11/23/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - In five of the last six seasons of boy's basketball in the Black Diamond Conference West Division, the Goreville Blackcats took home top honors.

Coach Todd Tripp and Company have rolled up an impressive run of championships, including regional championships and a pair of sectional titles.

But, as in most conferences, it is never easy to win or repeat.

If Coach Todd Tripp wants to add league title number nine, they will again have to earn it as there will be others looking at picking up the top trophy from the league battles.

All seven of the teams play each other twice during the season (home and home, 12-games) to determine the championship.

Vienna was the most resent winner that wasn't wearing Black and Yellow, as they shared the title with the Blackcats in 2023-24 and won it outright the previous year.

New coach Burlin Brower took over the program last season and didn't something that his predecessor failed to do; win a regional title.

The Eagles won the 2A Anna-Jonesboro Regional with a win over Massac County, a team they lost to in the regional championship game a year before.

Vienna hung with state-ranked and eventual state second place finisher Belleville Althoff in the Carterville sectional before falling 69-52.

Christopher finished third in the division a year ago but graduation took some key players away in the spring for Coach Eric Stallman.

The Bearcats have some good ones returning from the squad that lost in their own regional title game.

Sesser-Valier and head coach Marcus Clary are searching for a successful formula after a 9-21 season, 6-6 in the West.

The Red Devils have some kids back looking for overall improvement.

Trico is another of the programs in The Diamond looking to get better.

Head coach Kyle Luke's Pioneers had a bumpy ride over the schedule terrain last winter, going just 9-22, 4-6.

Johnston City will have a new coach in place as Coach Scott Burzynski stepped away in the spring and the Indians will have Quinton Smothers in charge.

If the Tribe could get some of the football program's success to rub off on the hoops program, it would make for a much more enjoyable winter.

JC ended up 3-9 in the division, 8-22 overall.

Zeigler-Royalton has had a rough go of it in recent seasons of the boy's basketball program.

Although they managed some non-conference wins last season (9-22) the Tornadoes were blown away in the league (0-12).

Head coach David Russell is forever the optimist for his kids.

Coach Todd Tripp and Company have rolled up an impressive run of championships, including regional titles and a pair of sectional crowns.

Last season the end came just short of a third sectional championship, losing to Mounds Meridian in the finale of the Cobden 1A Sectional.

Goreville ended up 32-4, the third 30-plus win campaign for this mentor who is the all-time winningest coach at his alma mater.

The Blackcats picked up some big wins last winter in the regular season, copping the championship from the Metropolis “Superman Classic” and second place finishes in their own early season tournament and the Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament.

Only two 1A teams, Meridian and Waltonville, beat them and the other defeats were to powerhouse 2A programs Benton and Nashville.

This season the Blackcats will have a different look.

Five seniors; three starters and a pair of important players off of the pine, have left.

Cole Tripp, a first team ABV 1A selection, is a key loss to the program.

He averaged 12.4 points a game and hit 80 percent of his free throws and 53 percent of his field goal attempts last winter.

Tripp garnered some additional individual hardware, being named BDC West MVP, honorable mention AP all-state and third team IBCA all-state and several other all-tournament lists.

Another of the missing pieces are all-league picks Drake Buffington and Connor Craig.

Two off the bench; Earon Moore and Peyton Holm, have left the program.

But there is, as at most quality programs, talent returning and youngsters looking to move up.

Returning starter junior Nick King was a starter last season at Goreville and earned some awards as a sophomore.

King was also first team 1A ABV and AP honorable mention.

King returns after scoring double-digits last season

Senior Zech Green, a 5-10 guard, was a 3-point shooter last season, hitting over 60 percent from the arc.

The sixth man off the bench for Coach Tripp last season was 6-3 Garrett Church, who set a program record last winter by nailing down 74 3-point bombs.

The question marks will be answered in preseason practice with some new shooters looking for a shot.

Six-two senior Lincoln Turley and 6-2 classmate Tommy King look to move up as will 6-2 junior guard Lawson Land and 6-foot sophomore Grayson Blue.

Last winter the Blackcats won the program's 10th regional title during Coach Tripp's 21-years at the helm.

Tripp passed Coach Jerry Quails to become the all-time winningest coach in the school's history (463-188) with a .711 winning percentage.

“This club has to fill some big shoes. We have a very good nucleus back and we have very capable kids waiting to get their shot. I look forward to watching them compete and grow,” said Coach Tripp.

