South Beloit 66, Scales Mound 52: Coach Mat Parker and sharpshooter Denzel Woods knew it was only a matter of time.

So did the rest of the Sobos.

For Class 1A’s No. 1 team, it was only a matter of time before the pace picked up, Scales Mound would get tired and the South Beloit shots would start falling.

That time came in the second quarter of Tuesday night’s 66-52 South Beloit win over Scales Mound in a River Ridge Sectional semifinal.

Trailing 12-7 after the first quarter, Woods and the Sobos went to work, going on a 25-6 second quarter advantage to break open the game.

“My teammates saw that look in my eyes, that I had the fire,” Woods said. “When I hit one (three-pointer), I think I can catch fire.
“My team knew that, and kept getting me the ball.”

While the strategy worked in the second quarter (Woods would score 18 of his game-high 26 in the period), it was all Scales Mound in the first eight minutes.

The second quarter was all the difference, as Woods’ scoring and the rebounding of Steven Counts (17 rebounds) would turn the game in South Beloit’s favor.

The bigger Hornets struggled on the glass against the quicker Sobos, as South Beloit began getting two, three and sometimes four shots on a possession.

With the win, South Beloit moves on to face the winner of tonight’s second semifinal, Annawan, or the lone team to top the Sobos this season — Polo.

“They’re both good teams, but we all want another shot at Polo,” Parker said.

- Gatehouse News Service