Dragons conquer Trojans in tight conference clash

By MATT KING\Daily Journal Sports Writer

POTOSI - The Ste. Genevieve basketball team left no doubt on Wednesday that the adversity and turmoil which has affected them over the last two years season is now a distant memory.

The Dragons matched intensity with the dangerous Potosi Trojans and emerged with a hard-fought 58-54 road victory, earning their first conference win since the 2002-03 campaign.

The first three quarters of the back-and-forth battle featured 13 lead changes. Ste. Genevieve (10-4) erased a seven-point, third-quarter deficit with a series of steals and transition points to carry a 43-40 edge into the fourth.

Potosi (7-5) missed its first 10 field goal attempts during the final stanza, including a handful of layups, but won a couple of pivotal rebounding battles in the final minute of play to draw even.

Kyle Faulkner countered a transition basket with a driving layup at the opposite end to give the Dragons a 54-49 advantage with 1:08 left. Brandon Casey brought the Trojans closer with a clutch three-pointer, then tied the score on a third-chance putback with 30 seconds left following a missed Ste. Genevieve free throw.

On the ensuing possession, Jake Donze drew a foul well beyond the three-point arc with 11.3 seconds remaining, and the Ste. Genevieve senior calmly converted both free throws. After Potosi missed a tough shot in heavy congestion, Garrett Ditch grabbed the rebound and buried two more free tosses to seal the win.

“I knew coming in that this was going to be a physical, close game,” said Ste. Genevieve coach Mark Gibson. “We have a hard working basketball team, and they were ready for this type of situation. Our three seniors - Garrett Ditch, Jake Donze and Kyle Faulkner have been great leaders in helping our freshmen along.”

Faulkner topped a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Dragons with 16 points. Donze finished with 12 points, while guards Mike Schlueter and Kory Faulkner chipped in 10 apiece. Ditch ripped down 11 rebounds and Donze grabbed nine.

Potosi worked the ball inside to Ryan McCourtney and Tim Pashia for early baskets, but several untimely turnovers and the inability of the Trojans' defense to stop dribble penetration allowed the Dragons to respond repeatedly.

A steal and layup by Schlueter gave Ste. Genevieve a 17-13 advantage, but Potosi broke full-court pressure for baskets by Joe Douthit and A.J. Long. A three-pointer by Kevin Brown and a tough finish inside by Jeremy Brown helped the Trojans build a 30-25 cushion at the break.

The Dragons reversed the momentum with an 11-3 run, including a pair of break-away layups by Kyle Faulkner, and a go-ahead transition follow by Donze. Potosi regained the lead on the second triple of the night from Pashia, but Ste. Genevieve took it back for good when Kory Faulkner connected from long range late in the third quarter.

Pashia scored 10 points for Potosi to share team-high honors with Jeremy Brown, who completed a double-double with 10 rebounds. Casey added eight points.

Ste. Genevieve will host North County in another conference test on Friday. Potosi will travel to Central on Friday, and the loser will slip to 0-2 in league play with just three games remaining.

Ste. Genevieve 13 12 18 15 - 58

Potosi 11 19 10 14 - 54

SCORING:

Ste. Genevieve - Ky Faulkner 16, Donze 12, Schlueter 10, Ko Faulkner 10, Ditch 7, Schrader 3.

3-point FG - Ko Faulkner 2.

Potosi - J Brown 10, Pashia 10, Casey 8, K Brown 7, Long 6, Douthit 6, McCourtney 5, Breakfield 2.

3-point FG - Pashia 2, K Brown, Casey.