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04-09-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARTERVILLE – If you have all of your taxes done and have an itch for some high school basketball action this coming weekend, at John A. Logan College in Carterville you can have another look at some of the top senior basketball players in an All-Star Game.

Wendell Wheeler's 31st annual event will showcase some of the .....

03-28-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
INA – If you're a high school basketball fan and you are wanting another look at some of the top senior players from southern Illinois, then mark your calendar and make plans for a trip to James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium on the campus of Rend Lake College on Friday night.

03-18-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
MT. VERNON - When looking at the contenders for the ABV “Player of the Year” and “Coach of the Year” in both 1A and 2A is very difficult to pick out a clear cut winner in each category.

You could make a case for many players and coaches, with few arguments against.

03-10-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
PEORIA – Not being able to hit shots in the early going of their game against Bloomington Central Catholic, the Pinckneyville Panthers dug themselves a hole they couldn't get out of.
Despite a big second half rally, the Panthers dropped a 69-61 decision to the Saints in the 2A third place game Saturday night at Carver Arena.

03-10-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
PEORIA – For the Okawville Rockets boy's basketball program, the years of being close to winning a state championship led to many heartbreaking loses.

Reaching the state finals four different times with two second place finishes and a third place trophy sitting in the trophy case.

03-09-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
PEORIA – The Pinckneyville Panthers ran into the best big man that they had faced this season and things didn't go well in the paint.

Six-foot-nine senior center Andrew Morrissey proved to be too much inside for Coach Bob Waggoner's club.

03-09-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
PEORIA – The Okawville Rockets are back in the same spot as there were this time last year; in the 1A state championship game.

Because the majority of Coach Jon Kraus' club returned from the squad that lost to Effingham St. Anthony in the finale last March.

03-06-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE – The Goreville Blackcats and head coach Todd Tripp have finally reached the Final Four.

After winning five regional titles in his 14 previous seasons running the program at his Alma mater without a single sectional victory, his senior led .....

03-02-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
ELIZABETHTOWN – In the many seasons that head coach Todd Tripp has been the head coach of the Goreville Blackcats, the moniker of this program was always that of a high scoring program.

Lots of shots and lots of points produced.

02-28-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
ELIZABETHTOWN – When it comes to important minutes in important games in important tournaments, the teams that managed to keep their composure are the ones who end up advancing.

Emotionally and mentally it's “when preparation meets opportunity.”

02-27-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
ELIZABETHTOWN – The beginning of the 1A Hardin County Sectional semifinal game on Tuesday could not have worse for the Goreville Blackcats.

If the first quarter and a half were a disaster movie, it would have been “Titanic.”

02-26-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
MT. VERNON – The Herrin Tigers entered their contest on Monday night against Mt. Vernon feeling pretty good about their chances to advance into the regional semifinals.

After all they had split two games with the Rams earlier in the season, including a 67-60 win at home on January 27.

02-26-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
2A SECTIONAL PREVIEWS
Last week ABV previewed the 1A Regionals. Now it's time to take a quick look at the 2A teams who are still alive in the chase for a trip to Carver Arena.

The two sectionals that feed into the 2A Carbondale Supersectional are .....

02-23-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
PATOKA – The Dieterich Movin' Maroons have now won three-straight regional titles and, in the process, they kept the Odin Eagles from picking up their first ever boy's basketball regional championship.

Dieterich senior leaders Ryan Radloff and Callaway Campton saw .....

02-21-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
ZEIGLER – It is no big secret that good basketball teams that continue to have success in the postseason use their defense to set the tone in February and March.

On Wednesday night at the Zeigler-Royalton 1A Regional, both Sesser-Valier .....

02-19-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
NORRIS CITY – It has been a great last few days for Anna-Jonesboro head basketball Mike Chamness.

After his wife gave birth to a new baby boy last Friday just hours before his Wildcats' team finished the season with a “Senior Night” win .....

02-19-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
NORRIS CITY – Survive and advance is the battle cry for all of the teams entered in the state tournament, as it has been since the very first IHSA state tournament back in 1908.

If you lose you go home and get ready for spring sports.

02-19-18
BY JACK BULLOCK - Last season two of the ABV teams, the two that were perched on the top of the 1A ABV rankings for most of the season (Okawville and Effingham St. Anthony), met in the state championship game.

It was the first time since the 1972 Class A state title game, the first of the two-class system championship contests, that two southern Illinois .....

02-16-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
WOODLAWN – Not all games live up to the hype but Friday night's non-conference game between Cairo and Woodlawn provided the fans in attendance a peek at what could eventually be a sectional semifinal game.

