Auburn boys basketball avenges Pleasant Plains in Class 2A Greenville Sectional win
GREENVILLE — The Auburn boys basketball team made some adjustments based on its previous matchup against fellow Sangamo Conference foe Pleasant Plains.
The Trojans quickly took control with its lengthy forwards and 1-3-1 zone defense en route to a 50-39 win in the Class 2A Greenville Sectional semifinals on Tuesday.
Auburn (30-4) advances to the sectional finals on Friday at 7 p.m. against Wednesday’s winner between Williamsville and Staunton.
Auburn exploits height advantage
Six-foot-six senior forward Clayton Kessler and 6-5 senior forward Ryan Lash combined for 14 points in the first half, while the defense thwarted Plains from scoring any points in the second quarter for a 16-5 halftime lead.
Auburn fell to Plains 51-43 during the regular season but took away a couple of lessons from the Feb. 4 meeting. That included feeding the post and finishing inside.
“That was a big emphasis for us,” Kessler said. “We knew we had a size advantage, so coach (Seth McCoy) was stressing that from the beginning that we needed to get it inside and get good looks and just be patient because we have a lot of options. The offense will come to us as long as we’re patient.”
Kessler led the Trojans with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Lash had eight points and three rebounds. Senior guards Carter Hunley and Cooper Carter had nine points apiece.
“We challenged those guys all week,” McCoy said of Kessler and Lash. “If that’s the advantage, we have to make it an advantage.”
Auburn goes zone
Auburn pulled ahead as much as 18-5 early in the third quarter to complete a 14-0 run, while Plains’ scoring drought lasted nearly 13 minutes. Junior guard Grady Grisham ended the dry spell with 6:30 left in the third period.
“They absolutely torched us in the first game man-to-man,” McCoy said of the previous meeting. ”We went 1-3-1 in the second half and I believe they scored 14 points in the second half. We knew they would have something ready to go for it, but I’m super, super proud of the intensity that we played with tonight.”
It wasn’t just down low. Auburn’s guards also wreaked havoc defensively, including junior Jacob Barth and senior Brady Boylen. McCoy described Boylen as one of the team’s top defenders.
“He’s a guy who didn’t get to play the entire year last year because of a labrum tear,” McCoy said. “He’s a guy who we trust in big time spots. We trust all our guys, but that’s another senior just stepping up when his name is called.”
Cardinals still hang around
Grisham paced the Cardinals (22-11) with 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Senior guard Trager Shultz added nine points.
Plains reached as close as 32-27 with under six minutes left by attacking the basket. It also generated open looks behind the arc and the Cardinals converted four of their five 3s after the break.
“Credit just the 1-3-1,” Plains coach Kyle Weber said. “We knew it was coming and we still looked tentative and passive against it. They’re long out there, so we threw a couple passes out of bounds just worrying about guards tipping it up top. You miss a couple shots in there, too, and it starts compounding a little bit.”
Plains bows out after winning a third straight regional title.
“It’s always tough losing that last one,” Weber said. “We’re going to miss Cooper (Schallenberg), Trager (Shultz) and Sean (Lowder). Those kids have done so much for us and Pleasant Plains basketball over the course of our four years.
“It’s not going to feel good for a couple days, but looking back they had some big moments where they won some games that probably a lot of people didn’t think they could. That only happens because they’re determined kids. They hung in there, battled through the ups and downs and kept grinding.”