The days between Christmas and the New Year are always full of high school basketball in Illinois. Here is our comprehensive roundup of all games involving local teams.
If your school isn’t listed here, please ask the tournament officials to send us results after the conclusion of each day to sports@sj-r.com.
Wednesday, Dec. 31
BOYS BASKETBALL
Pekin Holiday Tournament
SPRINGFIELD HIGH 64, WASHINGTON 57: Mayango Jallah finished 7-for-9 from the floor and was a sparkplug as he helped the Senators claim third place. Jallah concluded with 14 points and nine rebounds. Noah Wade and Elijah Wade added 15 and 13 points, respectively. Logan Peach (three 3s) and Ed Horton combined to make five 3-pointers. Peach scored nine points and Horton chipped in seven.
LANPHIER 61, FREEPORT 57: Camarie Richmond torched Freeport for 34 points and the Lions won the third-place consolation game. Richmond made 11 of 19 field goals, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range, and finished 9-for-10 from the free throw line. He added five steals and four rebounds. Demond Porter Jr. recorded a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Taylorville Holiday Tournament
JACKSONVILLE 63, GLENBARD SOUTH 32: Masen Johnson and Wyatt Moore hit three 3-pointers apiece and helped Jacksonville go 4-0 to win the round-robin tournament. Johnson finished with a game-best 17 points and Moore scored 13. Greyson Prevett totaled 12. The Crimsons started fast, getting out to a 15-5 lead after one quarter.
BARTONVILLE LIMESTONE 59, TAYLORVILLE 55: Taylorville finished the tournament with 2-2 record. Brock Brown notched two 3-pointers and led the Tornadoes with 14 points. Blake Ladage added 12 and Maddyx Owens scored 11 points.
Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic
DIXON 48, PLEASANT PLAINS 36: Owen Johnson was the only Plains player in double figures as the Cardinals finished the tournament with a 1-3 record. Johnson connected on three 3s and led the team with 15 points and five rebounds.
Tuesday, Dec. 30
BOYS BASKETBALL
Williamsville Holiday Tournament
NO. 1 WARRENSBURG-LATHAM 44, NO. 3 WILLIAMSVILLE 31 (title): In a rematch of last year’s Williamsville tournament championship game, Warrensburg-Latham coach Tim Martin this time took postgame questions on the court basking in the celebration.
“This was sweet to come back and get to play Williamsville, but to knock them off on their home court,” Martin said.
Last year, he was relegated to watching the home crowd envelop the Bullets’ victors in a 40-32 Williamsville win. This year, a 16-1 second quarter launched the Cardinals to a comfortable win, despite Williamsville’s Garrett Timm supplying the Bullets (9-3) with a game-high 18 points.
It was that second quarter that eroded Williamsville’s championship ambitions. The Cardinals quickly erased the 13-9 deficit they faced after one period and took a 25-13 lead into the final seconds of the half until Timm split a pair of free throws to end the Bullets’ drought which lasted nearly a full nine minutes.
“I remember the ball was moving a lot more (in the first quarter), getting some baseline drives, more give-and-gos, getting some things at the rim, and the first quarter got us off to that good start,” Williamsville coach Nick Beard said. “The second quarter, I don’t know how many good looks we got . . . and we had quite a few turnovers that led to some runouts for them.”
W-L senior guard Nathan Southern sparked the Cardinals’ second quarter with a pair of 3s. He had eight points in the period and finished with 12 to lead Warrensburg-Latham (14-1).
“We try and take pride in our defense,” Martin said. “That’s what propelled us the rest of the game. We know that good defense turns into good offense for us.”
NO. 5 PETERSBURG PORTA 54, NO. 2 CALVARY 47 (fifth place): Levi Hoagland had 28 points and led the Bluejays past the Saints for fifth place. Hoagland opened with seven in the first quarter and added nine in the second. He scored six points in each of the final two periods. Drew Carter added nine points for the Bluejays. Luke Blackford scored 31 to lead Calvary. The Saints had just three players score (Joshua Long added nine and Antione Hunter finished with seven).
NO. 11 CISSNA PARK 68, NO. 12 MASON CITY ILLINI CENTRAL (consolation championship): Cougars’ senior Parker Umbach hit three 3s and finished with 10 points to lead Illini Central in the loss. Fellow senior Brody Folkes chipped in with nine points.
NO. 4 DEER CREEK-MACKINAW 48, NO. 7 TREMONT 42 (third place)
— Ryan Mahan
Waverly Holiday Tournament
NO. 6 NORTH MAC 52, NO. 1 JACKSONVILLE ROUTT 40: The Panthers closed out its first ever Waverly title with a 15-3 run. Luke Alexander led the Panthers with 17 points. Collin Etter provided 15, while Carson Powell had 14. Click here to read more.
NO. 12 CONCORD TRIOPIA 48, NO. 3 CARROLLTON 45: Jack Parlier and Avery Neathery each led Triopia with 12 points in the third-place victory.
NO. 8 ATHENS 41, NO. 13 PAWNEE 40: Athens shot 12 of 14 from the free throw line, including 8 of 9 in the fourth quarter to clinch fifth place. Sawyer Hill scored a game-high 16 points but was held scoreless in the final period. Pawnee’s Jace Jankousky hit three 3s for 14 points.
NO. 5 NEW BERLIN 50, NO. 14 LUTHERAN 37: Reid Hepperly triggered a hot start and finished with a game-high 13 points in the consolation championship victory. Max Pointer drained three 3s and ended with 11 points. Gabe Malloy had 10 points. Jeramy Daniel led Lutheran with 13 points.
Pekin Holiday Tournament
SPRINGFIELD HIGH 60, NO. 1 CHICAGO SIMEON 57: Arielle Robinson made a go-ahead basket with 2 minutes, 18 seconds remaining in the fourth period, and the Senators upset the top-seeded Wolverines in the quarterfinals. Springfield made enough free throws down the stretch, and Noah Wade scored a bucket to give the Senators a 59-56 lead with :24 left. Noah Wade finished with 22 points and seven rebounds and Elijah Wade connected on three 3-pointers and scored 14. Logan Peach (two 3s) notched 10 points.
MOUNT CARMEL 62, SPRINGFIELD HIGH 56: The Senators came up short in the semifinals and will play Washington for third place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Mount Carmel stretched a five-point halftime lead into a nine-point advantage after three quarters. Noah Wade scored 15 points and Logan Peach knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 12.
LANPHIER 58, MINOOKA 41: The Lions went 8-for-8 from the floor and outscored Minooka 19-6 in the fourth periodto record a consolation victory. Soriano Hayes made 9 of 12 shots and finished with a game-high 23 points. Camarie Richmond and Jailan Bunch contributed nine points apiece. Lanphier shot 54.8%.
MOLINE 52, LANPHIER 43: Moline took an 11-point lead into intermission and finished making 19 of 24 (79.2%) free throws to defeat the Lions in the consolation bracket semifinals. Camarie Richmond led the Lions with 15 points and Demond Porter Jr. followed with 13. Lanphier plays in the third-place consolation game at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
State Farm Classic
Large school bracket
SACRED HEART-GRIFFIN 66, PEORIA HIGH 55: Myles Montgomery, Cameron Brinkman and Terrion Wallace reached double figures, and the Cyclones won the third-place game. Montgomery led the way with 21 points and Brinkman drained three 3-pointers and scored 18. Wallace collected 13 points.
