Team effort leads Little Chute over Berlin

LITTLE CHUTE - Thursday night's Eastern Valley Conference boys basketball game between Little Chute and Berlin didn't just include the top two teams in the EVC but also two of the best post players in the state.

Berlin's Toby Hegner is headed for Creighton next season while Little Chute's Kenneth Lowe is headed to Green Bay.

It's not often two players of this caliber reside in the same conference, so Thursday's one-on-one battle was the game within the game. If so, Hegner beat Lowe.

The 6-foot-10 senior scored 17 points and bothered the 6-7 Lowe who struggled with Hegner's length. Nonetheless, it didn't matter in the final outcome as Lowe's teammates were the difference in a resounding 63-32 win.

Lowe finished with six points, including a breakaway dunk, but the balance of the Mustangs, ranked No. 3 in the FOX 11 Top 11, was the difference. Turner Botz, who will join Lowe at Green Bay, led Little Chute with 12 points, while Mitch Ciske added 11 (three 3-pointers), D.J. DeValk scored 10 off the bench, including a slam dunk, and Jed Albers and Tyler Job each added six poins, respectively.

"That was a key matchup for us," Little Chute coach Mickey Martin said of Hegner-Lowe. "I think we held Toby to six points below his average. Defensively, we were pretty solid."

Lowe talked about going up against Hegner, who entered the game averaging 22.4 points per game and 12.5 rebounhds per game.

"Playing Toby, he's very versatile," Lowe said. "He can shoot and he can drive, so playing him makes me a better player. Toby's the only guy like that in the conference, so getting him two times a year is great."

Hegner started well, scoring 15 first-half points as Little Chute led just 27-24 at halftime. However, the third quarter turned the game on its ear. Little Chute came out and blistered the Indians (8-3, 6-2), outscoring them, 20-1, to grab a 47-25 lead.

Hegner wasn't getting the clean looks he had in the first half.

"I think we were more solid on defense, we didn't leave our feet," Martin said. "We were able to rebound and get out a bit and show our athleticism. We were really good in the third quarter."

"We picked up our instensity and our ball movement," Lowe said. "We created better shots for ourselves. Guys stepped up big."

Including DeValk, who left Mustangs fans buzzing. Moments after Lowe's dunk, the 5-10 DeValk went airborne and also had a breakaway dunk.

"Maybe a little bit of a coming-out party for him," Martin said. "It's not something we don't see daily. He's done it before in practice. I think he surprised everybody he was able to flush it."

The win comes after the Mustangs (11-1, 7-0) lost to Whitefish Bay, 55-54, at the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Shootout in Mequon last week. Martin said rebounding from that game with a big win wasn't on his mind.

"I don't take a lot of stock in bouncing from one game to another," said Martin, whose team beat East Troy the day before. "After that game was done, we move on. We put that game away a while ago."

"If anything, those games in Mequon were huge to play close games. I think we came out of there better even though we lost our second game. It showed us our weaknesses."

There were no weaknesses Thursday as Little Chute rolled. Lowe said it was big to beat his team's closest pursuer in the conference.

"You always want to get the game at home," Lowe said. "It gives us more breathing room. It's real good coming back after that loss. It made us think. We bounced back very well."

Little Chute remains on course for a successful season but despite its record, Martin doesn't think his team has played its best yet.

Said Martin: "I don't think we put four quarters together this year."

Beware future opponents.

Follow Doug Ritchay on Twitter @dougritchay

doug.ritchay@wluk.com