BY JOHN D. HOMAN
Logan Media Services

Saturday’s game between John A. Logan College and Kaskaskia came down to one play – one shot. With the Vols up two points and three ticks left on the clock, Kaskaskia’s Quan Conner launched a three-point attempt from the corner.

And although the 6-foot-2 sophomore guard out of Waukegan had made nine of his previous 14 attempts from beyond the arc, he was just a hair off the mark this time around. Logan’s QuaShawn Carpenter rebounded the miss, was fouled, and drained two free throws to tuck the game safely away , 79-75.

It is the Vols’ fourth consecutive win. They improve to 5-4 in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference and 12-7 overall. The Blue Devils fall to 5-4 in league play and are 13-9 overall. The two teams split the season series.

“I think this is a heck of a win for us,” said Logan head coach Mark Imhoff. “It was a four-point margin at our place and four-point margin here today. I think we’re pretty evenly matched teams.”

Imhoff said the Vols did a good job of narrowing the gap in the first half after falling back by nine at 36-27, closing the half on a 9-2 run to only trail by two at the break, 38-36.

“In the second half, we did a much better job defensively and on the boards. We had some possessions where we got a second and third opportunity and that was important, especially late in the game,” Imhoff said.

Carpenter was high scorer for the Vols with 23 points. He also yanked down eight rebounds. DeShawn Clay checked in with 14 points. He was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field and also collected seven rebounds.

Anthony Shoemaker had 14 points and eight rebounds. Xavier Jones added 11 points and five rebounds. Robert Arnold had 10 points and eight rebounds. Alex Brown, battling foul trouble all day, had one point.
Conner paced the Blue Devils with a game-high 32 points. Chris Hooper followed with 11. Brady Burford and Marquie Smith chipped in 10 points each.

In the early game, the Blue Angels of Kaskaskia blew past the Vols, 87-66. They only led by one at the intermission, 37-36.

Three-point shooting proved to be the Vols’ downfall. Kaskaskia was a remarkable 15-of-32 from long distance as led by Miranda Burroughs’ eight trifectas made in 13 attempts.

Logan, meanwhile, was 2-of-15 for the game. Moreover, the Vols turned the ball over 22 times despite outrebounding the home team 37-to-29.

“I thought we had a great first 20 minutes,” said Vols head coach Marty Hawkins. “Burroughs was awfully hot both halves. She really busted our zone.”

Hawkins said fatigue was again a factor in the loss as Kaskaskia brought in waves of fresh reserves to battle the leg-weary Vols. Logan only dresses seven players.

“We just hit a wall there about midway through the second half,” he said. “We let the game get away from us. We have to find a 40-minute solution. One game we play well for 35 minutes. Today, was about 25 minutes. We have to try to find a way to get 40 minutes of production.”

High scorer for Logan was Tiki Johnson with 19 points. Kyra Navarette followed with 13. Austyn Ridings and Jasmine Jordan flipped in 12 each.

In addition to Burroughs’ 24 points, the Blue Angels received 10 points each from We’Nisha Mack, Brandi Riddle and Alesha Prince.

Logan falls to 2-7 in the GRAC and 6-12 overall. Kaskaskia improves to 6-3 in the league and 15-7 overall. The Vols return home Wednesday as part of “Du Quoin Night” festivities to take on Lincoln Trail. The women’s game starts at 5:30 and the men’s game at 7:30. Admission is free to all residents of the Du Quoin school district.