PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Blue Devils claim regional title
Feb. 24—ONARGA — For the ninth time in program history, the Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin Blue Devils are regional champions.
Bis-Henn/Ross-Al rallied from a 10-point first-quarter deficit to beat Prairie Central 54-46 in the championship game of the IHSA Class 2A Iroquois West Regional played at Iroquois West Middle School in Onarga.
Senior Ayden Ingram scored eight of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter, including making 4-of-6 at the free-throw line to help secure the win for Bis-Henn/Ross-Al, which improves to 30-3.
Sophomore Keison Peoples chipped in with 14, while juniors Micah Stanford and Chaz Dubois had 6 and 8 respectively, but that duo also collected two critical offensive rebounds on missed free throws in the game's final 40 seconds.
Senior Landon Leigh played a pivotal role in the Blue Devils comeback in the second quarter, as the 6-foot-1 guard came off the bench to knock down a pair of 3-pointers allowing Bis-Henn/Ross-Al to turn a 19-9 deficit at the end of the first quarter into a 2-point contest (25-23) at halftime.
Prairie Central senior guard Levi Goad finished with a team-high 19 points for the Hawks, while leading scorer, Tyler Curl, had just 7 as he attempted to play on an apparent injured ankle.
Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin advances to next week's Class 2A sectional tournament at Clifton Central where the Blue Devils will face the second-rated and undefeated Beecher Bobcats in a semifinal contest on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The first semifinal game at 7 p.m. on Tuesday will pit Fieldcrest, rated No. 6 in the final AP Poll, and Manteno.
The winners will play Friday for the sectional title.
The complete story on Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin's regional championship victory along with coach and players quotes will be available in Tuesday's print edition of the Commercial-News.
At Onarga
IHSA Class 2A regional championship
Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 54, Prairie Central 46
Prairie Central (46) — Talen Steindinger 3 1-3 7, Gavin Tredennick 3 0-0 9, Levi Goad 5 9-10 19, Tyler Curl 3 0-0 7, Gage Steindinger 1 0-0 2, Avery Elder 1 0-0 2, Jack Schahrer 0 0-0 0, Cody Steindinger 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 10-13 46.
Bis-Henn/Ross-Al (54) — Keison Peoples 4 4-4 14, Micah Stanford 2 2-2 6, Ayden Ingram 6 6-8 19, Chaz Dubois 3 2-4 8, Caden Keleminic 0 1-2 1, Andrew Thomas 0 0-0 0, Landon Leigh 2 0-0 6. Totals: 17 15-20 54.
Prairie Central '19 '6 '12 '9 '— '46
Bis-Henn/Ross-Al '9 '14 '11 '20 '— '54
3-point goals — Prairie Central 4 (Tredennick 3, Curl 1). Bis-Henn/Ross-Al 5 (Peoples 2, Leigh 2, Ingram 1). Total fouls — Prairie Central 21, Bis-Henn/Ross-Al 14. Fouled out — T.Steindinger, Elder. Technical foul — Stanford. Officials — Kurt Hartke, Corky Vericker and Greg Walter.
Records — Prairie Central 19-13 overall, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 30-3.