Five seniors, all of importance, walked down the graduation aisle last spring for Christopher, leaving five uniforms up for grabs for Coach Eric Stallman as the preseason practices begin in November.

The Bearcats made it to a regional championship game at their own regional, losing to Okawville, 42-35 in the finale.

The loss closed the book on an 18-14 season to go with an 8-4 mark in the Black Diamond Conference West Division, which was good enough for third place.

Coach Stallman heads into his 16th season running the program (243-177) hoping to pick up his fourth regional championship and also compete for the league championship.

The five seniors missing Carson Hobbs, Chase Cole, Conner DeWeerdt, Samuel Traiteur, and Aidan Skropka.

That's a bunch of minutes missing from the club that picked up some quality wins last winter while winning eight of their final 11 contests.

After a 5-7 first half of the season, the Bearcats were much better in the last two months.

The top returning player is 5-9 senior guard Landon Sveda, the top returning scorer for Coach Stallman.

Sveda averaged just over 10 points a game as a junior and had some big games for Christopher last winter.

He nailed down eight 3-pointers in a regional semifinal win over Woodlawn and his numbers could skyrocket in 2025-26.

Coach Stallman added some important names to the potential starters; four seniors with some experience.

Six-one Trevin Skropka, 5-9 Landen Butler, 6-1 Gauge Schlake and 6-3 Noah Casey are part of what Coach Stallman believes will be the core lineup when the season begins as they host the 51st annual Christopher Turkey Tournament in November.

Others mentioned from last season's junior varsity expecting to move up are 5-9 junior Tripp Fletcher and 6-3 junior Noah Wilson.

“We will have a senior heavy group that should be very competitive with the teams in our conference. With only one returner with much varsity experience it might take some time to adjust,” said Coach Stallman. “As always our goal is to improve as the season goes on and to be playing our best basketball by the end of the season.”

Head coach Burlin Brower stepped into a system at Vienna last winter and he took the program up a postseason notch.

Coming in after a successful run in Kentucky, this coach produced a regional championship victory over Massac County to nab the 2A Anna-Jonesboro title.

After losing two-consecutive regional championship games, the Eagles got past the Patriots in the title game, 50-45.

A sectional loss to Althoff closed the book on a 23-12 season.

Coach Brower will look to improve from a season ago without some seniors who had much to do with the prosperous 2024-25 run.

Missing are Brayden Smith, Job Winterrowd, Hunter Webb, Jackson Ethridge and Jacob Waters from the team that won their own Thanksgiving tournament along with a three-game postseason run to the sectional.

However this coach has a second season with some kids moving up in the ranks.

Four of them are seniors with varying degrees of varsity experience.

Six-four senior Bryan Stepp, after missing his sophomore season due to injury, stepped up for the Eagles last season.

Cam Carrick, a 6-2 senior, also returns with 6-3 senior Brayden Hurst and 6-foot senior Bryar Cornelius.

Coach Brower mentioned a pair of 6-foot juniors; Silas Kreuter and Lake Trovillion and 6-2 sophomore Carter Whitehead who have a potential of adding more minutes.

Kreuter averaged eight points a game for the Eagles and, according to Coach Brower, is the top returning scorer.

This means most of the pencil lead from the scorebook left via graduation in the spring.

“Losing five starters will be tough to overcome but we feel like we have several guys who have potential to step into larger roles and be successful. We have to build off last year's success and continue to buy into good teamwork. We are not overly athletic or big, but we have guys that are good at what they do. We have to put them in those situations so they can be successful,” said Coach Brower, who is a member of the Kentucky Coaches' Hall of Fame.

Although they were competitive with many of the teams on the schedule last season, the campaign ended like most of the recent ones.

The Tornadoes finished up with a 9-22 overall mark, 0-12 in the BDC West and were a quick out in the Christopher Regional will a loss to Woodlawn.

Despite the recent outcomes, Zeigler-Royalton and head coach David Russell keep their chins up.

Since 2013-14, the Tornadoes are 55-225 overall and the last two teams lost 22-games each season.

Still there were some good moments last season with wins over rivals Cobden, Elverado, Agape Christian and Dongola.

They beat the Appleknockers twice and took three-games from Falcons.

Since they do so well against teams in the South Egyptian Conference, perhaps that could be a future spot for this school and program?

They had a 1K point scorer who left after last season; senior River Freeman graduated from the program as did classmates Kolton Wynn, Chance Harris, Jimmy Gaddis and Shadow Goodman.

