Advertisement

The News-Gazette's boys' basketball Top 10: Some shuffling, but Unity remains No. 1

matt daniels, the news-gazette, champaign-urbana, ill.
·7 min read

Feb. 2—The only constant in The News-Gazette's latest weekly boys' basketball Top 10? Unity remains the No. 1 team. But even the Rockets weren't immune from a loss in the past week, much like nearly every other area team. Sports Editor MATT DANIELS explains:

1. Unity

Record: 20-2

No. 1

What's working: Stacking wins. Again and again. The Rockets have avoided any losing streaks this season, with coach Matt Franks' program winning 79-65 at Bloomington Central Catholic on Wednesday night after sustaining a 65-59 loss at Pontiac on Tuesday night. The busy week for Jay Saunders and his teammates continue on Friday night when Unity hosts Chillicothe IVC at the Rocket Center in Tolono before the Rockets cap the Illini Prairie-Sangamo Challenge at 7 p.m. Saturday when they play Auburn at the Sievers Center in Monticello. One key aspect to note: This is the first Unity team to win at least 20 games since the 2011-12 team that also went on to win the program's last regional title.

2. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin

Record: 23-3

Previous ranking: No. 5

What's working: Yes, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin lost by double digits at St. Joseph-Ogden this season. But that was a week before Christmas. Since then? Coach Gary Tidwell's program hasn't lost. BHRA carries a 13-game win streak — and has won by an average of 31.5 points during the run of success — into Friday night's home Vermilion Valley Conference game with Milford at Wilcox Gymnasium. Whether it's Keison Peoples one night, Ayden Ingram the next game or Chaz Dubois stepping up after that, the Blue Devils have a host of quality contributors. Which is why they have the most wins of any area team right now and are still 8-0 in VVC games.

3. St. Joseph-Ogden

Record: 19-6

Previous ranking: No. 4

What's working: No other area Class 2A team has played as many 3A or 4A schools as the Spartans have. And the fact SJ-O is 3-1 in those games speaks to the type of team building for a potential deep run from late February into March. Coach Kiel Duval's team lost a 64-58 overtime game at Morton, the 10th-ranked team in Class 3A, last Saturday. But Logan Smith and Co. seem to have overcome some of the stumbling blocks they had in early January and could still vie for an Illini Prairie Conference title. Of course, the schedule doesn't get any easier, though. Not with Pontiac visiting St. Joseph for a Friday night showdown, with a Feb. 9 game at Unity still on the slate.

4. Clinton

Record: 21-3

Previous ranking: No. 2

What's working: The setup seemed to suggest another raucous Friday evening in Clinton this week, with the potential for Clinton to play Tuscola for the third time this season. With a Central Illinois Conference Tournament title on the line. Those two familiar foes will meet again, but to only play in the third-place game on Friday night in Clinton and decide who wins the season series. Warrensburg-Latham handed the Maroons a 44-39 loss on Monday night, Clinton's opening game of the CIC Tournament as the top seed in the six-team event. But Dawson Graves and his teammates avoided a second straight loss by beating Meridian 89-75 on Wednesday night.

5. Tuscola

Record: 19-5

Previous ranking: No. 3

What's working: First, good news to the Warriors' fans: Tuscola is undefeated against Class 1A teams this season. The struggles in January, where Tuscola went 4-5, featured all five losses against 2A teams. Tuscola, last year's third-place finisher in 1A, will remain in 1A when the postseason tips off later this month. Coach Justin Bozarth's experienced Warriors typically don't have many problems offensively. But making sure to improve their defense the rest of the regular season is certainly a focus, starting with Friday night's showdown against Clinton in the third-place game of the Central Illinois Conference Tournament. Two home games, against Meridian and St. Teresa, are on tap next week.

6. Oakwood

Record: 20-6

Previous ranking: No. 8

What's working: The balanced scoring the Comets have had success with all season was evident on Tuesday night during a quality 57-45 road win against Westville. Three players in double figures, led by Brody Taflinger, sparked Oakwood's third straight win and helped the program reach at least 20 wins for the third consecutive season under coach Jeff Mandrell. A chance to get wins No. 21 and No. 22 are there this weekend, starting at home Friday night against Iroquois West before making the trip to Watseka for a Saturday night game. Oakwood stands at 7-1 in the Vermilion Valley Conference and won't get another shot at BHRA, but could reach at least 10 league wins.

7. Arcola

Record: 18-6

Previous ranking: No. 6

What's working: The Purple Riders saw their 10-game win streak come to an end last Friday night, falling 50-45 to Okaw Valley in the title game of the Lincoln Prairie Conference Tournament in Arthur. But Jackson Miller and Co. responded with a home rout against Heritage on Friday night to remain unbeaten in LPC regular-season games. A chance to move to 8-0 in conference play awaits coach Greg Gisinger's team on Friday night when Arcola travels to Farmer City and plays a solid Blue Ridge program. If Arcola can get to 20 wins this winter, it'll mark the first time the Purple Riders will hit that mark since the 2015-16 team went 24-4 and won the program's last regional title.

8. Centennial

Record: 15-9

Previous ranking: No. 7

What's working: Tuesday night's home nonconference win against former Big 12 opponent Mattoon essentially assured the Chargers of posting their 17th winning season under coach Tim Lavin, now in his 23rd season at Centennial. Five regular-season games remain for Jadin Schilb and Co., with all five at home at Coleman Carrodine Gymnasium. First up is Peoria Notre Dame on Friday night, Chatham Glenwood on Saturday, cross-town rival Champaign Central next Tuesday night, Peoria on Feb. 9 and another rival, Urbana on Feb. 13. Win all five and the Chargers will head into the Class 3A postseason with 20 wins for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

9. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley

Record: 15-8

Previous ranking: Not ranked

What's working: The Falcons haven't let a disappointing showing in mid-January at the McLean County/HOIC Tournament derail their season. GCMS lost 64-57 to Heyworth in a fifth-place McLean County/HOIC Tournament game on jan. 20. But since that loss, coach Ryan Tompkins' team has rattled off three straight wins and gotten back to playing like the team that went 7-3 through its first 10 games this season. Ty Cribbett and pals will have a stern road test on Friday night against Fieldcrest in an HOIC game, but GCMS sports a 3-1 mark in league games. A Saturday afternoon trip to play at nonconferenc foe Cissna Park interrups the slate of league games before GCMS hosts LeRoy next Tuesday.

10. Urbana

Record: 10-8

Previous ranking: Not ranked

What's working: Don't look at Urbana's poor start to the season. Or its so-so showing at the Poplar Bluff ShowDown in Missouri right after Christmas. A new year has brought about a new version of the Tigers for coach Verdell Jones' program. Urbana is 6-1 in 2024, with its only loss hpaenning on Jan. 19 at Peoria Richwoods, a team that's right on the cusp of being state-ranked in Class 3A. A combination of players have helped Urbana turn around its season, with Malcolm Morris, Jaylen McElmurry and Marcus Jackson having key roles. Urbana hits the road to play at Peoria on Friday night before venturing to Indianapolis and playing at Crispus Attucks on Saturday.