03-03-12
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - The Breese Central Cougars are the top ranked team in Class 2A in the state and the preseason and current ABV top-ranked team in this supersectional area.Head coach Stan Eagleson has put together an outstanding season with a combination of defense and offense that only one team has been able to defeat.

St. Louis (MO.) Vianny topped the Cougars, 65-59 at the Highland Shootout back on January 7.

Brandon Book is a 6-foot-6 senior (20.5 points, 8.9 rebounds) who will be playing in his fourth consecutive supersectional, having started as a freshman against Massac County at SIU Arena back in 2009. He has been part of an incredible run by the Cougars, in which they have now won eight sectional titles in ten seasons.

In the last four campaigns, counting 2011-12, Breese Central is 121-12. Book gets a lot of help, mainly coming from the backcourt duo of senior Nick Grapperhaus and sophomore Jacob Timmermann.

These two contribute points, but their strong suit is on the defensive end. They have been part of a defensive effort that has held teams to just 39.8 points a contest while Breese Central's offense is clicking at 62.2 points per night.Breese Central beat highly-regarded Alton Marquette Catholic and Pana to win the Vandalia 2A Sectional title last week.

The Cougars' opponent on Tuesday night (Harrisburg) is a team they beat 62-49 at the SIU Salukis' Shootout back on December 10.

Coach Randy Smithpeters' Harrisburg Bulldogs have had to deal with devastation and heartache this past week because of a tornado that destroyed part of this community of 9,000 people in southeastern Illinois.

The town and school have rallied around this quality basketball team that is now on the verge of making its second trip to the state finals.

The last time that this program advanced to what was then the Elite Eight, was 1995 when the games were still played at Champaign and Coach Smithpeters was in his second season leading the Bulldogs.

Three juniors and a sophomore are the catalyst on this club that took care of both Benton and Pinckneyville last week to win the Eldorado 2A Sectional.Six-foot-four junior guard Tyler Smithpeters and 6-foot-3 junior guard Capel Henshaw are both high-scoring players who create havoc for teams trying to defend them.

Both are averaging right at 16-points a game.

The 27-5 Bulldogs also have Ryne Roper, a 6-foot-2 junior, is a long range bomber who has hit over 40 3-pointers in 2011-12.

One of the keys to the Bulldogs hopes is Eli Taborn-Scott, a 6-foot-4 sophomore forward, who averages 11.5 points a game and scored 13 in the loss to Breese Central.

Kashmere Barners is a 5-foot-8 senior guard, who is one of three Harrisburg starters that are left-handed, a fact that is sometimes lost in how difficult it is to guard this team.

Harrisburg jumped out to a big lead by forcing seven first quarter turnovers by Pinckneyville in the 54-47 sectional title win.

No other team in the boy's basketball has benefited more from the change to four-classes than the Woodlawn Cardinals.

Coach Shane Witzel's team has won five consecutive regional titles, four consecutive sectional championships and own two supersectional crowns.In the two seasons reaching Peoria, the Cardinals finished second (2009) and third (2011) and are looking at another shot of winning the state championship.

Heading into their supersectional game with Meridian, the top scorer for Woodlawn is 6-foot-5 senior Christian Hollenkamp who is averaging 16.7 points a game.

Gabe Owens, a 6-foot-5 junior shooting guard, drills home 16.1 p.p.g. while senior guard A.J. Webb adds 11.6 points a night.

Hollenkamp scored 15-points as the Cardinals rallied past Oblong, 53-51, to win the Red Hill Sectional title last Friday.

At 25-5 heading into the Tuesday night showdown at SIU, the Cardinals are 336-131 under Coach Witzel (.719 winning percentage) and have a trophy case full of hardware, including back-to-back Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament titles.

The Meridian Bobcats quest for a revenge rematch and a potential trip to Peoria began the moment they walked off the court at Salem High School last March as they watched Woodlawn celebrate a 54-41 supersectional victory.

Coach Jeff Mandrell's squad gets a shot at redemption on Tuesday after beating Gallatin County and Crab Orchard to win the Gallatin County 1A Sectional title last Friday night.Four players are averaging double-figures in points for the high-scoring Bobcats (77 p.p.g.).

Joshua Jones, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, tops the charts with 15.5 points a night. Cameron Ballard and Jerry Johnson are chipping in 14.8 and 14 points per outing respectively for the 28-2 Meridian squad that has just two blemishes on it's mark, losing to Herrin in the semifinals of the Eldorado Holiday Tournament and to Missouri small school powerhouse Charleston.In their two sectional victories Meridian held off comebacks by connecting on 21-of-29 free throws.

They hit eight consecutive fourth quarter charities in the 66-56 win over the host Hawks in the semifinals and held off the Trojans by hitting four free throws in the final two minutes.

ABV picked Breese Central and Mounds Meridian to make it to Peoria before the season began back in November during the 14th annual ABV Preview.

There is no need to jump off the bandwagon now.

If those two teams reach Peoria, it will mark the third consecutive season in which ABV chose the supersectional winners before the season began.

In 2010 ABV predicted that Sesser-Valier and Breese Central would win the Supersectionals; in 2011 ABV picked Woodlawn and Murphysboro.

ABV PROJECTED SUPERSECTIONAL WINNERS - Breese Central and Mounds Meridian.