Unfortunately one of the expected returning starters is sidelined with an injury.

Six-two junior Lucas Rogers, who was one of the top scorers last season with 14.8 points a game, is lost for the season with a knee injury.

Others will need to move up to help pick up the pieces.

Six-foot senior Brogam Mitchell is one of the ones returning along with kids who earned the big “Z-R” for their jackets; 6-4 senior Nolan Brown and 5-10 senior Carsen Longwell.

Also earning letters last winter are juniors 5-9 Kaiden Niblett, 5-10 Jackson Gaddis and 5-10 Johnny Gaddis.

Coach Russell is looking for output from some other underclassmen

Six-foot junior Ayden Leeper and 5-11 junior Chris Monteith lead the list along with a quartet of sophomores; 5-11 Brennan Pasquino, 5-9 Kross Vanhoorebeke, 5-11 Dakota Willis and 5-7 Jackson Wingate.

The Tornadoes will begin the season the Christopher Thanksgiving Tournament and are hoping to be more competitive.

“Our team this year will start and end around Lucas Rogers. We understand that one person can't do it alone but he will be our focal point. He has great ball handling and shooting skills for a player his size. Nolan Brown will be our main man in the post and will provide us a tough inside game. Brogan Mitchell will be our "glue guy," as he will be asked to do whatever the team needs on any given night. The other varsity spots are up for grabs, lots of guys could fill those spots on certain nights. Our team will have to find its identity as we play but I really, really like my team. They play very hard and try to do whatever I want! I expect us to be very competitive with the teams on our schedule,” said Coach Russell.

With just one senior (Lawson Kozuszek) missing from a 9-22 squad that lost a tough double-overtime decision to Steeleville in the first round of the 1A Marissa Regional, it will be interesting to see if the experience will bring more success this season.

Coach Luke, a Pinckneyville native with a successful pedigree in basketball, has some quality to work with this year.

Five-ten senior guard Beau Koehn is back for the Pioneers with a 7.1 points per game average while handling the distribution duties with just over four assists a contest on average as a junior.

According to Coach Luke, Koehn is also a top defender for Trico.

Ryder Wettig, a 6-4 sophomore, averaged 16.2 points and 9.1 rebounds as a freshman and those are pretty sharp numbers that could improve significantly this winter.

Trico will also have 6-1 junior forward Brock Heins when he gets healthy, who Coach Luke hopes will return in January.

Six-one senior forward Owen Woolf will look to step up for Trico as will 6-1 sophomore Kyle Shirley.

Coach Luke mentioned that the Pioneers had a good summer and are looking to get to work when the season begins.

According to this mentor, there will be some serious competition for the final starting spot for the Pioneers and also spots on the bench for significant minutes in reserve.

Five-ten senior Edgar Pastor is in the running along with 5-9 senior Donovan Jiminez.

Kaige Sidner,a 5-8 sophomore, with 5-8 senior Ethan Kranawetter and 5-9 senior Nick Jokerst will also be competing for minutes.

Others who will likely provide some depth to the bench include 5-9 senior Tucker Deming and 5-10 sophomore Maddax Rees.

Part of the good news for the program is that seven of last season's nine wins came in the second half of the season, which bodes well for overall improvement in 2025-26.

The Pioneers are wanting to avoid the extended losing streaks that they posted last winter.

Trico opened the campaign with five-straight defeats and then added a nine-game skid in the middle part of the year.

But they did manage to improve with 7-6 mark in their final 13-contests, which included a 60-54 defeat in the regional.

“The team has dedicated countless hours in the weight room and adopted the motto #TTW (Toughest Teams Win) as the foundation of its identity,” said Coach Luke. “With improved strength and conditioning, the group is prepared to lean on its depth to wear down opponents over the course of games. Led by a strong senior class and supported by a talented group of sophomores, expectations are high for greater success this season.”

Last winter the Johnston City Indians got off to a slow start, due in part to a long postseason journey by it's football team.

The gridiron squad reached the state semifinals in 2A before having the season end just before the basketball season was set to begin.

Subsequently the hardwood tribe didn't really get going, finishing 3-9 on the season in the West Division and 8-22 overall.

Not only are there seniors missing from last season but there will also be a new head coach in place when the preseason practice starts in November.

Three of the players a year ago moved on as seniors in the spring; Nolan Causey, Seth Rice and Evan Sanders.

Each left minutes and a uniform behind.

