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Cougars win showdown of Skyline unbeatens CAVE JUNCTION - Defense made the difference for the Illinois Valley High boys basketball team Tuesday night. In a Skyline Conference showdown before a standing room-only crowd numbering more than 1,000, the Cougars held Rogue River to five points in the final period en route to a 59-46 victory. The win improved seventh-ranked Illinois Valley to 5-0 in conference play and 11-3 overall, while fifth-ranked Rogue River fell to 5-1 and 12-3. Daniel Houston led four IV players in double figures with 15 points, but it was the Cougars' defense that stole the spotlight. Sophomore T.J. Vaughn hit a game-high 18 points for Rogue River, but the Chieftains' 1-2 scoring punch of Jason Luchterhand and Derrick Schoner managed just nine and seven points, respectively. "We played man-to-man the whole game and applied constant pressure on those two kids (Luchterhand and Schoner)," Illinois Valley coach Jeff Brimhall said. "We played them tough on the ball and also had good help defense when we needed it. "It was just a great team effort defensively." Brian Paul surrendered three inches to the 6-foot-5 Luchterhand but was still able to neutralize the Chieftain standout. Justin Graven, Matt Marvin and Tyler Mikels combined to shut down the cat-quick Schoner. Trailing 30-21 at halftime, the Chieftains went on a 20-10 run in the third period behind the hot shooting of Vaughn, who had 10 points in the quarter, to take a one-point lead. But in the opening seconds of the fourth period, Graven drained a 3-pointer at the other end and IV never trailed again. "They've got a talented team and they weren't going to fold," Brimhall said. "We quit moving our feet in that third quarter, fouled them a bunch and they made their free throws to get back in the game." Beau Brown scored 13, Mikels 12 and Graven 11 to support a balanced Cougar attack. Illinois Valley sank 13 of 20 free throws in the fourth period to turn a nip-and-tuck affair into a 13-point victory. Illinois Valley, which has won three games in overtime and another in double overtime this season, is seeking its first Skyline Conference title in five years. But with nine games left in the regular season, the Cougars haven't clinched a playoff berth yet, let alone a league title, Brimhall warned. "We've still got a lot of work to do," he said. "But this was definitely a good win." ROGUE RIVER (46) - Vaughn 18, Luchterhand 9, Schoner 7, Girodat 4, L. Mortinson 4, Hanley 2, Badley 2, Branch 0, R. Mortinson 0, Coma 0. Totals: 16 11-19 46. ILLINOIS VALLEY (59) - Houston 15, Brown 13, Mikels 12, Graven 11, Woods 3, Marvin 3, Paul 2, Loock 0, Eichman 0, Bell 0, Neville 0, Riley 0. Totals: 17 22-33 59. Rogue River ......................................... 14 7 20 5 - 46 Illinois Valley................................... 11 19 10 19 - 59 3-point goals - Rogue River 1 (Schoner 1), Illinois Valley 3 (Woods 1, Graven 1, Mikels 1). Fouled out - Luchterhand, R. Mortinson, Graven. JV score - Illinois Valley 78, Rogue River 63. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.