Oak Lawn 61; Belvidere 44

The Oak Lawn Spartans outscored Belvidere 31-12 in the middle two quarters, en route to a 61-44 victory.

Oak Lawn held an 18-13 edge after the opening eight minutes, but expanded that to 49-25 after three quarters.

Corey Lee and Ayham Salah both scored 14 points for the Spartans, while Robert Wagner added 11. David Guererro led Belvidere with nine points.

On Thursday, Oak Lawn will play St. Anthony at noon, while Belvidere will face Lutheran North at 9 a.m. Both of those games are scheduled for J.H. Griffin Gymnasium in Teutopolis.

Lincoln-Way East 86; Mattoon 51

Lincoln-Way East, the team many pick as this year’s tournament favorite, had no problems in the opening round.

The Griffins built a 32-13 lead after just eight minutes and rolled to the 86-51 decision.

LWE placed four players in double figures. George Bellevue led the way with 18 points, while Kyle Olagbegi scored 16, Matt Hudik had 15 and Tylon Toliver added 14. Andrew Wetzel scored 11 points and Taeriek Grace added 10 for the Green Wave.

On Thursday, Lincoln-Way East will face Champaign Centennial at noon, while Mattoon will now play Newton at 9 a.m. Both of those game are scheduled for Effingham High School.

Champaign Centennial 48; Newton 39

The Centennial Chargers outscored Newton 31-22 in the second half to break away from a halftime tie and post a 48-39 victory.

The two teams played to a 17-17 tie at halftime, but the Chargers opened a 30-24 lead after three quarters and then secured the win down the stretch.

Preston Sledge led three Champaign players in double figures with 16 points. Sathvik Thatikonda scored 13 and Gurmane Springfield added 12 for the Chargers. Caden Nichols led the Eagles with 15 points.

On Thursday, Centennial will play Lincoln-Way East at noon, while Newton will face Mattoon at 9 a.m. Both of those games will be played at Effingham High School.

Chicago Brooks 66; Dixon 56

The third quarter proved to be decisive for the tournament’s defending champs, as Chicago Brooks used a 15-6 scoring surge to build a lead, en route to the 66-56 decision over Dixon.

Brooks held a slim 34-31 lead at intermission, but then outscored the Dukes by nine points in the third quarter to increase its advantage to 49-37.

The Eagles had four players in double figures. Joaquin Cassell led all scorers with 17 points, while Herman Wilkerson scored 14, Mikael Sims had 11 and William Hill added 10. Dixon also had four players reach double figures – Darius Harrington with 14; Grant Boss and Wyatt Wetzell both with 11; and Bryce Feit with 10.

On Thursday, Brooks will play Teutopolis at 1:30 p.m., while Dixon will face Charleston at 10:30 a.m. Both of those games will be played a J.H. Griffin Gymnasium in Teutopolis.

Pleasant Plains 55; Knoxville 39

Pleasant Plains built a 15-point first-quarter lead and went on to defeat Knoxville 55-39.

The Cardinals, who are coached by former Teutopolis standout Kyle Weber, were on top 24-9 after the opening eight minutes. It was 37-23 at halftime and a Pleasant Plains lead of 50-31 heading into the fourth period.

Evan Houser led Pleasant Plains with 16 points, while Zach Powell scored 14, Tristen Gleason had 13 and Cooper Schallenberg added 10. Will Shreeves led all scorers with 17 points for Knoxville, while Braden Downs added 12.

On Thursday, Pleasant Plains will face Effingham at 1:30 p.m., while Knoxville will play Highland at 10:30 a.m. Both of those games will be at Effingham High School.