New head coach Quinton Smothers takes the reigns from Scott Burzynski, who stepped down after the season.

But the new mentor has kids to work with, once the football season ends.

As of this writing, the football team is set for another playoff run.

Carson Murrah, a 6-3 senior forward, scored nearly 10-points a game a season ago for JC.

He returns as a starter along with 5-11 senior Trey Johnson (five-points a game).

Johnson is another of the football standouts for the Indians.

Six-two senior Wyatt Henderson returns along with a couple of important underclassmen; 6-2 junior Andrew Keith and 6-1 sophomore Trenton Basenberg.

Also potentially in the mix is one of the team leaders from the football squad; 5-11 senior Kaden Koenig, who is the quarterback for the Indians.

Jace Hampton, a 6-1 sophomore, will likely start the season in the lineup.

Coach Smothers will also have 6-2 senior Logan Moore to work with.

“I have seen a significant amount of growth out of these young men over the summer.
We have a few returning seniors that will play a big part in our program and will do a great job leading this team. We will have to develop depth with our sophomores and freshman players throughout the season. Looking forward to working with this group of players and hope to get better each game,” said Coach Smothers.

11/24/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Carmi-White County was hoping to defend its BDC East championship last winter but things didn't work out for Coach Kevin Wolff and Co.

The Bulldogs slipped down the ladder to a tie in third place while Fairfield picked up their ninth conference title since "The Diamond" expanded and split into divisions.

Like most teams in southern Illinois, the Mules suffered graduation losses and will need to retool after winning the title and nearly adding some postseason hardware.

Flora will head into 2025-26 with new head coach who has a familiar resume in the ABV area hoops' scene (Jason Hanson).

Edwards County and head coach Kevin Schnicker showed marked improvement in the past two seasons and the Lions are poised to be a league championship factor this winter.

Hamilton County mentor Doug Miller has some experience and talent coming back as they would like to add another 20-win season to the school's history.

They finished just a game back of Fairfield in the final standings.

Eldorado is still plugging along with Coach Wes McCoy still picking up some pieces from the issues three seasons ago.

The race in 2025-26 appears to be more wide open heading into November.

The Wooden Shoes went on to win a sectional championship.

Coach Scott McElravy and his club posted a 20-13 mark a year ago but most of the minutes from that Black Diamond Conference East Division championship squad have vanished.

They left behind some good victories from a season ago, including wins over Richland County and 1A Casey-Westfield to go with a conference best 9-1 mark.

It was the Mules first league crown since 2020-21 and ninth since Fairfield entered the Black Diamond in 2003-04.

Seniors Justice Dagg, Ethan McElravy, Kallen Miller, and Brayton Robertson were all important to the success in 2024-25 and are missing.

Coach McElravy posted his seventh 20-win campaign last season in his 20 seasons at Fairfield and his club will look at adding another BDC title (10th) in 2025-26 to the trophy display.

Five-nine senior guard Jake Easton is the lone starter back for the Mules.

Lane Robson, a 6-1 senior forward, also saw minutes as a junior last winter.

Coach McElravy will also have what looks like a pretty strong junior class returning.

Six-one junior Breychan Kovacich and 6-5 junior Owen Gruen are back.

Both are listed as forwards for Fairfield.

Austin Grieve, a 5-9 junior, is a point guard for the Mules.

Five-ten junior guard Michael Barners and 6-2 junior forward Ashton King will give Coach Mac talent to work with as the season begins in the rugged Lawrence County Capital Classic.

Look for 5-10 junior guard Cruz Wells and 5-9 senior guard Keegan Downen to be in the mix along with 6-3 sophomore Harv Keyser, who transferred in from nearby Cisne.

“We are really gonna miss our four seniors from last year. They led us to a BDC East championship, 20-wins and a one-point regional championship loss to Teutopolis. But I really like the group we have coming back! We had a very competitive summer. Health will be the biggest key as it is for most teams but I think we can have a season very similar to last year,” said Coach McElravy, who went over 350-wins last winter in his tenure running things at The Mule Barn.

The Carmi-White County Bulldogs were set to make a run at their second consecutive conference championship.

It was the program's first ever BDC championship when they won it in 2023-24.

With three starters returning it appeared like a repeat was in its future.

Nevertheless, the Bulldogs stumbled early and by the time they got things put together, the league title was out of reach.

They also felt the sting of losing all four of their games at their own Carmi-White County Invitational Tournament.