Chuck Dayton Holiday Classic
SOUTHEAST 64, THORNRIDGE 52: The Spartans put four players in double figures and won their second consolation game to finish the tournament. Trevan Caldwell went 5-for-7 from 3-point range and led Southeast with 17 points. Aaron Holman had 13 points and six rebounds and Kev’Ron House delivered 11 points and nine boards. Josiah Turner added 10 points and six rebounds.
Taylorville Holiday Tournament
JACKSONVILLE 74, MOUNT ZION 59: Greyson Prevett was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field and poured in 21 points as the Crimsons won their second straight game of the tournament. Masen Johnson supported with 17 points and two 3s, while Latrell Hemphill made three shots from long distance and added 13. Troy DeFrates joined in double figures with 11 points.
JACKSONVILLE 60, MARION 56: The Crimsons rallied from a four-point deficit after three quarters and improved to 3-0 in the tournament. Troy DeFrates compiled 17 points, while Latrell Hemphill and Masen Johnson scored 14 and 10, respectively, as both hit a pair of 3-pointers.
TAYLORVILLE 67, CHICAGO COMER 42: Malique Pearse and Brock Brown helped the Tornadoes pick up their first win of the tournament. Pearse and Brown scored 20 and 14 points, respectively, and both buried a pair of 3-pointers. Maddyx Owens and Blake Ladage had nine points apiece.
TAYLORVILLE 56, STERLING 51: Malique Pearse shot 50% (8-for-16) from the floor and dropped 22 points as the Tornadoes won their second game on the day. Blake Ladage added 11 points and Maddex Havera added an additional 10.
Vandalia Holiday Tournament
PANA 65, GREENVILLE 54: The Panthers outscored the Comets 43-29 in the second half, put three players in double figures and won the third-place game. Cash Lynch (two 3-pointers) had a team-high 17 points and Easton Malisia was deadly from the free throw line by going 12-for-12 and finishing with 16. Madyx Angel popped a couple of 3s and contributed 12 points. Pana shot 95% (19-for-20) from the foul line.
NOKOMIS 45, MACON MERIDIAN 35: Nokomis built a 12-point lead after one period and closed out the Hawks in the fourth period in the seventh-place game. Kannon Jonas made 5 of 7 shots, went 6-for-8 from the foul line and scored 16 points. Konnor Reynolds chipped in 11 points. Nokomis hit 12 of 17 free throws in the fourth.
Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic
NEWTON 55, PLEASANT PLAINS 46: Newton jumped out to an 18-4 lead after one quarter and held off Plains in the consolation bracket. Owen Johnson sank three 3-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points. Nolan Scott added 11 and Grady Grisham tallied 10 points.
PLEASANT PLAINS 48, CHARLESTON 45: Owen Johnson and Nolan Scott both made four 3-pointers and combined for 32 points in Plains’ win over Charleston. Johnson finished with 18 points, including 10 in the fourth period, and Scott totaled 14. Grady Grisham scored 11.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
North Mac Holiday Hoopfest
NO. 1 DEER CREEK-MACKINAW 46, NO. 2 PETERSBURG PORTA 41: Riley Durbin poured in 16 points, while Dalia Dejesus 14 to claim the tournament title and improve to 14-1 overall. Durbin drained four 3s, including two in the first quarter. Dejesus, who has more than 2,000 career points, scored 12 points after the break. Allison Vogel netted two 3s and a team-high 14 points for PORTA, which dropped to 12-2. Her cousin, Aubrey, had 11, along with Brynn Duncheon.
Riverton Christmas Classic
MOUNT PULASKI 48, PRAIRIE CENTRAL 39: Addison Brown connected on a pair of 3-pointers and scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half as the Hilltoppers won the tournament and remained unbeaten at 13-0. Elayna Martin and Alyson Murphy combined to make three 3s and finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
LITCHFIELD 56, RIVERTON 22: Mataya Melchert nailed two 3-pointers and led three players in double figures with 16 points as Litchfield won the fifth-place game. Koralyne Jones and Lynzie Reid (two 3s) added 10 points apiece and Adia Melchert scored nine. Britnee Walker had a team-high eight points for Riverton.
Monday, Dec. 29
BOYS BASKETBALL
Collinsville Holiday Tournament
LINCOLN 47, BELLEVILLE EAST 35: The Railers outscored the Lancers 31-12 in the first and third quarters combined and won the fifth-place game. Karson Komnick led Lincoln with 17 points and eight rebounds. Brody Tungate made 5 of 7 shots, going 2-for-2 from long distance to add 14, while Tate Aue drilled 4 of 8 3-pointers and scored 12.
Waverly Holiday Tournament
NO. 1 JACKSONVILLE ROUTT 65, NO. 3 CARROLLTON 40: Bryson Mossman, Nolan Mossman and Brady Turner combined for 59 points in the semifinals, and Routt cruised to the championship game. Bryson Mossman had 18 of his game-high 26 points by halftime, and Nolan Mossman hit three 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 19 points. Turner scored all 14 of his points in the first half as the Rockets blasted to a 43-20 lead at intermission.
NO. 6 NORTH MAC 55, NO. 12 CONCORD TRIOPIA 37: North Mac stopped Triopia’s improbable run and advanced to Tuesday’s championship game to meet top-seeded Jacksonville Routt at 6:30 p.m. Luke Alexander scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half and finished with four 3-pointers for North Mac. Teammates Carson Powell and Clark Sanson knocked down three 3s apiece and ended with 11 points each as the Panthers concluded with 12 triples.
NO. 8 ATHENS 66, NO. 2 WINCHESTER WEST CENTRAL 50: The Warriors built a 12-point halftime lead and advanced to play Pawnee in the fifth-place game on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. Athens put four players in double figures, led by James Jones’ 16 points. Sawyer Hill (13 points), Trevor Schilling (12) and Cole Ishmael (11) combined to make seven 3-pointers.
NO. 13 PAWNEE 38, NO. 15 WHITE HALL NORTH GREENE 36: Jace Jankousky and Gavin Greer combined to score 30 points with 15 apiece to lead Pawnee to Tuesday’s fifth-place game against Athens at 12:30 p.m. Greer scored 11 points in the first period, and Jankousky finished with two 3s and had eight points by intermission when Pawnee led 24-15.
NO. 5 NEW BERLIN 42, NO. 7 AUBURN 35: Reid Hepperly and Gabe Molloy put in 14 points apiece as the Pretzels earned a spot in the consolation championship game. New Berlin rallied from a four-point deficit and outscored Auburn 15-4 in the fourth quarter. Molloy had seven points, and Hepperly scored six in the fourth to lead the comeback.
NO. 14 LUTHERAN 51, NO. 4 SOUTH COUNTY 49: The Crusaders completed their second upset of the tournament and advanced to play New Berlin in the consolation title game on Tuesday at 11 a.m. Connor Hilligoss and Aaden Hilligoss netted 15 and 11 points, respectively, for Lutheran. Jeramy Daniel came up big in the fourth by netting eight of his 10 points in the final quarter. South County’s Caden Colwell led all scorers with 21 points.
