PEORIA - Robert Kreps had blessings galore in returning to the court on Friday, just five days after an emergency appendectomy.

His father, Dave, gave the thumbs up, as did Kreps' surgeon. But none of that was enough for Maroa-Forsyth coach Chad Cluver.

"I had to see it. For him to play, I had to see where he was at," Cluver said.

So he put Kreps into an impromptu workout, making the senior test his sore abdomen in every way he could think of.

"He knew we weren't going to put him in if he was a liability to the team, and he came in, got to the gym at 10:15 (a.m.), and it was amazing what we saw," Cluver said. "It was absolutely amazing what he was doing with the basketball."

It took Kreps all of 12 seconds to forget about the scar in his side when he picked up a charge after driving to the basket.

He didn't get on the board until early in the second quarter, splashing a wide-open 3-pointer. Kreps gave himself a little fist pump while the Trojan faithful roared its approval, the first sign in more than a week that all is well.

"I thought my (first) two shots were money. They were straight on, but a little bit short every time," Kreps said. "I definitely needed that shot."

The rest of his game showed up in due course. He never shied away from contact, and even got himself a highlight-reel block by hustling back on a fast break. He finished with 11 points, including two 3-pointers and a pull-up jumper that bothered him the most.

"He can go side-to-side no problem, but the up-and-down is what we were worried about, especially with a team like this," Cluver said. "(The pull-up jumper) was stuck in his mind, and he finally shot one of those and made one, and he said 'Coach, it's not that bad.' "

All of it was a welcome surprise to his teammates, who didn't know of Kreps' status until minutes before they took the floor.

"I knew at about a quarter till noon, maybe. I went to bed last night having doubts," Ben Cochran said. "I didn't even know he went to the gym, most of the team didn't."

Kreps didn't spend his time on the bench sitting until he left the game for good. He spent the other breaks standing in the far corner, keeping himself loose.

The extra rest could come in handy. Today's 11 a.m. semifinal against Teutopolis promises to be a much more heated affair, one that surely will require his presence on the floor in the fourth quarter. And there's a night game to boot.

"(Friday) I was 85 percent, and (today) I'm going to be up in the 90's hopefully," Kreps said. "I've been getting better every day, and the progression I've made is awesome."

Cluver has seen that first-hand as well.

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