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In boys basketball
Macon County Championship
➜ Argenta-Orellana 62, Central A&M 52. Fifth-seeded Argenta-Orellana trailed seventh-seeded Central A&M 33-24 in the first half before the Bombers transformed the defense in the second half en route to a win in the consolation championship game at Argenta. AO (5-5) entered the fourth quarter leading 48-46 before holding the Raiders to just six points in the final eight minutes. Ethan Mahan scored a game-high 19 points, connecting with five 3-pointers, to lead the Bombers. Jalen Flowers had 16 points and Chase Logue scored 15 points for AO.
Other than heroism
➜ Arcola 67, Schlarman 33. Arcola got off to a fast start and took a 24-5 lead in the second quarter of a final non-conference road win at Shebby Gymnasium. Jackson Miller scored 20 points for the Purple Raiders (3-2) in their second straight win, while Braden Phillips scored 15 points and Gerardo Alanis scored 14 points. Peyton Koemerle and Jamarria McNeil accounted for nearly half of Schlarman’s (1-5) offensive production, with Koemerle scoring 14 points and McNeil contributing 12.
➜ Armstrong-Potomac 59, Milford 58. The game ended close throughout for the visiting Trojans, as Armstrong-Potomac relied on Cole Bailey’s outside shooting to outscore the Bearcats. Bailey scored a team-high 21 points thanks to four 3-pointers — including two in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 46 points early in the quarter — to lead AP (4-2) to its third straight win, all by single digits. James Huizinga and Nathan Rogers joined Bailey in double figures, with Huizinga scoring 14 points and Rogers contributing 10 points. Gavin Schunk also made four 3-pointers and finished with 23 points for Milford (2-4), while teammates Bo Wright scored 12 points and Carson Shields scored 11 points.
➜ Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 57, La Salette 45. Ayden Ingram was efficient both inside and outside the three-point arc, scoring a game-high 24 points to lead Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin to a non-conference road victory. Ingram knocked down four 3-pointers as the Blue Devils (7-1) won their third straight game. Keason Peoples scored 12 points and Micah Stanford added eight as BHRA led 35-15 at halftime. La Salette (2-2) got a team-high 15 points from Eamonn Martin to 11 from Ian Whitehead and nine from John Browner.
➜ Blue Ridge 63, Fisher 40. Blue Ridge put five players in double figures, with balanced scoring leading the host Knights to a non-conference win in Farmer City. Colin Michaels and Wyatt Pearl each scored 12 points for Blue Ridge (5-2) and Isaac Price had 11 as the Knights led the Rabbits 15-2 at the end of the first quarter. Corbin Colbert and Zach Lewis each finished with 10 points for Blue Ridge and Jean Saez nearly reached double figures with eight points. Ryan Hopkins scored a game-high 19 points for Fisher (3-6) and Cam Grant added 10 points.
➜ Centennial 52, Normal West 50. Centennial’s home opener at Coleman Carrodine Gym saw the Chargers take a hotly contested Big 12 win. Jaden Schilp scored a team-high 14 points to lead Centennial (5-1) to its second straight win. Jacoby Posey also reached double figures for Centennial with 10 points, Todd McCabo added nine points, and Kellen Fultz scored seven points.
➜ Danville First Baptist 60, Faith Baptist 31. Eli Ebling scored 13 points, Nevin Harris finished with 10, and First Baptist (8-1) cruised to the win.
➜ El Paso-Gridley 62, Prairie Central 42. The visiting Hawks fell behind by double digits in the first half and couldn’t come back in the second half in a non-conference loss. Levi Goad scored a team-high 15 points, Tyler Curl scored seven and Gage Steidinger finished with six for Prairie Central (6-2).
➜ Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 61, Watseka 40. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley built on a strong second half to earn a non-conference home win, the Falcons’ third straight win. Brayden Elliott scored a game-high 19 points to lead GCMS (5-1) and Ty Krebit finished with 10 points as the Falcons hit 10 3-pointers on the night, with Elliott hitting three and Krebit making two. Five other players drained the other five shots. Spencer Kleist and Alex Ward each added seven points for GCMS, which led 27-21 at halftime. Payton Schaumburg scored a team-high 16 points for Watseka (2-5), while Myles Lynch scored 10 points.
