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| Class
1A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Pecatonica (11) |
28-1 |
128 |
1 |
| 2.
Goreville |
26-3 |
104 |
5 |
| 3.
Effingham St. Anthony (1) |
25-4 |
81 |
3 |
| 4.
Waltonville |
23-4 |
77 |
6 |
| 5.
Lanark-Eastland |
25-4 |
69 |
2 |
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6. Chicago Hope Academy |
20-7 |
64 |
4 |
| 7.
Mounds Meridian (1) |
22-7 |
60 |
8 |
| 8.
Jacksonville Routt |
26-4 |
41 |
7 |
| 9.
Tuscola |
24-6 |
29 |
9 |
| 10.
Lexington |
23-7 |
17 |
NR |
| Others
receiving votes: Yorkville
Christian 15, Bluford Webber 11. Winchester-West Central 5, LeRoy
4, Chicago Fenger 3, Bowen 2, St. Anne 2, Dieterich 2, Princeville
1. |
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| Class
1A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Belleville Althoff (11) |
25-4 |
128 |
1 |
| 2.
Pinckneyville (1) |
26-3 |
106 |
5 |
| 3.
Benton |
25-3 |
88 |
7 |
| 4.
Breese Central |
24-5 |
76 |
6 |
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5. Bismarck-Henning (2) |
29-1 |
72 |
2 |
| 6.
Auburn |
27-3 |
69 |
4 |
| 7.
Williamsville |
26-3 |
55 |
3 |
| 8.
Peoria Manual |
16-12 |
48 |
9 |
| 9.
Sherrard |
26-3 |
31 |
8 |
| 10.
Warsaw West Hancock |
27-4 |
25 |
NR |
| Others
receiving votes: Columbia 15, Chicago Dyett 13, St. Joseph-Ogden
8, Murphysboro 7, Nashville 7, Crane 4, Tolono Unity 4, El Paso-Gridley
3, Leo 3, Rockford Christian 2, Kankakee McNamara 1,
Downs Tri-Valley 1, Peoria Notre Dame 1, Pleasant Plains 1, Princeton
1, Westville 1. |
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Crusaders
cruise to road win
Althoff gives Coach Greg Leib final win
over brother Phil |
02/15/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
FLORA - In the two previous games played between Flora and Althoff
Catholic, brothers Greg and Phil Leib each got a win, with the
Wolves winning over the Crusaders in 2011 and Althoff turning
the tables over Flora a season ago.
With
the pending retirement of Phil Leib coming at the end of the
2024-25 season, the game played Saturday night would be the
finale between the two.
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Central
claims Cahokia crown
Cougars romp past Freeburg; clinch outright division
championship |
02/14/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
FREEBURG - The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the word “ownership”
as “the state, relation, or fact of being an owner.”
When
it comes to the boy's basketball in the Mississippi Division
of the Cahokia Conference, the Breese Central Cougars hold all
of the titles and deeds to the championship trophies from the
past five seasons.
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| Class
1A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Pecatonica (12) |
25-0 |
120 |
1 |
| 2.
Lanark-Eastland |
24-3 |
99 |
4 |
| 3.
Effingham St. Anthony |
23-3 |
96 |
2 |
| 4.
Chicago Hope Academy |
19-6 |
71 |
7 |
| 5.
Goreville |
22-3 |
60 |
5 |
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6. Waltonville |
20-4 |
52 |
3 |
| 7.
Jacksonville Routt |
22-4 |
42 |
6 |
| 8.
Mounds Meridian |
22-6 |
36 |
9 |
| 9.
Tuscola |
21-6 |
20 |
10 |
| 8.
Winchester West Central |
22-6 |
19 |
8 |
| Others
receiving votes: Lexington
18, Yorkville Christian 12, Springfield Calvary 6, Dakota 3, Decatur
Unity Christian 3, LeRoy 2, Princeville 1. |
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| Class
2A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Belleville Althoff (13) |
24-4 |
147 |
1 |
| 2.
Bismarck-Henning (1) |
27-0 |
116 |
4 |
| 3.
Williamsville (1) |
24-2 |
106 |
2 |
| 4.
Auburn |
25-2 |
101 |
3 |
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5. Pinckneyville |
24-3 |
76 |
6 |
| 6.
Breese Central |
22-5 |
65 |
7 |
| 7.
