SJO defeats Cissna Park, 9 photos from the game

Spartan Jordan Kelly goes up for a shot on a fast break. The St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team went on to defeat Cissna Park 65-49 in there Toyota of Danville Classic game on Friday. Kelly, who missed on this lay up, finished with six points from two second quarter three-pointers. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Left: Chance Izard takes the ball up on a fast break in the second half. Izard finished the game with a game-high 18 points. Above: Drew Coursey tries to put the ball back up in SJO's Toyota of Danville Classic game on his way to a season high 10 points. (Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Fans talk during a timeout in the first quarter. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Lukas Hutcherson and Conner Hodge celebrate a big play in the second half for the Spartans. Hutcherson finished the night with nine points. Hodge snagged five of SJO's 34 rebounds. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Left: Chance Izard takes a shot in the first half of his team's game against Cissna Park. Right: Drew Coursey reacts to a foul call drawn by teammate Ty Pence. Pence, a freshman, finished his third varsity outing with 14 points and 12 rebounds. (Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

SJO's Maroon Platoon members sport their Christmas sweaters while cheering on the boys basketball team on Friday. (Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

SJO cheerleaders perform a stunt during a timeout in the second half. (Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Spartans beat Cissna Park at Toyota of Danville Classic

Spartan Ty Pence floats above the paint on a second half shot against Cissna Park during their Toyota of Danville Classic game on Friday. Pence notched his first varsity double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to help the Spartans defeat last season's Class 1A state runner-up Timberwolves, 65-49. SJO moves to 3-0 on the season. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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With the lightning fast Chance Izard on the floor and 48% shooting from the field, St. Joseph-Ogden fought to a 64-49 win over Cissna Park in Game 9 of the Toyota of Danville Classic on Friday night.

Izard finished the nightcap with 18 points. The senior guard and emerging team leader had a pair of steals and two rebounds for his team.

The Spartans also received double-digit scoring from Ty Pence and Drew Coursey.

Pence notched the Spartans' only double-double 14 points and 12 boards.

In best game so far this season, Coursey made 71% of the shots he took to finish the night with 10 points in the paint.

"I thought we played really, really well together tonight," said Spartan head coach Kiel Duval. "We did some good things - effort stuff that we were asking them to do in practice - it carried over to the game."

Cissna Park senior Penn Stoller was 4-for-4 from the free throw line racking up 13 team-high points for the Timberwolves. Ian Rogers, a junior, added another 11 and sophomore Malaki Verkler had 10 points.

Ladies win again! SJO knocks off Vikings, 52-45

It took the Danville girls basketball team two quarters to match the Spartans' first quarter scoring output in their non-conference game on Thursday. By the time the game reached the halftime intermission, St. Joseph-Ogden built an impressive 16 point lead and never looked back on their way to a 52-45 victory over the Vikings.

Spartan forward Payton Vallee boxes out Paris' Kelsie Crampton in her team's first home game of the season. In SJO's road game at Danville on Thursday she tied for a team-high finish of ten points with teammate Payton Jacob. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

The Paytons, Jacob and Vallee, led another balanced SJO offensive attack with 10 points each. Vallee was 2-for-2 from the free throw line and Jacob nailed four of her six shots from charity stripe.

Ella Armstrong came off the bench to add seven points while Ashlyn Lannert and Taylor Wells contributed six apiece leading the 10 out of 13 players who lit up the Spartans' side of the scoreboard.

Making eight of her nine free throw attempts, junior Erin Houpt lead the Vikings' offense with a game-high 25 points. Senior Miracle Payne and Tharija Rose, a sophomore, both had six points to round out Danville's top three scorers.

Improving to 6-1 on the season, the Spartans move on to another non-conference game today at 4:30p at Oakwood High School. SJO has one more road game, Mahomet-Seymour on Monday, before enjoying four straight home games heading into the Christmas break.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	13	16	7	16	- 52
Danville	8	5	19	13	- 45

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 6, Payton Jacob 10, Taylor Wells 6, Atleigh Hamilton 2, Katie Cramer 2, Abby Behrens 3, Taylor Barnes 4, Alyssa Hamilton 2, Payton Vallee 2 and Ella Armstrong 10.

Danville: Erin Houpt 25, Tharija Rose 6, Nau'tika Conaway 1, Aanija Reed 1, Zytara Boyd 2, Miracle Payne 6 and Destiny Davis 4.