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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.

Spartans' big bats blank Mt. Zion in 11-0 rout, Pruemer polishes another gem

Houchens and Earley combine for 10 RBIs as St. Joseph-Ogden shuts out Mt. Zion 11-0 in five innings.

ST. JOSEPH - Bryson Houchens and Nolan Earley each drove in five runs as St. Joseph-Ogden overwhelmed Mt. Zion 11-0 in five innings on Wednesday in a dominant all-around home performance.

The Spartans struck early and never let up, scoring in every inning and ending the game via the mercy rule after a two-run blast from Houchens in the fifth. Houchens finished 3-for-3 with two singles and a home run to left, while Earley’s three-run shot in the fourth broke the game open at 9-0.

Pruemer, a right-hander, silenced Mt. Zion’s bats over five efficient innings, allowing just one hit, striking out eight and walking one. He faced only two batters over the minimum and got plenty of run support as SJO piled up 11 hits and stole four bases.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Nolan Earley hits an in-field fly during SJO's home game against Westfield. The senior collected 5 RBIs at Meier Field against visiting Mt. Zion.

The tone was set in the first inning when Houchens drove in two runs with a single and Earley followed with a run-scoring double. A bases-loaded walk to Will Haley in the second extended the lead, and Earley’s sac fly in the third made it 5-0.

SJO tacked on four more in the fourth behind a string of hits, including an RBI single by Houchens and Earley’s towering three-run homer. Houchens capped his big day with a no-doubt shot over the left field fence in the fifth.

Haley, Jared Altenbaumer and Earley each recorded two hits for the Spartans. On the bases, Haley, Kody McKinney, Logan Rosenthal and Coy Taylor all swiped extra bags. Defensively, the Spartans played a clean game, committing no errors. Haley led the way in the field with eight chances at his position.

Mt. Zion’s lone hit came from Jackson Beiler, who went 1-for-2. Starting pitcher Andrew Tay took the loss, yielding eight runs on seven hits over 3-1/3 innings with four walks and three strikeouts.

St. Joseph-Ogden improves to 30-2 and will travel to Mattoon on Thursday as they continue their push through the regular season.