Lutheran North 66; Belvidere 55
Lutheran North used a big third quarter Thursday morning to turn a halftime deficit into a double-digit lead, en route to the 66-55 win over Belvidere.
The Crusaders trailed 23-21 at intermission, but then outscored Belvidere 27-12 in the third period to take a 48-35 advantage into the final eight minutes.
Davell Long led Lutheran North with 16 points, while Bryce Spiller scored 15 and Jameer Cretter 12. Ryan Beaudet and Nate Streuer scored 12 and 10 points respectively for the Bucs.
Later today (Thursday), Belvidere will play Dixon at 4:30 p.m. in the auxiliary gym at EHS and Lutheran North will face Charleston at 4:30 p.m. in the main gym.
Mattoon 59; Newton 47
The Mattoon Green Wave outscored Newton 28-13 in the second half Thursday morning and posted a 59-47 victory.
The Eagles held a slim 34-31 lead at intermission.
Christian Larson led Mattoon and all scorers with 21 points. Parker Wolf scored 16 for Newton, while Caden Nichols had 12 and Dylan Gier added 10.
Later today (Thursday), Mattoon will face Highland at 4:30 p.m. in the main gym at EHS, while Newton will play Knoxville at 6 p.m. in the auxiliary gym.
Charleston 60; Dixon 55
Charleston exploded for a 22-11 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter Thursday morning to rally for a 60-55 win over Dixon.
The Trojans led 29-19 at halftime and were still down 44-38 entering the final eight minutes.
Charleston had four players in double figures – Luke Bonnstetter with 14 points, Will Applegate with 13, James Hess 11 and Caleb Okaley 10. Wyatt Wetzell and Daruis Harrington scored 15 and 14 points respectively for Dixon.
Later today (Thursday), Charleston will play Lutheran North at 4:30 p.m. in the main gym at EHS, while Dixon will face Belvidere at 4:30 p.m. in the auxiliary gym.
Highland 47; Knoxville 36
Jake Ottensmeier returned from an injury to score 16 points and lead Highland to a 47-36 victory over Knoxville.
The game was tied 27-27 at halftime and the Bulldogs held a slim two-point lead before outscoring Knoxville 12-3 in the final eight minutes.
Brenden Gelly had 11 points and Cade Altadonna 10 to join Ottensmeier in double figures for Highland. Braden Downs and Will Shreeves both had 13 points for the Blue Bullets
Later today (Thursday), Highland will play Mattoon at 4:30 p.m. in the EHS main gym, while Knoxville will face Newton at 6 p.m. in the auxiliary gym.
Lincoln-Way east 53; Champaign Centennial 44
The tournament favorite Lincoln-Way East Griffins withstood a second-half surge and came away with a 53-44 win over Champaign Centennial.
The Griffins built a 28-14 lead at halftime, but the Chargers closed the gap to 37-32 after three quarters.
Tylon Toliver scored 14 points and Kyle Olagbegi added 12 for LWE. Preston Sledge had a game-high 18 points for Centennial, while Sathvik Thatikonda added 12.
Lincoln-Way East advanced to the semifinal round. The Griffins will play Pleasant Plains later today (Thursday). That game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at EHS Gymnasium. The Chargers will face Effingham at 6 p.m.
