03/12/2026
BY JACK BULLOCK
CHAMPAIGN - It is difficult to rebound from a tough loss to play again the same day. That is how it works in the state finals for teams who lose semifinal games.

Lawrenceville, after having its dream of winning a state championship halted Thursday morning, had to regroup to play Lanark-Eastland in the third place contest that night.

The Indians regrouped, got their uniforms on, and played a winning contest to close out their triumphant season.

Lawrenceville took home the third place honors with a 61-43 win, ending the campaign at 35-3, setting a program record for wins.

Coach Tad Shick and his club took control in the first quarter of the contest and made the most of their final official time on the court together.

Senior guard Zander Cessna scored 18-points to lead four Lawrenceville players in double-digits.

Jayden Goff and Jacek Mickiewicz added 12 each and Noah Wilson pitched in 11.

Another senior, Emery Ivers added five-points as they broke away from the Cougars in the second quarter and finished the job in the fourth.

Defensively the Indians were much better than they were in the semifinal.

Lawrenceville forced 19-turnovers and only committed five of their own.

“This is a tough game to play. No one wants to play it. You come up here to win a state championship and when you lose that and have to play in this third and fourth place game it's just tough. These kids really responded. All of our starters really played hard tonight. They really impressed me,” said Coach Shick.

Lanark-Eastland closed their season with a 32-6 mark, finishing third a season after a second place finish in 2025.

Three Cougars ended up with double-figures in points.

Seniors Parker Krogman (13), Perry Stoner (10) and Zyacn Haverland (10) closed out their careers on Thursday night.

After Lanark-Eastland took its only lead at 6-5 in the first quarter, the Indians got three made 3-pointers to close out the quarter.

Cessna hit a trey from the top of the circle and Mickiewicz canned two of them, including a buzzer beater for a 14-11 first quarter lead.

Wilson scored eight of his points in the second quarter, including a 3-point bomb from the right wing, that extended the lead to 28-15 at halftime.

The Cougars committed 10 of their turnovers in the first half.

The only time that Lawrenceville looked like they might be in trouble came in the opening minutes of the second half.

A 12-3 run to begin the third quarter got the Cougars within 31-27 with 5:16 left in the frame.

However the Indians responded with Goff getting open for a pair of made shots and Cessna scored twice getting to the basket.

His second score on a pass from Goff after a steal turned into a converted conventional three-point play and a 44-33 lead heading to the final quarter.

Cessna finished three different drives to the basket in the fourth quarter and Ivers added a three-point play before the benches were cleared in the final minute.

Lawrenceville finished up 22-of-53 overall, 7-of-23 from the arc.

Lanark-Eastland ended its season with a 20-of-43 showing, 2-of-12 from long range.

The program of Lawrenceville now has four state championships and three third place finishes in their history.

The third place win came on March 13, 1976.

“Fifty years ago tomorrow, 1976 I was five years old and I've told this story before. My parents brought me up (to Champaign) and we were on the very last row and watched Jay Shidler play and set the scoring record and I told Jay '50-years ago I sat in the last row, this year I got to sit on the first row' so that is very cool,” said Coach Shick about his experience in Lawrenceville.