Before, it was used as a motivational tool. Now, with Marengo’s incredible string of victories snapped, the feeling around the team is one of relief.
“Carrying the load of an undefeated season is a heavy one. We feel a burden has been lifted,” said Marengo coach Bill Barry when the Indians’ string of 22 straight victories to start the season ended Tuesday night in an 88-77 loss at Byron.
The Indians had beaten Byron 64-48 back in November, in the finals of the Byron Thanksgiving Tournament, and routed them at Marengo two weeks later.
The loss was a combination of a few things: First and foremost was Byron’s shooting–58 percent overall, 44 percent from three-point land and 82 percent on free throws. With the game tied at 38 at the half, Byron came out hot in third quarter, hitting five straight shots to anchor the triumph. Byron outscored Marengo 22-10 in that period.
The Indians played somewhat shorthanded, without the services of starting center Chad Beth. The 6-foot-5-inch senior was ruled scholastically ineligible, also forcing him out of Friday’s game with Genoa-Kingston (13-9, 9-3, second in the Big Northern White).
“We never seemed to get into the flow of our game,” Barry said of the loss. “We didn’t play particularly bad . . . it was just one of those nights that wasn’t ours. We’ve had many go our way this year.”
Marengo (22-1, 12-1 Big Northern Red) could see Genoa again in the second round of Class A regionals, which begin Monday. The Indians, led by junior Ben Schifferer (19.2 points per game) and senior Jim Gallagher (18.5 points, 8.1 rebounds), are top-seeded and thus have a first-round bye. Their first regional test will be the Genoa-Richmond winner.
Marengo, which last won a regional title three years ago, lost to Hampshire in the first round of last season’s regional.
“Losing the undefeated tag could inevitably be a positive thing for us,” Barry said. “The kids say that it doesn’t bother them . . . that they lost . . . but no one really knows how they’ll react. But it’s just a loss, and a little more has been made of it because we hadn’t lost this year.
“On any given night, anything can happen, and it did. Now we don’t have to carry that luggage into the tournament with us. We can concentrate on the task at hand.”
In the Fox Valley, Crystal Lake Central (17-4, 11-1) and Lake Zurich (16-6, 11-1) are still tied atop the Fox Valley Conference.
Crystal Lake Central plays host to Jacobs Friday and Woodstock Feb. 23. Lake Zurich plays host to Dundee-Crown Friday and is at Grant Tuesday to end its regular season.