Benton |
23-3 |
53 |
5 |
| 8.
Sherrard |
24-3 |
35 |
9 |
| 9.
Peoria Manual |
15-12 |
24 |
8 |
| 10.
Columbia |
21-5 |
20 |
10 |
| Others
receiving votes: Nashville 16, Warsaw West Hancock 13, Tolono
Unity 9, Downs Tri-Valley 9, Rockford Christian 8, Pleasant Plains
7, St. Joseph-Ogden 7, Chicago Dyett 6, Carlyle 3, El Paso-Gridley
3, Murphysboro 1. |
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Nashville
snags another road win
Hornets
hold off Benton, improve to 7-1 in the division |
02/11/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
BENTON – When you have multiple offensive weapons, opposing
teams will have a very difficult time defending you.
The Benton
Rangers found that out on Tuesday night when they hosted Nashville
in a key SIRR Mississippi Division battle.
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Marlow
reaches major milestone
Webber Township junior eclipses
2,000-points; Trojans romp past Z-R |
02/10/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
BLUFORD – Monday night Webber Township took little time
in rolling to a big early lead and added a 76-41 win over Zeigler-Royalton
to the 2024-25 total in front of a large home crowd.
But for
most in attendance, the outcome of the game was just a formality.
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Shells
"light up" West Central
Roxana rolls past 1A state-ranked
Cougars; Collinsville wins nightcap |
02/08/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
WOOD RIVER - Head coach Mark Briggs has taken many of his Roxana
teams to Memorial Gym at East Alton-Wood River in his tenure leading
the Shells. Located
just a few miles away the two schools are long time rivals.
Saturday
the Shells took the floor at the East Alton-Wood River Shootout
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Bulldogs
defense makes difference
Staunton's early run holds up
in win over Marquette; Civic Memorial tops EAWR |
02/08/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
WOOD RIVER - The Staunton Bulldogs have had a nice run this season
and have reached 20-wins for the first time since the 2013-14
season. They
have picked up some very good wins on this year but Saturday
they had to win a game that wouldn't place high in any beauty
contest.
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Harrisburg
takes key road win
Bulldogs
pull away from Massac County late; win 55-41 |
2/07/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
METROPOLIS - It didn't take too long for Coach Andy Fehrenbacher's
Harrisburg Bulldogs to get the message from this mentor.
Or as
he put it; a 'heart to heart' conversation after a timeout in
the first quarter of their game at Massac County on Friday night.
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| Class
1A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Pecatonica (11) |
24-0 |
128 |
1 |
| 2.
Effingham St. Anthony (2) |
22-2 |
126 |
2 |
| 3.
Waltonville (1) |
18-2 |
89 |
3 |
| 4.
Lanark-Eastland |
22-3 |
88 |
4 |
| 5.
Goreville |
20-2 |
77 |
5 |
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6. Jacksonville Routt |
23-2 |
76 |
6 |
| 7.
Chicago Hope Academy |
17-6 |
42 |
7 |
| 8.
Winchester West Central |
20-5 |
39 |
8 |
| 9.
Mounds Meridian |
20-6 |
38 |
9 |
| 10.
Tuscola |
19-5 |
24 |
10 |
| Others
receiving votes: Dieterich 17, Lexington 11, South Beloit 5, Peoria
Christian 3, Hinckley-Big Rock 2, Yorkville Christian 2, Casey-Westfield
1, Webber Township 1, Dakota 1. |
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| Class
2A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Belleville Althoff (14) |
21-4 |
154 |
1 |
| 2.
Williamsville (1) |
22-1 |
125 |
3 |
| 3.
Auburn |
22-2 |
114 |
2 |
| 4.
Bismarck-Henning (1) |
25-0 |
113 |
4 |
| 5.
Benton |
21-2 |
70 |
7 |
| 6.
Pinckneyville |
22-3 |
64 |
5 |
| 7.
Breese Central |
20-5 |
47 |
9 |
| 8.
Peoria Manual |
13-10 |
42 |
8 |
| 9.
Sherrard |
21-3 |
35 |
6 |
| 10.
Columbia |
20-4 |
31 |
10 |
| Others
receiving votes: Warsaw West Hancock 22, Chicago Dyett 13, St.
