Unity, St. Joseph-Ogden and Uni-High pick up early season victories in our area basketball recap. Bismark-Henning-Rossville-Alvin's Keison Peoples scores 39.
Boys Basketball
ST. JOSEPH - Nolan Franzen led the Spartans to a 66-30 win over Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at the Toyota of Danville Classic on Tuesday. Senior Parker Fitch and sophomore Lane McKinney led six other SJO players in the season-opening victory with 11 and 10 points, respectively. ALAH was led by senior Easton Frederick with eight points and got five more from Will Hilligoss. Marcus Otto chipped in two field goals. Read the SJO vs ALAH recap here
Unity starts season with a win despite Peoples' 39 points
TOLONO - Coleton Langendorf made a quick transition from all-conference football defensive lineman to hardcourt force, leading Unity to a 53-46 win over Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin on Tuesday at the Rocket Center. The senior finished with 17 points and converted five of his seven trips to the free-throw line. Nine other Rockets contributed to the win. Mason O'Neill finished with nine points, and Brayden Henry added six to round out the top three scorers. It was a one-on-five situation for the Blue Devils, who relied on 6-foot-4 Keison Peoples to keep the game competitive. The senior scored 39 points against the Rockets and drew 24 fouls from their defense. Eighteen of his points came from the free-throw line. BHRA's Darin Farr led the team's rebounding effort, snagging seven. Duplicating last year's tough early-season schedule, the Rockets host Rochester on Friday for a nonconference matchup.
Hawks drop home game to Illineks
BROADLANDS - An explosive fourth quarter was not enough for the Hawks to get over the hump in their nonconference game against visiting Urbana University High on Tuesday. Trailing by 16 at the half, the Hawks rallied but fell short in a 48-40 loss. Brayden Jones, who went 4-for-4 from the line, led Heritage with 13 points, five assists and nine rebounds. Sophomore Cameron Johnson added 10 points, and Clark Roland chipped in nine. James Dillon rounded out the scoring with six points and six rebounds. The Hawks return to action Saturday for a 2:15 p.m. game at Chrisman.
Area Scoreboard
Toyota of Danville Classic
Paxton-Buckley-Loda 58, Cissna Park 47Bishop McNamara 60, Charleston 37
