Junior High Girls Basketball
The junior high basketball season is now into the playoffs. The 7th grade girls are entering sectional play this week while the 8th grade girls start regional play this week. It’s a busy time for basketball fans.
Virginia Elementary School received the top seed in the Beardstown regional and took a victory over Pittsfield 51-19 on November 24 and then defeated Schuyler-Industry in the regional final on November 26. The Lady Redbirds move on to play Williamsville Junior High in Williamsville on December 3.
Congratulations to Kora Kinstle for receiving the regional championship game sportsmanship award.
High School Girls Basketball
Small schools in the area kicked off the high school girls basketball season with the Waverly Thanksgiving Tournament held November 21-26.
Carrollton defeated Auburn in the championship game for the title. It’s the second straight title at Waverly for the Lady Hawks. South County downed Triopia in the third place game.
South County is now 4-2 on the season, while Triopia slipped to 3-2. South County slides directly into MSM Conference play this week. Triopia does, too, as they kick off their WIVC schedule at Greenfield-Northwestern on December 1.
Jacksonville’s girls so far have started the season 0-5. Hopefully with the turn of the calendar, the Lady Crimsons will pick up some wins moving into the Christmas holiday tournaments ahead.
The West Central girls have started the season 3-0 with three straight non-conference wins, including a dramatic 63-61 overtime victory over 2A powerhouse Porta-AC Central on November 25 at home.
More non-conference games on the way this week with a visit to Pittsfield on December 4 and back home on December 6 against Havana.
High School Boys Basketball
Routt Catholic High School saw a bit of high school basketball history at the Gene Bergschneider Turkey Tournament in New Berlin this past week.
RCHS senior Bryson Mossman became the school’s all-time basketball leading scorer on November 24 in their opening round matchup of the tournament against Springfield Lutheran.
Bryan Groves, a 1989 graduate of Routt, held the mark of 1,642 for 36 years. Mossman passed the mark in the first quarter of the game and finished with 30 points overall in the 68-45 win. Routt is currently 3-0 so far on the season and are looking towards the championship game coming up this week. The tournament was slowed down this week due to the winter storm.
Triopia has struggled at the Turkey tournament. They are currently 1-2 and are hoping to finish the tournament at .500 winning percentage before moving in season play this week.
The South County Vipers had a switch of opponents at the last minute on November 28. Macon-Meridian decided not to travel west due to the impending storm so Hamilton-West Hancock drove to meet the Vipers. The Vipers, however, opened the season with a 56-53 loss to the Titans. They start MSM conference play on December 2 at Edinburg.
West Central has opened their schedule 1-1 with a win over Rushville-Industry 56-41 on the road and a loss to rival Springfield-Calvary at home 70-56. The Cougars travel to Barry-Western for another non-conference matchup on December 2.
Jacksonville started its season 1-0 with a 64-61 win over Dunlap on November 28. The Crimsons held on for a 64-61 win to start the Crimson Classic at The Bowl. Again, Mother Nature postponed games. The Crimsons start CS8 conference play against Chatham-Glenwood on December 3 on the road.
Illinois College
It was a quiet week on the Hilltop for sports this week. The Illinois College men’s basketball team posted an 86-71 win over Knox in the Midwest Conference opener last Tuesday at Sherman Gymnasium. The Blueboys improved to 3-4 overall. They continue conference play at Monmouth on December 3.
The Illinois College women’s basketball team’s rally fell just short as it dropped an 86-74 decision to Knox in the Midwest Conference opener for both teams last Tuesday at Sherman Gymnasium. IC moved to 3-4 overall. They also continue conference play at Monmouth on December 3.
