NASHVILLE, Ill. • If there is such a thing as a wakeup call for winning, the Mater Dei boys basketball team got that Wednesday night.
Despite playing sluggishly, the Knights managed to come away with a 64-50 triumph over Freeburg in the first round of the 30th annual Nashville Invitational Tournament at Assembly Hall.
Mater Dei (14-3) will take on Gibault (13-5) in the semifinals on Friday at 8 p.m. Freeburg fell to 5-13 despite Justin Diecker's game-high 25 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. The Midgets face Mascoutah (2-14) in the consolation semifinals today at 8 p.m.
"I keep telling people we're not very good," Knights coach Brian Perkes said. "Fourteen and three ... we certainly didn't look like a 14-3 team tonight. I don't think we executed offensively and defensively."
Austin Peay recruit Cory Arentsen, who had been averaging 20.9 points per game, finished with just 10 points and five rebounds. He made only three of 11 from the field but was two of four from the 3-point line.
Mitchell Langenhorst led Mater Dei with 17 points on five of eight 3-point shooting, and Adam Etter contributed 13.
"Cory didn't play very well offensively," said Perkes, whose team was 11 of 23 from 3-point territory. "He struggled, and this team is going to struggle when he doesn't play well."
The Knights never trailed in scoring the first eight points of the game enroute to a 17-9 lead after one quarter. They led 28-21 at halftime and 46-32 after three quarters.
"I don't know (what it was)," Arentsen said. "There weren't very many people here tonight and we are used to playing in front of a pretty good crowd. We just came out flat. I was really flat myself. I don't have an explanation for that."
An example of Mater Dei's futility came in the third quarter when the Knights extended their halftime advantage to 38-27 after a Langenhorst 3 from the right wing with 4 minutes 22 seconds to go.
Freeburg then got a conventional three-point play from Miles Money (11 points) and a bucket from Diecker with 2:11 left to trim the deficit to 38-32.
Mater Dei then reeled off eight in a row on a bucket and a 3-pointer by Langenhorst and a 3 from Etter with four seconds remaining in the quarter.
"Throughout the entire year, we've tended to (relax)," Arentsen said. "We tend to keep it close. We can't take anyone for granted. We've got to come out and play our 'A' every night. We've got to come out with intensity every single game."
"When they made their run, we kind of got away from the things we wanted to do," Midgets coach T.J. Hoover said. "They hit shots. Hats off to them. We said if someone besides Arentsen beats us...."
GIBAULT 50, MASCOUTAH 37 • Josh Konkel netted a game-high 16 points, and John Pratl contributed 12 for the Hawks, who won their second straight game. Blair Taylor had a team-most 12 points and Marshall Moore added 10 for Mascoutah, which has dropped its last 11 in a row.