Joseph-Ogden 13, Murphysboro 8, Nashville 5, Seneca 5, Kankakee
(McNamara) 5, Carlyle 3, IC Catholic 3, Downs Tri-Valley 2, Rockford
Christian 2, Tolono Unity 2, Crane 1, Lawrenceville 1. |
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Nashville
upsets Panthers
Hornets
take home key division road win; Pinckneyville suffers first league
loss |
02/04/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
PINCKNEYVILLE – Tuesday night the numbers just didn't add
up for the host Pinckneyville Panthers.
Coach
Matt Laur's club started out slow offensively and things didn't
get that much better in the second half of their 70-62 loss
to rival Nashville.
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Top
teams stay the course
Althoff,
St. Anthony continue to win; Bulldogs had a scare in NTC title game |
02/04/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - The rankings are pretty much status quo for the week
as not much changed in the Top 10 in both 1A and 2A.
Effingham
St. Anthony continues to look the part but they had their hands
full with a Dieterich in the National Trail Conference Tournaament
championship game.
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St.
Anthony rallies for win
Bulldogs overcome poor first
half, stun Dieterich late for title game triumph |
02/01/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
ALTAMONT – State
ranked and ABV 1A number one Effingham St. Anthony got off to
a bad start on Saturday night in the title game of the 89th annual
National Trail Conference Tournament.
Bad being a nice word
for it.
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| Indians
top Richland County
Lawrenceville nabs LIC tournament title; C-W rolls
past Paris for third |
01/31/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
LAWRENCEVILLE - There is an old saying that says “Speed
Kills.” However
in a basketball sense, quickness is equally as deadly.
Lawrenceville
showed on Friday night in its matchup with top-seed Olney Richland
County that their overall quickness equalized the Tigers' size
advantage.
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| Class
1A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Pecatonica (15) |
21-0 |
160 |
1 |
| 2.
Effingham St. Anthony (1) |
19-2 |
143 |
2 |
| 3.
Waltonville (1) |
18-0 |
139 |
3 |
| 4.
Lanark-Eastland |
20-3 |
102 |
4 |
| 5.
Goreville |
17-2 |
86 |
7 |
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6. Jacksonville Routt |
21-2 |
85 |
5 |
| 7.
Chicago Hope Academy |
14-6 |
48 |
6 |
| 8.
Winchester West Central |
19-4 |
41 |
NR |
| 9.
Mounds Meridian |
19-5 |
31 |
NR |
| 10.
Tuscola |
17-4 |
29 |
T9 |
| Others
receiving votes: Lexington 22, Yorkville Christian 13, Casey-Westfield
14, Dieterich 8, Peoria Christian 4, Bluford Webber 3, Edinburg/South
Fork 3, South Beloit 3, Hinckley-Big Rock 1, Princeville 1, Chicago
Fenger 1. |
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| Class
2A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Belleville Althoff (8) |
19-4 |
149 |
2 |
| 2.
Auburn (5) |
21-1 |
139 |
1 |
| 3.
Williamsville (1) |
20-1 |
110 |
3 |
| 4.
Bismarck-Henning (3) |
23-0 |
110 |
4 |
| 5.
Pinckneyville |
20-2 |
104 |
5 |
| 6.
Shrrard |
19-2 |
59 |
8 |
| 7.
Benton |
18-2 |
55 |
6 |
| 8.
Peoria Manual |
13-8 |
54 |
7 |
| 9.
Breese Central |
16-5 |
24 |
10 |
| 10.
Columbia |
18-4 |
22 |
NR |
| Others
receiving votes: Warsaw West Hancock 17, Rockford Christian 13,
St. Joseph-Ogden 14, Chicago Dyett 11, Murphysboro 7, IC Catholic
7, El Paso-Gridley 5, Tolono Unity 4, Chicago (Christ the King)
3, Rockridge 3, Riverton 2, Kankakee McNamara 2, Fieldcrest 1,
Trenton Wesclin 1. |
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NCOE,
Crab Orchard advance
Cardinals, Trojans set to meet Friday
night after Tuesday wins |
01/28/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
HARRISBURG – Sometimes something as simple as a three
minute stretch of time in a basketball game can swing the outcome
of the contest.
The Norris
City-Omaha-Enfield Fighting Cardinals used the final 1:37 of
the second quarter and the first two and a half minutes of the
second half to go on a 14-2 run.
