65° and Patchy rain nearby
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Beloit Memorial vs Hononegah Rockton, IL - boys basketball on January 22, 2024
For many years Beloit Memorial and Hononegah would play each other on the basketball floor. Players ran games against each other at the YMCA, open courts, or off-season basketball camps. Monday, Jan. 23, 2024 was a renewal of the series. The game took place at the Hononegah Fieldhouse.
Speaking with some in the crowd, noticing that former NBA player Kyle Weaver was in the building made it feel like a bigger game than just a renewal. Coming into the game, the Beloit Memorial Purple Knights were 8-2, according to MaxPreps. Memorial came out early with pressure and speed. This action seemed to make the Hononegah Indians play faster than normal and make more mistakes on both offense and defense.
Beloit Memorial began the game in a pressure court pressure tight man-to-man defense while Hononegah came out in a 2-3 zone defense. The full-court pressure seemed to cause Hononegah to play quickly and more scattered than normal. Senior Isaiah Houi was the focus of the full-court defense. When Houi received a pass, he was immediately double-teamed. Isaiah quickly gave the ball up to a teammate but then the teammate was swarmed under by the Purple Knights defense. It seemed as if the Beloit Memorial team was playing with 6 or 7 players, as every time Hononegah had an opening, the opening quickly got closed.
Once the Indians did get into their offense, they were able to get some good looks but the up-tempo speed of the game by Memorial caused Hononegah to miss good looks at the basketball. The halftime score was 41-22.
The pressure continued into the 3rd quarter and many of the same 1st half issues arose again for Hononegah. End of the 3rd quarter: 60-37.
The 4th quarter began with an 8-0 run for Hononegah, ending with a big wing three from 6’1” senior James Schomburg. The early 4th quarter run ended when Memorial sophomore Amare Hereford (who averages 24 points per game) scored back-to-back buckets.
The final of the game was never in doubt as Beloit Memorial cruised to a 77-56 win.
The game against Beloit Memorial was the last non-conference game for Hononegah this season. The Indians currently sit at 5-5 and in the middle of the pack in the NIC 10 conference.
Next games for Hononegah:
Senior Night for the Hononegah Indians boys basketball team is February 14 against Jefferson. Tip off is set for 6:30 p.m. Arrive early to see the full senior night activities.
Follow the Hononegah boys basketball team on Twitter/X HERE.
A self-described sports evangelist, Harold Bone is the Rockton-Roscoe News sports editor who is committed to finding stories behind the box scores and discovering engaging sports content. Harold has a background in many forms of media - everything from radio to TV. He has spent the last 25-plus years attending, following, and cheering for teams and athletes from the pros and colleges to local high schools and youth recreational leagues. Harold is passionate about creating engaging stories for athletes and sports fans in the Rockton/Roscoe/South Beloit, Illinois communities. Got a story idea? Contact Harold via email at harold@roscoenews.com and follow him on Twitter at @SPRTSEDRRNews. Sign up for the daily Roscoe News newsletter HERE.
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