The Pilots rallied behind defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, forcing .....

02-15-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
JUNCTION – The Gallatin County Hawks didn't get off to a great start on Thursday night in their conference finale against Norris City-Omaha-Enfield.

But in most aspects of sports, and life, it is how you finish that counts.

02-13-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
HARRISBURG – For a quarter plus a few minutes the Carterville Lions hung in with the host Bulldogs in a crossover SIRR Conference game on Tuesday night at Harrisburg's Davenport Gym.

But after a sluggish sort of start, Harrisburg took command with a .....

02-10-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
CRAB ORCHARD – One could break out all of the superlatives for Vandalia after their win over Crab Orchard on Saturday afternoon.

All of them would work as the Vandals made the long trek south to Williamson County and came away with an easy 93-55 triumph over the host Trojans.

02-09-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
MCLEANSBORO – Things weren't going well for the Carmi-White County Bulldogs this week heading into their Friday night game at Hamilton County.

They had dropped a heart-breaking decision to Eldorado at home on Tuesday night and then they were throttled at home on Thursday night by Fairfield, which .....

02-06-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
WAYNE CITY – On the wall coming out of the locker room at Notre Dame Stadium where the Fighting Irish football team takes the field, there is a sign that reads “Play Like A Champion Today.”
When it comes to the Midland Trail Conference, that is how the Woodlawn Cardinals .....

02-03-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
PINCKNEYVILLE – When teams are in a tight situation, especially late in the game, they always want the ball in the hands of their “go-to” guys.

With a possession in the final seconds of overtime on Saturday night at home with the game tied, the Pinckneyville Panthers two best play makers made the .....

02-01-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
JUNCTION – In close games, like the one on Thursday night between two Greater Egyptian Conference foes with first place in the league on the line, sometimes it boils down to who has the ball last.

Gallatin County ended up with the final chance and Garrett Rushing got the job done.

01-30-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
CAMPBELL HILL - Senior Ryan Vogt scored just seven-points in the Pioneers game against Christopher on Tuesday night.
But his final three-points were the most important ones of the game.
The 6-foot-4 forward, with the clock running down in overtime with the game tied, got himself open in the left corner near the Trico bench.

01-27-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
HARRISBURG – For the first time since the program came into the Greater Egyptian Conference in 2007-08, the Thompsonville Tigers are the champions of the annual conference tournament.

And head coach Pete Gordon can thank his teams' defensive performance .....

01-25-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
HARRISBURG – For a team searching for the second win of the season, the Carrier Mills Wildcats closed out the win like a team that had a lot more success this winter.

Getting the ball to 6-foot sophomore forward Darion Barners late in the contest was the right decision and they made the shots that got the Wildcats the win

01-23-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
HARRISBURG – In their rally for a victory on Tuesday night, the Hardin County Cougars made two major adjustments in the second half of their game against Norris City-Omaha-Enfield that got them a victory and a spot in the semifinals on Friday night.
Head coach Rodney Lane saw his team fall behind early in the game because the Fighting Cardinals came out firing away from the 3-point arc and led the entire .....

01-22-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
WOODLAWN – The Woodlawn Cardinals joined the Midland Trail Conference for all sports at the beginning of the 2008-09 season as that league accepted the five former members of the now defunct Mid South Conference.
In the ten seasons in which the Cardinals have competed in the long running MTC tournament, they have now won nine of the boy's basketball tournament titles.

01-20-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
OKAWVILLE - The Wesclin Warriors got the job done when the game was on the line on Saturday night in the title game of the Okawville Invitational Tournament.

Defensively they made the key stops in the final minutes and offensively they made the plays that resulted in photos being taken with a championship trophy.

01-19-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
BENTON – For basketball teams the free throw line can be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on how well you do while standing at the stripe.

On Friday night the Pinckneyville Panthers found out how the down side of the relationship can be.

01-18-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
SPARTA – In the early going of the opening contest Thursday night at the 54th annual Sparta “Mid-Winter Classic” the Alton Marquette Explorers were having some issues finding Steeleville's top scorer Owen Gross.

The junior guard got loose for some shots in the first quarter as the Warriors....

01-17-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
WAYNE CITY – For head coach Jeff Morris and his Wayne City Indians, Wednesday night's makeup game in the Midland Trail Conference Tournament couldn't come soon enough.

After not playing in what seemed like and eternity, the Tribe finally got off of the practice court and into an actually game.

01-16-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
BENTON – Mounds Meridian head coach Erik Griffin has been looking for his team to begin putting together longer stretches of good play since the 2017-18 season began.