State Farm Holiday Classic
NORMAL COMMUNITY 61, SACRED HEART-GRIFFIN 55: SHG got 21 points from Myles Montgomery, but it wasn’t enough as the Cyclones fell in the championship bracket semifinals. Terrion Wallace supplied 11 points, and Cameron Brinkman and Javeon Williams chipped in nine apiece. SHG plays Peoria High for third place at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
ROCHESTER 63, MACHESNEY PARK 37: Reese Gade provided a game-high 18 points, and Rochester advanced to the consolation title game. Tanner Beal followed with 12 points, and Khorbin Gregory joined with 10. Rochester led 34-19 at the half. Rochester went on to win the consolation championship with a 50-40 win later in the day over Aurora Metea Valley.
AURORA METEA VALLEY 52, CHATHAM GLENWOOD 34: Glenwood ended the tournament with a loss in the semifinals of the consolation bracket. Brody Green and Cohen Reid led the Titans with nine points apiece, while Hugo Lopp scored eight.
Pekin Tournament
SPRINGFIELD HIGH 52, PEKIN 41: The Senators built a 10-point halftime lead and went on to secure a first-round win. Springfield will play No. 1 seed Chicago Simeon in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Elijah Wade scored a game-high 16 points, and Noah Wade delivered 13. Mayango Jallah chipped in 10 points.
CHICAGO LEO 56, LANPHIER 36: The Lions shot just 30.2% (16-for-53) from the floor and didn’t have a player finish in double figures in its first-round loss. Demond Porter Jr. and Anthony Peck combined to make 8 of 17 shots and led Lanphier with eight points apiece. Porter had six rebounds.
Williamsville Holiday Tournament
NO. 3 WILLIAMSVILLE 40, NO. 7 TREMONT 38: Williamsville overcame a three-point deficit after three quarters and outscored Tremont 12-7 in the fourth period to advance to Tuesday’s championship game. The Bullets play No. 1 seed Warrensburg-Latham at 7 p.m. Williamsville’s Brody Neuhoff scored six points in the fourth and finished with a game-high 17. Jackson Sanders added nine points, including the game-winning bucket.
NO. 2 CALVARY 67, NO. 6 PRAIRIE CENTRAL 64: The Saints got a combined 63 points from three players and will play Petersburg PORTA for fifth place at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. Luke Blackford compiled 31 points, including scoring 11 in the fourth quarter. Antoine Hunter (two 3s) had 12 of his 21 points in the third period, and Baylin Crowder sank three 3s and had 11 points in the first half.
NO. 5 PETERSBURG PORTA 58, NO. 8 CHILLICOTHE IVC 40: Jett Karrick heated up by scoring 21 of his game-best 26 points in the second half as the Bluejays advanced to the fifth-place game. He finished with three 3-pointers and went 9-for-9 from the foul line. Gavin Gronewold added 11 points as PORTA ended 20-for-22 from the charity stripe.
NO. 12 MASON CITY ILLINI CENTRAL 49, NO. 16 BEARDSTOWN 46: Brody Folkes drained three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the fourth period as the Cougars pulled out the victory to advance to the consolation championship game. Folkes finished with five 3s and a game-high 21. Ryder Claypool added nine points. Colby DeSollar led Beardstown with 18 points and Zach Meyer chipped in 11.
NO. 14 ILLINI BLUFFS 50, HAVANA 49 (OT): Bradyn Willing popped four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, but the Ducks were nipped in overtime in the consolation bracket. Bluffs outscored Havana 6-5 in overtime.
Chuck Dayton DeKalb Holiday Classic
SOUTHEAST 55, INTRINSIC-DOWNTOWN 43: The Spartans forced 24 turnovers and won their first game of the season. Kev’Ron House finished with a double-double, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds. Josiah Turner scored 11 points and grabbed seven boards, while Aaron Holman (six points) pulled down 10 rebounds.
NAPERVILLE CENTRAL 71, SOUTHEAST 51: Central collected a wire-to-wire win over the Spartans, and Southeast will finish the tournament by playing Thornridge at noon on Tuesday in consolation play. Turner had 14 points and seven rebounds, and Lamar Coleman provided 11 points.
Carlinville Holiday Tournament
STAUNTON 86, HARDIN CALHOUN 57 (title): Junior Jeremiah Graham scored the opening basket of the championship game, and he kept on scoring throughout to lead the Bulldogs to their second straight Carlinville championship in a rematch of last year’s title game.
Graham finished with a game-high 26 points, and even a late head-first fall to the floor, which opened a gash on his left eyebrow, couldn’t damper his spirits. Graham was still eager to talk of his impact on the team, not just in the game, but throughout the season.
“I would say that I started scoring, and I was like, ‘Well, they’re not going to stop me,’” Graham said. “I just like bringing energy. That’s what my coach tells me to do, my teammates tell me to do; they just tell me to bring energy.”
Graham had 20 three times this season, but the 26 is a career high. He had half of Staunton’s first 14 points as the Bulldogs led by 10, then pushed the lead to 22-4 before Calhoun ended the first quarter on a 5-0 run.
Graham showcased his game’s most-recent addition when he knocked down a 3-pointer on a corner shot late in the third quarter to put Staunton ahead 64-48.
“He’s been very consistent the whole season for us,” Staunton coach Ty Laux said. “From last year to this year, the jump that he’s made is because of the work that he put in this offseason. “One of the things we talked to him about was, ‘Jeremiah, if you can knock down a 3 consistently, you’re un-guardable,’ and he put the work in all offseason.
“He’s a lot of fun to coach . . . it’s not just the offensive (talent). (Defensively), he just makes people work and work, and he gets the basket, and he always makes the right play. He had 26 tonight and . . . next game, you know, he may have 10 assists.”
Staunton placed five players in double figures. Besides Graham, senior Bryce Coalson had 19, Isiah Laux scored 15, Luke Moore finished with 11 and Lucas Dillion netted 10.
Despite the loss, Calhoun took the momentum a few times. After trailing 22-4 in the first, Blake Nolte sparked Calhoun with a 3-pointer with 3 minutes, 6 seconds left in the half after Laux gave Staunton a 42-17 lead. Nolte, Lane Eilerman and Jack Zipprich combined for four 3s over the final 3:06 of the half to get within 43-31. Graham ended that run with a floater just before the horn sounded.
Trailing 54-31 in the third, Calhoun once again got hot from deep with Nolte hitting three more triples. Eilerman banked one in off the glass and Calhoun had a 15-3 run, cutting the deficit to 59-48. From there, Staunton answered every Calhoun score with one of its own.
“We came out hot, but they came back,” Coalson said of Calhoun. “When we built that lead coming out of the first quarter, we made all of our shots, we played great defense, we put ourselves in a great place to win the ball game.
“Credit to them: they went on their runs, but I feel like we went on our own runs right back.”
Eilerman led Calhoun with 21, Nolte finished with 15 — on five made 3s — while Zipprich had 10.
It is the second of what might be three meetings in about a month. Staunton won the regular-season matchup 74-60 on Dec. 20 and the two teams could meet at the Winchester Invitation in mid-January.
CARLINVILLE 75, LITCHFIELD 60 (third place): Sawyer Smith and Triston Thompson bounced back from Saturday’s semifinal loss to Calhoun to combine for 41 points and the third-place trophy.
Smith led all scorers with 22 points and was 8-for-9 at the free-throw line while Thompson hit four 3s and finished with 19. Carter Zilm knocked down three 3s for 13 points while Noah Convery added 10 points for the Cavaliers.
Tucker Maguire led the Purple Panthers with 18 points while Ethan Saathoff and Brody Dykema both finished with 10 apiece.
