By Ryne Turke
South County’s 7th grade boys basketball team capped offer their historic season with a 3rd Place finish at the 2A IESA State Tournament last week.
Head Coach Steve Smith, who’s worked in the Franklin and Waverly programs for nearly three decades, came into the season with high expectations for his scrappy team. Little did he know, the Vipers would make their mark with the best 7th grade finish in school history.
“This is a great group of kids. Heading into our first week of the season I thought they had potential be something special. What we lack in height, we make up for in hustle, great shooting and solid guard play,” says Smith.
After a solid regular season that saw victories over Griggsville-Perry, North Greene and North Mac, South County entered postseason play as a six seed in a very talented Regional.
“We knew we were going to have to battle and win some tough games. That’s what these boys did. We set the tone with a win in our first regional game and just kept building momentum.”
South County’s seven game postseason run was filled with drama, comebacks, overtimes, thrills and chills for players, coaches and fans.
It all started with a 27-25 nail biting win over Nokomis, followed by a 39-23 win vs Pawnee and a Regional title win over Springfield Blessed Sacrament 35-30.
Up next, fans saw a pair of instant classics. A 27-25 win over Calhoun for the Sectional title and a 23-22 victory vs Brimfield in the first round at State.
“We just kept finding a way to win. Going on big runs late in games, coming up with clutch shots, it was something special,” says Smith.
In the Semifinals, South County fell to Effingham St. Anthony 40-18, but rebounded quickly with a 30-25 win over Burr Ridge to secure the third place title.
South County Forward Garrett Hill says his favorite moment from this roller coaster season was hearing that final buzzer vs Burr Ridge. “Our defense always steps up and was the biggest part of these wins. The entire experience was exciting and unbelievable. We really had fun as a team.”
Smith says behind every postseason game was a packed house cheering on the Vipers. “The fans from Franklin and Waverly were tremendous. We had the full support of this community and we could feel them on the court.”
When looking back at the historic season, Smith isn’t buying into the “Cinderella Story” theme for the Vipers.
“I never saw us as underdogs and neither did our kids. Every player worked hard, bought into the program and it paid off. If you want to make a run to the top you have to put your all into the game. These boys played their hearts out and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Guard Hurley Bennett describes every postseason game as a battle.
“It took the whole team working together to make it as far as we did. The community support was huge. They didn’t give up on us when we were down and we went on a big run to win 3rd place.”
Bringing home a third place title is more than just an item in the trophy case, it’s a building block to learning what it takes to become a champion. Smith says his goal is to get every player ready for the high school level.
“This run has done so much for the confidence of our players. Now they know what it takes to get to the next level. I’m excited to watch them thrive for our community over the next five years.”
For a full recap of South County’s season, go to iesa.org.