On Tuesday night in the opening game of the 45th annual Benton Invitational Tournament, his Bobcats got off of the bus ready to play.

01-13-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
WEST FRANKFORT – Cairo senior guard Damarius Taylor has been his club's top scorer and team leader this season and he stepped forward to lead his Pilots to an important, yet somewhat ugly to watch, win on Saturday night.

01-12-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
EFFINGHAM – It has been quite some time since the Effingham St. Anthony boy's basketball program won a game against Breese Mater Dei.

In fact no one close to the program could come up with the date/year of the last victory over the Knights.

01-11-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
CHESTER - It's been a long time since the Cobden Appleknockers played for a boy's varsity basketball tournament championship.
It was in 2005 at the Class A regional title game at Herrin back in the two-class system of Illinois.

01-09-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
SESSER – In a game where offensive execution was difficult for both teams, it was the Sesser-Valier Red Devils who made the right adjustments while cutting down on their own mistakes in the second half to pull away from Black Diamond Conference rival Goreville.

01-06-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
NORRIS CITY – There is a phrase in horse racing that is “Pace Makes The Race.”
It can also be true in high school basketball.
When one team wants to run and gun and the other team wants to keep that from happening, then the pace of the contest is, indeed, important.

01-05-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
BENTON - For head coach Ron Winemiller and his 2017-18 Benton Rangers, the beginning of the season has been one of the surprises in southern Illinois boy's basketball.
After graduating most of what turned out to be a record-breaking 31-3 squad from a year ago which produced the first ever SIRR Ohio Division championship in the .....

01-04-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
ELKVILLE – The Elverado Falcons were in desperate need of a win as they began the second half of their season at home on Thursday night.

After an 8-4 beginning to the season, the Falcons dropped four consecutive games at the Pinckneyville “Duster Thomas Hoops' Classic” last weekend.

01-02-18
BY JACK BULLOCK
GALATIA - Coming off of a consolation championship game win last week at the Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament, head coach Pete Gordon saw his club come out with a great second half defensive effort in a 50-42 win.
Behind an outstanding 17-point, 13-rebound effort by 6-foot-7 junior Anthony Darge along with four blocked shots .....

12-30-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
PINCKNEYVILLE - Two very tired teams took the floor Saturday night in the title game of the 11th annual Duster Thomas Classic.

But as it turned out, the Benton Rangers had more gas left in the tank as Coach Ron Winemiller's club took home the championship with a 41-28 win over Trenton-Wesclin.

12-29-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
VANDALIA – A person, most likely a coach somewhere years ago, was quoted as saying “defense wins championships.”

This wise one couldn't have envisioned a better demonstration of that theory than the final 16 minutes of Friday night's title game between defending tournament champions Effingham St. Anthony and Flora.

12-28-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
VANDALIA – It's one of those often used basketball proverbs, an adage that has been talked about by coaches since John Wooden was a Indiana child.
“The first three minutes of the game and the first three minutes of the second half are the most important times of the game.”

12-27-16
BY JACK BULLOCK
SESSER – Woodlawn sophomore Blake McKay has really stepped up his game this week at the Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament.

Wednesday evening the 6-foot-1 guard “stepped on” Johnston City, lighting up .....

12-26-16
BY JACK BULLOCK
SESSER – Sesser-Valier's Preston Launius came ready to play on Tuesday night in the Sesser-Valier Red Devils tournament opener against long-time rival Waltonville.

The 6-foot-2 senior forward netted a game-high 22-points, 18 of which came .....

12-25-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
SESSER - The 37th annual Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament shapes up to be a extremely competitive event with the top six seeded teams having a combined record of 37-19.
The Woodlawn Cardinals are the number one seed at the event, coming in with a 6-3 mark under head coach Brian Gamber.

12-25-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
VANDALIA - The 57th annual Vandalia Holiday Tournament has gone through some changes over the years but the bottom line is that there will be a champion crowned on Friday night December 29th that will be deserving.
Defending tournament champion Effingham St. Anthony is the prohibitive favorite to take the honors back to the North Side of town as they return a wealth of experienced .....

12-22-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
JOHNSTON CITY - For a program with a new coach and system in place, any early season win is a welcome sight.

And it certainly doesn't hurt any that a veteran backcourt specialist has a monster night offensively.

12-21-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
DU QUOIN – In a game played on Thursday night between two unlikely regular season opponents, the Du Quoin Indians needed a couple of scoring runs to get an edge on visiting Webber Township.

Coach Justin Barrington got a 9-0 scoring run in the second quarter and ...

12-19-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARLYLE – The Columbia Eagles have, according to their head coach Mark Sandstrom, struggled mightily on the offensive end of the floor this season.
On Tuesday night, after a pretty good first half against host Carlyle, the Eagles' struggles continued.

