In spite of sectional loss, Red Devils move forward in the right direction
Hanover Central 45, Lowell 33
WHEATFIELD – Although the Devils were hoping to avenge a 58-55 loss at that hands of Hanover Central on Feb. 14, Lowell came up short against the Wildcats once again, this time in the sectional semifinal on Mar. 7 at Kankakee Valley. Hanover defeated Lowell 45-33 to move to the finals against River Forest.
Brody Carter led the Red Devils with 9 points and 7 rebounds, Ezra Elenbaum had 8 points and Ryan Grskovich had 5 of the Red Devils’ 18 rebounds.
Lowell coach Joe Delgado said the game “what we thought it would be,” and nobody on the Devils’ squad was going to even going to think about giving up.
“(It was) a back and forth battle with someone stepping up to hit the shots when it counted,” Delgado said. “I am proud of our guys for battling but the shots didn't fall. It was really anyone’s game up until the last few minutes.”
Delgado said the pivotal moment in the game was in the last 4:30 in the fourth quarter. With Lowell down one point, a missed layup led to a stretch of eight possessions that resulted in six missed shots and two turnovers.
“We just couldn’t take the lead when we needed to,” Delgado said.
The Red Devils finished the season 12-12, and 2-4 in conference play. Even though the game didn’t go as the Lowell faithful would have liked it to have gone, Delgado thinks the team is heading in the right direction. He said the team’s seniors this year were pivotal in the team’s success.
“They committed to each other, the weight room, understood and excelled at our system,” Delgado observed. “They created a movement in our program in which they were accountable, selfless and set a new standard. I can't say enough about the brotherhood this senior group formed with our entire program. This group is the epitome of student-athletes working together for something bigger than themselves.”
Delgado will return four varsity players to next year’s squad. However, he said there are some good players coming in from the middle school level next year, and that’s only going to benefit the program. He noted the teams the middle school have been sending over will be very competitive moving through their high school years.
Final thoughts, Coach?
“I couldn't be more proud of this group,” Delgado said. “They handled themselves with class, showed what a team looks like and worked hard every day. They set a new standard for future Red Devils.”