EditorialComments

Congratulations to Fieldcrest Basketball Team

March 08, 2010

Editor: Dave Uphoff

Fieldcrest's basketball team undefeated win streak ended last Wednesday night with a 79-62 loss to Peoria Manual at the Sectional Tournament in Farmington to finish up with a 29-1 record, the best record of any basketball team to play as Fieldcrest, MDR or Minonk Community High School.

Their marvelous season had this area in basketball fever the entire winter with the gymnasium packed for every game. The final game at Farmington was packed to overflowing with Fieldcrest fans who traversed the 70 mile trip to watch their beloved Knights fight the perennial favorite Peoria Manual who will probably go on to win the State Tournament title in Class 2a.

Peoria Manual was ranked number 2 in the state and was heavily favored to win the Sectional Tournament. Nonetheless, the Knights gave the fans something to holler about when they made the opening basket in the game which created a roar from the crowd that could be heard all the way back to Minonk. In a matter of minutes, Fieldcrest was up 12-4 and everyone was wondering if it is possible to subdue the mighty Rams from Peoria. At the end of the first quarter, Fieldcrest had the lead, 16-14.

The second quarter proved to be the turning point, however, as Manual started making almost every shot and stole several Fieldcrest passes that turned into transition baskets for the opponent. Manual gradually pulled away and eventually had a 23 point lead. The Knights rallied in the 4th quarter and pulled within 10 points but were unable to keep the momentum going.

From a shooting perspective, Fieldcrest could hold its own with Peoria Manual. The difference came down to speed and quickness. Manual was by far the quickest team Fieldcrest played this year. This resulted in many Fieldcrest passes being picked off by Manual which probably would not have been picked off by previous opponents.

Peoria Manual has been playing mostly 3A and 4A teams this year and is used to a higher level of competition. They really belong in the 3A class. If Fieldcrest had played the same level of competition as Manual did they would have adapted to the speed and quickness of better competition. Fieldcrest may not have had an undefeated record but they probably would have been better prepared for teams like Peoria Manual. I am convinced that if Fieldcrest played Manual again, the score would be much closer.

Many sports fans have commented to me that Fieldcrest should try to get into a higher level of competition by joining the Corn Belt conference where they could play U High, Pontiac, Central Catholic, etc. They could even schedule teams like Washington and Metamora. Another reason is distance. The Heart of Illinois Conference to which Fieldcrest belongs has teams that are too far apart. Gibson City and Fisher are over 70 miles away and more than an hour drive which makes traveling not only long but hazardous in bad weather.

I am sure everyone joins me in congratulating Coach Matt Winkler and the Fieldcrest basketball team for an exciting winter and a memorable experience of watching one of the greatest basketball teams to ever play in this school district. I am sure the Fieldcrest players will look back on this season as one of the high points of their life.

To reply to this editorial in the email section click here

Your letter will be published in the email section. Viewers are welcome to submit a guest editorial.

Submit your comments

You must log in with a registration ID to be able to submit comments. If you do not have an ID click here.

User ID:

Password: