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An unusual season: Coaches describe basketball challenges and success

St. Joseph-Ogden's Nolan Grindley tries to reel in a loose ball in the Spartans' home game against Teutopolis on March 5.

As teams head into the final week of prep basketball, The Sentinel contacted our four area coaches to get their thoughts on probably the shortest high school basketball season in the history of Illinois as it winds down to a close this weekend. Restricted fan access, wearing masks while playing and other health mandates is likely a season student-athletes and coaches won't forget.

Sentinel: This is the last week of the basketball season. What are your thoughts going into it?

Dave Ellars, Unity girls head coach: "Glad we got to play. The girls gave outstanding effort, win or lose. They are a great bunch of girls and glad I have the opportunity to coach them this year."

Kiel Duval, St. Joseph-Ogden boys head coach: "I hope our guys finish strong. It has been tough knowing there is not a post season. I've been proud of the guys daily approach. They have grown as a team. I just wish we could have had them for an entire year."

Kevin Taylor, St. Joseph-Ogden girls head coach: "It’s hard to believe the season is almost over. It has gone really fast. Overall I’m glad the girls got a chance to play But we would like to finish as strong as we can. Even with no postseason I feel it’s important to have a good finish."

Matt Reed, Unity boys head coach: "I'm just relieved that we got the entire season in. We didn't miss any games. We had a few kids get quarantined, but no one was tremendously sick, so that was a blessing."

Sentinel: How well did you and the team handle the COVID protocols? Of all the things required, what was the hardest to adapt?

Ellars: "I think we handled it very well, we were didn’t have any cases. The hardest thing is playing and coaching with a mask. Not having any fans at most away games was tough on the kids."

Taylor: "No question the girls have done an amazing job dealing with all the covid protocols. It is very difficult to play in a mask and try to maintain social distancing. But they have done the best they could."

Matt Reed: "The kids adapted very well. The biggest issue with all teams was the kids wearing the masks properly. Its hard to tell a kid to constantly pull up their mask when they are playing as hard as they can, but that was the mandate."

Sentinel: What did you learn personally coaching basketball this season and what has been the most memorable moment so far?

Matt Reed: "Our team has really improved from the beginning of the season. We have had a chance to win every game since our game with St. Joe. We competed well in that game, beat PBL and Olympia, then lost two straight games by 2 points."

Ellars: "Kids are willing to adjust so they can play. Senior night, In January I never thought we would have a season."

Taylor: "This year, seeing the emotional struggle of the pandemic and seeing how it has affected everyone. The thing I had the chance to realize is how important the team atmosphere is. Seeing everyone go through tough times but In the end how the girls have come together and develop that team bond and support each other has been a really good thing to see as a coach."

Spartans remain undefeated, Kimball a major threat for the Rockets

In game three of the season, the St. Joseph-Ogden boys basketball team was poked and prodded like a patient with a unexplained, sudden lump on their side by a 16th century physician. Despite giving Unity ample opportunities to end their Illini Prairie Conference contest with a loss, the Spartans hung on to win the thriller at the Rocket Center, 58-51.

The Rockets got the first basket of the game and enjoyed their only lead of the conference contest for a brief moment. It lasted until SJO's Ty Pence took control of the ball in Unity territory, dribbled it down the floor past two defenders to score on a layup making the score 2-all.

SJO went on a scoring spree tallying seven more points for 11-2 run before the Rockets' Austin Langendorf drilled a pair of free throws that marked the start of a short rally for his team.

Blake Kimball, the game's leading scorer, and Nate Drennen scored on the next two possessions to close the scoring deficit to three, 11-8. Kimball, whose was 9-for-18 overall performance proved to be a sharp thorn in the Spartans' side, finished the night with 22 points.

"He got in the lane almost every possession," said St. Joseph-Ogden head coach Kiel Duval about the junior guard's play. "We have to keep guys out of the paint because it never leads to good things for us. Kimball did a great job using his body and change of pace to put us on our heels. He was tough on Friday."

Late in the third quarter the Spartans doubled their five-point, 25-19 lead at half to eleven. Unity whittled it down to nine before the start of the final period of play.

He will not back down and he wants to hit the big shot.

The Rockets did a solid job of neutralizing SJO's primary offensive weapon Ty Pence.

