INA, IL (Feb. 14, 2022) – This season’s Warriors basketball team has proven time and again that any game can produce big moments.
Rend Lake will play in the Homecoming Blackout game on Wednesday against Olney Central. The Blackout game will start at 7 p.m.
Warriors Head Coach Brian Gamber noted that when it comes to clutch time with the game on the line, more than one Warrior has been able to deliver.
“Some of the highlights of the year have been our overtime win against Shawnee. Ian Reith hit a shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime,” Gamber said. “The biggest highlight so far would be Jake Schadegg hitting a 70-foot shot at the buzzer to beat Olney Central on the road.”
Rend Lake was also able to beat a tough 15-8 Wabash Valley team not once but twice with the second being a decisive 74-58 win at home.
“This team has continued to get better every day and every game,” he said. “They have consistently played hard and tough, which is why we have had some success and have played some great teams down to the wire.”
Rend Lake (8-14, 5-7 in Great Rivers Athletic Conference) has squared off with a number of tough competitors. Six losses were by six or fewer points. Turn those into wins, and Rend Lake’s record flips to 14-8.
Several veteran players have stepped up in big ways. Only a tenth of a point separates the top two scorers in points per game.
Reith (Chester) is the team leader in several categories — averaging 14 points and shooting 48 percent from the field. The center also pulls down 7 rebounds per game and has hit 20 three-pointers so far this season.
Point guard Cawhan “Skeet” Smith (Collinsville) has also shot the ball well, sinking 14 points per game and shooting 44 percent overall. Smith has racked up 52 steals in 21 games and does well managing the floor with 2.8 assists for every turnover.
Other top players include Jackson Creel (Mt. Vernon), who has averaged 12.4 points per game along with 3.7 rebounds. Creel shoots the three at 35 percent and leads the team in attempts so far this season at 146.
Schadegg (Breese) rounds out the top quartet with 11 points per game — 39 percent from beyond the arc and 84 percent from three free-throw line.
“They have been our leaders throughout. The great thing about this team is we have several different leaders who lead in different ways,” Gamber said. “They do a great job of leading with their effort and intensity both on and off the court.”
Looking at the rest of the season and on into tournament play, Gamber said the goal is for the team to continue to keep improving. The Warriors have five games remaining in the regular season. Four home games are coming up with Lincoln Land at 7 p.m. tonight (Feb. 14), Olney Central for a Homecoming Blackout game Feb. 16 at 7 p.m., Danville Area at 2 p.m. Feb. 20, and Parkland at 6 p.m. Feb. 22. The final regular season game will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at Kaskaskia.
“Our goal for these last 3 weeks is just to simply continue to get better in all areas,” he said. “We feel like we have played an extremely difficult schedule that hopefully will prepare us well for post-season play.
“We need to continue to focus on guarding at a really high level and limiting second chances for the opposing team,” Gamber said. “Going into the off-season it will be about player development, especially in the weight room and then finishing up recruiting to add some depth to our roster.”
