03/03/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - Two seasons ago the Tuscola Warriors made a trip to the state finals and finished in third place.

With a bunch of talent returning last year, the road back to the Big House looked like a clear path.

However the trip to Champaign was derailed on a last second shot in the first round of the sectional in a loss to Christ Our Rock Lutheran.

The Silver Stallions eventually advanced to the Charleston Super-sectional and the Warriors went home.

But Coach Justin Bozarth and his team dusted themselves off from the mishap and are back in the hunt after nabbing their third consecutive regional championship on Friday night as they rallied past host Casey-Westfield to win the title on the Warriors' home floor, 57-54.

A 24-10 fourth quarter enabled Tuscola to get back to the sectional for the third year in-a-row as they trailed Casey-Westfield 44-33 heading to the final quarter.

Five-ten senior guard Kam Sweetnam has been around the varsity pool since his freshman season and he came up big on Friday night leading the team with 21-points, a few more than his 15.8 per game average.

Sawyer Woodard, a 6-5 senior, also averages 15 a night for Coach Bozarth.

Woodard scored 14 in the come-from-behind regional title win, the clubs' eight-straight win for the now 28-6 Warriors.

Five-ten junior Logan Kurtz moved into the starting lineup this year and has picked up the scoring slack from last season's club.

Kurtz (10.5 p.p.g) is the third double-figure scorer for Tuscola this season.

The Dieterich Movin' Maroons also felt the upset sting a season ago, dropping a game as the top-seed at the Edwards County Regional to the host Lions, which was a crushing defeat for a squad that had state tournament aspirations.

Coach Brent Bohnhoff rallied his club and have put together a regional championship club as they clubbed North Clay 69-49 Friday night to take home the South Central Regional title.

Most of the success this season (26-7) has come about from the play of seniors Lucas Westendorf and Landon Keck.

Westendorf, a 6-2 guard/forward, averages 16.8 points and 8.2 rebounds a game for the Movin' Maroons.

In the title game win over North Clay, Keck lit up the Cardinals with 28-points and Westendorf added 17 as they took control in the second quarter to pull away for the victory.

Brock Niemerg, a 6-2 junior, is also an important cog to help keep the Maroons movin'.

Niemerg adds just under 10-points a game for Dieterich as the program brought home its sixth regional crown.

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Effingham St. Anthony was the top-ranked team for most of 2023-24 and headed into what looked like a choice trip to state.

The Bulldogs were the top seed at the Okaw Valley Regional and were set to host the 1A sectional in which they would have been heavily favored.

However Arcola busted the bracket with an overtime win over the Bulldogs, 57-52, spoiling what could have been another trip to the state finals and the first since winning the 1A title in 2017.

But Coach Cody Rincker made sure there would be no repeat from last season.

The Bulldogs took care of business and bested Arcola in the rematch, 43-31 to grab the program's 27th regional boy's basketball championship.

The state-ranked club will head into the Red Hill Sectional on a roll.

The Bulldogs have won their last six games and had a 20-game win streak snapped by Teutopolis back on February 7.

St. Anthony (29-4) defeats were against 2A Breese Central, 2A Teutopolis, 2A Bloomington Central Catholic and 4A Edwardsville.

Breese Central and Teutopolis won 2A regionals on Friday night.

Ryan Schmidt, a 6-3 senior, and 6-3 classmate Brock Fearday have been the catalysts for the squad with Schmidt leading the scoring with 18.1 points a night and Fearday adding 15.5.

Senior Will Fearday (7.6 p.p.g.) and Keenan Griffith (7.1 p.p.g.) keep the opposing defenses honest.

Speaking of defense, the Webber Township Trojans and head coach Jaxon Helm have seen some gimmick defenses this season to try and slow down 6-3 junior Nathaniel Marlow.

Not many schemes have worked.

A bunch have tried a box-and-one and even a triangle-and-two with both guarding the scorer.

Marlow, last season's ABV 1A “Player of the Year” is having an even better season this winter.

The long-range bomber has already surpassed 2,000-points for his career and with good health and some good games next season he could approach 3K.

Marlow is averaging just over 30-points a game for the Trojans and it this scoring run he poured in 42 in a 78-75 win over state-ranked Waltonville to win the Midland Trail Conference regular season championship.

In Friday night's 80-60 hammering of Centralia Christ Our Rock Lutheran, Marlow was held to just 17-points but his teammates stepped forward to secure the win that pushed the record 27-5.

Six-one junior Kylan Moser hit for a game-best 24-points, 11 in the fourth quarter as the Trojans pulled away for the victory.

Webber led 45-24 at halftime.

Five-eleven freshman Bryden Dalby also scored 17 in the win and 5-10 junior Waylon Jones added 14.

Six-foot senior Jaxon Dalby, 5-8 senior Hunter Bigham, 6-1 junior Kylan Moser, 6-0 junior Waylon Jones, 5-10 junoir Brennan Tate, and 6-1 junior Kaden Richardson have some experience while incoming freshman 6-1 Jacob Marlow and 5-11 Bryden Dalby will also have a shot at PT.

Webber and St. Anthony will match up Wednesday night and the winner will meet the Tuesday victor on Friday night in the sectional title game for a chance to reach the Charleston Super-sectional.