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Hardin
County, Galatia post wins
Cougars top Pope County; Bearcats edge
Gallatin County |
01/27/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
HARRISBURG – When you get down to it, the game of basketball
has many facets.
But winning
is the most important.
The Galatia
Bearcats on Monday night found a way to win their matchup against
Gallatin County Hawks in the first game of the 74th annual Greater
Egyptian .....
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Althoff,
St. A keep winning
Crusader
roll past 4A teams to win Belleville East tournament; Bulldogs gear
up for NTC |
01/27/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - It was a rough mid-winter week for some of the teams
in the ABV rankings while others reaffirmed their status as ones
to watch in the postseason. Althoff
in 2A beat Belleville East, Belleville West and Collinsville
to win the Belleville East event as they continue to beat 3A
and 4A teams on their tough schedule.
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Waltonville
nabs first MTC crown
Spartans' run past Webber Township
late; Woodlawn, Red Hill take home hardware |
01/25/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
BLUFORD – Heading into the Midland Trail Conference Tournament
championship game against Webber Township, undefeated Waltonville
knew that the Trojans' outstanding scorer Nathaniel Marlow was
going to get his points. However
Spartans head coach Anthony Lowery knew that if they were able
to contain the rest of the Webber club that his .....
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| Class
1A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Pecatonica (13) |
18-0 |
139 |
1 |
| 2.
Effingham St. Anthony (2) |
17-2 |
130 |
2 |
| 3.
Waltonville |
15-0 |
107 |
3 |
| 4.
Lanark-Eastland |
17-3 |
96 |
5 |
| 5.
Jacksonville Routt |
19-2 |
72 |
4 |
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6. Chicago Hope Academy |
12-5 |
64 |
6 |
| 7.
Goreville |
14-2 |
50 |
8 |
| 8.
Yorkville Christian |
16-6 |
37 |
9 |
| 9.
Lexington |
18-3 |
32 |
T10 |
| 9T.
Tuscola |
15-4 |
32 |
7 |
| Others
receiving votes: Casey-Westfield 17. Dieterich 15, Edinburg 7,
Winchester-West Central 7, Bluford Webber 5, South Beloit 4, Princeville
3, Mounds Meridian 3, Hinckley-Big Rock 2, Dakota 2, Okaw Valley
1. |
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| Class
2A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Auburn (4) |
19-1 |
124 |
8 |
| 2.
Belleville Althoff (8) |
15-4 |
106 |
4 |
| 3.
Williamsville (1) |
17-1 |
102 |
1 |
| 4.
Bismarck-Henning (2) |
20-0 |
84 |
5 |
| 5.
Pinckneyville |
16-2 |
76 |
10 |
| 6.
Benton |
17-1 |
72 |
2 |
| 7.
Peoria Manual |
13-7 |
69 |
3 |
| 8.
Sherrard |
18-2 |
34 |
NR |
| 9.
Rockford Christian |
18-1 |
28 |
7 |
| 10.
Breese Central |
15-4 |
19 |
NR |
| Others
receiving votes: Chicago Dyett 15, Murphysboro 14, Columbia 11,
IC Catholic 10, Chicago (Christ the King) 9, Riverton 9, Fieldcrest
9, St. Joseph-Ogden 7, Kankakee (McNamara) 6, Fremont 5, Carlyle
5, Rockridge 3, Nashville 3, Coal City 2, Westville 2, Wilmington
1. |
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Panthers'
claw up the rankings ladder
Pinckneyville
produces dominant road win at Benton; Althoff, St. Anthony top lists |
01/20/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Mother Nature 1, Southern Illinois Basketball 0.
That was basically the way things went for high school hoops for
the previous week and a half with multiple games postponed and
canceled around Little Egypt.
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Sparta
wins first CIT championship
Bulldogs pull out 45-35 title
game triumph over Chester; Gibault, Perryville, Valle win |
| 01/18/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
CHESTER – The old saying “it's better to win ugly
than to lose pretty” fit the Sparta Bulldogs in the championship
contest of the 61st annual Chester Invitational Tournament on
Saturday night.
The Bulldogs
started off poorly on offense and it didn't get much better
for Coach Jordan Beckley's squad shooting the ball.
