Bobcats Rout the Chargers

By Dennis Bowling

Beecher Coach Tyler Shireman feels junior Adyn McGinley does many things well, with that being especially true on January 10.

McGinley, a 6’ point guard, finished with a team-high 15 points, along with three assists, to help Beecher rout Illinois Lutheran, 73-36, in a River Valley Conference contest in Crete.

With the win, Beecher is 18-1 overall and 7-0  in the RVC, in addition to claiming first place. The Bobcats have won an impressive 16 games in a row, while the Chargers are 2-11, 1-5.

Shireman loves to have McGinley on the Bobcats, and said, “Adyn is just a versatile player. On any given night, he can be our best scorer, our best passer, our best rebounder, or our best defender. He has a well-rounded game, and I’m happy with the way he can share the ball. He always is looking for the right shot.”

McGinley and the Bobcats just love to play up tempo basketball.

“It was our speed,” he said. “We are an athletic team and love to run our plays. Everything came together for us – we’re playing as a team.”

With 4:33 to go in the first quarter, Beecher held a 5-4 lead over Illinois Lutheran. After that, the Bobcats started to run their offensive plays and outscored the Chargers by a 19-6 count, to hold a commanding 24-10 lead at the close of the stanza. A McGinley jump shot basket started the rally, which made it 7-4. Jack Hayhurst’s (5 points) trey pushed the advantage to 10-4.

Then Zachary Johnson (14 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds) made three baskets in a row for a 16-4 lead. A Hayhurst jump shot basket made it 18-4, while Ethan Rydberg (13 points) hit back-to-back buckets extending the margin to 22-10. With time running out, a McGinley basket made it 24-10.

Shireman felt Johnson uses his height quite well, and noted, “Zachary plays big and fast and had some good looks at the basket.”

McGinley also feels Johnson and Rydberg have each played very well, saying, “Zachary has put together some good games. He’s always looking to shoot the ball.”

“Ethan has emerged as our go to guy,” he continued. “He is smart and is the hardest working player on the team. I love to play with him.”

At the halfway mark, McGinley’s pair of free throws gave Beecher a comfortable 40-19 half lead. By the end of the third quarter, they owned a 64-27 advantage.

Illinois Lutheran’s Mike Adeniran led with nine points, while Kobe Johnson finished with five points for the Chargers.