➜ Hoopeston Area 47, Paxton Buckley Loda 40. The host Cornerkers held off a second-period Paxton Buckley Loda rally to clinch a non-conference win. Owen Root scored a game-high 23 points for Hoopeston Area (6-3), which led 29-18 at halftime, but cut its lead to 33-31 to start the fourth quarter. Kendrick Segerel (nine points, 10 rebounds), Wyatt Eisenman (seven points) and Trenton Montez (five points, six assists) completed Root’s efforts. Robert Boyd Mintz scored a team-high 18 points for the Panthers (2-5), and his teammate Noah Steiner added seven points.
➜ Mahomet-Seymour 59, Effingham 37. A first-half defensive struggle saw Mahomet-Seymour’s offense explode in the third quarter, leading the Bulldogs to an Apollo Conference home win against the Flaming Hearts. Jackson Bohm and Luke Dyer tied for the team-high in scoring with 12 points each for MS (4-4), with Bohm scoring all of his points in the second half as the Bulldogs increased their 18-10 halftime lead to 41-20 by the start of the fourth quarter. . Landyn Hannah provided nine points and Braden Pagel collected seven points for MS in its second straight win.
➜ Mount Zion 65, Monticello 34. Monticello had trouble slowing down Mount Zion, as the visiting Braves made 57 percent of their shots and forced 16 turnovers during the non-conference game at the Savers Center. Rayden Colbert scored a team-high nine points for Monticello (2-3), all on 3-pointers. Trey Welter (seven points, five rebounds) and Gatsby Grant (six points) also contributed, but Monticello fell behind 18-3 early.
➜ Peoria 61, Danville 51. Danville led 17-11 in the second quarter, but the Vikings couldn’t hang on in a Big 12 loss on the road. Didi Robinson scored a team-high 21 points for Danville (3-4), which snapped a two-game losing streak. CL Dye hit a hat-trick of 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for the Vikings, while teammates Devan Larkin (eight points) and Jerry Reed (six points) scored.
➜ Tuscola 84, Uni High 7. Tuscola had little trouble with the Ellinx, taking a 26-0 lead at the end of the first quarter in a non-conference home win. Cayden Rousseau scored a game-high 28 points to go with nine rebounds for the Warriors (6-0), while Josiah Horten and Logan Kurtz each scored 11 points. Jordan Quinn finished with 10 points, and Aiden Devlin contributed six rebounds and four assists. Adam Popat scored three points for Uni High (0-9).
➜ Unit 71, Taylorville 31. Unit went on the road and put together another all-around performance, earning a non-conference win for its second win by at least 40 points this week. The Rockets (5-0) maintained their undefeated record thanks to four players with double figures, led by Henry Thomas, who scored a game-high 18 points. Al-Wahda scored 11 three-pointers in the win and ended the first half leading 48-16. Andrew Thomas scored 13 points, while Dalton O’Neal and Jay Saunders each scored 11 points. Tyler Henry joined the game with seven points.
In girls basketball
➜ Fisher 48, Blue Ridge 18. The visiting Rabbitohs steadily pulled away for a non-conference win in Farmer City. Fisher (7-5) led 14-8 at the end of the first quarter before limiting the Knights to one basket in the second quarter and taking a 27-11 lead into halftime. Melina Loyando scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Bunnies, while Jenna Clemons contributed eight points. Phoebe Reynolds scored a team-high six points for Blue Ridge (2-7).
On Friday night, the spotlight was on the Chargers as they delivered an impressive performance at home. Led by Schilb, the team hit big and showcased their skills on the court. The game was filled with thrilling moments and impressive plays that had the crowd on their feet. As the Chargers secured a big win, it was clear that they are a force to be reckoned with in the world of sports. Let’s take a closer look at the standout moments and highlights from this exciting game.