SHELBYVILLE - The St. Joseph-Ogden boys' basketball team took a step closer to becoming a Final Four team, defeating Flora in their sectional semifinal game last night, 50-40.
Senior Luke Landrus was on fire, converting 71% on his shot attempts, leading the Spartan scoring effort with 22 points.
Up 21-17 at the half, SJO scored another 29 to advance to Friday's title game against the winner of tonight's contest between Unity and Teutopolis.
Logan Smith, also a senior, finished the night with 16 points and had a pair of steals. Meanwhile, Coy Taylor led the team in rebounds with five and distributed six assists. He and Tanner Jacobs finished with four points each.
Tanner Siems and Collin Thomey rounded the Spartans' offensive effort with two points each in win number 27 of the season.
ST. JOSEPH - By now, you know that the boys' basketball team at St. Joseph-Ogden won their regional title on Friday. To reach the title game, the Spartans had to win their semifinal contest against Sullivan last Wednesday.
The Redskins, unable to stop SJO from scoring in the paint, found themselves down 15-2 a little more than six minutes after the opening tip.
Coy Taylor led the initial SJO charge with six points under the basket, while Luke Landrus, Logan Smith, Tanner Jacob, and Tanner Siems scored a bucket each in the first quarter. The Spartans continued their scoring onslaught extending their lead to 20 points at the half on the way to a decisive 59-25 win over the Redskins on their home floor.
Jacob led all scorers, averaging one point for every minute he was on the floor, with 18 points. Taylor finished the game with 13 points and led the team's rebounding effort with six boards. Smith was the third-leading scorer with nine points and eight assists.
Sullivan's offensive effort that led to a decent 22-10 record and a second-place finish in the Lincoln Prairie Conference fell short in the postseason against the Illini Prairie Conference champions. The Redskins converted on just 10 of their 43 shots and were 5-for-10 from the free-throw line in the season-ending contest.
MONTICELLO - Their second game of the season against Warrensburg-Latham was over by halftime. The Unity girls' basketball team enjoyed a 23-9 lead thanks to Addison Ray's three treys in the first two periods en route to a 49-34 regional semifinal win over the Cardinals on Monday.
Illinois College recruit Raegen Stringer (six rebounds, four assists) led all scorers with 17 points for the Rockets. Ray tacked on five points to her first-half total, finishing with 14 points and five rebounds. Clare Meharry came off the bench and contributed double digits, contributing 10 points to the cause.
Unity's Lauren Haas and Meredith Reed finished the game with four points each. Haas, who dished out three assists, led the team on the boards with eight rebounds.
Two weeks ago, the Rockets beat the Cardinals at home in their non-conference game, 54-46.
Sophomore Delaney Garner paced the Warrensburg-Latham scoring effort with 12 points. Meanwhile, Breanna Dutcher went four-for-four from the free-throw line to finish with seven points.
Advancing to the Monticello regional title game, Unity will face Paris, who are also 19-11. The Tigers advanced after knocking off the host Sages, 42-37.