The Sentinel: SJO Basketball

Parker Fitch’s 27 points lead St. Joseph-Ogden past Eagles

RANTOUL - Parker Fitch had a career night, scoring 27 points in his 29-minute appearance for St. Joseph-Ogden in the team's road game against the Eagles (13-14). The junior went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line and finished 6-for-11 from three-point range in SJO's 77-55 Illini Prairie victory on Tuesday.

Senior Tanner Siems recorded a double-double, scoring 19 points and dominating the paint with 14 of the Spartans' 32 rebounds. Starting guard Coy Taylor rounded out the top three scorers with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists, helping secure SJO's 18th win of the season and ending a two-game skid.

The win improved St. Joseph-Ogden to 6-1 in the Illini Prairie Conference, setting up a dramatic matchup Friday night at home against Unity with conference title implications. The Rockets are the only undefeated team in the conference at 7-0. The forecasted freezing rain could be a factor, but if conditions hold, it promises to be an exciting night of high school basketball on Valentine's Day.

St. Joseph-Ogden Basketball dominates in Illini Prairie Conference road win

CHAMPAIGN - Four St. Joseph-Ogden players scored in double figures as the Spartans cruised to an 85-33 victory over St. Thomas More in an Illini Prairie Conference matchup Tuesday night. The nearly complete team effort propelled SJO to a dominant performance on the road.

Kody McKinney is all smiles after earning his 2025 Christie Clinic Shootout Player of the Game award. On Tuesday, the junior led the Spartans to a conference win over St. Thomas More with 16 points.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

With the win, the St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team improved to 16-5 overall and remains tied with Unity at the top of the IPC standings, both teams holding a perfect 4-0 record in conference play.

Kody McKinney led the Spartans with 16 points, including six of eight shots from the field and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line. The 5-foot-10 junior also dished out three assists in just 16 minutes of play. Collin Thomey and Nolan Franzen each added 15 points, while Parker Fitch contributed 13 points to round out the top scorers. Franzen also led the team in rebounds with eight, followed by senior Tanner Siems, who grabbed six boards.

The Spartans showcased their depth, with five additional players contributing to a combined team shooting percentage of 51%. Meanwhile, St. Thomas More struggled offensively, making only 14 of 39 field goal attempts and converting just one of nine free-throw opportunities.

SJO will look to continue its strong Illini Prairie Conference campaign when it hosts Monticello (11-9) this Friday at the high school. Despite conference losses to Paxton-Buckley-Loda and Central Catholic, Monticello remains a tough opponent after an impressive victory over Seneca at the Christie Clinic Shootout.

Tanner Siems logs another double-double, SJO wins IPC game at IVC

CHILLICOTHE - In another thrilling display on the hardwood, St. Joseph-Ogden showcased their prowess, securing a hard-earned victory over Illinois Valley Central with a final score of 58-53. Tanner Siems proved to be a standout for the Spartans, delivering his second double-double of the week. The senior dominated beneath the basket, racking up 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. His defensive tenacity was on full display with three steals, contributing crucially to his team's defensive effort.

Leading the charge in scoring was Coy Taylor, who notched an impressive 23 points, including a stellar 12-for-16 performance from the free-throw line. Taylor, a senior leader for St. Joseph-Ogden, also tallied nine rebounds and led the team in assists, further solidifying his impact on the game.

Despite a lean bench rotation that saw action from only eight players, the Spartans managed to convert 19 of their 52 field goal attempts, showing efficiency particularly from the charity stripe where they sank 18 of 28 attempts. Parker Fitch and Collin Thomey were perfect from the line, each contributing crucial points in the victory.

Looking ahead, the 13-5 Spartans remain focused as they prepare to host the Prairie Central Hawks (6-13) later today at 5:30 PM. Seeking their third conference win, St. Joseph-Ogden aims to maintain their momentum in the competitive Illini Prairie Conference.

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Kearney leads Spartans in conference loss at Monticello

MONTICELLO - Coming off an 18-point decision over St. Thomas More earlier in the week, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team lost 34-24 on the road at Monticello on Thursday.