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Murphysboro
picks up road victory
Red
Devils first half lead holds up; top Carterville, 58-47 |
01/17/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARTERVILLE - Making the most of the opportunities in Friday night's
road contest, the Murphysboro Red Devils got off to a big lead
and never let host Carterville closer than seven points in the
final two quarters as Coach Daryl Murphy's squad picked up a key
SIRR Ohio Division victory, 58-47, over the Lions.
Murphysboro
hit the shots when they needed them early and got easy looks
.....
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Cobden
scoring streaks sink Shawnee
Appleknockers
take care of home business, 60-31; improve to 3-1 in the SEC |
01/16/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
COBDEN - For the Cobden Appleknockers it was an impressive win
on Thursday night as Coach Karl Sweitzer and his club took control
of the game in the second quarter and didn't look back in a 60-31
win over Shawnee. The
outcome wasn't really in doubt by the end of the first few minutes
as the Appleknockers used a pair of first half scoring runs
to take a 34-8 lead at intermission.
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| Class
1A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Pecatonica (9) |
14-0 |
90 |
1 |
| 2.
Effingham St. Anthony (1) |
15-2 |
83 |
3 |
| 3.
Waltonville |
14-0 |
79 |
2 |
| 4.
Jacksonville Routt |
17-1 |
68 |
4 |
| 5.
Lanark-Eastland |
14-2 |
53 |
5 |
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6. Chicago Hope Academy |
11-5 |
45 |
7 |
| 7.
Tuscola |
15-2 |
38 |
6 |
| 8.
Goreville |
12-2 |
37 |
8 |
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9. Yorkville Christian |
15-6 |
24 |
10 |
| 10T.
Casey-Westfield |
11-4 |
8 |
9 |
| 10T.
Lexington |
15-3 |
8 |
NR |
| Others
receiving votes: Dieterich 5 , Webber Township 4, Chicago Fenger
2, LeRoy 2, Mounds Meridian 2, Annawan 1, Dakota 1. |
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| Class
2A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Williamsville (6) |
15-0 |
108 |
2 |
| 2.
Benton (2) |
15-0 |
103 |
3 |
| 3.
Peoria Manual (2) |
13-4 |
91 |
4 |
| 4.
Belleville Althoff (2) |
14-4 |
89 |
1 |
| 5.
Bismarck-Henning |
18-0 |
63 |
5 |
| 6.
Chicago Dyett |
14-4 |
56 |
6 |
| 7.
Rockford Christian |
15-0 |
41 |
7 |
| 8.
Auburn |
17-1 |
24 |
9 |
| 9.
Chicago Christ the King |
11-6 |
17 |
NR |
| 10.
Pinckneyville |
14-2 |
16 |
10 |
| Others
receiving votes: Columbia 11, Breese Central 8, Breese Mater Dei
7, Murphysboro 6, IC Catholic 5, Rockridge 5, St. Joseph-Ogden
5, Warsaw West Hancock 2, Carlyle 1, Tremont 1, Kankakee McNamara
1. |
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Mater
Dei wins in OT
Knights pick up seventh-straight win, 54-51 over
Carbondale |
01/11/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - The Mater Dei Knights did what they do best, which
turned out to be just enough to leave Carbondale with a victory
on Saturday afternoon. They
got the ball inside and finished when they got there.
Led by
18-points from 6-5 senior Elliott Rakers .....
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| Class
1A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Pecatonica (12) |
11-0 |
130 |
2 |
| 2.
Waltonville |
13-0 |
111 |
3 |
| 3.
Effingham St. Anthony (1) |
13-2 |
101 |
5 |
| 4.
Jacksonville Routt |
14-1 |
82 |
NR |
| 5.
Lanark-Eastland (1) |
12-2 |
78 |
1 |
| 6.
Tuscola |
15-1 |
63 |
4 |
| 7.
Chicago Hope Academy |
9-4 |
50 |
8 |
| 8.
Goreville |
11-2 |
46 |
NR |
| 9.
Casey-Westfield |
11-3 |
31 |
7 |
| 10.
Yorkville Christian |
12-5 |
28 |
10 |
| Others
receiving votes: Dieterich 12, Annawan 11, LeRoy 5, Chicago Fenger
5. Mounds Meridian 5, Lexington 4, Webber Township 3, Dakota 2,
Unity Christian 2, Illini Bluffs 1. |
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| Class
2A |
W/L |
Votes |
LWR |
| 1.
