SOBOS get a 32-31 win in East Dubuque and a rematch with Lena-Winslow on Friday

South Beloit Boys Hoops traveled to East Dubuque to take on the 5th-seeded East Dubuque Warriors on Wednesday night. The SOBOS led early by 7 but the Warriors fought back to tie it at 11. From midway through the opening quarter when it was tied at 11, the teams stayed close with nobody having more then a 3-point lead for the remainder of the game.

SOBOS led 13-11 after the opening quarter. The Warriors opened the 2nd quarter on a 5-point spurt and grabbed a quick 3-point lead 16-13. South Beloit answered with a big time 3 and the teams exchanged defense and buckets until the 2nd quarter buzzer sounded. A Steph Curry style logo level deep 3 by East Dubuque was just after the buzzer. The Warriors team and fans were not happy with the wave-off of the bucket. It was the correct call and didn’t need an instant replay, thank goodness.

Halftime score was 17-17. The theme of the first half was South Beloit’s ability to control the tempo and both teams grit on the defensive end. Lots and lots of 1 and done possessions as well. No 2nd chance points for either team according to my scoring.

The third quarter saw a vocal student section for East Dubuque as they played Nsync. The crowd was in full throat when the Warriors came out and hit a well-designed 3-pointer to get a 3-point lead. SOBOS fought back with a 3-pointer themselves by senior guard Syncere Fane, tying the game at 20. Both teams exchanged turnovers and rebounds for the next three minutes of the quarter. Finally, the SOBOS gained the lead with a 2-point bucket by Ross Robertson. Leading 22-20, the Warriors hit a 3-pointer. SOBOS turned it over and then played stellar defense to grab the missed shot and get it to junior big man Robertson who again put it in to get the lead back. Both teams matched buckets and defense for the remaining couple of minutes of the 3rd and went into the 4th tied at 25-25.

As the 4th quarter started, you could feel the tension rise in the gym. Both teams understood the mission and what they needed to do. Every bucket was answered and every good defensive play was matched. The teams slowly tried to find something that would work to get the lead  back. Finally, at the 2:30 mark of the 4th, senior guard Syncere Fane got a great pass and rose above the defense to hit a much-needed 3 to get South Beloit the lead again. Next possession the Warriors tipped a rebound out of bounds and the SOBOs got it back. A quick bucket from the Warriors again put them into the lead. South Beloit then grabbed another miss by the Warriors and the SOBOS got a big late bucket from Fane again to take the 32-31 lead with 49.9 to go.

The last 49.9 of the game saw the SOBOS defense scramble and move like it was the first quarter of the game not the 4th. They jumped out on the shooters every time the Warriors thought they were open. It's as if the SOBO defender was in their mind every time an opening took place. Finally, with less than a second on the clock, East Dubuque shot the ball, it came up short, and South Beloit ran toward their bench to celebrate one that they will talk about forever.

• South Beloit 32
• East Dubuque 31

The other game from East Dubuque tonight saw Lena-Winslow beat the 2nd-seeded Scales Mound 52-51, setting up a rematch between Lena-Winslowand South Beloit. The previous match-up was last week on senior night for South Beloit when the Panthers of Lena-Winslow rolled to a 55-24 win against South Beloit.

Tipoff from East Dubuque is at 7 p.m. on Friday. If you can’t make it over the game, it's available on the NFHS network. A subscription is required to “Search South Beloit Boys Basketball.”