MIA from last season are senior starters 6-7 Mitchel Edwards, 6-2 Gavin Holloman, 6-foot Kade Stockton and 6-9 Cade Allen.

The ones coming into the season for Coach Kevin Wolff will attempt to build on the last few weeks of 2024-25.

After the bagel in the CWCIT, the Bulldogs went on a run by winning 7-of-10 to close out the season.

A defeat to eventual regional champion Benton at the Hamilton County Regional closed the book on a 14-15, 5-5 year.

Merrick Millhorn, a 6-1 senior, is the lone returning starter.

Seniors who are looking at starting this winter are 6-2 forward Hayden Sauls and 5-9 guard Javan Lucas.

Jaxon Bradshaw, a 6-3 junior, will likely start for Coach Wolff.

Six-six junior forward Dylan Winerberger will have some minutes and Justus Tauiliili, a 6-2 junior forward.

The rest of the roster will consist of sophomores who could step up eventually.

“Even with losing a lot of production I am excited about this group. There will definitely be some new faces on the floor but they are really good kids that enjoy basketball. Looking forward to the season,” said Coach Wolff.

For the first time since 2000-01, the Wolves' basketball program will have a different head basketball coach.

Former head coach Phil Leib has retired after a 25-year stint as Flora's top mentor.

Under his watch, the Wolves won three regional championships, which included a trip to the Elite Eight in Class A back in 2005.

He passed Tom Welch to become the program's all-time winningest coach with 386-victories.

The final season of his career didn't quite give the fans a storybook ending as Flora ended up just 9-22 overall, 2-8 in the BDC East.

The Wolves managed a win over Vandalia in the first round of the Fairfield Regional before losing to eventual sectional champ Teutopolis.

Flora suffered through three long losing streaks last winter and the new head coach will have some kids back who took the losses in stride.

Jason Hanson takes over the program that two season's ago won a regional title.

This McLeansboro native will have some veteran's returning to begin the season.

Four of the kids back were starters in 2024-25.

Kyler Dennis, a 5-10 senior guard, returns for the Wolves.

Six-foot senior Parker Helm is another returning senior starter for Coach Hanson.

Helm was the quarterback on the playoff football squad that won the program's first ever postseason game as they made it to the quarterfinals in 2A.

Juniors Kehlin Crawford and Gage Dugan are also returning with starting experience.

Crawford, a 6-4 forward, and Dugan, a 6-3 forward, will give Flora some athleticism and length in the front-court.

The other starting spot will come from what looks like a deep enough reserve unit.

Six-six senior Isham Lusk will add size to the lineup if Coach Hanson wants to go big.

Noah Hatcher, a 6-1 senior, and 6-1 senior Dulaney Bullard also have participated in varsity games.

A quartet of juniors will also be active for Flora.

Kormik Massie, a 5-9 junior, and 6-4 Gage Parker are worth a mention as are 5-9 junior Thane Warren and 6-2 Luke Himelick.

With a new coach and a new beginning, there will be minutes up for grabs.

“We have four returning starters but any senior or junior could see playing time or start. We have a lot of great young men that are a pleasure to coach. Our success this year will hinge on players fully buying in and becoming more mentally and physically tough. Playing time will be decided by which guys compete and do the little things to help us be successful,” said Coach Hanson, who has had head coaching stints at Elverado, Neoga, Casey-Westfield and Teutopolis on the resume. “Our seniors will be very important in setting the tone. Kyler will start at PG. His ability to manage the game and take care of the ball will determine a lot of our success. Noah and Thane will help with ball handling duties. The rest of the guys could start at any position. We need all of our guys to be solid on defense and get on the boards like wild banshees.”

Eldorado Eagles' head coach Wes McCoy and his squad came up with just one Black Diamond Conference victory last season and they didn't post a single victory against a team with a winning record and only have 14-46 mark in the last two seasons to show for it.

However after taking over last year, Coach McCoy is continuing to work with his kids to turn things around.

The enrollment at Eldorado has slipped to 307, making the Eagles' program one of the smallest in 2A. That makes things tough when you begin the state tournament.

If the adage “what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger” is true about basketball, the returning starters and reserves should be stronger from the whole experience.

Four of the starters from last winter are back with just Jake Phelps, a 5-9 senior guard, missing from the lineup that dropped out of the postseason with a 62-37 to the host Foxes at 2A Hamilton County Regional.

Drayson Grathler, a 6-2 senior guard, returns for Eldorado after starting last winter.

