When a basketball team is absolutely locked in on both ends of the floor, it’s exciting to watch, and we have seen that many times throughout the course of the year when it comes to Greg Tonagel and the No. 3 IWU Wildcats.
But on Wednesday evening against the Huntington University Foresters in the Crossroads League Quarterfinals, the Wildcats took it to another level, and from the opening tip to the final buzzer, they flat out dominated in a 94-62 rout at the Luckey Arena.
Over the first 16 minutes of the contest, the Wildcats played some of their best basketball of the season. Offensively, they moved the ball seamlessly all over the floor and knocked down a plethora of open looks at the basket, while defensively, they completely stifled the Huntington attack, not allowing them to get into any sort of rhythm.
IWU never trailed in the contest, building early leads of 13-7 and 18-10, but after a converted four-point play from Huntington star guard Konner Platt made it 18-14, the Wildcats took complete control.
From that moment until Trevor Waite knocked down his second three of the contest with 4:07 remaining in the opening stanza, the Wildcats outscored the Foresters 28-8, and took a double-digit lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
In the opening 20 minutes, IWU shot a scorching 60 percent (20-of-33) from the floor, while holding Huntington to just 40 percent (10-of-25).
“I think it was the most unified half [we’ve played,]” IWU Head Coach Greg Tonagel said. “On offense, we had one goal in mind – pass the ball and get your teammates involved. On defense, it was stop the ball together. So, it just looked like a unified team out there, and it sure showed up in the boxscore.”
In the first half, IWU had 15 assists on 20 field goals, and for the game, they had 24 assists on 38 field goals, showcasing their unselfishness throughout the entire evening. Grant Smith led the way with 10, while Kyle Mangas recorded four and Isaiah Payton added three.
“When you have guys like Kyle Mangas and Evan Maxwell who are big time scorers, but they are really trying to make other people better, that’s a fun offense to be a part of,” Tonagel said. “A lot of it is the mentality that starts at the top with those guys.”
The Wildcats kept the pedal to the metal after halftime, never letting their lead fall below 17 points in the final 20 minutes as they cruised to the 32-point victory.
For the game, IWU shot 59 percent from the floor, knocking down 38 of their 64 field goal attempts, while four Wildcats finished in double figures. Mangas and Evan Maxwell each finished with 17 points, while Smith recorded a double-double with 13 points, which included a thunderous dunk off a perfect alley oop pass from Mangas, to go along with his 10 assists. Canaan Coffey rounded out the double digit scorers for the Wildcats, finishing with 11.
While IWU’s starters all played tremendous basketball, the bench also did their part, scoring 30 points. Payton and Seth Maxwell, both freshmen, combined for 18 of those 30 points, and in a high pressure environment, they played like a couple of seasoned veterans.
“I’m very proud of our young guys,” Tonagel said. “It looked like they belonged tonight. If you are going to play in the postseason, you’re really no longer a freshman. I was excited about the way those guys stepped up and what they can do moving forward for us.”
Platt was the lone bright spot for the Foresters, scoring 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, but the rest of the team shot a combined 13-of-44 from the floor. Former Oak Hill standout Caleb Middlesworth, who averaged 15.9 points per game, was held to just five points, while Zac Owens, also a 15.9 points per game scorer, finished with seven.
All in all, Huntington finished the game shooting 23-of-62 from the field (37 percent) and just five-of-23 from distance (21 percent).
“Platt is a good player, he is a very difficult player to defend,” Tonagel said. “But collectively, we did a good job on the rest of the team.”
In their final game of the regular season, the Wildcats dropped a 10-point decision to the Marian University on the road. Now, with the two set to square off in the semifinal round, Tonagel knows his team will have to put forth a better effort than they did last weekend.
“We have to find a way to slow down Marian,” Tonagel said. “We didn’t do that on Saturday, and they are as hot as anybody in the country. So, it’s a big challenge in front of us.”
