Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Krutsinger MVP in Bishop Mac's tournament win over host Spartans
Day 1 in the books, here's a look at the Toyota of Danville Classic winners
St. Joseph-Ogden built a 31-point halftime lead and defeated ALAH 66-30 in its season opener.
Bishop McNamara 60, Charleston 37
ST. JOSEPH - Bishop McNamara made a strong opening statement at St. Joseph-Ogden's annual Toyota of Danville Classic on Tuesday, defeating the Charleston Trojans 60-37. Bishop McNamara jumped out to an early lead behind 11 first-half points from senior Karter Krutsinger, who finished with a game-high 15. Krutsinger was supported by teammates Coen Demack (11 points) and Callaghan O’Connor (10 points). The team was efficient from the free-throw line, making seven of eight attempts. The win improved the Fightin’ Irish’s record to 4-0. Meanwhile, Charleston (0-3) struggled to keep pace, heading into halftime facing a 30-12 deficit. The Trojans hit seven three-pointers in the game but could not generate consistent offense. Tyler Oakley led Charleston with nine points, while Rohen Walters added seven. Eight other Trojans scored in the contest. The Fightin’ Irish are scheduled to face Paxton-Buckley-Loda in the next round of the post-holiday tournament. Charleston will next face Cissna Park as it searches for its first win of the season.Paxton-Buckley-Loda 58, Cissna Park 47
A quiet third quarter for Ethan Williams set the stage for a roaring fourth. From that silence erupted a 12-point performance that propelled Paxton-Buckley-Loda to a 58-47 comeback victory over Cissna Park on Tuesday. The Panthers found themselves staring at a 27-18 halftime deficit. But the game shifted, possession by possession, until the teams stood knotted at 34-all heading into the final quarter. That's when Williams, who finished with a team-high 20 points, took over. His late surge, combined with 18 points from teammate Tyler Cole, secured the win and kept PBL (1-1) in title contention. Yet, for all of Williams' and Cole's combined effort, neither could outduel the singular performance of Cissna Park's Dierks Neukomm. Neukomm poured in a game-high 28 points, including 11 in the frantic fourth quarter. Other than two free throws from Seth Walder, it was all Neukomm. But in the end, even that remarkable individual effort wasn't enough to hold off the Panthers' collective rally.St. Joseph-Ogden 66,
Atwood-Hammond-Arthur-Lovington 30
For the ALAH Knights, the trouble began in the first quarter. By halftime, it was a distant memory of a contest.
Nolan Franzen made his varsity debut one to remember, scoring all 21 of his points in the first half to power the St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans to a commanding 66-30 victory over ALAH in the season opener for both teams at the Toyota of Danville Classic on Tuesday. The Spartans built a 31-point lead by intermission, a cushion so substantial that a five-point fourth quarter was merely a footnote in the cruise-control win.
Franzen’s explosive opening act was the catalyst. He was joined by teammates Parker Fitch and Lane McKinney, who notched their first double-digit scoring games of the season with 11 and 10 points, respectively, as the Spartans’ offense fired on all cylinders early.
For the Knights, Easton Frederick paced the effort with eight points, but the team fell to 0-2 with the loss.
Both teams return to action Thursday in the tournament. ALAH will look to rebound against Oakwood in a 5 p.m. tip-off, while the Spartans aim to carry their momentum forward against the Watseka Warriors at 6:30 p.m.
Unity survives supersectional thriller 77-70, Rockets set sights on state title
Unity defeated Bishop McNamara 77-70 Monday night at the Pontiac Supersectional to advance to the IHSA Class 2A state semifinals for the first time since 2002. The Rockets' victory sends them to face a storied opponent in Peoria Manual, a five-time state champion entering the semifinal on a nine-game winning streak.
Photo: Sandy Gorman for the Sentinel
Brayden Henry erupts after the Rockets secure their Class 2A berth for the 2026 IHSA Boys Basketball State Finals at the Pontiac Supersectional on Monday. The Unity basketball program is just two wins away from a state title.
PONTIAC- If you haven't heard the news, Unity is heading back to the state tournament for the first time in more than two decades after surviving a high-scoring supersectional battle Monday night. The Rockets defeated Bishop McNamara 77-70 to win the Pontiac Supersectional and secure a berth in the IHSA Class 2A boys basketball semifinals at State Farm Center. Unity, now 33-2 on the season, will face Peoria Manual at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Unity trailed early in the contest and worked its way back into the game after falling behind 16-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Rockets trimmed the deficit and went into halftime down just one point at 31-30. The momentum shifted after the break. Unity surged ahead in the third quarter, building a 55-47 lead with a balanced scoring effort from several seniors who were also part of the program’s Class 3A football state title appearance in November. Dane Eisenmenger and Colton Langendorf combined for 12 points during the stretch, while Mason O’Neill added five and Tre Hoggard chipped in four as the Rockets gained control. Bishop McNamara tried to close the gap in the fourth quarter, outscoring Unity 23-22, but the Rockets’ nine-point advantage created in the third period proved enough to hold off the late push.