Belleville Althoff (6) |
13-3 |
117 |
6 |
| 2.
Williamsville (3) |
13-0 |
110 |
4 |
| 3.
Benton (3) |
15-0 |
104 |
2 |
| 4.
Peoria Manual (2) |
10-4 |
86 |
1 |
| 5.
Bismarck-Henning |
16-0 |
71 |
5 |
| 6.
Chicago Dyett |
12-3 |
69 |
7 |
| 7.
Rockford Christian |
12-0 |
45 |
9 |
| 8.
Columbia |
11-4 |
24 |
3 |
| 9.
Auburn |
15-1 |
23 |
NR |
| 10.
Pinckneyville |
13-2 |
19 |
NR |
| Others
receiving votes: Murphysboro 18, Chicago (Christ the King) 15,
Warsaw West Hancock 12, Breese Mater Dei 8, Breese Central 8,
Carlyle 6, Crane 6, Rockridge 6, St. Joseph-Ogden 5, Warrensburg-Latham
5, Riverton 4, Chicago King 4, IC Catholic 3, Kankakee (McNamara)
1, Sherrard 1. |
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Warriors
end Tuscola run
Casey-Westfield
makes only big rankings move this week |
01/06/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Coach Tom Brannan and his Casey-Westfield Warriors
picked up a big win over previously undefeated Tuscola on Saturday,
58-55 at home to make a case for a very high seed when the postseason
process begins in February. With
most of the other teams not starting back yet, C-W gets a boost
in the ABV list with a key home victory.
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Nashville
pulls away from rival Okawville
Big fourth quarter run gives Hornets'
54-32 win |
01/04/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
OKAWVILLE – Coach Stote Reeder's Nashville squad struggled
offensively in their most recent contests. A
loss to Benton on Friday night produced the lowest point total
(27) of the season for the Hornets.
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Carlyle
starts new year strong
Indians pull away with third
quarter run, top Red Bud 55-34; improve to 12-2 |
01/03/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
RED BUD - There is such a thing in high school basketball as
the “Holiday Tournament Hangover.”
After
playing a pretty grueling early season schedule, then four tough
games at the Duster Thomas Classic at Pinckneyville, the Carlyle
Indians early minutes at Red Bud on Friday night were sluggish
to say the least.
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Althoff,
St. Anthony top rankings
Crusaders,
Bulldogs appear loaded for March Madness |
01/01/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Happy New Year to everyone.
Another
holiday tournament week has been completed and the dust has
settled on the first half of the 2024-25 basketball.
Buzzer
beaters and last second free throws produced by quality teams
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Comets
take home top prize
Greenville knocks
off top-seed Shelbyville; wins second VHT title |
12/30/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
VANDALIA – Coach Todd Cantrill and his Greenville Comets
played a pretty tough early season schedule heading into tournament
week at Vandalia. The
slate of contests included games at the always difficult Carlyle
Kaskaskian Classic.
The Comets
took home fourth place in that tournament and entered the 52nd
.....
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Columbia
falls in title tilt
Waterloo never trails in 52-37
win; Civic Memorial tops Freeburg for third |
12/29/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
FREEBURG – Heading into their Sunday's night matchup against
Waterloo in the title game of the 66th annual Freeburg/Columbia
Holiday Tournament, head coach Mark Sandstrom and his Columbia
Eagles knew that they needed to do well shooting the ball from
the outside. With
Waterloo big man 6-10 senior Alex Stell roaming the lane, the
Eagles needed .....
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Movin'
Maroons' blast Arcola
Dieterich wins title over "cold"
shooting Purple Riders; Sullivan, CHBC, Grayville win |
12/28/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
DIETERICH – If the Arcola Purple Riders shooting performance
was ranked as a disaster, FEMA would have been called.
Coach
Greg Gisinger's club couldn't find the basket in the title game
of the 38th annual Dieterich Holiday Tournament.
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Carterville
advances to final four
Lions hold off Fairfield; Herrin,
Harrisburg, Vienna round out semifinal Saturday |
12/27/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
ELDORADO – The Carterville Lions did just what they needed
to do on Friday night in their quarterfinal win over Fairfield.
