By Gargoyle sports staff
Posted Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007, The OG, sports

Mike Renner puts Uni ahead of
PBL 58-56 with 17.9 seconds left
in Tuesday's game. PBL tied the
game with just 2.1 seconds left.
(Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)

PAXTON — The Uni boys were just 2.1 seconds away Tuesday night from pulling off their biggest road upset since defeating Unity 58-49 in overtime last February.

The Illineks had never won at Paxton-Buckley-Loda. The fact that PBL came into Tuesday's game with a 4-11 record didn't make the task facing the 7-10 Uni squad any less formidable. The Panthers play in the tough Sangamon Valley Conference and have lost most of their games by single digits.

Throw in a crowded gym and boisterous home fans (two spectators were ejected late in the contest for their remarks to officials), and the Illineks had plenty of obstacles to overcome.

But with 17.9 seconds left in regulation, junior Mike Renner took the ball inside and scored, giving Uni a 58-56 lead. Renner drew a foul but was unable to convert the free throw.

The Panthers went down the court and faced intense pressure from the Illinek defense. For a moment it appeared Uni had regained control of the ball, but the Panthers launched their final shot with barely 2 seconds left, tying the game and forcing overtime.

“Being on the road, we have to finish it out in regulation,” head coach Joel Beesley said afterward. “We've raised the level of our play, but we haven't been able to finish.”

For the second time this season the Illineks entered overtime, and for the second time they fell short. Remarkably, every point in the 4-minute extra period came at the free-throw line. Sophomore Alan Kessler made two shots for the Illineks. But the Panthers made 11 of their 12 shots to win 69-60.

PBL's accuracy from the line was a big change from the team's 66-59 loss to St. Thomas More Friday night, when the Panthers made only three of 10 shots the entire contest.

With the loss, Uni drops to 7-11. But the game was a nonconference match, so the Illineks remain 3-1 in the East Central Illinois Conference and very much in the hunt for their third straight ECIC title.

Renner led the team with 21 points, followed by senior Michael Belmont with 13 and junior Chumar Williams with 9. Renner and Kessler each pulled down 5 rebounds, while Williams directed the offense with 3 assists.

“Our guard play has improved,” Beesley said. “When Chumar gets going, there are times he dominates the game.”

Uni began the night strong, taking a 20-15 lead by the end of the first quarter. But PBL outscored the Illineks 19-11 in the next 8 minutes to hold a 34-31 advantage at halftime.

The Panthers extended their lead in the third quarter but could never break away. Uni kept it close, trailing 44-40 going into the final period of regulation.

“We fell behind in the second quarter,” Beesley said, “but we clawed back and didn't quit. We just couldn't finish. We're young, we're hungry, and the kids want to win. It's just a matter of learning from mistakes and not repeating them.”

The Illineks will be on the road again Thursday when they visit Decatur Lutheran in an ECIC game. A win would solidify Uni's hold on second place in the conference and set up a battle for first when Uni meets ECIC leader Judah Christian Tuesday in Champaign.

VARSITY RECORD: 7-11 overall, 3-1 East Central Illinois Conference
(Games at Kenney Gym are in bold)

Season Preview: A new era begins

Nov. 20: Buckley Christ Lutheran (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), W 50-44
— leading scorer: Michael Belmont, 12 pts
— story: Uni wins season opener over Buckley Christ Lutheran

Nov. 21: Mahomet-Seymour JV (vs. Uni varsity) (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), W 58-53
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 18 pts
— story: Illineks defeat Mahomet-Seymour JV in Turkey Tourney

Nov. 24: Bement (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), L 54-46 (OT)
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 13 pts
— story: Illineks fall in overtime

Nov. 25: Martinsville (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney, at A-H), L 51-48
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 24 pts
— story: Illineks go down to the wire again

Dec. 1: Shiloh, W 55-46
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 29 pts
— story: Illineks get back on winning track, defeat Shiloh

Dec. 5: at St. Thomas More, L 54-32
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 7 pts
— story: Illineks suffer tough road loss to crosstown rival

Dec. 9: Fisher, L 53-39
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 21 pts
— story: Renner scores 21 but Uni falls to Fisher

Dec. 12: at Buckley Christ Lutheran, W 79-51 *
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 18 pts
— story: Uni wins conference opener against Buckley Christ Lutheran

Dec. 15: Oakwood, L 74-61
— leading scorer: Michael Belmont, 19 pts
— story: Oakwood denies Uni comeback bid

Dec. 27: Shiloh (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 65-61
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 17 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 27: Salt Fork (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 53-32
— leading scorer: Dan Lilly, 10 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 28: Heritage (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 62-48
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 15 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 28: Atwood-Hammond (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), W 62-51
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 24 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 29: Oakwood (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 52-50
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 17 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Jan. 5: at Decatur Christian (DC's “JV,” as explained in article linked below), W 66-52 *
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 15 pts
— story: Illineks remain unbeaten in conference play

Jan. 9: Normal Calvary Baptist, L 51-36 *

— leading scorer: Michael Belmont, 11 pts

— story: Normal Calvary hands Uni first conference loss of season

Jan. 12: DeLand-Weldon, W 79-43 *

— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 16 pts

— story: Uni rebounds from ECIC loss to win by 36

Jan. 16: at Paxton-Buckley-Loda, L 69-60 (OT)

— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 21 pts

— story: see above

Remaining games: see schedule

*East Central Illinois Conference game