The sophomore, in two games, has established himself as the defensive focal point for future opponent after scoring 24 points in his team's road season opener at Rantoul and easily collecting 40 against visiting Oakwood earlier in the week. He was big on the boards, too, securing 39 of them across two games.

But Friday, Unity head coach Matt Reed wisely chose to double team him, a move that limited Pence's output - he had just six first half points - to finish with a season-low 20 points.

Reed's strategy however, created an opportunity for SJO's Evan Ingram to step out of the shadows. The team's second leading scorer with 12 points, Duval says the junior guard has what it takes to be a top notch basketball player.

"I have said it from the beginning, I think Evan will be a very good high school basketball player. He has all the tools," Duval explained. Ingram was 2-for-2 from the charity stripe and hit two of his six shots in three-point territory. "Evan doesn't shy away from the big moment. He never has. He doesn't care if he is facing the #1 team in the state, all-state player, or a guy that is six inches taller than him. He will not back down and he wants to hit the big shot."

The coach added: "Those tools are starting to come together one at a time and that is why he is performing this year."

After starting the final quarter down 38-31, the Rockets made a gutsy come-from-behind effort behind Kimball and his two teammates Nate Drennan and Brady Porter. The trio positioned the team within range to tie the game score five times.

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Unfortunately, SJO rebuffed each attempt mainly behind draining 13 of the 19 free throw opportunities in waning minutes of the game. Pence made six of his 11 free throws, including the last four of the game, while teammate Andrew Beyers went 4-for-4 and Ingram, who was successful on both of his opportunities at the line in the fourth quarter.

Drennan finished with 11 points for Unity, and chalked three steals and nine rebounds. Porter rounded out the Rockets' top three scorers with nine points.

Box Score

Unity	8	11	10	22	- 51
St. Joseph-Ogden	17	8	13	20	- 58

Unity
Kimball 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Cowan 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Hensch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Rawdin 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Rutledge 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Knoll 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Porter 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Drennan 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Page 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Langendorf 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Alt 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Jokisch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

St. Joseph-Ogden
Brazelton 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Costa 0 (2) 0-0 -- 6, Hutcherson 2 (0) 0-0 -- 6, Smith 0 (0) 1-2 -- 1, Burch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Grindley 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Wetzel 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Rydell 3 (0) 2-5 -- 8, Beyers 1 (0) 5-5 -- 7, Atwood 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Pence 4 (1) 9-14 -- 20, Ingram 2 (2) 2-2 -- 12.

Langendorf leads Rockets in season opening loss to Trojans

After long, dramatic hiatus due to the state's attempt to keep the number of positive cases at manageable level for hospitals around the state, the Unity boys basketball program was finally back in action last week and the squad has a few moving parts to oil.

Despite their best effort, the Rockets dropped the road contest against Maroa-Forsyth in unsatisfying 58-36 loss.

"We did not shoot well last night," said head coach Matt Reed after the game. The Rockets were just made just seven of their 20 attempts from the free throw line. "Our top three offensive weapons, coming into the season, went a combined 5-29 from the field. Tough to win on the road with that kind of shooting."

Maroa-Forsyth led 19-8 after the first quarter and allowed Unity just six second quarter points to close out the first half with a comfortable 32-14 lead. The Trojans kept their foot on the gas until the final quarter behind the efforts of Riley Jackson and Egan Franzen, both who were in double figures at the half to pace their program's victory last Tuesday.

Unity was led by sophomore Austin Langendorf with 8 points. Junior guard Blake Kimball had seven, Brady Porter scored six and Dillon Rutledge finished with five points.

Only five of the Rockets' 30 shots from beyond the arc found their way through the hoop.

Normally, the program would be preparing for a deep playoff run in the IHSA postseason but this season's pandemic restricted six-week schedule Reed said he has a different focus.

"We are looking to continue to develop our players for next season, while also giving the seniors the best possible basketball experience they can have."

Unity (0-2), after a loss to Paris on three days ago, will host two home games this week in search of their first pair of wins this season.

Tomorrow night, Illinois Valley Central (1-1) will ride into town. Last week the Grey Ghost knocked off Peoria Christian 67-62 with impressive point productions from seniors Holt Geltmaker, a University of Illinois baseball commit, with 17 points and Kam Wollard, who contributed another 14 points.

At the end of the week on Friday, the Rockets invited Pontiac to the Rocket Center for their second Illini Prairie matchup this week. Varsity tipoff is scheduled for 7pm.

Unity	8	6	11	11	- 36
Maroa-Forsyth	19	13	18	8	- 58

Unity
Kimball 3 (0) 1-6 - 7, Cowan 4 (0) 0-0 - 4, Hensch 0 (0) 1-4 - 1, Rutledge 1 (1) 0-0 - 5, Knoll 0 (0) 1-2 - 1, Porter 0 (2) 0-0 - 6, Drennan 0 (0) 1-2 - 1, Price 0 (1) 0-0 - 3, Langendorf 1 (1) 3-6 - 8, Alt 0 (0) 0-0 - 0, Jokisch 0 (0) 0-0 - 0.

Maroa-Forsyth
Jostes 0 (0) 0-1 - 0, Gilbert 3 (1) 0-0 - 9, Jackson 3(3) 2-3 - 17, Franzen 5 (0) 5-7 - 15, Bellazhi 1 (0) 2-2 - 4, Blunck 2 (0) 0-0 - 4, Ohlemeyer 2 (0) 1-2 - 5.

Unity goes toe-to-toe with Tuscola Warriors

by Daniel L. Chamness
Special for The Sentinel

The Unity Rockets and the Tuscola Warriors are not that far apart. How close were they?

For three and half quarters, the Rockets, playing in the friendly confines of Rocket Center, hung in there. With 4:30 left to play, the Rockets and the Warriors were tied up at 47-47. Jalen Quinn, the Warriors superstar junior, had just hit a three pointer to tie up the score. It was that last four and half minutes the Rockets could not stay with one of the better teams in the area.

Quinn would lead the run as he would nail an old fashioned three pointer at the 2:37 mark in addition to his game-tying three pointer. Quinn would finish the final quarter with 11 points to lead Tuscola, who were playing without four seniors, to a 64-54 victory.

The fourth quarter started with Unity up by five points.

They stayed one step ahead of the Warriors until the middle of the final period after Unity got points from Blake Kimball, Austin Langendorf and Tyler Hensch early in the quarter.

Tuscola was not idle either. Preston Brown and Quinn scored in the first minute of the quarter and with a a pair of Josiah Hortin three pointers, one at 6:03 and another at 5:01, had clipped the lead to one, 45-44. Kimball gave Unity their final lead of the game, when he scored at the 3:35 mark.

Tuscola Warrior junior Jalen Quinn brings the ball up the court, while Unity sophomore Will Cowan keeps a close eye on him and plays defense. The visiting Warriors defeated the Rockets at the Rocket Center 64-54 on Saturday afternoon.

Photo by Daniel L. Chamness

"We love to play Tuscola," said Matt Reed, Unity's head coach. "Quinn is a special player, anyone can see that.

"Both teams play hard and with intensity and energy. We did not want Quinn to beat us on his own."

Reed then explained: "We lost our composure in the fourth quarter. We play physical so we have a chance to win. We had a 10-point lead and with a team like that it does not take much to close that gap. We had a couple of bad possessions and they made us pay for it. Hortin's treys turned the momentum of the game."

Other than the final, the Rockets led at the other three breaks.

Holding a three-point lead (11-8) at the end of the opening stanza, a two-point (28-26) lead at the end of the first half and a five-point advantage (39-34) at the end of the third period.

Unity drew first blood in the contest, as Unity junior guard Damian Knoll hit a three pointer at the 6:15 mark. They closed the quarter with a trey as well, as senior Nate Drennan found the hole from the right wing with 1:35 left in the quarter.

The Rockets would extend their lead to as many as ten points, 28-18 with 2:17 left in the first half. Kimball nailed a three-pointer only to have the Warriors would clip the lead to just two by halftime.

After Quinn snagged a bucket in the first minute of the second half, Unity went to work.

They went on an 11-0 run as their lead ballooned to 39-28. The run started with a short jumper by Langendorf, followed by a lay in by Langendorf. Kimball would score the next five points, starting with a three pointer at 5:05 followed by a pair of free throws at the 3:20 mark. With 2:22 to play, Drennan put the ball through the rim on a regulation bucket to complete the run.

