12/26/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
SESSER – One glance at the final score of the Goreville win over Red Bud would tell a story of a relatively easy win for Coach Todd Tripp and his Blackcats.

It wouldn't be a true statement.

The Musketeers held there own for most of the first two and a half quarters of the final quarterfinal contest of the opening day of the 44th annual Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament on Friday.

Coach Dane Walter's club trailed by just seven at halftime and were within six midway through the third quarter before Goreville, the number two seed of the tourney, pulled away.

Goreville improved to 9-1 overall with a 79-63 triumph over the now 4-7 Musketeers.

The Blackcats took advantage of the open shots they got from beyond the 3-point arc.

Led by Zech Green, Goreville canned 15 3-point shots in the win, seven by the 5-10 senior guard.

Six came in a shootout of a first quarter and he finished with 27-points.

“Green just lit it up, he was on fire but some of the guys started standing around watching (him score) but later on we got more movement and we started getting inside of the zone they were playing,” said Coach Tripp. “Overall I'm happy, especially with the guys who came off of the bench since we were down a starter (junior Tommy King) but the guys came off of the bench and played well.”

A trio of Blackcats added 10-points each with junior Nick King, junior Lawson Land and senior Garrett Church each contributing to the victory.

Ten total players got into the scoring act for Goreville but none were more important than Green, especially in the opening round.

Green accounted for the first 12-points for the Blackcats, four 3-pointers as they took back the lead at 12-11 at the 5:31 mark.

For Red Bud, 5-11 senior Luke Quintin matched Green with 27-points, including five 3-pointers.

But only two other Musketeers scored nine-points each, junior Justin Schmoll and junior Lucas McCarthy.

Junior Landon Ruebusch netted seven-points for Red Bud, with five of the points coming early.

“They (Red Bud) shot the ball really well and that number three (Quintin) was really good in the first half on top of our defense in the first half not being good,” said Coach Tripp. “I thought we made some good adjustments at halftime.”

Freshman Dayton Tripp scored six of his eight-points in the opening quarter, which came on a pair of 3-pointers.

King gave the fans in attendance some early excitement with a steal and fast break one-handed slam dunk as the Blackcats led 29-21 at the end of the first quarter.

“Whenever you've got kids coming off of the bench hitting 3's it makes it tough,” said Coach Walter. “They had 15 3's but it felt like 50. We were chasing guys around and they're difficult to guard because they all can make 3's. They do a good job taking care of the basketball and they share it well.”

The Musketeers got back the lead briefly in the second quarter.

Quintin nailed down a 3-pointer to start the second frame and converted a conventional three-point play to give his club a 32-30 lead.

(CONTINUED)

However Goreville closed the half strong.

The Blackcats delivered two more made 3-pointers by both Church and Green.

Green also added a nice drive to the basket for points and Church finished a fast break off of a steal by freshman Braden Compton.

The Green 3-pointer beat the second quarter buzzer for a 42-35 Goreville lead at the break.

Leading just 44-38 with 6:57 left in the third quarter, the Blackcats finally got their separation.

Consecutive 3-pointers by Lawson and Compton were followed by scores by sophomore Grayson Blue and a King 3-pointer, which closed a 15-2 run for a 59-40 lead.

“They broke us down a little bit better in the second half than they did in the first. We battled and competed well, we just had a stretch there when they got it to 15,” said Coach Walter.

The Musketeers would get no closer than 16 in the final minutes.

Lawson added five quick fourth quarter points on a 3-pointer and a drive down the baseline before a steal by King turned into a two-on-one fast break where the junior guard fed teammate Green with a behind-the-back pass for a lay in and a 66-49 lead with 5:39 left.

The lead ballooned to 75-51 on a 3-pointer by reserve Jayden Johns before both coaches used their reserves in the final moments.

Goreville posted some impressive numbers.

The 'Cats nailed down 30-of-58 overall, 15-of-33 from long-range while holding a 32-22 rebounding edge.

More importantly Red Bud managed just six offensive rebounds, with three coming late in the game after the dust had settled.

The Musketeers, who will face Sesser-Valier on Saturday in the consolation bracket semifinals, hit on 21-of-48 shots from the floor, 10-of-19 from the arc.

The two squads nailed down 25-of-52 from 3-point land combined.

Goreville will face DuQuoin on Saturday as the Indians sent the hosts to the consolation side.

“We will have to be better tomorrow. DuQuoin is athletic. In this tournament you're talking about every team and getting prepared (in this tournament) for and you have to be ready,” said Coach Tripp.

Nine different DQ players put up points in the win, the third of the season for the Tribe.

Andrew Jones, a 6-1 junior, paced the club with 16-points and sophomore Layton Hawkins added 15.

Senior Jeremiah Jones scored 12 in the win, including three scores in the second quarter as the Indians led 35-17 at halftime.

Sophomore Max Maynor added six-points, all in the second half for the now 3-5 squad who will face Goreville in the second semifinal Saturday.

The Red Devils are now 4-5 on the year for Coach Marcus Clarry.

S-V was led by 15-point scorers senior Kyan Short and sophomore Stetson Packer.

The tournament's defending champions were led by senior Gage Peterson with 25-points, senior Ryley Stewart with 16 and Jagger Mayville with 14 as Coach Anthony Lowery's team led 55-26 at halftime and 83-36 heading to the final frame.

Marissa/Coulterville's sophomore Ky Portz led the team with 15-points.

ALTAMONT 68, NEW ATHENS 62
In the most competitive game of the opening round, the Indians edged the Yellow Jackets in the opening game on Friday.

Coach John Niebrugge's club defeated New Athens in the opening round for the second consecutive season behind 20-points from junior Zaine Miller, 17-points from senior Kade Millville and 16-points from sophomore Cooper McManaway.

Altamont is now 6-3 and will play Saturday against top-seed Waltonville.

New Athens (7-3) had three players in double-digits in scoring.

Sophomore Cam Steinwagner scored 17-points for NA and head coach Conrad Widdersheim.

Junior Sawyer Sullivan (13) and senior Cole Dachsteiner (11) added points in the loss.