Game 9
Champaign Centennial 50; Pleasant Plains 49
The Centennial Chargers put together a fourth quarter rally that notched their first win in the tournament.
Trailing 37-29 after three periods, Centennial outscored the Cardinals 21-12 in the final eight minutes to come away with the close 50-49 decision.
David Hubbard led Centennial with 18 points, while Zach Powell took game scoring honors with 24 for Pleasant Plains. Cooper Schallenberg added 14 for the Cardinals.
Game 10
Mattoon 59; Horizon Science Academy 24
The Mattoon Green Wave broke out to an early lead and were threatened, en route to a 59-24 decision over Horizon Academy.
Mattoon built a 15-5 lead after the first period and expanded their advantage to 33-9 at halftime.
Eleven different Green Wave cracked the scoring column, led by Christian Larson’s 10 points. Kamren Cook had seven points for Horizon.
Game 11
Charleston 62; Lutheran North 51
Jackson Braun and Jackson Burgess combined to score 35 points, leading Charleston to a 61-52 win over Lutheran North.
Lutheran North held a 15-11 lead after eight minutes of play, but the Trojans went on an 18-5 scoring spree to take a 29-20 lead at halftime. The Crusaders trimmed the margin to 41-35 after three quarters, but Charleston secured the win by outscoring Lutheran North 21-16 in the final period.
Braun finished with 19 points and Burgess added 16 to lead the Trojans, who also got 11 points from Caleb Oakley. David Moore earned game scoring honors with 20 points for the Crusaders.
Game 12
Dixon 66; Belvidere 28
The Dixon Dukes got in the win column by pulling away from Belvidere and posting a 66-28 win.
Dixon led 16-7 after the first period, extended it to 39-21 at halftime and then put the game totally out of reach by expanding the margin to 53-24 heading into the final eight minutes.
Jacob Gaither and Wyatt Wetzell both scored 14 points for the Dukes, while Ryan Beaudet led Belvidere with eight.
Game 14
Oak Lawn 51; Knoxville 35
The Oak Lawn Spartans reached the semifinal round by knocking off Knoxville 51-35.
The game was close early, but by halftime, Oak Lawn had a double-digit lead over the Blue Bullets, 26-14. The Spartans then went on a 17-10 run in the third period to expand the margin to 43-24.
John McGowan scored 11 points and Davion Lawrence added 10 to lead Oak Lawn. David Hise scored a game-high 17 points for Knoxville.
Game 17
Champaign Centennial 57; Charleston 51
The Centennial Chargers used a big second quarter to build a lead and then hung on to defeat Charleston 57-51.
The Trojans led 15-10 after eight minutes of play, but Centennial then went on a 24-11 run to take a 34-26 lead at halftime. Charleston got within 41-39 after the third period, but the Chargers survived.
Trae Warren scored 15 points for Centennial, while teammates David Hubbard and Adam Simmons both had 12. Jaksen Braun led the Trojans with 13 points, while William Applegate scored 12 and Caleb Oakley added 11.
Game 18
Dixon 57; Mattoon 30
The Dukes raced to a 17-4 first-period lead and were never threatened, finishing with the 27-point victory, 57-30.
Dixon increased it lead to 33-16 at halftime.
Wyatt Wetzell led the Dukes with 19 points and Jacob Gaither added 15. Cooper Bergstro scored 13 for Mattoon.
Game 19
Pleasant Plains 52; Lutheran North 49 (OT)
Zach Powell pumped in 31 points, helping Pleasant Plains post a 52-49 overtime victory over Lutheran North.
The Cardinals led 42-36 entering the fourth period, but Lutheran North rallied to tie the game, 47-47, and force the overtime period.
David Moore had 18 points for Lutheran North.
Game 21
Belvidere 54; Horizon Science Academy 36
The Bucs, a first-time participant in the Christmas Classic, notched their first win with a 54-36 decision over Horizon.
Belvidere led 26-19 at halftime and then seized total control by outscoring the Huskies 15-4 in the third period to open a 41-23 lead.
Ryan Beau