Photo: Lori Garrret for the Sentinel
Unity's Dane Eisenmenger and teammates celebrate near center court after knocking Bishop McNamara out of the postseason, extending the team's 24-game win streak.
Hoggard led all scorers with 22 points in one of his strongest performances of the season. The senior converted 6 of 8 free throws and went 5-for-6 at the line in the fourth quarter alone while scoring nine points in the final period. Hoggard entered the postseason averaging eight points per game but has elevated his production during the playoff run. Tyler Henry added 16 points for the Rockets, including seven in the fourth quarter, while Eisenmenger finished with 14 to give Unity three players in double figures. Bishop McNamara also placed three players in double-digit scoring. Coen Demark led the Fightin’ Irish with 20 points, while Karter Krutsinger added 18 and Richie Darr contributed 14. The victory sends Unity to the state finals for the first time since 2002, when the Rockets finished fourth after losses to Herrin and Bureau Valley. Standing in Unity’s way Thursday is Peoria Manual, a program with a deep history in Illinois high school basketball. The Rams, who enter the semifinal at 23-9, finished fourth in last year’s state tournament after falling to Dyett 54-50 in the semifinal and losing to Christ of the King 55-44 in the third-place game. Manual owns five state championships and has collected 12 additional state trophies since its first appearance at the state tournament in 1913. Competing against larger enrollment schools during the regular season, the Rams are members of the Big Twelve Conference and with student enrollment of just over 650 students. Manual enters Thursday’s semifinal on a nine-game winning streak. The Rams’ closest postseason game came in a 46-43 regional semifinal win over Tri-Valley. Each of their other eight victories during the streak has come by at least 16 points. Unity will have a short trip to the state stage, traveling roughly eight miles from campus to State Farm Center in Champaign. In the other Class 2A semifinal, Quincy Notre Dame will face Farragut. The losers of the two semifinal games will meet Friday at 8:45 p.m. for the third-place trophy, while the winners will advance to Saturday’s state championship game scheduled for noon.
Schaumburg scores 30 in Watseka comeback, Toyota of Danville Classic recap and more
St. Joseph-Ogden built a 31-point halftime lead and defeated ALAH 66-30 in its season opener.
Oakley leads Trojans in five point win over Cissna Park
ST. JOSEPH - Tyler Oakley scored 18 points in Charleston’s 56-51 win over Cissna Park in Day 2 action at the Toyota of Danville Classic at St. Joseph-Ogden High School on Wednesday. Teammates Braxton Hanner and Quinn Taylor added nine points each. Russell Applegate contributed six more to give the Trojans their first win of the season and a 1-1 tournament record. After pouring in a game-high 28 points against Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Tuesday, Cissna Park’s Dierks Neukomm led all scorers again with 25 points. Teammate Seth Walder finished with 21 in a strong display of high school shot-making. Despite another standout effort, the Timberwolves fell to 0-2 in the tournament and 0-3 overall. Cissna Park returns to action Friday at 5 p.m. against Bishop McNamara (5-0). Charleston moves on to face Paxton-Buckley-Loda in its next pool game tonight at 8 p.m.Bishop McNamara stays undefeated declawing Panthers
B-Mac’s Richie Darr scored 12 points in the first half and finished with 14 to help keep the Fightin’ Irish unbeaten at 5-0. Holding Paxton-Buckley-Loda to just 12 first-half points — the same number the Panthers scored in the first quarter — Bishop McNamara cruised to a 51-38 win. Ethan Williams led PBL with 16 points, including 14 in an outstanding second-half effort. Tyler Cole, who had 18 points in the tournament opener against Cissna Park, added eight points and went 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. Darr’s performance was supported by nine points from Karter Krutsinger and eight from Callaghan O’Connor, tallied over the first three quarters. Bishop McNamara is off Thursday before a long bus ride from Kankakee on Friday to face Cissna Park at 5 p.m. PBL (1-2) faces Charleston (0-3) tonight at 8 p.m.
Schaumburg goes supernova in fourth quarter
Payton Schaumburg scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of Watseka’s pool game against Oakwood in an unbelievable comeback performance. Down by 11 at the end of the third quarter, Schaumburg single-handedly erased the deficit — and then some — to give the Warriors their first win of the season. Tyler Waugh carried the game the first three quarter with 17 points, while Jack Hutchinson added six points on two first-half 3-pointers, and Austin Morris completed Watseka’s scoring with a third-quarter field goal. Schaumburg finished with a game-high 30 points, the top performance of the tournament so far. Oakwood, an impressive 18-for-21 from the free-throw line, trailed by six after the first quarter and fought back to lead by five at halftime. The Comets held the advantage until the fourth quarter, when Schaumburg took over. Alex Wallace and Carsen Dudley scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Oakwood. Collin Furry added nine, and Jaethan Perez contributed eight, five of which came at the line. Wallace made seven of his eight free throws, while Dudley posted a perfect 5-for-5 night for the Comets. Oakwood returns to the floor at St. Joseph-Ogden to face Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at 5 p.m. Watseka plays host St. Joseph-Ogden at 6:30.
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