Going 3-for-4 from the free-throw line, Sara Kearney led St. Joseph-Ogden with 10 points. Katie Ericksen finished with eight points. Kayla Osterbur collected four points in the second quarter, and Timera Blackburn-Kelley was held to just a third-quarter field goal.

The Spartans held a one-point lead after the first quarter, but the Sages found their stride in the second quarter, outscoring their visitors 21-13 over the next two frames. Each team made just one field goal in the fourth quarter, with the remainder of the scoring coming from free-throw conversions.

Monticello enjoyed scoring from seven players. Megan Allen led all scorers with 13 points. Sophomore Sara Cresap finished with 10 points, contributing in all four quarters for the Sages. Ali Weidmer, another sophomore, contributed five points, and Annie Robinson, who scored the only bucket in the final quarter, drained a trey to round out Monticello's top scorers.

St. Joseph-Ogden drops to 2-3 in the Illini Prairie Conference and 8-12 overall.

Monticello improves to 2-2 in the conference and 12-8 overall. The conference is currently led by Bloomington Central Catholic at 4-0, followed by Illinois Valley Central. The Unity Rockets round out the top three spots in the IPC.

Next week, St. Joseph-Ogden hosts St. Teresa on Monday at the high school. On Thursday, the Spartans travel to Bloomington to take on the undefeated Saints.

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St. Joseph-Ogden's Siems drops 32 points in Spartan's latest hardcourt victory

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO's Tanner Siems during the Christie Clinic Shootout. The senior drilled 32 points at Wednesday's home game against the Panthers.

ST. JOSEPH - The St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team improved to 13-5 on Wednesday after defeating Manteno at home, 61-52.

SJO smothered the visiting Panthers in the first half, taking a 39-18 lead into the locker room at the half. Despite Manteno outscoring the Spartans 16-14 in the last two quarters, St. Joseph-Ogden held on for the W.

Tanner Siems led the SJO offense with a double-double, scoring 32 points, and hogged the action in the paint with 19 rebounds. Senior guard Coy Taylor finished with double digits, contributing 10 points and four boards. Siems also led the Spartans in steals with three to his credit.

The St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team looks to extend their five-game win streak on Friday with a road conference game at Illinois Valley Central. SJO is currently fourth behind Bloomington Central Catholic, Unity, and Rantoul in the Illini Prairie Conference standings.

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How sweet it is! Spartans extract revenge over Titans in semifinal game

NORMAL - For a third year in a row, the St. Joseph-Ogden boys' basketball program is in the State Farm Holiday Classic small school championship game. The Spartans prevailed in an exciting seesaw battle against El Paso-Gridley, 52-49.

After leading the entire first quarter and nearly half of the second, EPG took the lead behind three treys from Braden Hayes combined with a three from Jayvion Maxon and buckets to start and end the period, 32-29.

Ryker Lockhart (7 points) put the Spartans back on top with back-to-back three-pointers, going up 35-32 early in the third quarter. Hayes, who finished with 22 points, drained two more from the outside to help the Titans to a 45-40 advantage.

EPG stretched their lead to seven after a bucket from Micah Meiss (12 points) to start the fourth quarter. SJO quickly responded, scoring three unanswered buckets after a free throw from Coy Taylor to retake the lead with 2:24 remaining, 49-47. Meiss immediately knotted the score at 49-all and missed a critical free throw.

With less than a minute on the clock, Tanner Siems, who led the Spartans with 19 points, broke the deadlock with his fourth bucket in the frame. Up 51-49 and one second away from revenge for last year's loss, Coy Taylor (12 points) missed his first of two free throws and converted on the second to secure the Spartan victory by three.

The win extended the Spartans win streak to four games while improving to 7-3 overall.

Heading into Monday's title game, Tanner Siems has scored 43 of the 153 produced by SJO during the tournament. Coy Taylor, the second-leading scorer and free-throw shooter (13-19), has 37 points. Meanwhile, Parker Fitch and Collin Thomey have contributed 21 and 19, respectively.