The
Lions forced a 14-turnovers, 11 of which came in the first two
quarters of play and they survived a poor third quarter offensively
to hold off the Mules, 50-42 to .....
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| Spartans'
romp past Sesser-Valier
Waltonville stays undefeated; Goreville,
DQ, Altamont win |
12/26/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
SESSER – One of the old sayings about sports is that when
two long-time rivals meet on the basketball court, you can “throw
out the records” as upsets can occur when it comes down
to playing familiar foes. That
didn't happen Thursday night at the 43rd annual Sesser-Valier
Holiday Tournament when the host Red Devils took on nemesis
Waltonville .....
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Let
the Christmas "hoopla" begin
Multiple events in the next five days
across the South |
12/25/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Holiday tournament season is upon is.
Multiple
games at multiple times of the day.
Teams,
officials and fans traveling the magnificent miles to be a part
of this great sport.
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Century
defends Dongola title
Centurions produce big
defensive effort, romp
past host Demons; Egyptian tops Joppa |
12/23/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
DONGOLA – When you look at the match up on Monday night
between Century and the host Demons in the final game of the Dongola
Christmas Tournament, it was a matchup of “Youth versus
Experience.” In
this instance, experience was the deciding factor as the older
ones proved tough to beat.
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Cumberland
wins first St. Elmo title
Pirates' push right buttons, roll to championship
Hillsboro, CHBC, Patoka/Odin win on final day |
12/21/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
ST. ELMO – On Saturday night in the title contest of the
64th annual St. Elmo Holiday Tournament, the Cumberland Pirates
played about as well as they could play. And
that was bad news for Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg.
Coach Justin
Roedl had his team ready and it showed during a dominating .....
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Cardinals'
advance to title game
North Clay tops WC, face Edwards
County Saturday; Crab Orchard defeats Cisne |
12/20/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
WAYNE CITY – It wasn't the kind of start that Coach Josh
Zink wanted on Friday night in the final game of pool play of
the 70th annual Conrad Allen Wayne City Holiday Tournament.
But the
ending was just fine.
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Waltonville
stays undefeated
Spartans
led 'gate to wire' at Christopher; improve to 8-0 |
12/17/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CHRISTOPHER - It took just a couple of big scoring bursts for
the Waltonville Spartans to take control and stay in control
of their road contest at Christopher on Tuesday night.
An
11-1 start of the game and a 10-1 start of the third quarter
allowed the unbeaten Spartans to stay that way.
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Benton
routs Hiltoppers
Tedeschi
nets 25-points in 68-39 win; Rangers improve to 7-0
Nokomis, Metro-East Lutheran, Rochester, Litchfield
victorious in boy's contests
Litchfield, Hillsboro, Triad win girl's games
|
12/14/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARLINVILLE - On Saturday afternoon at the 6th annual T. Todt
Shootout vs. Cancer basketball shootout Benton senior forward
Docker Tedeschi left little doubt who was the best player on
the floor in the Rangers' 68-39 dismantling of Hillsboro.
The 6-8
forward and D-I commit delivered 25-points, grabbed 11-rebounds
and blocked six shots in a dominating performance as he and
his teammates .....
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Columbia
rolls past Wildcats
Eagles handle league rival, 63-30; improve
to 7-1 |
12/13/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
COLUMBIA - The Columbia Eagles could not have been in a very good
mood on Friday night when they hosted Cahokia Conference Mississippi
Division rival Salem. Coach
Mark Sandstrom and his club were a day removed from a road trip
to the University of Missouri for a basketball shootout and
a loss to Montgomery County.
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Steeleville
takes tournament title
Warriors hold off Gibault, 67-58, complete
4-0 week |
12/07/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CAMPBELL HILL - It had been a minute since the Steeleville Warriors
won the Trico “Tip-Off Classic” championship.
It
was like the first line of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Hearts Club Band.
“It
was 20 years ago today.”
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Webber
wins road battle
Trojans'
defense shines, 63-44; Marlow nets 32 in victory |
12/06/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
ELDORADO - After giving up 81-points in a first round loss at
the Christopher Thanksgiving Tournament to open the 2024-25 season,
head coach Jaxon Helm at Webber Township knew that his team needed
to get better defensively. The
last four games have shown a noticeable difference.
