By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

PLAINVILLE -- Victoria High School boys' basketball coach Stuart Moeckel thought Plainville junior Hadley Gillum looked tired in the first half. Gillum admitted he was a little sluggish, too. Still, Gillum knew the Cardinals counted on him. Gillum, averaging a double-double this season, kept crashing the glass and finished with an incredible line: 29 points, 26 rebounds.

He helped Plainville collect a 52-47 victory Tuesday night. Plainville moved to 12-2, while Victoria dropped to 9-5.

"I just keep going and know that I will have a break after the game," Gillum said, "I just want to win."

The score was closer than the final margin. Plainville scored a wide-open layup with virtually no time left after Victoria had a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer. Senior Lane Braun led a balanced Victoria attack with 11 points. Several times, the Knights subbed in a fresh five, while Plainville relied heavily on Gillum and senior Nolan Weiser. Gillum said it was the best statistical line in his career at any level.

"Most of the time, he shot until he made it," Moeckel said. "I thought we did a poor job of boxing out. ... He is a fabulous player, he really is. After playing a couple of MCL teams, he is the best player we have seen in the MCL, bar none."

Gillum scored all six Plainville points in the first quarter and had seven rebounds in the second quarter.

Plainville led 31-30 after three quarters, but Gillum scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in the fourth quarter. He helped the Cardinals hold off Victoria down the stretch after Weiser (13 points, nine rebounds) fouled out with 77 seconds left.

"We had a little bit of a size advantage and some nights, shots are just coming your way," Gillum said. "A little bit of is luck, just having the boards come your way."