DANVILLE —
“It doesn’t matter how you start, but how you finish.”
This timeless quotation has been used all over the world for inspiration and overcoming adversity,
It could also be used to describe the slow-starting, fast-finishing Danville Vikings’ 63-45 win over the Mattoon Green Wave .
“We got off to a sluggish start.” Danville forward Jaron Cunningham said “But once we start scoring and got our intensity up, we play hard.”
The Vikings ended the first quarter in a 12-12 tie with plenty of turnovers, but after the rough start, they outscored Mattoon 33-22 in the second half.
“We picked it up in the 2nd half,” Danville coach Gary Tidwell said. “We stepped up our defensive pressure, and were able to get out on the open floor a little more. It was two teams with opposite strengths and we played well to our strengths. We were able to dictate the tempo by our defensive pressure and did a nice job breaking it open in the second half.”
The Vikings had three players reach double-digit point totals. Dennis Hightower led the attack with 19 points and was followed by Jaron Cunningham with 12 and Donte Ingram with 10.
In the first quarter both sides went back and forth. The lead changed five times and after the first 8 minute break, the teams were tied.
When the second quarter started, Danville got off to a hot start — scoring 6 unanswered points that were part of an 11-2 drive. Mattoon chipped away at the lead a bit but with a buzzer-beating three pointer, Dennis Hightower sent the Vikings into the locker room with a 30-23 lead.
In the second half, the Vikings picked up where they left off. They began with an opening 10-4 run — expanding their lead to 44-33.
If the Vikings were hot in the second and third quarters, then they were boiling in the fourth. The Maroon and White started off the final quarter with a 3-pointer from Steven Williams that kick started a 15-4 run. The big run led to Mattoon waving the white flag and both sides put in their reserve players for the final few minutes.
Though the Vikings have been able to overcome the slow starts in the past, they have a goal for future games.
“I don’t know what it is but we start every game slow, but we finish strong,” Hightower said. “But I think to be a good team we need to start strong and finish strong also. “
The Vikings’ next game is a home matchup against Normal West on Friday followed by Peoria Manual on Saturday.
Sports
Related Photos
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Danville's Donte Ingram drives the ball past Mattoon's Jared Pilson during Tuesday’s game at Danville. Ingram had 10 points as the Vikings won 63-45. Susan Joy McKinney/Commercial-News
Discussion
Vikings finish off Wave
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