2021 Toyota of Danville boys basketball tournament schedule released

Ty Pence looks for an open teammate to pass the ball during St. Joseph-Ogden's 2020 Toyota of Danville Classic game against LaSalette. After a pandemic hiatus in 2020, the eight-team tourney returns starting on November 30. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Formerly known as The Leader Classic, the annual Toyota of Danville Classic boys basketball tournament will tipoff at 5pm on November 30 with the opening game between Schlarman and Oakwood.

This year's eight teams include Georgetown Ridge-Farm, Watseka, La Salette, and Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond in Pool A.

Pool B teams include Cissna Park, Schlarman and Oakwood, along with the hosts and the 2019 champions, St. Joseph-Ogden.

St. Joseph-Ogden will play their first game on Tuesday, November 30 at 8pm and face Oakwood 24 hours later on December 1. The team will play their final pool game on Friday at 8pm against Schlarman.

Admission fees for this year's tournament are $4 for adults and $3 for students. Tickets will be available at the ticket booth at the main entrance before each game.

2021 Toyota of Danville Classic

Tuesday, 11/30/21:
5:00 PM: Danville Schlarman vs. Oakwood
6:30 PM: LaSalette vs. Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond
8:00 PM: Cissna Park vs. SJO

Wednesday, 12/1/21:
5:00 PM: Danville Schlarman vs. Cissna Park
6:30 PM: Watseka vs. Georgetown Ridge-Farm
8:00 PM: Oakwood vs. SJO

Thursday, 12/2/21:
5:00 PM: Georgetown Ridge Farm vs. LaSalette
6:30 PM: Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond vs. Watseka
8:00 PM: Cissna Park vs. Oakwood

Friday, 12/3/21:
5:00 PM: Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond vs. Georgetown Ridge Farm
6:30 PM: LaSalette vs. Watseka
8:00 PM: SJO vs. Danville Schlarman

Saturday, 12/4/21:
1:00 PM: 7th Place Game
2:30 PM: 5th Place Game
4:00 PM: 3rd Place Game
5:30 PM: 1st Place Game

Cain and Izard make Toyota of Danville Classic all-tournament team

St. Joseph-Ogden guard Chance Izard was selected as this year's Most-Valuable-Player by participating coaches at the Toyota of Danville Classic.

Izard, who had a season high 24 points in his team's final tournament game against Watseka, was also responsible for five of the team's 11 steals in that game. Over the first five games this season, the senior has tallied 93 points for an average of 18.6 per game. He put up a career-high 25 points in SJO's 74-39 win over Schlarman Academy.

From the free throw line Izard drained 10 of 16 attempts. After a lukewarm 4-and-9 start over the first three games this season, he has not missed a free throw in his last two outings, making all six attempts.

Payton Cain also received well-deserved recognition from coaches.

The senior guard finished the tournament with 42 point over four days. Not a frequent visitor to the charity stripe, Cain was 2-for-4 on free throws.

Members of this year's Toyota of Danville all-tournament team are listed below.

2019 All-Tournament Team:
Emmanuel Garcia Camilo, Notre Dame de La Salette
Jamal Taylor, Schlarman Academy
Conner Curry, Watseka
Cale Steinbaugh, Georgetown-Ridge Farm
Ian Rogers, Cissna Park
Payton Cain, St. Joseph-Ogden

All-Tournament Team MVP:
Chance Izard, St. Joseph-Ogden

Varsity basketball picks up second win

To pick up their second win of season St. Joseph-Ogden had time on their side during their second game of pool play at 2nd Annual Toyota of Danville Classic.

In the comfy confines of their home court, the Spartans held Norte Dame de LaSalatte to just five points for nearly a nine minute in a stretch to win 48-36 on Wednesday.

Spartans' Payton Cain goes up for a shot against LaSalette during his team's second game at the Toyota of Danville Classic on Wednesday. Cain finished the contest with a team-high 10 points. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Payton Cain led SJO in scoring with ten points. The senior, who also booked a team-high seven rebounds, wasn't satisfied.

"We've got a lot of work to do on our offense," Cain said. While it is only the second game of the season for the Spartans, he made it clear that team needs to solidify their identity to be successful. "We've got to find our dignity."

With 31 seconds left in the second quarter, LaSalette's Steven Deister hit a free throw to take a small nibble out of St. Joseph-Ogden's 21-14 lead. For nearly the next 10 minutes the Lions mustered just five points as the Spartans widen the scoring gap by 20 points at 39-19 with just 6:51 to the final buzzer.

Thanks to a strong defensive effort, SJO followed up a 6-0 run at the start the second frame with 12 unanswered points before the Lions' Joseph McCall hit two free throws to put the score at 39-21.

"On the defensive end we've done a great job getting stops," said Cain, who had 10 steals and used them to tack points on the scoreboard for the host team. "If we stop teams, our offensive will come up and finish out the game strong."

Once again, and it looks to be a regular theme this season, the Spartans enjoyed a nice balance of scoring from starters and the bench. All four classes did their part to secure the win.

Frosh starter Ty Pence was the second leading scorer with eight points. He went 4-for-4 from the free throw line - all of them in the second quarter - and had four rebounds.

Spectators react as SJO's Drew Coursey rolls across the floor after diving for a loose ball during first half action. Coursey, who played linebacker during the football season, was unfazed and quickly picked up by teammates moments later. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Andrew Beyers came off the bench to score five points against the Lions. The sophomore shot 50% from the line making his first one in the first half of the game and missing his second half attempt.

Junior Lukas Hutcherson rotated into the fray during the fourth quarter to finish with a trey for the Spartans while Cain and the class of 2020, who combined for 22 more points, did the heavy lifting.

LaSalette's offensive effort was bouyed by David Carlisle. The senior was the only player with double figures, thanks to three three-pointers, capping the evening with 14 points. He was responsible for five of his team's 24 boards.

The Lions' senior was aided by Joseph McCall with eight points. Joseph Martin and Thomas Brauner added another five points apiece.

"They were pretty tough," said Spartans' Drew Coursey. While the three-sport athlete's stats were meager with three points and a rebound, his aggressive presence on the floor created turnover opportunities. "They were physical dudes. They played hard."

Tonight, St. Joseph-Ogden squares off against last year's Classic champions Cissna Park tonight at 8pm. SJO goes into the contest with the hopes of continuing their unblemished record and avenging the 66-37 loss to the Timberwolves, who were also the Class 1A state runner-up back in March.

Here is tonight's Toyota of Danville Classic schedule:

Game 7: La Salette vs. Schlarman, 5 p.m.
Game 8: Georgetown-Ridge Farm vs. Watseka, 6:30 p.m.
Game 9: St. Joseph-Ogden vs. Cissna Park, 8 p.m.