Wildcats struggle to win the close ones as tourney nears

By Dave Pearce

In two or three weeks when the pairings for the IHSAA basketball sectional are announced, it’s highly unlikely that anyone will be standing in line hoping to draw the Mount Vernon Wildcats. The Wildcats may be one of the best teams you will face this season or they may not. That could even be in two halves of a game. They have carved out an 11-8 overall record and are 5-4 in the Pocket Athletic Conference.

After upsetting an extremely talented Reitz team earlier in the year then defeating the Southridge Raiders in Huntingburg, The Wildcats thought they had things straightened out. So they traveled to the Carmi-White County Invitational Tournament and brought home first place.

The Wildcats returned home to Indiana and brought their swagger with them in a 71-45 win at Tell City. The Wildcats outmanned the Marksmen and manhandled them for another conference win.

The Wildcats jumped on the Marksmen to the tune of 20-5 after one period of play and never looked back. They added to the lead and were ahead 35-15 at the half.

The Wildcats continued to pour it on in the third period as they held Tell City to 10 points and rang up another 24 to have a 59-25 lead heading into the final period.

Mount Vernon Coach Dog Novsek’s Wildcats had eight players score in the contest with Meyer Robb scoring 18 points and dishing out six assists for the Wildcats. He also finished with seven rebounds in one of his most complete games of the year.

But Robb wasn’t the only Wildcat doing things well at Tell City. Brady Schickel put 16 points on the board and dished out three assists while pulling down five rebounds and blocking a shot. Teammate Nash Hostetter finished with 12 points and six assists for the Wildcats. Grayson Buse showed up for the Wildcats, as well, scoring 11 while Reese Harshbarger enjoyed a perfect 4-for-4 night from the field scoring eight points, blocking a shot and pulling down four rebounds.

Also contributing was senior Bryce Clowers who had two points but dished out four assists and had five rebounds and snagged two steals. Also scoring for the Wildcats was Liam Johnson and Keaton Givens with two points apiece.

“We had a lot of time off and we were supposed to have played them on Friday but we ended up that Monday worked out,” Novsek said. “We didn’t have a lot of dates available so we went down there and played. They are struggling a little bit and we did what we should do. We played well and defended and did the things we have been doing pretty well.”

While the Wildcats controlled the game from start to finish, Novsek was the first to admit that at times this season his team has gone into similar situations and struggled to get the job done.

“We didn’t turn the ball over and that’s critical for us,” he said. “They got some baskets late when we didn’t execute some things defensively but overall, the kids got a nice win. Meyer scored well and Nash shot well from the field and hit a couple of threes.””

But that’s when the bottom began to fall out.

On that Thursday, the Wildcats went into a tough environment to play perhaps the best team in the area, the Class 3A fourth-ranked Princeton Tigers. The Tigers are known for their defense, their bulk and their quickness. They showed the Wildcats all three of those things as they ended the game with a 77-40 win.

However, the score was not reflective of the quality of basketball the Wildcats played, particularly in the first half. They hung with the Tigers and were down 18-12 after one period of play but the Tigers hung a 24-spot on the Wildcats in the second period while holding Mount Vernon to 14 to enjoy a 43-26 lead at the half.

What the Tigers didn’t do well in the first period, they made up for in the remainder of the contest as they outscored Mount Vernon 34-14 in the second half to claim the lop-sided conference win. The win moved Princeton to 17-3 on the year.

Robb played well in the contest scoring 17 points from all over the floor. He had three assists and three boards but the supporting cast let the Wildcats down. Buse shot well but perhaps not enough in scoring 10 points. Schickel finished with seven while Hostetter had four and Clowers had two points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals.

“We are a better team than what we showed,” Novsek said with disappointment. “I was disappointed and I think the team was, too. We didn’t compete at the level you have to when you play against a team like that, especially defensively. When you give up 43 points in a half, you’re not going to win many games and especially against a team like Princeton. They are good. I thought we were too permissive. I didn’t do a good job of convincing our guys how you have to play to beat a Princeton. They are talented and they execute well.”

The next two games, the Wildcats fell on some bad luck as they lost to Memorial in a game that could have gone either way. The Tigers claimed a 64-59 win in Mount Vernon. Memorial claimed a 16-14 lead after one period and then outscored the Wildcats 12-5 to take a 28-19 lead into the half.

But the Wildcats fought back in the second half as Robb enjoyed a breakout night scoring 27 points against the Tigers while dishing out five assists. Hostetter also played well, scoring 18 points and dishing out four assists. Schickel had eight points before fouling out and Buse also fouled out of the contest.

Then on Friday the 13th, The Wildcats traveled to Boonville to face another PAC team they expected to compete favorably with but the Wildcats came up just short by a final of 54-51, after a big third quarter had given the homestanding Pioneers what appeared to be a comfortable 41-31 lead heading into the final period.

But the Wildcats were not done. Behind the scoring of Robb and Buse, the Wildcats got back into the game bit time ran out. The Wildcats outscored the Pioneers 20-13 in the final period but came up three points short.

Robb again led the way with 21 points while Hostetter had 12 and Schickel had nine. Buse added six while Clowers had two and Harshbarger one. Schickel led the team with seven boards.

The 11-8 Wildcats were scheduled to host Mater Dei on Tuesday and Washington on Saturday. The Mater Dei varsity contest is slated for 7 p.m. while the Cats will face Washington at 7:30.