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Top
shelf clubs continue to impress
Arcola, BMD, Tuscola reload for
postseason; SJO, Tolono Unity also strong up North
Rebuilding projects in progress around the South |
12/01/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Tuscola
and head coach Justin Bozarth had about as disappointing
of an ending of a postseason as one could imagine.
As
one of the favorites to reach the state finals again after finishing
third in 2022-23, the Warriors won the program's 20th regional
championship to reach the Effingham St. Anthony Sectional.
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Veteran
teams look to improve
Greenville,
Staunton, Carlinville, Southwestern have key players back
Vandalia has new coach; Litchfield, Hillsboro, North Mac, Pana try to
rebuild |
11/30/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - The South Central Conference, like some of the other
leagues last season, didn't have much in the way of postseason
success as none of the members managed to advance past the regionals.
But this
is a league that isn't without talent.
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League
looks much more wide-open
Graduation took a lot
of talent from the LIC |
| 11/29/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Last season the Lawrenceville Indians were the
only team in the Little Illini Conference not to lose a league
game.
The Tribe
went 7-0 for then head coach Randy Bishop.
Newton
and Olney Richland County were the next two .....
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| Central,
Columbia top Mississippi
Cougars still talented, Eagles look loaded for
the postseason
Salem, Roxana look to challenge, new coaches at EAWR, Freeburg |
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| Carlyle
returns strong group
Indians' five starters back; Wesclin, Sparta, Red Bud
must regroup |
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Warriors
look for another title
New Athens, Marissa/Coulterville look
to challenge Steeleville's supremacy |
| 11/27/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - The Cahokia Conference largest division known as
the Mississippi has been won for the last four consecutive seasons
by Breese Central.
The Cougars
have more than dominated this conference since it went to divisions
in 2006-07.
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Top
teams on both sides set for war
Benton
looks to repeat in Mississippi; Wide open Ohio Division is the norm |
11/26/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - It's yet another year in the Southern Illinois
River-to-River Conference and any preview of the league will
see teams that are thinking not only regular season championships
but also postseason hardware.
The boy's
basketball programs in the SIRR will always be in the conversation
on who is going to reach the state finals in March.
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Goreville
looks to continue dominance
Blackcats hope to repeat; challengers
will need to 'step it up' to dethrone champs |
| Bulldogs
hungry for repeat
Carmi-White
County must fend off Flora, Fairfield; others look
to move up |
| 11/25/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - The Black Diamond Conference, split into divisions
since its expansion back in 2003-04, has had member changes
over the years since its inception back in 1949.
Each
season the schools come up with quality teams that compete and
fare well in the postseason and regular season tournaments.
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St.
Anthony leads strong contingent
League posted dominant figures
last season with four 20-game winners |
11/25/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - When it comes to the world of sports there are
always heartaches and disappointments because, as in life, there
are winners and there are losers.
The French
phrase is “c'est la vie” which translates to “such
is life.”
Last
season the two top teams in the National Trail Conference .....
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St.
Elmo/Brownstown, CHBC look strong
Patoka/Odin, Ramsey, Martinsville looking to move
up |
11/25/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Each season Coach Greg Feezel at St.
Elmo/Brownstown seems to get the best out of each of
his teams.
Last
season was a 22-10 finish, 4-4 in the National Trail Conference
and 4-1 in the Egyptian Illini.
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Meridian
wears favorites label
Bobcats return key players from 1A second place club; others look to
improve |
11/25/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - The dominance of the South Egyptian Conference by
Mounds Meridian in boy's basketball is almost scary to think about.
Other
than a brief run by Cobden during the covid19 season in 2020-21,
the Bobcats have owned this league.
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Wide-open
race to the top
A
repeat of last season's battles will surprise no one |
| 11/25/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - How close was the race to the top of the Greater
Egyptian Conference standings in 2023-24?
It ended
up with a four-way tie with the quartet of teams ending up with
identical 5-2 records.
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Spartans
set to continue success
Waltonville
looks to add hardware; Webber, Woodlawn, Cisne, Red Hill give chase
Rebuilding coming from WC, Patoka/Odin, Grayville, Sandoval |
11/25/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - As things went in the Midland Trail Conference last
winter, the top two teams each made postseason waves while splitting
their two games against each other during the regular season.
League
standings champ Waltonville and MTC tournament titlist Webber
Township each brought home hardware last season, including regional
championships.
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