Boys send Chiefs packing

East Troy High School junior Michael Polakoski puts up two in the Trojans’ 91-50 win over Big Foot Monday night. Polakoski scored 17 points in the game, including three 3-point buckets. (Eric Kramer photo)

Basketball team posts 91-50 win over Big Foot

By Dan Truttschel

Correspondent

The ingredients for success when it comes to the East Troy High School boys basketball team is fairly simple.

Play good defense, which leads to a sprint to the other side of the court and as many quick-fire baskets as possible.

That combination was on display Monday.

East Troy put 47 points on the scoreboard in the opening 18 minutes and cruised to a 91-50 Rock Valley Conference victory over visiting Big Foot.

The win improved the Trojans to 11-4 overall and 11-1 in the RVC. East Troy continues to hold a one-game lead over second-place McFarland and three over Edgerton and Beloit Turner.

“We played well and were able to play a lot of guys,” East Troy coach Darryl Rayfield said. “We defended really well, were able to turn them over a little bit and get into transition. We were really efficient.

“When we get into transition, we’re really good. That starts on the defensive end, rebounding and going. That’s kind of what happened.”

Rayfield said he knows that Big Foot, which fell to 0-12 in the RVC, is in a bit of a rebuilding phase – but he left impressed with the Chiefs’ effort.

“They’re really young,” he said. “I think they’re doing the right things. Making that commitment to get up to the next level just takes a long time, it really does. I thought they were on the right track the last few years.”

A.J. Vukovich led five Trojans in double figures with 27 points, followed by Michael Polakoski with 17, Quentin Lottig and Nick Bourdo with 12 and Logan Mitchell with 11.

Some struggles from the free-throw line Jan. 26 at Edgerton kept things closer than Rayfield would have liked, but the Trojans emerged with a hard-fought 59-50 victory.

East Troy led by six points at halftime and held off the Crimson Tide from there. The Trojans held and eight- to 12-point lead the majority of the game.

“Whenever we would start making runs, we would miss free throws, they would come down, hit a three and keep it close,” Rayfield said. “Not making some open shots and some free throws made it tougher than it should have been. … It turned into a three- or four-possession game when it didn’t really have to.”

Mitchell had 16 points to lead the way, followed by Jered Brehm with 11, Vukovich with 10 and Bourdo with eight.

 

Comments are closed.