By Ben Cox
Photos provided
Area high school and college teams packed a full slate of games into the week leading up to the holidays, with conference races taking shape, tournaments wrapping up and weather playing a role in scheduling.
We will have a full list of tournament games after this week as we look forward to the Waverly Holiday Tournament on the boys’ side of basketball, while many of the girls will head to Beardstown for the Lady Tiger Classic. Then, once the calendar turns to the new year, the historic Winchester Tournament will arrive and more.
JHS Boys Basketball
The Jacksonville High School boys basketball team continued its Central State 8 Conference schedule with a pair of challenging road tests. The Crimsons dropped an 80-65 decision to Springfield High on Dec. 9 before falling 74-61 to Lanphier in Springfield on Dec. 12.
Both games counted toward the conference standings, leaving Jacksonville still in search of its first CS8 win.
Jacksonville now stands at 1-4 overall and 0-3 in conference play. The Crimsons are set for a busy stretch leading into Christmas, beginning with a road trip to Bethalto-Civic Memorial on Dec. 16. Jacksonville then returns home to face Chatham-Glenwood on Dec. 20 and Mattoon on Dec. 22.
JHS Girls Basketball
The Jacksonville High School girls basketball team continued to battle through a difficult early-season schedule. The Lady Crimsons fell in a tight contest at North Mac on Dec. 8, dropping a 36-34 decision on the road.
Jacksonville is 0-8 overall and 0-1 in Central State 8 Conference play. The Lady Crimsons remain on the road for much of the upcoming week, traveling to Lanphier on Dec. 16 and Cahokia on Dec. 17 before returning home to host Normal University High on Dec. 20.
Routt Catholic Boys Basketball
Routt Catholic High School’s boys basketball team continued its impressive start to the season, remaining undefeated with a decisive 54-28 victory over Western Illinois Valley Conference rival Triopia on Dec. 9 at the Routt Dome. The Rockets controlled the game from start to finish, improving to 7-0 overall and 1-0 in WIVC play.
Routt will look to keep its perfect record intact when it travels to Abingdon-Avon aka A-Town on Dec. 19.
Triopia Boys Basketball
Triopia’s boys basketball team ran into a tough Routt squad on Dec. 9, falling 54-28 on the road in conference action. The Trojans also saw their scheduled home game against Liberty on Dec. 12 canceled due to weather.
Triopia enters the week with an 0-2 overall record and is 0-1 in WIVC play. The Trojans resume action on the road at Meredosia against Payson-Seymour on Dec. 16, then return home to host Carrollton on Dec. 19 and Camp Point Central on Dec. 22.
Triopia Girls Basketball
The Triopia girls basketball team opened its conference schedule on a high note, defeating West Central 49-38 on Dec. 8. The win improved the Lady Trojans to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in WIVC play.
Triopia continues conference competition with a road game at Carrollton on Dec. 15, followed by a home matchup against Calhoun on Dec. 18.
South County Boys Basketball
South County capped off a strong week by earning a third-place trophy at the North Greene Spartan Classic tournament. The Vipers opened tournament play with a convincing 59-32 win over Barry-Western on Dec. 8. They then suffered a narrow 50-44 loss to Carrollton on Dec. 10 before rebounding with a dramatic 58-56 overtime victory against Griggsville-Perry on Dec. 12.
Leo Bergschneider and Caden Colwell were named to the all-tournament team for their performances throughout the event.
South County is now 5-1 overall and 1-0 in Mid-State Mayfair Conference play. The Vipers return to regular-season action on the road at Greenfield-Northwestern on Dec. 16 before hosting Raymond-Lincolnwood in conference play on Dec. 19.
New Berlin–South County Girls Basketball
The New Berlin-South County girls basketball co-op picked up another win over a familiar opponent, defeating Edinburg-South Fork 50-41 on Dec. 8. It marked the second victory over Edinburg-South Fork this season for the co-op.
New Berlin-South County stands at 6-3 overall and 1-0 in MSM conference play. The team travels to Auburn on Dec. 15 before returning home to face Litchfield on Dec. 18 and West Central on Dec. 22.
West Central Boys Basketball
West Central’s boys basketball team put together an undefeated week with three wins in four days. The Cougars opened the stretch with a 59-44 road victory over Pittsfield on Dec. 9, followed by a 58-36 home win against Gillespie on Dec. 10. West Central closed the week with an impressive 51-25 road win over Pleasant Plains, a Class 2A school, on Dec. 12.
The Cougars are now 5-2 overall and 0-1 in WIVC play. West Central continues conference action against Griggsville-Perry on Dec. 19, then hosts Carlinville in a nonconference matchup on Dec. 22 before the Christmas break.
West Central Girls Basketball
The West Central girls basketball team split its two conference games during the week. The Lady Cougars fell to Triopia 49-38 on the road on Dec. 8 but responded with a strong 47-19 road win over Greenfield-Northwestern on Dec. 10.
West Central is 5-2 overall and 1-1 in WIVC play. The Lady Cougars face a demanding schedule before the holidays, traveling to Camp Point Central on Dec. 15 and Athens on Dec. 16. They return home to host Carlinville in a nonconference game on Dec. 20, then close the pre-Christmas slate on the road at New Berlin-South County on Dec. 22.
Virginia Elementary Girls Basketball
Virginia Elementary’s seventh grade girls basketball team capped off a remarkable season with a third-place finish at the Class 3A state tournament. The Lady Redbirds defeated Downs Tri-Valley on Dec. 11 to secure the state trophy, finishing the season with an outstanding 25-3 record.
Mayla York led the way with 15 points in the third-place game and ended the state tournament as the overall leading scorer, totaling 36 points across three games.
Illinois College Basketball
Winter weather disrupted the Illinois College men’s and women’s basketball schedules on Dec. 13, as a massive storm forced the postponement of games against Beloit. Makeup dates are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The Illinois College men return to action on Dec. 17 with a road game at DePauw University. They are also scheduled to host Blackburn College on Dec. 20 in what could be their final game before the Christmas break.
The Illinois College women are set to travel to Naperville to face North Central College, as they look to close out the first half of their season before the holidays.
