Matt Trowbridge
Rockford Register Star
Published 5:07 a.m. CT March 8, 2023
Auburn has won nine regional titles under Bryan Ott since 2009, five sectional titles, two top-four state trophies and five NIC-10 titles.
But it’s never easy for a team that is usually one of the shortest squads in the NIC-10. The Knights seldom have much of a margin for error.
“We grind,” Ott said. “And our guys take pride in it. That’s how we play. It’s the only formula we can have. Yeah, we might have speed and quickness, but when you get down to this level, other people have speed and quickness too. We have to be prepared to grind.”
They didn’t Monday. At least not for long. Auburn came out scrapping against No. 1-ranked Lisle Benet in the Class 4A super sectional at NIU. Two and three and four players would jump for a rebound, tip it, then jump again to grab it. They swarmed on defense. They took their time on offense, moving the ball around until someone would finally pop free for an open jumper.
It was still an uphill climb. Benet led 13-10 early in the second quarter. Benet then started to pull away a little. When it did, Auburn’s intensity dropped a notch. That was a notch the Knights couldn’t afford. The world saw how mediocre Auburn’s champions can be at less than full intensity, with Benet rolling up a running clock after three quarters in a 67-33 blowout.
Ott kept saying that this was not a loss that defines Auburn. But it was a loss that showed how Auburn cannot afford to stray — even a little bit — from its proud identity. Ott tells the Knights every day that no one works harder than them and says that is the only way they can win.
“He puts the confidence in our head that no matter how big or tall we are, we are going to guard people and we are going to work harder than everybody else,” senior guard Brennan Horton-Lee said. “He always says just do the little things, and you will be fine.
“We always push together. We always work hard together. Tonight didn’t reflect that. We didn’t work as hard as we usually do.”
No numbers reflected that better than Benet’s 42-15 edge in rebounds.
“Being as undersized as we are, there is really no way to win if you are not going to take care of that part and at least compete in there and mix it up,” Ott said. “That is an astonishing number but it is one that we earned every bit of, unfortunately.”
“We gave up a lot of height on almost every team in the NIC," junior guard TJ Horton said, "but we work so hard on defense that we usually get steals. Our team gave up. One thing we need to do is we need to stop giving up. We need to go through it. Even if they go on a run, we need to work through it and go on our run. We’re a defensive team and our defense works for our offense.”
Monday, Auburn’s offense worked against its defense. Auburn shot horribly the entire game (13-for-44) but it took its time and worked hard to try to find a good shot in the first 10 minutes. That meant even when the Knights missed, their defense was usually in good position. But as the score began to get away from them, they were less patient on offense, which led to more breakdowns on defense and rebounding.
"In that moment in a big game, nothing is falling, it's a natural human tendency for guys to start pressing and try to make things happen quicker," Ott said. "When that doesn't go down, it complicates it for the defense to recover time and time again. Offensive inefficiency turns into defensive inefficiency."
Even with losing only two key seniors, it won’t be easy for Auburn to get back to the supersectionals next year.
But then, Auburn doesn’t expect it to be easy.
“It will be the same deal next year,” said junior guard Rakim Chaney, who led Auburn’s postseason run with career highs of 22 points against NIC-10 champion Guilford in the regional title game and 30 in the sectional finals. “We just have to stick to our program, listen to our coach, listen to each other. Be able to play four quarters with each other and not be selfish.
“You take a loss like this, it will be a few weeks when it hurts and then you realize you are still a sectional champion, a two-time regional champion.”
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
