(GAME NOTES)
The experience of being in pressure-packed situations over the last couple of seasons is starting to pay off for Webster.
Webster brings a modest three-game winning streak into Saturday’s game with Eureka, and two of the three have come down to the wire. Whether it’s a clutch rebound or a momentum shifting baskets in the latter moments of the game, it was the Gorloks who found a way to make a play.
Down the stretch, head coach Chris Bunch has turned to the foursome of seniors Ryan Turk, Luke Niebrugge, Steve Hrdlicka and junior Josue Whitcomb. The final member usually is dictated by who is playing the best at the time. The formula has been successful as WU has been victorious in four of the last five games.
The emergence of Hrdlicka on the offensive end has really been beneficial for the Gorloks. The 6-3 forward is coming off a career-high 20 points in which he converted all nine of his shot attempts. Two games prior, he dropped 18 on Spalding – which was a then-career best performance.
While his scoring has eased some of the offensive burden on other teammates, it’s his defense that deserves most of the credit. His ability to limit Maryville’s leading scoring to half his point average was probably the biggest reason for the Gorloks’ win.
“The buzz word the last couple of years has been length on defense,” said Bunch. “That definitely helps Steve; it helps Josue (Whitcomb) as well. Josue has long arms and when you are 6-4, long arms are good because they help you play bigger than you look.”
The biggest boost to the offense has been its ability to get leading scorer Turk free with screens. Webster has found of way to give Turk some space which in turns give his teammates additional room to score. His threat of scoring causes opposing defenses to swarm to him and Turk is doing the job of finding the open player for open shots.