On Saturday, after beating Quincy Notre Dame 80-57 a day earlier, Pecatonica slipped Normal University 56-54 to punch their ticket into the finale. The Indians opened the State Farm tournament with an impressive 83-53 win over Olympia.

This will the the toughest test for the Spartans so far this season. The Indians have four players who need to be contained defensively. Cooper Hoffman has drained 67 of his team's 220 points. Zion Briamah with 32 points, Brody Black with 41, and Jaxon Diedrich with 27 are threats. Hoffman scored 33 against Quincy Notre Dame.

The Small School Division championship game is scheduled to start at 5:15 PM on Monday at Illinois Wesleyan's Shirk Center. Admission is $15 for adults at the door. Ticket prices for Students with ID (K-12), Senior Citizens, Active Military, and Veterans are $10. Admission is good for all four title and third-place contests.

December 7, 2024 .::. 27 Photos

Outlasting a talented Tri-Valley squad, SJO basketball advances to State Farm tournament quarterfinals

BLOOMINGTON - The St. Joseph-Ogden boys basketball team trailed on the scoreboard for 19 minutes of their quarterfinal game against Tri-Valley (10-1) at the State Farm Holiday Classic. That was until Spartan Coy Taylor sank a field goal with 4:57 left in the game to give his team the one-point go-ahead, 41-40. Persistent and tenacious, SJO (5-3) held the late game lead to win by two 44-42 at Illinois Wesleyan's Shirk Center on Friday.

Down by four, seven minutes away from being bumped into the consolation bracket, Ryker Lockhart drilled a three-pointer to close the gap by one before Taylor's bucket.

After a brief six-point advantage, SJO led by two at the end of the first quarter, 14-12. Vikings' Tommy Kinsella tied the game up a little over a minute into the second quarter, forcing SJO to battle through the next two and a quarter periods in catch-up mode.

Senior Tanner Siems led the team offensively, scoring 10 points. Will Haley added nine points of his own, and Parker Fitch finished with 8 points in SJO's scoring effort.

Tri-Valley Kinsella led all scorers with 15 points, and teammate Ayden Jensen, who went 6-for-6 from the free throw line, chipped in 12 more.

St. Joseph-Ogden's Coy Taylor tries to dribble around El Paso-Gridley's Chancesaye Maxon during last December's small school title game at the Shirk Center. Up by two and with less than two seconds on the game clock, St. Joseph-Ogden lost the back-and-forth game 49-48, thanks to a 20-footer launched by Maxon at the buzzer.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

One game away from making a third-consecutive appearance in the tournament's championship contest, St. Joseph-Ogden will face a familiar foe at 4:30 PM on Saturday at Normal West High School. The Spartans will be looking for revenge on El Paso-Gridley, last year's small school champs, after suffering a heart-breaking loss in a buzzer-beater at the Shirk Center last December.

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3 Spartans deliver double-digits in 14-point win over Bago at State Farm basketball tournament

NORMAL - The St. Joseph-Ogden's boys basketball team snagged their first win at the annual State Farm Holiday Classic on Thursday, handing Winnebago a 56-42 loss. The Spartans (5-3) manufactured a 32-23 lead after the first two periods, stretching their advantage in the second half by 14 points in the remaining 20 seconds.

Coy Taylor goes up for a shot during the Spartans' Toyota of Danville Classic game against Charleston. Taylor was instrumental in SJO's win over Winnebago. The senior went 4-for-4 in the first quarter to give his team a three-point lead over the Indians.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Coy Taylor led SJO's scoring effort with 19 points. Tanner Siems added another 14 points and Collin Thomey chipped in 10. The trio, frequent visitors to the free throw line, made 12 of their 17 attempts. Taylor went 6-for-7.

The Spartans advance to the Small School Boys bracket quarterfinals to face Tri-Valley at 4:30 PM on Friday. The Trojans advanced after knocking off Rock Falls, 58-40.