Freeport, Ill. – The first 30 minutes of Wabash Valley's season-opening game on Wednesday was simply a prologue to a seemingly-unrelated final 10 minutes that decided everything.
The Warriors had built a 12-point second half lead over Highland and were in relative control over much of the contest.
That is before the host Cougars began to reverse course and gradually erase the deficit. And when the game finally boiled down to a two-minute affair, they made the bigger plays needed to win, 77-72.
"It was very frustrating that we didn't close out the game in the last 10 minutes," said WVC head coach Mike Carpenter, now underway in his eighth season at the helm.
"We have some things to tighten up, but we played a pretty good 30 minutes of basketball in a tough environment."
The Warriors looked smooth enough on offense, but very poor free throw shooting kept them from building a margin large enough to survive. On the night, WVC missed 15 free throws, too many to "expect to come away with a win on the road," according to Carpenter.
Highland outscored Wabash 12-3 over a four-minute stretch of the second half to pull to within one point, 56-55, with nine minutes remaining.
The game came down to two Cougar baskets and five points for the win. With the game tied at 70-all, Marvens Petion drilled a 3-point field goal, followed by a layup by Anthony Washington, and it was over with 47 seconds left.
The first half went much differently. Joshua Jones, Jr. hit a 3-ball seconds into the game, and the Warriors jumped to a 19-13 lead 10 minutes into the game.
Though Highland regrouped for a 30-25 lead, WVC finished the first half strongly on a 15-3 run, good for a 40-33 lead at the half.
Projected to be a better shooting team along the arc line this year, the Warriors demonstrated that with five 3-balls on the night. Freshman TreVon Smith was one of three in double figures for WVC, with 11 points, according to unofficial figures.
Two other returnees topped the scoring column for Carpenter's team. Jujuan Weatherspoon scored 15 points, while Issac Stanback, who has added more muscle to an already-powerful frame, accounted for 14.
Freshman Javier Turner also hit double-figures with 10 points, eight of those coming in the second half.
Though fans were not in attendance due to ongoing COVID restrictions, the game was the first in the newly renovated Highland gymnasium.
Wabash Valley (0-1) opens its' own home season next Tuesday (Jan. 26) against Spoon River, the first of back-to-back home games. Danville Area calls at Spencer Sports Center on Wednesday.