Spartans played their tails off, fall to Maroons after solid first half

For two quarters St. Joseph-Ogden dominated the floor in their road game against Champaign Central.

After holding the host Maroons (5-6) scoreless in the first quarter and forging a 24-18 halftime lead, the Spartans (6-2) fell 43-39 picking up their second consecutive loss in early season play.

Payton Cain gets a high-five from teammate Chance Izard in the first half. (Photo: PhotoNews Medial/Clark Brooks)

"When we got tired we made some mental mistakes," said head coach Kiel Duval in his first comments about the game. "We played our tails off on the defensive end."

SJO led by as many as ten until late in the third period when 6-4 guard Khailieo Terry buried six points and Diego Sanchez drilled a pair of threes to nudge Central past the Spartans by two, 33-31.

"He's a really good player," Duval said the Maroon's marquee player. "Terry takes all you attention every single possession."

After the lousy first quarter Terry said he had to adjust the way he attacked the rim.

"Every time I drove they were looking to take a charge. I just had work around the perimeter a little more," he said. (I had to) get my buckets in transition. (I had to) push them. Make them hurt."

Despite the hurt, playing on fumes, the SJO contingent gave their all. Despite the majority of their shots falling short of the hole in the final quarter, they didn't let up on relentless attacks and slashes into the paint.

Payton Cain and Chance Izard could get in and penetration for otherwise easy shots while Ty Pence had nice open looks from the outside. Unfortunately, whenever the trio put the orange rock up, it missed.

"It seemed like we were short on every single shot," Duval said, sharing his fourth quarter observation.

Short on endurance for games like SJO's non-league game against the Maroons, he was adamant that his team needs to practice a little harder so they can go the distance in four-quarter sprint fests like Tuesday night's contest. "If you practice hard like that all the time, those shots start falling in the fourth quarter."

Conner Hodge nibbled at Central's five-point lead late in the last quarter of the game, narrowing it with a bucket from the paint. Later, Jordan Kelly delivered the team's last field of the game to make the score, 38-37.

With 9.3 left on the game clock, SJO still had an outside chance to at least tie up the game. Unfortunately, a clutch free throw from Reece Jacobson sealed the Maroons program's 1,736th win.

Izard emerged as the team's leading scorer with 15 points for SJO. Pence, who led his team in rebounding with five boards, finished with eight points. Cain also contributed eight points and was perfect from the free throw line make all four of his attempts.

Held scoreless in the first quarter, Central's Terry scored 15 of his 17 total points in the second and third quarters. The junior was credited with nine rebounds in first game back for the Maroons this season after a seven game hiatus.

Sanchez, who had four rebounds for the Maroons, finished with eight second half points, thanks in part to a pair of treys in the third quarter.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	8	16	7	8	- 39
Champaign Central	0	18	15	10	- 43

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Conner Hodge 2, Payton Cain 8, Jordan Kelly 4, Payton Grimsley 2, Chance Izard 15 and Ty Pence 8.

Champaign Central: Terry 17, Jacobson 4, Wagner 6, Marshall 3, Allen 2, Roosevelt 3 and Sanchez 8.