BUNKER HILL 65, HILLSBORO 53 (fifth place): Eli Zaidi led the Hiltoppers with 22 points, and Tony White added 12 in the loss. Cole Yates led the Minutemen with 19 points.
EAST ALTON-WOOD RIVER 44, GILLESPIE 40 (seventh place): Brayden Enslow scored 15 points to lead the Miners in the loss. Jasiah Brown led the Oilers with 16.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Bryce Coalson (Staunton), Lane Eilerman (Calhoun), Jeremiah Graham (Staunton), Isiah Laux (Staunton), Sam Schwab (Litchfield), Sawyer Smith (Carlinville), Triston Thompson (Carlinville), Cole Yates (Bunker Hill), Jack Zipprich (Calhoun).
— Ryan Mahan
Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic
TEUTOPOLIS 57, PLEASANT PLAINS 27: Plains was held to 13 points over the final three quarters and opened the tournament with a loss. Owen Johnson made a pair of 3-pointers and led the Cardinals with seven points.
Vandalia Tournament
VANDALIA 75, PANA 65: Vandalia buried 10 3-pointers and won a shootout to advance to Tuesday’s title game. Pana will play Greenville for third place at 5:30 p.m. Cash Lynch scored 20 points, and Easton Malisia added 18 against Vandalia. Madyx Angel chipped in nine. Vandalia, which plays Toledo Cumberland for the title at 7, put five players in double figures.
SHELBYVILLE 44, NOKOMIS 35: Kannon Jonas dropped three 3-pointers, went 4-for-4 from the line and scored 15 points in the loss as Nokomis (11-5 overall) dropped to 1-3 in the tournament and will meet Macon Meridian on Tuesday for seventh place at 2:30 p.m. NHS shot 28.5% (12-for-42) for the floor.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
State Farm Holiday Classic
Large School Bracket
NO. 10 PLAINFIELD NORTH 72, NO. 11 SPRINGFIELD HIGH 36: Aniyah Rhinehouse posted a team-best 13 points, while Chloe Scheffler had 10 in the consolation loss.
NO. 9 ROCK ISLAND 59, NO. 13 TAYLORVILLE 33: Grace Rogers tied with three other players with six points in the loss in the loser’s bracket. Julie Wayman, McKynlee Siempelkamp and Peyton DeMichael also had six points.
Small School Bracket
NO. 13 ROCHESTER 42, NO. 16 ROCK FALLS 14: Delaney Farris poured in 13 points to close out the loser’s bracket with a win. Alaina Stock added nine.
NO. 11 KANKAKEE BISHOP MCNAMARA 54, NO. 15 SACRED HEART-GRIFFIN 40: Hunter Hill delivered a team-best 12 points in the loss. Camilia Butler and Madeline Steele each had seven.
North Mac Holiday Hoopfest
NO. 2 PETERSBURG PORTA/A-C CENTRAL 61, NO. 6 HILLSBORO 31: Aubrey Vogel dished up a game-high 23 points to advance to the championship game against top-seeded Deer Creek-Mackinaw on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Brynn Duncheon and Mackenzie Miller combined for three 3s in the final period, and the Bluejays outscored Hillsboro 21-0 in the frame. Miller ended with 10 points. Duncheon and Regan Heubner each had nine.
NO. 7 AUBURN 48, NO. 3 PIASA SOUTHWESTERN 32: Emme Divjak and Reese Megginson each hit two 3s to lift the Trojans to the fifth-place game. Both also went 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Divjak led Auburn with 16 points, while Megginson had 14.
Carlinville Holiday Tournament
WILLIAMSVILLE 50, NOKOMIS 47, OT (title): Williamsville erased a 10-point deficit over the final period, forced overtime and pulled out a come-from-behind win in the title game.
Reese Larson drilled four 3s and led Williamsville with 18 points. Her baseline jumper with 2 minutes, 5 seconds left in regulation got the Bullets within 41-39. Cora Senalik tied the game with 59 seconds left on a layup.
“We just told them they’ve just got to keep battling down low, keep making them work defensively, and then just really take care of the ball offensively,” Williamsville coach Tasha Shade said. “We said, ‘A stop and a score.’”
Twice in the third quarter, Larson hit 3s to give the Bullets a lead, and she made a pair of free throws to tie the game 22-22 with 4:48 in the third. Nokomis ended the period on a 13-3 run.
The second half was nothing like the first when the teams entered halftime with Nokomis leading 15-13.
“We needed to put them away; we didn’t come out (in the fourth),” Nokomis coach Brandon Engelman said. “They knocked in their first two shots, and all of a sudden, now they’re down five; now they’ve got the momentum, now they’re back in the game there.
“We needed to extend it and take those first two minutes of the fourth quarter and put it away.”
With 2:29 left in OT, Tori Zobus knocked down a 3 to put Williamsville up 46-45. The Bullets never trailed again.
Williamsville had five different players score in overtime alone.
“We even had some people on the bench . . . that we contemplated (playing), but we just knew, when people can hit, they can hit,” Shade said. “It’s nice when you’ve got multiple people that can shoot the ball.”
Senalik added 10 points for Williamsville. Hannah Tarter led Nokomis with 18 points. Alivia Sabol finished with 10.
GILLESPIE 46, HARDIN CALHOUN 39 (third place): Sadie Sholtis scored 16 points to lead the Miners to third while Amari Vickery, who on Saturday surpassed 1,000 points in her career, added 13 for Gillespie. Anna Eberlin led Calhoun with 12.
CARLINVILLE 60, GREENFIELD 35 (fifth place): Kaitlyn Reels, two days removed from also joining the 1,000-point club at Carlinville, and Sylvee Gibbs both had 15 points apiece to lead the Cavaliers. Ruthie Reels added 12 for the host team.
RAYMOND LINCOLNWOOD 42, BUNKER HILL 36 (seventh place): Tori Elvidge scored 16 points to lead the Lancers to their first win of the tournament.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Camryn Engelman (Nokomis), Reese Larson (Williamsville), Bralyn Lammy (Calhoun), Kaitlyn Reels (Carlinville), Cora Senalik (Williamsville), Sadie Sholtis (Gillespie), Hannah Tarter (Nokomis), Amari Vickery (Gillespie), Bailey Wherley (Williamsville).
— Ryan Mahan
Riverton Christmas Classic
MOUNT PULASKI 55, LITCHFIELD 53: Alyson Murphy converted six 3s and wound up with 39 points in the win. Audrey Cooper added seven. Litchfield’s Koralyne Jones and McKenna Harmon had 13 and 11 points, respectively. Mount Pulaski meets Roanoke Benson in the championship game on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 28
BOYS BASKETBALL
Collinsville Holiday Tournament
DECATUR MACARTHUR 56, LINCOLN 38: The Generals led 12-3 after one quarter and finished shooting 50% for the game in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Kenall Howell had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Tishawn Clemmens (15 points) and Sean Lee (14) also finished in double figures for the Generals. Tate Aue went 4-for-5 from 3-point range and scored 12, while Brody Tungate added 10 for Lincoln.
LINCOLN 42, COLLINSVILLE 38 (OT): Karson Komnick took over with 29 points as the Railers finished the night session with a victory to advance Monday’s fifth-place game. Komnick made eight field goals, including two 3-pointers, and went 11-for-11 from the free throw line. Lincoln outscored Collinsville 7-3 in OT.
