or rebound or every shot with one hand.
“Lucas and Charlie (Roherty) came up big, and it’s a good thing because Parker came ready to play.”
The Vikings (4-11, 2-9) trailed by 12 at half. Behind nine points from senior Jesse Logue in the third quarter, cut they lead to seven heading into the fourth.
The Cougars responded from long range early in the final period to put the game away. Burns started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, and Roherty followed with back-to-back bombs to push Craig’s lead to 51-35 with just over six minutes left.
Cooper Cullen capped the 11-0 run with a pair of free throws with 5:22 remaining as the lead swelled to 18.
Burns, a smooth 6-foot-6 senior who is headed to Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) College on a basketball scholarship, said Craig was forced to go to the long ball.
“We respected Parker down low because of (Riley) Grafft, so we knew we had to make some outside shots,” Burns said of the 6-10 Grafft, who finished with six blocks. “There are enough guys on this team that can make the three, and so teams can’t just key on me. Charlie was big tonight.
“We’re finally starting to get the team ball part of the game, and that has allowed us to play pretty good basketball. But we’re not satisfied. We know we can play better.”
Grafft, the Big Eight’s second-leading scorer at 18.1 points a game, was held to only six points. Senior D’Merius Holbrook came off the bench to lead the Vikings in scoring with 16.
The 6-4 Holbrook, who is likely headed to Northern Illinois on a football scholarship, had all 11 points for Parker in the second quarter.
Parker coach Jim LeMire appreciated the way his team battled, but 20 turnovers and zero three-point baskets led to the Vikings’ 47th loss in the last 49 games against Craig.
“When we face a team that can shoot, and we struggle offensively, it’s usually going to be a long night,” LeMire said. “I didn’t think our defense was that bad, for the most part. Burns hit some tough shots with a hand in his face.
“But turnovers continue to kill us. Every time we seemed to get momentum going tonight, we turned the ball over. Good teams like Craig are going to take advantage of that.”
Roherty finished with 12 points, while teammate Kyle Goike added 10. Holbrook was the only Viking in double figures.
CRAIG 66, PARKER 40
Craig (66)—Roherty, 4-0-12; Cullen, 3-3-9; Goike, 4-1-10; Pregont, 4-1-9; Burns, 7-0-19; Koeberl, 1-3-5; Wright, 1-0-2. Totals: 24-8-66.
Parker (40)—Logue, 4-1-9; Moe, 1-0-2; Fox, 1-1-3; Grafft, 3-0-6; Holbrook, 7-2-16; Hesser, 1-0-2; Jones, 1-0-2. Totals: 18-4-40.
Janesville Craig 12 18 12 24—66
Janesville Parker 7 11 17 5—40
Three-point goals—Craig 10 (Burns 5, Roherty 4, Goike). Free throws missed—Craig 6, Parker 6. Total fouls—Craig 13, Parker 13.
Sophomores—Craig 53, Parker 50. Craig is 2-13 overall, 2-10 in the Big Eight; Parker is 2-13, 2-9.
.
Feb 1, 2008 at 11:05 a.m.
Suggest removal
Way to go Craig and Parker Poms with your performance together.....What a way to show,that in the big picture, it is just a high school thing and we are all from the same town!
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.