Despite team-wide scoring effort, too many turnovers sink Rockets in home loss to visiting Pioneers

TOLONO - For nearly three quarters, Unity’s varsity basketball squad kept the pedal to the metal, building a 29-21 halftime lead over visiting Normal University High School (10-6). Eight players contributed to the Rockets’ advantage, with Brady Parr, Dane Eisenmenger, Colton Langendorf, and Tre Hoggard combining for 21 of the team’s 29 points. However, Unity (8-6) couldn’t sustain its first-half intensity and ultimately fell, 56-45.

Crewe Eckstein takes a shot during Unity's home game against Normal University. Going 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, the junior finished the night with six points. Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Langendorf led Unity with 11 points, while Parr finished with nine. Crewe Eckstein contributed six points, and Mason O’Neill, Hoggard, and Eisenmenger chipped in five points each at the Rocket Center.

Plagued by turnovers and nursing a two-to-six-point lead through the third quarter, Unity allowed U-High to capitalize on nearly every possession change. The Pioneers took a 37-36 lead with eight seconds left in the frame after scoring four unanswered baskets.

U-High’s A.J. Holden opened the fourth quarter with a basket, putting his team ahead 39-36. Unity answered with a bucket from Langendorf, his final points of the game, to pull within 39-38. Eckstein hit a crucial shot for the Rockets after the Pioneers’ Owen Kirby scored, keeping it close at 42-40.

Taking advantage of Unity’s uncharacteristic defensive and shooting slump, the Pioneers shifted into high gear, going on a 10-point run. Stretching their slim two-point lead to 12, U-High maintained control late to secure the road win.

U-High's Cameron Johnson tries to dribble around Unity's Crewe Eckstein. Johnson finished the night with a game-high 22 points against the Rockets. Click here to see more photos from this game.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

A silver lining for the Rockets was their perfect performance at the free-throw line. Langendorf, Eckstein, and Parr combined to go 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.

The Pioneers’ Cameron Johnson led all scorers with 22 points, including 14 in the second half. Kirby also reached double digits with 11 points, while sophomore Devin Fitzgerald added eight in the nonconference victory.

Hoping to reset later this week, Unity travels to Maroa-Forsyth on Friday for another nonconference game. The Rockets will return to action at 6 p.m. Saturday against Fieldcrest at St. Joseph-Ogden’s Christie Clinic Shootout.

More Unity sports ~

After leading entire half, Rockets hand visiting Pioneers win at Rocket Center

TOLONO - Normal University's Gabe Zacharias and Unity's Tyler Henry collide going after a loose ball in their non-conference game at the Rocket Center on Tuesday. Up by eight at the half, the Rockets let the Pioneers back into the game late in the third quarter to fall by 11, 56-45. Game story and photo gallery coming later today. Next up, Unity travels to Maroa-Forsyth on Friday to take on the Trojans and make a quick turnaround for a 6 PM game on Saturday against Fieldcrest at St. Joseph-Ogden's Christie Clinic Shootout.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

More Unity sports ~

Unity football coach announces retirement after 31 seasons

Unity head coach Scott Hamilton talks to players after their home game against Althoff Catholic on September 20, 2024. After the game, Hamilton said the eventual Class 1A state champions was the best team his program has faced on the gridiron. See 19 more photos of Hamilton from his final season below.

All photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

TOLONO - The end of an era has come. Unity head football coach Scott Hamilton announced today that he will retire from the helm of Central Illinois' football powerhouse.

He made his future plans known via a post on social media thanking the school board, community, all the players he coached the past 31 years, and, of course, his family. He said his future plans included spending more time with his family, golfing, and the Florida sun.

Hamilton took the reigns to the Rockets' football program starting 1994, amassing a record of 291 wins against 74 losses in his 31-year tenure. He guided Unity to six state championship games, starting in 2000 in Class 2A, and made five more appearances in Class 3A in 2005, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2021. In all five cases, his team finished with runner-up trophies.

Thanks to Hamilton, Unity won its first playoff game back in the 1996 season, knocking off St. Joseph-Ogden in a 42-6 thrashing. The contest cemented the intense legendary rivalry between the two programs that continues to this day. The Rockets went on to finish 11-1 after the quarterfinal loss.

Under the Roxana native and 2017 Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer, Unity has seen just one losing season. In 2018, the Rockets finished 4-5. The only other year the team missed the playoffs was in the spring 2021 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.