Saturday, Dec. 27
BOYS TOURNAMENTS
Williamsville Holiday Tournament
NO. 3 WILLIAMSVILLE 63, NO. 6 FAIRBURY PRAIRIE CENTRAL 44: Brody Neuhoff manufactured 14 points, while Nolan Bryant had 13 to advance to Monday’s semifinals against No. 7 Tremont. Bryant was named the player of the game. Dalton Root rained in a 3 before the buzzer for a 34-16 halftime lead. Williamsville, the defending tournament champion, is seeking its third tournament title since 1995.
NO. 7 TREMONT 70, NO. 2 CALVARY 59: A 17-point halftime deficit turned out to be too much for the Saints to overcome in the second half despite paring the margin to two possessions in the fourth quarter. Luke Blackford carried Calvary with 23 points, including four 3s. Griffin Meeker led Tremont with 26 points, including three 3s.
NO. 4 DEER CREEK-MACKINAW 51, NO. 5 PETERSBURG PORTA/A-C CENTRAL 48: PORTA point guard Jett Karrick supplied three 3s and finished with a game-high 21 points in the quarterfinal loss. His potential game-tying 3 came up just short with under 30 seconds remaining. Dee-Mack overcame a 39-36 deficit after three quarters. Jerry Hahn led Dee-Mack with 18 points to advance to the semifinals against top-seeded Warrensburg-Latham.
NO. 16 BEARDSTOWN 59, NO. 9 CHICAGO BOWEN 56: Colby DeSollar engineered a game-high 34 points in the consolation win. He converted 12 field goals and went 10 of 15 from the free-throw line.
NO. 12 MASON CITY ILLINI CENTRAL 39, NO. 13 DELAVAN 34: A collective effort catapulted the Cougars from a 31-21 deficit after three quarters. Ryder Claypool scored 12 of his game-high 14 points in the second half. Brody Folkes added 11 points. Illini Central shot 8 of 10 from the free throw line in the final period to secure a consolation win.
NO. 15 ROANOKE BENSON 52, NO. 10 HAVANA 50: Havana’s Jack Turner provided a team-high 14 points, while teammate Carter Brooks had 13 in the consolation loss. Leyton Harms led Roanoke with 19 points.
NO. 1 WARRENSBURG-LATHAM 62, NO. 8 CHILLICOTHE ILLINOIS VALLEY CENTRAL 46
NO. 11 CISSNA PARK 52, NO. 14 GLASFORD ILLINI BLUFFS 44
Carlinville Holiday Tournament
NO. 4 BUNKER HILL 70, NO. 8 GILLESPIE 32: Collin Griffith and Mitchell Clark each recorded seven points for the Miners in their consolation semifinal loss. Bunker Hill put four players in double figures, including Carter Beck and Cole Yates, who each finished with 14.
NO. 6 HILLSBORO 56, NO. 7 EAST ALTON-WOOD RIVER 25: In the other consolation semifinal, Kamdin Civitate led the Hiltoppers with 14 points, Eli Zaidi had 13 and Tony White contributed 10. Hillsboro opened with an 17-4 edge after one period.
NO. 1 STAUNTON 69, NO. 5 LITCHFIELD 31: Using suffocating defense, ball movement and accurate shooting, the Bulldogs continued its torrid start to the season by frustrating the Purple Panthers early.
Staunton will face Hardin Calhoun in the Carlinville championship game on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Calhoun beat the host Cavaliers 60-42 in the other semifinal.
Junior Isiah Laux led all scorers with 22 points, including six 3-pointers and scored both of his layups off shot fakes that the Litchfield defenders bit on each time. Staunton made 11 3s in the game.
“Those kids, they’ve put in the work over the offseason,” Staunton coach Ty Laux said. “I think as a program this offseason, we took about 250,000 shots on our Dr. Dish (shooting machine). Isiah was at 60,000 (shots), Bryce Coalson at 25,000, Lucas Dillon 30,000, Jeremiah Graham, 25,000.
“When you got kids willing to put the work in on their own … you’re rewarded. And our kids have been rewarded this year. It’s been great to see.”
Litchfield coach Daniel Bonnell used four timeouts in the first quarter to try to limit the damage, but Staunton found a way around anything the Purple Panthers tried, even when Litchfield played a 1-2-2 defensive zone. Staunton hasn’t seen much zone defenses this season, according to Ty Laux. But he credited his own team’s defense with their offensive masterpiece.
“I thought we got going on the defensive end,” Ty Laux said. “I thought we were able to turn them over, led to some easy baskets, and then that leads to some open 3s. I thought we shot it pretty good tonight, but it all comes from our defensive end.”
Coalson added 14 for the 9-1 Bulldogs while Luke Moore dropped in 13.
Staunton finished 28-5 last season and was 9-0 in the South Central Conference. But the loss to Williamsville in the Class 2A Greenville Sectional semifinals spurred the group to put in the work to make a deeper postseason run.
“Every day in practice we’re playing hard, just getting better, more physical, always talking,” Isiah Laux said. “Just working.”
Sam Schwab and Landon Wernsing both led Litchfield with eight points.
— Ryan Mahan
NO. 3 HARDIN CALHOUN 60, NO. 2 CARLINVILLE 42: Foul trouble caught up to Carlinville in the second half and without Tate Duckels for most of the fourth quarter, Calhoun went on a 21-2 tear over the final eight minutes to turn a great contest into a blowout.
“It snowballed,” Carlinville coach Dave Suits said of the fourth quarter. “Once we lost Tate (who fouled out moments into the fourth), it’s hard. We’re playing without our 15-point scorer, our seven (per game) rebounder. He does everything. I mean, he fills the stats in there. We have guys that come in and do a great job with energy, but we just don’t have that. That was a killer.”
Carlinville limited transition buckets for all of the first half and much of the third quarter, but once Calhoun got deflections and turned over the Cavaliers, they were simply too much.
Offensive rebounds were another problem Carlinville couldn’t solve.
“We got a lot of kids that can shoot it, and I thought we passed up a few to turn it over, where I thought if we take some of those shots and maybe knock one down, it maybe changes a little momentum,” Suits said. “But we got to box out better. I mean, the o-boards were probably the biggest thing that killed us tonight … especially momentum-wise.
“When you have a shot clock and you defend your tails off for 30 seconds and you get a shot to miss and then you see that o-board go back in, it’s a deflator. I mean, it’s an absolute deflator, and you just gave up two points on maybe the best possession of the night that you defended on, and when you got players like (Lane) Eilerman and (Jack) Zipprich over there with all the other weapons, I mean, you can’t give second chances.”
Triston Thompson led Carlinville with 16 points and was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line while Sawyer Smith added 10 points.
Eilerman led Calhoun, and all scorers, with 23 points, including two dunks. Zipprich had 17 and Gage Kiel finished with 11.
Calhoun will face Staunton for the tournament title on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Carlinville will meet Litchfield at 6 p.m. for third place.
— Ryan Mahan
State Farm Holiday Classic
Large School Bracket
SACRED HEART-GRIFFIN 67, DUNLAP 34: Myles Montgomery scored a game-high 17 points, and the Cyclones rolled into the championship semifinals. Tereik Hurd contributed 16 points and Cameron Brinkman chipped in 12. SHG plays Normal Community on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
ROCHESTER 70, ROMEOVILLE 55: Khordell Gregory knocked down three 3-pointers and poured in 32 points as the Rockets advanced in the consolation bracket. Rochester led 39-25 at halftime and got an additional 10 points from Reece Gade. The Rockets play Machesney Park Harlem in the consolation semifinals at 8:30 a.m. on Monday.
