Triad bests Waterloo for Regional crown

By Anthony Jones

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Triad boys basketball team added new hardware to their trophy case on Feb. 28.

The Knights did so after taking down Mississippi Valley Conference foe Waterloo on their home court in the Class 3A Waterloo Regional Championship.

Triad began their path to victory with a 16-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Knights ended the opening frame with a 7-0 run, capped off by an Ethan Stewart basket at the buzzer.

Triad manager Jeff Guidry discussed his team’s hot start, “We were the aggressor. We played harder from the start and we got some big stops to start the game. With our defense and how we typically play, teams know that when we’re coming out like that to start, it’s going to be tough.”

Their momentum remained in the second quarter, as they rolled out to a commanding 26-12 lead midway through the period. Waterloo, who finished with just three field goals in the first half, rallied to pull within 26-17 at intermission.

In a back and forth third quarter, the Knights led by as many as 12 and as few as six. Ultimately, Triad entered the fourth quarter with a 36-27 advantage.

With a nine point deficit, the Bulldogs turned to a full court press at the start of the fourth quarter. Their defensive pressure helped close the gap to 40-34 with two minutes left, when Waterloo began fouling to force Triad to the free throw line.

Winslow had a simple plan to deal with Waterloo’s relentless pressure late in the game, “My initial thought was to get the ball to Ethan Stewart. You can always rely on him to close out the game.”

His plan worked, as Stewart knocked down five free throws in the final two minutes on six attempts. The senior Knight finished with seven points in the final frame to help seal a 46-39 victory for the Knights.

“We just had to take care of the ball. We knew what they were trying to do, we just had to play defense and take care of the ball–that was the recipe to win,” Stewart spoke about icing the game.

Winslow led all scorers with 16 points in the win. Stewart tallied 13 points to finish as the game’s next highest scorer.

The Regional Championship marks the eleventh in program history and the second in three years.

“It’s amazing. It’s always electric when we get to this moment and winning it it just feels surreal,” Ethan Stewart remarked of winning his second Regional plaque of his career.

Drew Winslow echoed a similar sentiment.

“This one means a lot. I grew up with every single one of these boys. I love them to death, so it means a lot to be able to do it with them,” the Triad senior said of winning his second Regional as a starter for the Knights.

Earlier in the week, Triad opened their postseason with a win over Cahokia on Feb. 26.

The first quarter, which was capped off by a Brody Hasquin putback in the final seconds, saw the Knights take a 12-6 lead.

In the second quarter, Triad led by as few as two and as many as seven before ultimately taking a 20-15 lead into halftime.

The seventh seeded Comanches were able to keep close to the top seeded Knights thanks to their deliberate pace.

“They had a really good game plan. They knew they were undersized and maybe a little outmanned, so they tried to take very long possessions to get us to fall asleep. We lost a little focus with that. When they take long possessions like that and hit a shot and then we come down and can’t hit a shot, that just plays into their hands,” Coach Guidry remarked of Cahokia’s patient approach.

Cahokia’s pacing was less effective in the second half, as the Knights moved ahead 31-22 at the end of the third quarter. Ultimately, Triad scored a 47-31 victory and never trailed.

Winslow finished with a game high 24 points. Tyler Thompson tacked on 16 more points for the Knights.

Triad’s postseason continues on Mar. 4, as they are set to face Mt. Vernon in the Marion Sectional semifinals. The Knights and Rams met earlier this season on Nov. 30, with Triad winning 60-58 on a last minute basket.

With a win, the Knights would advance to the Marion Sectional Championship on Mar. 7. Centralia and East St. Louis will battle on Mar. 5 for the other championship spot.