12-25-07
BY JACK BULLOCK
VANDALIA - The Trenton-Wesclin Warriors are the favorites to defend their Vandalia Holiday Tournament title when the 34th Annual event begins December 26th.

They are the top seed in Pool A and will enter the fray with just a single loss in eight games. Led by the one-two scoring punch of Sean Rakers and Casey Ainslie – Wesclin has an 7-1 mark and have beaten some really good teams this season including rivals Columbia and Breese Central in the rugged Cahokia Conference Mississippi Division.

Rakers is averaging 20.4 points a game for head coach Brent Brede. Rakers – a 6-foot-6 senior forward/center also averages 10.8 rebounds a night. Rakers came up big in a 63-44 win over Central with 30 points and just a 54-53 loss on the road at Highland kept the Warriors from coming to Vandalia with an unbeaten mark.

Ainslie – a 6-foot-2 swingman who transferred in from Benton - adds to the offensive firepower for Wesclin as he is throwing in 13.4 points a night. Ainslie also is leading the Warriors with 2.5 assists a game to go with his 5.5 rebounds. Nate Fuhler – a 5-foot-8 senior guard – averages 9.4 points and 2.3 assists. Six-foot-one senior 6-foot-1 Tyler Shaw (4.3 p.p.g.) and 6-foot senior Charlie Blair (4.9 p.p.g.) are also contributing.

This tournament was seeded early and the South Central Cougars were award the second seed and are the top team in Pool B. However they have lost a pair of games to Altamont who is the seventh seed despite an undefeated 8-0 mark.

South Central (6-3) is led in scoring by 6-foot-5 junior Isaac Grapperhaus and Tanner Bushue with 12 markers a game each. Head coach Gary Shirley's club won its last two games – 63-32 over North Clay and a 49-47 win over St. Elmo heading into the VHT.

Altamont is considered one of the major threats in what looks like a very strong Pool B. Coach Doug Hill has his Tribe rolling with those two wins over South Central – one in the semifinals at the St. Elmo Holiday Tourney , 52-41 and also a 55-52 win at home over the Cougars December 7. Five-foot-eleven guard Kieffer McCarron tops Altamont with 20.1 points a game. Curt Heiden – a 6-foot-2 senior forward – is averaging 12 points a game while Devin Frailey - a 6-foot-5 senior forward – adds 8.3 p.p.g.

Stewardson-Strasburg (7-1) was picked to win the National Trail Conference in the ABV 2007-08 Preview. Head coach Mike Walker has his team playing well with just a 63-48 hiccup at Newton to end the first half of the season. Ben Giertz is one of the team leaders for the Comets while averaging 12.1 points a game. S-S has size in the middle with 6-foot-5 senior Phil Wetherell (10.1 p.p.g.) 6-foot-5 junior forward Josh Talbert (8.1 p.p.g.) and 6-foot-6 sophomore Jon Hoene (five p.p.g.). They also have a 64-56 win over Shelbyville.

Flora is the Comets first opponent on December 26 and the Wolves sport a 6-6 overall mark.
Ian Ridge is a 6-foot-5 senior point guard who averages 17.4 points a game. Brandon Bible – a 6-foot senior guard – adds to the totals with 13.9 p.p.g. Six-foot-two senior forward Rendell Flood averages 5.8 points a game.

The ninth seed is Pana (3-4) and a solid team with Colton Waddington scoring 22.6 points a game which is one of the top figures in the tournament.

The fourth overall seed and second in Pool A is Shelbyville (5-2) with just an unexpected loss to Vandalia and a defeat at the hands of Stewardson-Strasburg on its record. The Rams have 6-foot-5 senior forward Jay Nottingham who is averaging 23 points a night.

Central A&M (5-4) is another Okaw Valley Conference team entered in the VHT. The Raiders have been led by Tobias Bond – a 5-foot-11 senior guard who is pouring in 22 points a game. Bryce Hogan – 6-foot-1 junior guard – scores 13.3 points a game.

Greenville (3-3) has Kyle Dannaman – a 5-foot-10 junior guard – and 13.7 points per contest Classmate Derek Atchison is a 6-foot-3 forward who is averaging 11.7 p.p.g.

The host Vandalia Vandals (1-10) have just the Shelbyville win to show for its first part of the season.