Boys close season with one-point loss to Beloit
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The difference between a win and a loss – especially in the postseason – can be fleeting.
Nobody has to tell the East Troy boys basketball team that.
The sixth-seeded Trojans gave third-seeded Beloit Turner all it could handle Friday night, but it was Turner that made one more play in a 49-48 Division 3 regional semifinal victory.
East Troy closed its season at 14-9 overall. Turner edged second-seeded Evansville 56-53 Saturday to win the regional title and advance to this week’s sectional round against top-seeded Lake Mills.
“It was a game where two teams played well,” East Troy coach Darryl Rayfield said. “We led most of the game, led by four at half (and it) could have been eight.
“It is a tough one to swallow, but all in all a great year. We’re very young, but can be really good. They are all passionate, just an awesome group. Good things are going to happen for all of these kids.”
East Troy held a 45-42 lead with less than a minute left in regulation when Turner’s Alec Fruin, who led all scorers with 23 points, converted a three-point play to tie things up.
Then with just 17.8 seconds remaining in overtime, Fruin struck again.
After he missed two free throws, he grabbed the offensive rebound – and after a timeout, scored inside to account for the final score.
Senior Jonathan Ciriacks led East Troy with 18 points, followed by Michael Polakoski with 15 and Nick Bourdo with eight.
Ciriacks’ play, both on and off the court, was a key for the young Trojans all season, Rayfield said.
“He just had a great senior year,” Rayfield said. “He became a complete player and was the go-to guy all year.
“We were young, and he was a great influence for our team. He had the best offseason I have seen in a long time. He invested hard work every day, and it paid off. He is certainly a quality student-athlete above all.”
Results of All-Rock Valley Conference voting, which was held this week, and a statistical wrap up of the season will run in a future edition.