12-16-16
BY JACK BULLOCK
WAYNE CITY – The Wayne City Holiday Tournament has an all-tournament team but the event doesn't name a Most Valuable Player.

If they did, there is little doubt who would have taken home the trophy.

12-15-16
BY JACK BULLOCK
WAYNE CITY – Friday night's contest between Red Hill and the host Indians at the 64th annual Wayne City Holiday Tournament was a story that really wasn't worth writing home about.
But on this night, with the winner advancing to the title game on Saturday night, the final chapter of the saga was all that really mattered to Wayne City.

12-14-16
BY JACK BULLOCK
ST. ELMO – If the Cumberland Pirates performance on Thursday night was graded on a normal scale, a “B- or C+” would probably be the overall result.

Fortunately for head coach Justin Roedl, his top two players brought their “A” games to the contest, especially in the pivotal fourth quarter.

12-13-16
BY JACK BULLOCK
WAYNE CITY – The Webber Township Trojans have been looking for an important victory.

A signature win that has eluded this veteran senior group since their freshman season three years ago.

12-11-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
WOODLAWN - It took the Woodlawn Cardinals a little bit longer than they wanted to shake loose from their conference foe on Tuesday night at home.

Christ Our Rock Lutheran played a pretty good first half and trailed the hosts just 26-21 at halftime.

12-11-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
WAYNE CITY - For the first few minutes of their game against Gallatin County on Monday night, Coach Kevin Bowen and his Cisne Lions were thinking upset.

The team did what they wanted to do, which was run clock and milk their first couple of possessions.

12-17-16
BY JACK BULLOCK
WAYNE CITY – Coming off of a tough conference road loss less than 24-hours earlier against rival Olney Richland, head coach Bryan Havill wanted his Red Hill team to forget about the loss and concentrate on the game against Crab Orchard at the Wayne City Holiday Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

12-05-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
SESSER – The Sesser-Valier Red Devils suited up for their first home game of the season on Tuesday night after spending a week in Du Quoin facing some pretty tough opponents at the annual Tip-Off Classic.Coach Shane Garner's team even jumped out to a .....

12-04-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
STEELEVILLE - On nights when the offense doesn't produce enough made shots, good teams get the job done in other ways.

On Monday night against visiting Valmeyer in the Cahokia Conference Kaskaskia Division opener for both teams, Steeleville got the victory with a .....

12-02-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
GOREVILLE – Two weeks ago on Saturday, most of the Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats were playing a playoff semifinal football game at Pleasant Plains.

Basketball was probably the furthest thing from their minds at that point.

12-01-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
DU QUOIN – Disruption.

It's a common term in the English language.
Webster's Dictionary defines it as “disturbance or problems that interrupt an event, activity, or process.”

11-30-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARLYLE – The Pinckneyville Panthers can do a lot of things really well.

On Thursday night at the Carlyle Kaskaskian Classic in their game against Freeburg, Coach Bob Waggoner's club proved just how good they can be when everything is clicking.

11-28-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
CAMPBELL HILL - Head coach Randy Smithpeters always wants his Harrisburg Bulldogs to get off to a good start defensively.

It has been that way ever since he took over this program in 1993-94.

11-27-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
GOREVILLE – Coach Todd Tripp wanted to see how his club was going to respond on the opening night of the Goreville Invitational Tournament against Johnston City.

In fact there were a lot of questions going into the first game of the season for the Blackcats.

11-25-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
CHRISTOPHER – The Christopher Bearcats captured the championship of the 43rd Annual Turkey Tournament.

And it took a gutsy performance by senior guard Jared Curry and his teammates to help the Bearcats outlast Webber Township 66-60 in overtime on Saturday night.

11-25-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
CRAB ORCHARD – Heading into the final day of the 19th Annual Crab Orchard Thanksgiving Tournament, the host Trojans had won 14-straight games in this event in taking home the last two tournament championships.

Win number 15 turned out to be an easy victory as they jumped out to a big ....

11-24-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
VIENNA – In a basketball you don't want this to happen to you, ever. It is sometimes referred to as the “turnover bug.”
At some point in time every team catches it. It can either be self inflicted or it can be forced upon your team.

11-22-17
BY JACK BULLOCK
CHRISTOPHER – With 5:34 remaining in the fourth quarter of their semifinal game against Wayne City and clinging to a narrow 51-49, Christopher head coach Eric Stallman called a timeout after giving up a 5-0 run.

Coach Stallman posed a question to his team when he asked “What is it that we do well?”