Apaches 4-1 in Conference, Share Conference Lead
By John Baracani
The Apaches have kicked off the second half of their season in grand fashion, starting the new millennium at 4-2 overall, with a 4-1 conference mark at press time.
After ending the 1999 portion of the season with a trip to California's Mira Costa College Tournament in Oceanside, IVCC came back to the Midwest and handed conference rivals Highland, Black Hawk, and Black Hawk East defeats in its first three contests of 2000.
Prior to their 14-point victory over Highland at IVCC on Jan. 4, the Apaches had been 0-2 under second year coach Mike Riley against Highland.
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We're definitely improving against them," Riley said. "But there is no question that they will have something to prove (the next time we play them)."Five days after defeating Black Hawk on Jan. 6 by nine points, the Apaches traveled to Black Hawk East for their first road game of the new millennium.
Although IVCC came away with a 103-70 blowout victory, Coach Riley knows that it won't be as easy the next time around.
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They are a good ball club," he said. "I'm sure they'll have something to say about that."After winning three straight contests against conference foes, Riley's club faltered for the first time in conference play, with an 84-77 loss at the hands of Kishwaukee on January 13.
Riley said his team played a good game, but just didn't have luck on their side.
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We played fairly well, we just missed shots that we would normally make. They just didn't fall."The Apaches avenged their first loss in almost three weeks by showing perseverance and patience in bouncing back to beat Carl Sandburg on Jan. 18 by a score of 67-62.
After trailing by ten points at halftime, the club opened up a 19-0 run that eventually led to a victory, but not without a little drama.
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It was probably as bad as we played all year in the first half," said the head coach."
They got hot, made some three pointers, and quickly fouled us," Riley said. "We missed some free throws, but held on to win."The game featured what the coach called "great games" for centers Matt Franke and Sandro Tovalin. The two big men scored 11 and 18 points, respectively.
Tovalin was injured just days earlier in a head on collision from which he had to be extricated from his vehicle. Though he felt sore, he came off the bench to help guide the Apaches to victory.
Jan. 22 pitted the Apaches against non-conference opponent DuPage, who entered the game with a 17-2 record, good for a third place ranking in Division 3.
Despite the caliber of their opposition, IVCC kept the game close, even taking the lead briefly while eventually succumbing to DuPage 76-71.
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They are a real good ball club," Riley said. "They've got maturity, size, weight, and strength. We were able to make a run at them at the end. It was a well played game."Although the Apaches couldn't break into the win column against DuPage, the day was not a total loss.
Between the men's and women's games against DuPage, IVCC honored its 1959 men's basketball club, then known as L-P-O College. The ceremony was broadcast on WLPO and emceed by Lanny Slevin.
The squad, led by Head Coach John Strell, won the Region 4 Title and finished 11th out of 16 teams in the Hutchinson, Kansas Tournament, led by star guards Jim Mini and Bob Walsh. The pair combined to score 75 points between them, setting records for the tournament.
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It was tremendous seeing those guys together again as a team," said Riley, who also serves as the college's athletic director. "That's a long time to not be recognized."The team will be forever remembered in a banner which hangs in the gymnasium.
After the fast start to conference play, the Apaches looked to continue their winning ways against Sauk Valley, with whom they shared the conference lead at press time.
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It will really be an important game for us," Riley said. "We are excited about the opportunity."This Thursday IVCC travels to Highland, a team looking to pay them back for a loss earlier this month.
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It's going to be a real tough game. It should be a good contest if we can get a few more people healthy," said Riley.Injuries to Franke, guards Kendrick Carr and Eric Hayward, and forward Charlie Eckhoff have limited the amount of depth on Riley's bench.
The coach hopes for Eckhoff's return to be in the Highland game, adding that, "A 6'8" body will help us."
While the club has been hobbled with injuries, it has also lost several key players due to school and work conflicts, as well as eligibility problems. Derek Baird, Dan Floyd, Chris Stombaugh, and Jake Ladzinski have all left the team.
Riley knows that he has lost several important players, but he is still confident in his team, and is proud of the fact that his team is not led by any one player, but rather, a different player each game.
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Every game someone new steps up and helps us," he said. "We know that someone will always step up. I'm pleased that we aren't one dimensional."He adds that his team is "very coachable" in that he and his coaching staff can make adjustments and his team has the flexibility to do what he asks and win ball games.
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That's a real plus with these guys," he said.The coach also takes pride in his club's defense and overall unselfishness.
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Our defense has been outstanding. We find a way to contain their best players. They are not selfish, they do what is best for the team," he said.Riley's one concern is rebounding, pointing out that the team with the most rebounds usually gets the win. "I'd like us to be more aggressive in rebounding," he said.
Other upcoming games for the Apaches include: Feb. 1 at Black Hawk; Feb. 3 against Black Hawk East at 7:30 p.m.; and Feb. 5 against Joliet at 3 p.m.