03/21/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
TOLEDO - If you would like one final shot at seeing some boy's high school hoops the 30th annual Central Illinois All-Star Game will be held Sunday night, March 24th at Cumberland High School.

The game is an annual “Us vs. Them” format featuring teams from the National Trail Conference vs. the Lincoln Prairie Conference.

The National Trail Conference have won all four of all-star games against the LPC and have triumphed in the last seven classics, with the first three of the streak against the Little Okaw Valley Conference.

Overall the NTC have a 21-8 won-loss record in the event.

The NTC went 14-7 versus the Little Illini Conference in the first 21-years of the event.

The coaches for the game are Blake Doehring of South Central and Shane Smith of Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg leading the NTC team and Argenta-Oreana head coach Clay Haurberg along with his assistants Ron Houser and Dave Heinz guiding the LPC club.

Each squad has 15-players, all seniors, who will suit up Sunday night.

The National Trail Conference team will feature a duo of seniors from the 1A number-one ranked Effingham St. Anthony Bulldogs.

Six-one senior Max Koenig and 6-2 Collin Westendorf from Coach Cody Rincker's 29-5 NTC champs who were upset in the regional championship game by Arcola.

Westendorf scored 13.2 points a game for the Bulldogs this season.

The Purple Riders, who took down the Bulldogs in the Okaw Valley Regional finale, have two players ready for the all-star game for the Lincoln Prairie league.

Seniors Jackson Miller, a 6-3 senior who averaged 15.1 points a game, and 6-foot Geraldo Alanis, 10.1 points per game, were a big part of the Arcola postseason run for 28-7 sectional finalist.

Arcola was led by Coach Greg Gisinger, the recipient of the ABV 1A “Coach of the Year” award, who guided his team to a 27-7 record and Sweet 16 appearance.

The National Trail Conference also has couple of players who made the ABV 1A All-South Team.

St. Elmo/Brownstown 6-2 senior Adam Atwood was an ABV pick who excelled for the 22-10 Eagles led by Coach Greg Feezel.

Atwood scored 1,158-points in his career and averaged 15.8 points a game.

Six-two senior teammate Cade Schaub is also part of the roster for Sunday's battle.

Schaub averaged 11.7 p.p.g.

Head coach John Niebrugge and his Altamont Indians had another fine season, ending up 21-9 with a regional final loss to Webber Township.

Altamont's 6-5 senior Kaiden Miller was on the ABV 1A list and will participate along with teammates 6-1 Eli Miller and 6-2 Aden McManaway.

Miller notched 13.4 points a contest as a senior.

ABV All-South Team selection Dieterich 6-2 senior Caleb Gephart (18.4 p.p.g./1,221-points career) helped lead the Movin' Maroons to a 24-7 mark for Coach Brent Bohnhoff.

Those four NTC clubs reached 20-plus wins.

Clayton Wojcik, a 6-2 senior from CHBC, averaged 18.2 points this past winter.

Wojcik is representing the Bobcats from the 15-17 team that tied St. Elmo/Brownstown for the Egyptian Illini Conference championship for Coach Tanner Thompson.

Neoga head coach Andrew Snow have one player on the squad, 6-2 Trey Sheehan, while North Clay mentor Josh Zink will have a pair of Cardinals in the contest; 5-10 Ethan Kuenstler and 6-1 Jesse Weidner.

Sheehan averaged 11.2 points a game for the Indians.

Coach Doehring has a pair of his Cougars' on the chart.

Seniors 5-11 Max Magnus (10.1 p.p.g.) and 6-2 Jacob Smith (5.1 p.p.g.) were part of the 15-16 team.

Five-nine senior Connor Manhart of Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg (12.6 p.p.g.) represents a Hatchets club that ended up 12-18 for Coach Smith.

The LPC squad has three seniors from the 19-14 Argenta-Oreana club that fell to Decatur St. Teresa (63-61) at home in the 1A regional title game.

Five-ten senior Jaylynn Flowers averaged 15.1 points a night for the Bombers.

Senior Ethan Mahan, a 5-10 guard (14.5 p.p.g.) and Chase Logue (10.6 p.p.g.) from the Bombers squad that was searching for their first boy's basketball regional championship since 1997 for Coach Haurberg.

Head coach Brad McGill at Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond will have a pair of seniors; 6-2 Connor Nettles and 6-2 Jayce Parsons, suiting up on Sunday.

Nettles netted 13.7 points a game this season for the Knights and Parsons added 12.5.

The 11-19 Knights ended up losing to Fithian Oakwood in the 2A St. Joseph-Ogden Regional in the first round.

Sullivan (22-10) has a pair of players who played for Coach Craig Toler; 5-10 guard Brett Bushue (13.2 p.p.g.) and 6-1 forward Dirk Lane, from the regional semifinalist that dropped a decision to host SJO.

Okaw Valley (19-12) will be represented by 5-10 guard Gibson Dickens and 6-0 guard Dylan Miller for Coach Kyle Pierce.

Dickens popped in 17.4 points a night for the Timberwolves and teammate Miller added to the totals with 10.4 p.p.g.

Okaw Valley lost to Arcola in the regional semifinals.

Villa Grove has players Layne Rund and Kyler Williams in the contest on Sunday.

Rund, a 5-10 guard, scored over 1200-points for his career for the Blue Devils.

Coach Dan Sappenfield also had Williams, who added 11.2 a game for the 14-14 squad who bowed out of the state tournament to Chrisman at the Casey-Westfield Regional.

Seniors 6-1 Colin Michaels, of 17-11 Farmer City Blue Ridge, and 5-11 guard Tyson Moore of 13-19 Cerro Gordo/Bement will be part of the LPC roster.

Michaels was an 11 points per game scorer for the Knights and head coach Hunter Green.

Moore finished his career with 1,723-points with 18.3 points a night as a senior for Coach Brandon Willard and the Broncos.

There will be a 3-point contest before the 6:30 pm tip-off on Sunday, according to organizer and Cumberland head coach Justin Roedl.