CHATHAM GLENWOOD 44, JOLIET CATHOLIC 21: Glenwood raced out to a 14-2 lead after one period and secured the win with a 23-3 outburst in the third period in the consolation bracket. Sophomore guard Cohen Reid buried five 3-pointers and scored 18 points, and sophomore forward Hugo Lopp added 11. The Titans play Aurora Metea Valley in the consolation semifinals at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Collinsville Holiday Classic
LINCOLN 46, GRANITE CITY 37: Brody Tungate and Karson Komnick combined for 38 points and Railers opened the tournament with a win. Tungate finished with a game-high 21 and went 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Komnick was 5 of 8 from the line and added 17 points to go with eight rebounds. Lincoln outscored Granite City 32-23 in the second half after the game was tied 14-14 at halftime.
Waverly Holiday Tournament
NO. 1 JACKSONVILLE ROUTT 61, NO. 13 PAWNEE 35: Adam Abell drilled seven 3-pointers and dropped 28 points as the top-seeded Rockets advanced to the championship semifinals. He had five 3s and scored 20 in the second half. Bryson Mossman provided 13 points. Routt plays No. 3 Carrollton in the semifinals on Monday at 2 p.m. Pawnee, which upended Waverly on the first day, got three 3s and 17 points from Ryder Smith.
NO. 6 NORTH MAC 58, NO. 2 WINCHESTER WEST CENTRAL 39: Collin Etter paved the way for a big fourth period as the Panthers upset the Cougars en route to the semifinals. Etter scored 12 of his game-best 24 points in the fourth as North Mac outscored West Central 24-8. Clark Sanson (14 points) and Carson Powell (10) combined for five 3-pointers and finished in double figures.
NO. 12 CONCORD TRIOPIA 49, NO. 8 ATHENS 48 (OT): Triopia’s win was sixth upset of the tournament according to seeding. Avery Neathery compiled a game-high 24 points for Triopia. Sawyer Hill led Athens with 17 points. Triopia plays North Mac in the semis at 8 p.m. on Monday.
NO. 5 NEW BERLIN 52, NO. 9 EDINBURG 42: Reid Hepperly helped the Pretzels bounce back from Friday’s loss with a game-high 21 points. Carson Dodd (eight points) and Max Pointer (6) made two 3-pointers each in the second half as New Berlin broke a 22-22 halftime tie and outscored Edinburg 30-20 after intermission.
NO. 7 AUBURN 51, NO. 11 GREENFIELD/NORTHWESTERN 40: Auburn outscored Greenfield 18-8 in the fourth period and pulled away for a victory in the consolation bracket. Jacob Barth scored 20 points and got support from Carter Smith (8), Levi Smith (8) and Coy Grossner, who netted all seven of his points in the fourth quarter.
NO. 14 LUTHERAN 41, NO. 10 BUFFALO TRI-CITY 40: Javin Meredith and Jeramy Daniel scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, and the Crusaders posted an upset win to stay alive in the consolation bracket.
NO. 4 SOUTH COUNTY 51, NO. 16 RAYMOND LINCOLNWOOD 42: Caden Colwell scored 16 points and Leo Bergschneider supplied 11 and the Vipers won in the consolation bracket.
Chuck Dayton Dekalb Holiday Tournament
DEKALB 58, SOUTHEAST 49: Southeast’s fourth quarter comeback fell short in the end in a first-round loss. The Spartans trailed as many as 15 points in the third and got within five points in the fourth. Kev’Ron House provided Southeast with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Josiah Turner scored 10. Lamar Coleman had eight points and seven boards.
Vandalia Holiday Tournament
NO 4 PANA 61, NO. 8 MACON MERIDIAN 46: Cash Lynch finished 10-for-17 from the floor and scored 23 points to go with five rebounds as Pana won in pool play. Madyx Angel put in three 3-pointers and scored 16.
NO. 1 TOLEDO CUMBERLAND 56, NO. 4 PANA 44: Lynch engineered a game-high 20 points in the loss. Easton Malisia hit four 3s and had 16.
NO. 2 NOKOMIS 39, NO. 3 VANDALIA 29: After going 0-2 on Friday, Nokomis won its first game of the tournament in the pool. Carter Wexstten and Kannon Jonas combined to make 8 of 14 shots and scored 10 points apiece to lead Nokomis.
GIRLS TOURNAMENTS
State Farm Holiday Classic
Large School Bracket
SPRINGFIELD HIGH 63, NORMAL COMMUNITY 47: The Senators put together some balanced scoring and advanced in the consolation bracket. Aniyah Rhinehouse (13 points) Abigail Malit (12) and Morgan Leininger (11) combined for 36 points. Leininger finished with three 3-pointers and Springfield will play Plainfield North in the consolation semifinals on Monday at 10 a.m.
Small School Bracket
ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN 49, ROCHESTER 35: Addie Brooks led the victorious Spartans with 18 points. Rochester’s Delaney Farris had a team-high 14 points in the loss.
Riverton Christmas Classic
TOLONO UNITY 42, LITCHFIELD 39: Grace Bickers delivered 18 points for the victorious Rockets. McKenna Harmon led Litchfield with 15 points in pool play.
ROANOKE BENSON 60, RIVERTON 24: Bri Harms ushered a game-high 17 points in the win. Danae Anderson and Mariah Jackson each had six for Riverton. Roanoke Benson also defeated Prairie Central 53-38.
MOUNT PULASKI 55, TOLONO UNITY 23: Elayna Marten made four field goals and finished 6-for-6 from the line for 14 points as the Hilltoppers won in pool play. Alyson Murphy added 12 points and Addison Brown followed with two 3-pointers and 10 points.
Carlinville Holiday Tournament
NO. 5 CARLINVILLE 58, NO. 8 BUNKER HILL 26: Kaitlyn Reels eclipsed 1,000 career points and converted her 200th career 3-pointer in the consolation win. She hit two 3s and led the Cavaliers with 21 points. Her cousin, Ruthie, provided 14 points.
NO. 1 NOKOMIS 44, NO. 4 HARDIN CALHOUN 28: Hannah Tarter and Joelle Jackson combined for seven 3s to advance to the championship game against Williamsville on Monday at 6 p.m. Tarter led NHS with 14 points, while Jackson had 12 on four 3s. Alivia Sabol also reached double figures with 10.
NO. 6 GREENFIELD 36, NO. 7 RAYMOND LINCOLNWOOD 24: In the third game Saturday, Jolee Downs scored six points to lead the Lancers in the loss. Kalynn Weller led Greenfield with 13.
NO. 2 WILLIAMSVILLE 57, NO. 3 GILLESPIE 44: In the fourth game, Bailey Wherley led the victorious Bullets with 18 points while Cora Senalik added 11 in the semifinal. Tori Zobus finished with nine. Amari Vickery scored 29 to lead Gillespie and quickly surpassed 1,000 points in her career in the loss. She entered with 999.
North Mac Holiday Hoopfest
NO. 2 PETERSBURG PORTA 50, NO. 8 ATHENS 37: Aubrey Vogel and Brynn Duncheon finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively, as PORTA advanced to Monday’s semifinals to face No. 6 Hillsboro at 1:30 p.m.
