The Kewanee Boilermakers earned a blow out win over the St. Bede Bruins last night. Full results courtesy of the Kewanee High School Athletic Department and Coach Matt Clark…
Kewanee High vs St. Bede Academy
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Game Time: 7:00pm
Location: Kewanee High – Brockman Gym
Final Score:
Kewanee – 72
St. Bede – 49
Boilers respond in second half to pull away from the Bruins
The Boilermakers of Kewanee continued their four game homestand as they welcomed the Bruins from St. Bede to Brockman Gym. Both teams were coming off of losses from Saturday games and were looking to bounce back in a TRAC East conference matchup. Kewannee was coming off a tough, low scoring game Saturday night versus Farmington Central which saw them drop to 10-11 in a 41-37 loss. St. Bede battled rival LaSalle-Peru on the road to a 55-48 loss, which dropped their record to 8-17 overall. In game one of the home and home series this year St. Bede made 12 three pointers on their way to a 59-48 victory. Kewanee struggled that night in all facets of the game and were looking to redeem themselves in the matchup Tuesday night.
Kewanee opened the game on a quick 5-0 run sparked by junior Brady Clark as he dropped in two baskets with one being an and one. The Bruins would respond and tie the game up at 13 apiece with just under two minutes to play in the opening quarter. The Boilers responded with some great drives and dishes to senior Jaiden Little who would score 6 first quarter points to pace the team. At the end of the first quarter the Boilers led 19-13.
The second would be a back and forth quarter as both teams made runs at each other with the Bruins responding first to close the gap while the Boilers would then pull back ahead. With 2 minutes remaining in the half Kewanee went to their bench looking for a spark as the game was tied at 33-33 each. The spark came from junior Cristian Cazares as he picked up a steal and a basket to help the Boilers close the half with a 33-29 lead.
Kewanee would ride that momentum into the second half as they played some of their most complete basketball of the season as their defensive effort was sound while their team offense and ball movement led to several open shots. The Boilermakers would use a balanced scoring attack in the quarter as a trio of juniors would lead the way. Will Rumbold played some inspired ball at both ends on his way to 8 third quarter points while the guard combo of Clark and Blaise Lewis would score 6 and 5. The trio would lead the charge as the Boilers would close the quarter with a 56-44 lead.
The final quarter was much like the third as the Boilers would use a balanced effort to pull away from the Bruins and hold the visitors to just 5 points in the fourth quarter. Kewanee would have 6 players score in the quarter as they out scored St. Bede 16-5 and closed the game with a 72-49 victory. Kewanee was led in scoring my four players with each having 14 points apiece. Jaiden Little, who was celebrating his 18th birthday, scored a career high with those 14 points as he played some of his best basketball of the season. The three other Boilers to put 14 points in the scoring column were Will Rumbold, Blaise Lewis and Brady Clark. Five other Boilers would find their way into the scorebook, junior Blake Johnston and sophomore Davontae Jordan would each score 4. Catrelle Reed and Cruz Paredes would each hit a 3 pointer while Cristian Cazares scored 2.
With the win the Boilers even up their record at 11-11 and will close out their homestand Friday night as they host conference foe Bureau Valley, tip is scheduled for approximately 7pm. Friday night will be Salute to America Night as the Kewanee High Student Council will honor current and former servicemen and women on Salute to America Night.
