Red Devils got a lot of Gaull
SENECA – Billy Gaull scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter – including his team’s final nine points of the game, to help lift the Hall Red Devils over the Braidwood Reed-Custer Comets, 53-51, Saturday afternoon at the Seneca Turkey Tournament.
“Billy baled us out there at the end. Billy’s an all-tournament player. He did an awful lot of stuff right in the fourth quarter,” said Hall coach Mike Fillipini. “When you have a senior and a captain, that’s what they do. They step up and lead for you. He really won the game for us in that fourth quarter.”
With the victory, Hall claimed fifth place in the 10th annual Seneca Thanksgiving event; their early season record is at 2-2.
“I’m not making excuses, but we had some kids who didn’t go out. We had one kid suspended,” said Filippini. “These kids hear it all the time in school that they’re not very good. They hear it from people out there. I think, after four games, to be 2-2 is a pretty good accomplishment.
“We’re playing a lot of juniors, making a lot of mistakes, kids who haven’t played varsity basketball. Reed-Custer has a lot of seniors. They are more experienced than we are. So I was very happy with how hard we played, and we found a way to win. It’s kind of a corny cliché, but we did just enough to win.”
Hall rolled out to a 13-8 lead after eight minutes of play.
The Red Devils twice pushed in front by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, up, 20-10 and 22-12, but settled for a 23-16 lead at the half.
The Comets scored the first seven points of the third quarter to suddenly knot the game at 23. Austin Helm’s two free throws for Hall at the 4:01 mark finally broke Reed Custer’s offensive spell.
“We didn’t exactly start the second half as we had planned,” Filippini said. “First four minutes of the second half, (we wanted to) come out, try to get a little separation, put them away, and maybe they’d quit.
“But I don’t think we scored in the first four minutes. So, obviously, we did the reverse of what we wanted to do.”
The Comets’ Tyler Ricketts banked in an incrediwble, last-second three-pointer to again tie the game, 31 all, at third period’s end.
Scoring broke loose over the game’s final eight minutes, as Hall ultimately edged Reed Custer, 22-20, converting on five of six shots from the field and 10-15 free throws.
Gaull’s second three-pointer of the game gave the Red Devils the lead for good with 1:08 to go. Gaull’s game-ending, nine-point scoring string included sinking four of five free throws over the final minute.
Ricketts’ late, offensive put-back cemented a two-point Hall victory as time ran out, as the Comets couldn’t stop the clock.
Anthony Urbanski put in 10 points for the winners, while Helm came off the bench to add another nine. Gaull also supplied 12 rebounds for the Red Devils.
“Last night against Hinckley-Big Rock, it seemed like it was Billy, and everybody else was just kind of standing out there, watching him score,” Filippini said. “Today, Anthony got himself back on track, getting 10 (points). Helm had nine. So we almost had three guys in double figures. That’s only going to help us out.”
John Wisneski (18) and Ricketts (17) provided the majority of the Comets’ offense, while Jake Hays grabbed 10 rebounds.
“To be 2-2 is a nice accomplishment,” Filippini said. “Obviously, 4-0 would have been a lot better, or 3-1, but for these guys to be 2-2, that says a lot about these kids because they’re not the most talented team. They haven’t got the best coach in the world, but they definitely found a way to win.
“I’m proud of the way they played. As long as they keep playing hard, I think good things will start happening for us.”
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