Six-two senior guard and classmate Maddex Rash is back as well along with senior Jordan Jones, a 6-4 forward.

Coach McCoy also mentioned 6-foot junior Rodie Williams, who should step up from the junior varsity for important playing time.

When the preseason practices begin, Coach McCoy appears to have a big turnout for reserve and possible starting minutes.

Bronson Tippett, a 5-7 sophomore guard, and Aiden Boulds, a 5-9 senior guard, will likely be involved in the backcourt.

Coach McCoy mentioned some underclassmen as probable contributors.

Five-seven sophomore Bryson Talkington and 6-2 sophomore Fischer Goebel will get some experience in 2025-26.

The rest of the sophomore class will be represented by 5-11 Bowen Schultz and 6-foot Nolan Rilying.

Freshman mentioned by the mentor are 6-foot Noah Hoffman and 5-9 freshmen Cayden Anderson and Cale Anderson.

“With four starters back, we want to continue to improve and rebuild with a young group of players,” said Coach McCoy.

Much can be said about the job that Coach Doug Miller has done at his Alma mater Hamilton County.

The Foxes' program he took over in 2018-19 was in the midst of an eight-year stretch of sub .500 won-loss marks.

His first two seasons at the helm weren't much better but things started turning around for this team in the Covid19 season in 2020-21.

In the most recent five seasons, Hamilton County is 92-54.

Last winter the Foxes ended up 21-10.

They won 9-of-10 to start 2024-25, winning their own post-Thanksgiving tournament and finishing 8-2 in the East Division.

Coach Miller had three seniors last winter depart; Kaleb Carson, Kord Lueke and Jack Zellers from the team that lost to Carterville at home 54-47 to end the campaign in the regional semifinals.

The returning players are ones with experience and some fresh faces.

All-conference pick Ethan Kessler, a 6-2 senior, is back.

Other 12th graders include 5-10 Braxton Miller, 6-foot Laben Dial and 6-2 Jace Cross.

All of those kids played enough varsity last winter to earn letters.

The junior class has 6-2 players Colby Karcher, Cole Hamson as well as 6-2 Eli Gunter.

Coach Miller mentioned some sophomores who should push for playing time in varsity and JV.

Five-ten Kal Welch, 5-10 Austin Boone, 5-8 Bentley Denham, 6-2 Conner Sullivan and 6-1 Caiden Rubenacker.

One freshman was added to the list; 6-2 Cade Flannigan.

Like Eldorado, the Foxes are just above the cusp when it comes to the split between 1A and 2A.

Both schools are listed at 307 enrollment, with 300 being the cutoff.

“Our senior class should bring great leadership to this season. This team gets along well and works really hard,” said Coach Miller, who notched his 300th career win last season. “Kessler is a three-year starter while Miller, Dial and Cross also bring lots of playing time and experience.”

Edwards County and head coach Kevin Schnicker will be missing a couple of seniors as they move into the 2025-26 season from last winter's club that went 21-10 before dropping out of the postseason with a loss to Centralia Christ Our Rock Lutheran in the 1A regional semifinals at Webber Township.

Gone from the club are seniors Cy Nelson and Owen Grimes but the ones back are looking to continue an upswing.

The Lions won their first ever Conrad Allen Wayne City Holiday Tournament championship last December with a big win over North Clay.

In fact they had a early season stretch where the won 13-of-16 contests, which culminated with winning the consolation title at the Eldorado Holiday Tournament.

After three consecutive sub .500 finishes, the Lions got back on track a year ago and are looking to perhaps earn some postseason hardware soon and perhaps a run at the BDC East title.

Coach Schnicker mentioned five players back, including three starters from that squad in 2024-25.

Jax Duncan, a 6-1 senior, returns for Edwards County along with 6-2 classmate Cash Conner.

Five-ten junior Evan Rhodes returns as well as all three were starters for the successful run last season.

Coach Schnicker will turn to two others this winter to fill starting roles.

Six-one senior Wyatt Greathouse and 5-11 sophomore Walker Sledge return.

Holdovers from last season who suited up include 5-8 senior Blake Landingham, 6-1 senior Jake Wiseman and 5-8 senior Eli Koertge.

Trenton Hicks, a 6-1 junior and 5-8 junior Elijah Brinkmann were part of last season's turn around.

“We should be very balanced this year, with all five guys being able to score and handle the ball. On defense, we should be pretty good as a team with all guys being pretty good individual defenders,” said Coach Schnicker.