NO. 1 DEER CREEK-MACKINAW 64, NO. 7 AUBURN 37: Dalia DeJesus carried Dee-Mack with 19 points to advance to the semifinals. Reese Megginson led the Trojans with 10 points.
Peoria Manual Christmas Shootout
LANPHIER 62, EAST PEORIA 30: Lovely Jackson logged 25 points, eight rebounds and seven steals as the Lions finished the shootout with a 2-2 record. Amiyah Jarrett delivered 13 points, nine rebounds and four steals, and Alayah Jarrett chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
BARTONVILLE LIMESTONE 59, LANPHIER 38: Lovely Jackson summoned 18 points, six rebounds and six steals in the loss.
Friday, Dec. 26
BOYS TOURNAMENTS
Waverly Holiday Tournament
NO. 1 JACKSONVILLE ROUTT 63, NO. 9 EDINBURG 18: Bryson Mossman scored 13 of his game-high 18 points in the first quarter en route to a big, early lead. Adam Abell also started with seven points in the first period and the Rockets led 25-7 by the end of the frame. Abell finished with 17 points, while Nolan Mossman had 11.
NO. 13 PAWNEE 47, NO. 5 NEW BERLIN 35: Jace Jankousky scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to secure a first-round upset. Ryder Smith also had 12 of his game-high 17 points after the break as well. Reid Hepperly led the Pretzels with 10 points.
NO. 15 WHITE HALL NORTH GREENE 57, NO. 7 AUBURN 49: Luke Farris delivered 15 of his game-high 22 points in White Hall’s fourth-quarter comeback win over defending tournament champion Auburn. Porter Dossett also hit two 3s after trailing 29-24 to begin the final period. Jacob Barth led Auburn with 20 points. Coy Grossner added 13.
NO. 2 WINCHESTER WEST CENTRAL 51, NO. 10 BUFFALO TRI-CITY 40: Ryker Ford summoned 18 points, while Blayne Sidwell had 13 in West Central’s first-round win. Tri-City’s Colby Martin scored all of his team-high 11 points in the first half.
NO. 6 NORTH MAC 45, NO. 14 LUTHERAN 32: Cole Etter and Carson Powell combined for 12 points in the third quarter to pull away for the win. Etter led the Panthers with 14 points. Powell and Luke Alexander combined for five 3s for 13 and 12 points, respectively. Jeramy Daniel and Javin Meredith had six points apiece for Lutheran.
NO. 12 CONCORD TRIOPIA 56, NO. 4 SOUTH COUNTY 51: Avery Neathery went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line and finished with a game-high 27 points as Triopia overcame a slim halftime deficit. Andrew Hobrock added 17 points. Caden Colwell led South County with 22 points.
NO. 8 ATHENS 48, NO. 16 RAYMOND LINCOLNWOOD 27: Sawyer Hill produced two 3s and a team-high 14 points in the win. James Jones added nine points for Athens. Tucker Armentrout led the Lancers with 18 points.
NO. 3 CARROLLTON 52, NO. 11 GREENFIELD/NORTHWESTERN 44
State Farm Holiday Classic
Large School Bracket
NO. 1 SACRED HEART-GRIFFIN 70, NO. 16 MACHESNEY PARK HARLEM 40: The Cyclones landed five players in double figures and opened the classic with a win. SHG received balanced scoring and went into intermission with a 31-12 lead, including outscoring Machesney 14-3 in the second quarter. Javeon Williams led the way with 12 points, while teammates Cameron Brinkman, Myles Montgomery, Teriek Hurd and Terrion Wallace added 11 apiece.
NO. 4 WHEATON WARRENVILLE SOUTH 42, NO. 13 CHATHAM GLENWOOD 30: The Tigers outscored Glenwood 23-8 in the second half to record the victory. Hugo Lopp netted a game-high 17 points and was the only Titans player in double figures.
NO. 3 NORMAL COMMUNITY 71, NO. 14 ROCHESTER 43: Khordell Gregory’s game-high 23 points wasn’t enough as the Rockets fell in the first round. Normal Community led 24-15 after one quarter and went into halftime with a 38-26 lead. Chase Kasten had 21 points for the Ironmen.
Carlinville Holiday Tournament
NO. 3 HARDIN CALHOUN 83, NO. 6 HILLSBORO 37: Mark Mattson scored six of his team-high 12 points at the free-throw line in the Hiltoppers’ loss. Tony White added eight points for Hillsboro.
NO. 5 LITCHFIELD 59, NO. 4 BUNKER HILL 47: Landon Wernsing, Max Leitschuh and Ethan Saathoff combined for 50 points as the Purple Panthers advanced to face No. 1 Staunton/No. 8 Gillespie in the tournament semifinals. Wernsing led the Panthers with 18 points, nine in each half. Leitschuh erupted for 13 of his 17 in the second half while Saathoff netted 15. Litchfield was 10-for-12 at the free-throw line.
NO. 1 STAUNTON 76, NO. 8 GILLESPIE 21: Isiah Laux was one of four Bulldogs to reach double figures with a game-high 21 points — and tied the Miners by himself — in a big win for the top seed. Like Laux, Bryce Coalson also hit three 3s and he finished with 15 points. Luke Moore finished with 12 points (with a pair of 3s) and Jeremiah Graham recorded 11 points. Brayden Enslow led the Miners with 10 points.
NO. 2 CARLINVILLE 51, NO. 7 EAST ALTON-WOOD RIVER 29: Sawyer Smith tallied 20 points to help the Cavaliers scoot past the Oilers and into the second round in the final game of the tournament’s opening day. Tate Duckels added 13 points for the Cavs.
Vandalia Holiday Tournament
Game 2 – NO. 6 GREENVILLE 37, NO. 2 NOKOMIS 36: Greenville’s Christian Swalley made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3 seconds remaining in the game and the Comets pulled off the upset. Swalley (12 points) finished with four 3s and teammate Paxton Ackerman dropped five treys to lead Greenville with 15 points. Carter Wexstten led Nokomis with 12 points.
NO. 4 PANA 64, NO. 5 SHELBYVILLE 41: Cash Lynch went 11-for-15 from the field and poured in a game-high 24 points in Pana’s victory. He finished 9-for-10 from 2-point range and was 2-for-5 on 3-point attempts. Madyx Angel added 13 points and Brayden Hicks made three 3s and finished with nine.
NO. 7 FLORA 58, NO. 2 NOKOMIS 40: Nokomis was held to 15 first-half points and trailed by 12 at the break to get beaten twice on Friday in pool play action. Blain Goodwin made two 3-pointers and shared team-high scoring honors with Wexstten with eight points each.
Williamsville Holiday Tournament
NO. 1 WARRENSBURG-LATHAM 69, NO. 16 BEARDSTOWN 30: Beardstown junior Colby DeSollar led the Tigers in the loss with 11 points while fellow junior Zach Meyer added nine. The Cardinals led 36-22 at halftime then outscored the Tigers 34-8 in the second half.
NO. 5 PETERSBURG PORTA 64, NO. 12 MASON CITY ILLINI CENTRAL 19: Senior Jett Karrick led the Bluejays with 20 points, thanks in part to hitting five 3-pointers, in the first-round win. Karrick was one of 11 Bluejays to score. Levi Hoagland and Clayton Hoke added eight points apiece for PORTA. Dominic Blair led the Cougars with eight points, including two 3s.
