The Sentinel

Spartan basketball team takes on Teutopolis for sectional title tomorrow

ST. JOSEPH - The bracket is set. St. Joseph-Ogden (27-6) will face Teutopolis (21-10) for the Shelbyville sectional championship game tomorrow at 7 p.m.

The boys' basketball team needs all the support they can get in their second meeting of the two teams this season. The Wooden Shoes prevailed at home in early January with a 13-point victory, 53-40, over the SJO.

"We want to try to get as many people as we can to this game to support our team," St. Joseph-Ogden athletic director Justin Franzen told The Sentinel earlier this week.

The St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team hopes to have, as they enjoyed at Unity on February 9, hundreds of supportive fans on March 1 for their sectional title game against T-town. The Wooden Shoes will be well-represented for the game just 35 miles from their home. (Photo: PhotoNews Media)

Ticket info:

Tickets for the game are available online now for just $7. Fans attending the game can order them at https://gofan.co/event/1410359?schoolId=IL15331. Spartan fans can also buy tickets at the door for $8 at Shelbyville High School.

Teutoplis advanced to the title game after defeating Unity last night in a close game, 48-39. The Rockets, who beat the Wooden Shoes back on December 2 by 12, closed their season with a 26-5 record.

Postseason basketball: Landrus propels SJO to Friday's sectional title game

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.

Celebration of Black voices tonight at Champaign's Douglass Annex

CHAMPAIGN - As Black History Month comes to a close, a celebration of Black voices will be held at the Douglass Annex in Champaign tonight from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

A celebration and commemoration of global Black literature, the program includes members of the community sharing a favorite speech, poem, novel, or comical musing from Black writers around the world with the audience.

The Douglass Annex is located at 804 North Fifth in Champaign.

"People should attend this program because it commemorates and celebrates global African(a) literature past and present," said event organizer Adéyínká Àlásadé Davis. "They can enjoy good company, good food, and good music."

"It is important to remember the voices that came before us," Davis added.

Headlining the event is Bourema Ouedraogo, a Sahelian/African Blues artist from Burkina Faso. Ouedraogo is a guitarist and lead vocalist who grew up in West Africa. A local performing artist, Ouedraogo is the UPTV Production Coordinator for the City of Urbana. In 2020, he was recognized at the 7th Annual Immigrant Welcome Awards for leadership by the CU Immigration Forum. He regularly shares his music and culture in the Champaign-Urbana community.