"We have played Unity four times over the last three years and they are always a physical team," said Tuscola head coach Justin Bozarth. "Unity threw some great defenses at Quinn, trying to get the ball out of his hands or denying him the ball totally. They did great on some junk defenses." The Unity Rockets are 3-9 overall. Tuscola improved to 11-4 overall. Kimball was in double figures with 24 points. Quinn led all scorers with 28 points.

Out to a fast start, Rockets blast PBL with 21-0 first quarter run

Andrew Thomas drives to the basket on a fastbreak during the first quarter. Thomas finished with 11 points in Unity's 36-point advantage over Paxton-Buckley-Loda in their Illini Prairie Conference game on Friday. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

by Daniel L. Chamness
Special to the Sentinel

Tolono - Tolono Unity's offense surged ahead and never looked back in their conference opener against the visiting Paxton Buckley Loda Panthers.

And, there was absolutely no reason to look back in the 58-22 victory. The Rocket offense did their best imitation of a Ferrari from the starting line, had a 10-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

While the Rocket offense was busy rambling out to a insurmountable lead, the Rocket defense was holding the Panthers at bay and feeding the offense as they capitalized on bad pass turnovers and their defensive rebounding.

Andrew Thomas scored the first Unity points draining a 10-foot jumper at 7:34. The 6-foot-3, 165-pound junior guard was also involved in the next bucket as well when he grabbed a defensive board to start the next offensive drive. The drive ended when senior Will Cowan drained a three pointer, hitting from the left wing, at the 6:47 mark. Henry Thomas drove to the bucket, but realized the defense was collapsing on him, as three Panthers closed in on him before hitting Cowan with a pass as he hit a wide open shot.

That was followed by a Henry Thomas layup, and a Cowan layup as he stole the ball and dashed down the court. He would then hit another three pointer, this one from the left corner at 4:48. With 3:12 drained off the clock, the Rockets boasted a 12-0 lead.

Before the quarter ended, both Henry Thomas and Cowan had struck from beyond the arc again, as Thomas nailed one from the right wing, while Cowan stuck from the left corner. The Thomas brothers and Cowan had the Rockets leading 21-0 after the first eight minutes at the Rocket Center.

In the opening minute of the second stanza, Andrew Thomas scored three more points hitting a free throw and then a layup at the 7:00 mark.

"We did a number of things well tonight, but our defense really stood out," said Matt Reed, Unity's head coach. "We pressured well. We made shots early and the passes were very good. They shared the ball incredibly well. We tried to stay focused the entire game, no matter how much we were leading by."

Kayden Snelling put the Panthers on the board with 6:23 to play in the first half. He would score the first six Panther points as he would score again at 2:56 and again at 1:19. While the Panthers had it the board in the second quarter, the Unity Rockets had expanded their lead to 29 points, 35-6, by halftime.

Unity pressed hard early in the first quarter, then backed off for the remaining 24 minutes.

The clock ran steady in the fourth quarter. Cowan, who was in double figures before the sun set on the first quarter, finished with a team-high 16 points. He hit a total of four treys and a pair of two-pointers. He was joined in double figures by Andrew Thomas, who finished with 11 points. He hit three regulation shots and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

In all, a dozen Rocket players lit up the scoreboard on Friday. Nate Bleecher finished with six points, while Dalton O'Neill and Henry Thomas each had five points. Unity's scoring effort was rounded out by Austin Langendorf and Dane Eisenmenger, who each had three points. Colten Langendorf, Eric Meibach, Taylor Warfel and Jay Saunders each had two points, while Isaac Ruggieri added one.

Unity moves to 10-7 overall and 1-0 in the Illini Prairie Conference.

"We started off hitting our shots from the beginning of the game," said Henry Thomas. "Hitting like that felt pretty good. Not to mention, it gave us so much confidence for the rest of the game."

Snelling led Panthers with 10 points.

Looking Back | Unity loss sets up 5-game win streak

With the hectic 2022-23 season behind us, we want to use the summer to catch up publishing some of the great moments we captured this season but didn't have the time or resources to publish. Here is The Sentinel's next installment of our summer feature called Looking Back. Visit our website weekly for more photo features.