NO. 2 CALVARY 52, NO. 15 ROANOKE-BENSON 41: Luke Blackford had nearly half of the Saints’ points in the first-round win. Blackford’s scoring ended with a nine-point third quarter. Antione Hunter added 13 for the Saints.
NO. 7 TREMONT 58, NO. 10 HAVANA 33: Sophomore guard Jack Turner and senior forward Bradyn Willing combined for 15 points in the Ducks’ loss. Turner led Havana with eight points; Willing had seven.
NO. 3 WILLIAMSVILLE 64, NO. 14 GLASFORD ILLINI BLUFFS 36: Three Bullets reached double figures, led by Garrett Timm’s 14 points, as host Williamsville secured its berth in the winner’s bracket second round. Timm knocked down four 3s. Griffin Watkins added 12 for WHS while Brody Neuhoff added 10.
NO. 8 CHILLICOTHE IVC 70, NO. 9 CHICAGO BOWEN 45
NO. 4 DEER CREEK-MACKINAW 73, NO. 13 DELAVAN 27
NO. 6 FAIRBURY PRAIRIE CENTRAL vs. NO. 11 CISSNA PARK, no result
GIRLS TOURNAMENTS
State Farm Holiday Classic
Large School Bracket
NO. 2 RIVER FOREST TRINITY 69, NO. 15 SPRINGFIELD HIGH 38: A 24-point second quarter helped River Forest open a 12-point halftime advantage en route to the victory. Aniyah Rhinehouse led the Senators with 11 points.
FREEPORT 82, TAYLORVILLE 44: Freeport caught fire in the first period, building a 36-10 lead to defeat the Tornadoes in the first round. Baileigh Jackson and Grace Rogers led Taylorville with 10 points apiece. Paityn London dropped 32 points for Freeport.
Small School Bracket
NO. 3 EUREKA 57, NO. 14 ROCHESTER 32: Eureka built a 19-point halftime lead by outscoring the Rockets 17-4 in the second period and went on for a first-round win. Delaney Farris had a team-high nine points for Rochester. Ivy Edwards and Mya Edwards combined for 30 points and five 3-pointers for Eureka.
NO. 2 PORT BYRON RIVERDALE 46, NO. 15 SACRED HEART-GRIFFIN 29: Cayleigh Hungate led Riverdale with 19 points.
North Mac Holiday Hoopfest
NO. 7 AUBURN 65, NO. 15 CHRISMAN 23: Junior Emme Divjak scored 11 points in the second quarter and finished with 17 as Auburn pummeled the Cardinals in the second game. Addison Jones, another junior, added 14 points while freshman Emmerson Womble finished with 11 points, all in the fourth quarter.
NO. 3 PIASA SOUTHWESTERN 47, NO. 11 NORTH MAC 33: In the third game, Addison Cole and April Waters each scored nine points in the loss for the Panthers. Ella Eldridge added eight. Vivian Zurheide led the Piasa Birds with 15 points.
NO. 5 PAWNEE 57, NO. 13 PANA 34: Adalyn Boblitt led Pawnee with 12 points with a pair of 3s in the fourth game. Ava Rodriguez-Mansholt and Avery Klug helped out with 10 points apiece. Brenna Blackwell led Pana with 10 points while Joey Laker netted nine.
NO. 2 PETERSBURG PORTA/A-C CENTRAL 59, NO. 10 EAST ALTON-WOOD RIVER 22: In the fifth game, Regan Heubner hit a pair of 3s and led the Bluejays with 16 points while teammate Allison Vogel had 15. Aubrey Vogel chipped in a dozen points.
NO. 8 ATHENS 74, NO. 16 MADISON 13: Maddie Womble scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the first half as the Warriors cruised to the victory in the sixth game. Ava Bee added 15 points for the Warriors, Aubrey Dierker had 12 and Olivia Rhoades netted 10.
NO. 4 SOUTH COUNTY 34, NO. 12 WHITE HALL NORTH GREENE 30: In the seventh game, the Vipers shook off a one-point first quarter with 26 in the second half to rally past the Spartans. Brielle Johnson led the Vipers with 11 points and knocked down a pair of 3s.
NO. 6 HILLSBORO 58, NO. 14 NIANTIC SANGAMON VALLEY 13: Peyton Christian closed out the opening day of the inaugural tournament with 11 points to lead the Hiltoppers past the Storm. Kearstynn Davis added 10 for Hillsboro. Lauren Gideon led the Storm with six points.
NO. 1 DEER CREEK-MACKINAW 79, NO. 9 MOWEAQUA CENTRAL A&M 27
Carlinville Holiday Tournament
NO. 4 HARDIN CALHOUN 39, NO. 5 CARLINVILLE 36: In the opener of the 45th annual girls’ version of the tournament, Carlinville senior Kaitlyn Reels scored a game-high 19 points in the loss, with 11 points coming at the free-throw line (11 of 14). Her sister, junior Ruthie Reels, added 11 for the Cavaliers. Kaitlyn Reels sits at 999 career points.
NO. 1 NOKOMIS 74, NO. 8 BUNKER HILL 25: Alivia Sabol and Kinley Stolte each had a double-double as top-seeded NHS easily dispatched the Minutemen. Hannah Tarter led the Nokomis offense with 18 points, Sabol added 14 points and 15 rebounds while Stolte had 11 points and 11 boards. Sabol had 11 offensive boards while Stolte had nine. Carsyn Bertolino added 10 points for Nokomis (11-1), while teammate Camryn Engelman finished with nine. Nokomis led 20-5 after one quarter and the two teams played an even 12-12 second quarter, but Nokomis put the game away by outscoring Bunker Hill 31-3 in the third. Tarter had 10 of those 31 points.
NO. 2 WILLIAMSVILLE 44, NO. 7 RAYMOND LINCOLNWOOD 29: In the third game of the girls’ tournament, Reese Larson scored 10 points to lead a balanced Bullets’ squad into the second round against No. 3 Gillespie. She had two 3s. Ava Allen and Bailey Wherley both had seven points apiece for Williamsville. Hannah Hill and Leah Anderson led the Lancers with five points each.
NO. 3 GILLESPIE 52, NO. 6 GREENFIELD 41: Ameri Vickery scored 21 points — and is one point shy of 1,000 in her career — as the Miners dashed the Tigers and advanced to the second round. Sloane Brawner added four 3s and 12 points for Gillespie while Sadie Sholtis added 10 points.
Peoria Manual Christmas Tournament
PEKIN 42, LANPHIER 30: Alayah Jarrett scored a team-best 14 points in the Lions’ opening loss. Lovely Jackson added eight points and eight rebounds for Lanphier.
LANPHIER 70, PEORIA CENTRAL 41: The Lions rebounded in their nightcap and put three players in double figures. Once again, Alayah Jarrett led the team in scoring with 27 points and added 12 rebounds and four steals. Lovely Jackson added 18 points to pair with her nine boards and four steals. Amiyah Jarrett had 11 points and also pulled down a dozen rebounds.
Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic
NO. 5 HAVANA 51, NO. 21 PITTSFIELD 30: Aslyn Nehmelman hit three 3s and led the Ducks with 15 points. Ava Kramer added 11 points for the Ducks. Havana hit five 3s in the game.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: 2025 holiday hoops roundup — Senators 3rd in Pekin; Crimsons take Taylorville
Reporting by Trevor Lawrence, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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