Warriors, Maroons advance in Illinois boys hoops tourney
Feb. 22—Victories on Wednesday by Casey and Robinson sent both teams to regional championship games in the Illinois boys high school basketball tournament.
Casey exploded offensively for a 98-31 win over Chrisman in the Class A Casey Regional, while a 63-18 Tuscola win eliminated Martinsville in Wednesday's other semifinal. Tuscola, the No. 2 seed, plays third-seeded Casey for the regional title at 7 p.m. Friday.
In the Class 2A Vandalia Regional, Robinson rallied from a 13-12 halftime deficit to beat Lawrenceville 52-37 on Wednesday.
Cole Weber led the Maroons with 18 points and seven rebounds. Owen Schmidt added 17 points and five rebounds for Robinson, while Duke Thompson delivered a team-high six assists. The Maroons outrebounded Lawrenceville 25-23 and outscored the Indians 16-10 at the free throw line.
Flora beat Fairfield 59-43 in the second semifinal at Vandalia. Sixth-seeded Robinson plays fifth-seeded Flora in the title game at 6 p.m. Friday.
In the Class 2A Newton Regional, Teutopolis defeated Marshall 59-37, despite Bentley Delp's 15-point performance for the Lions on Wednesday.
R.J. Mattas added nine points for Marshall, which finished the season with a 14-16 record — a 12-win improvement over the previous season.
In Wednesday's second Newton semifinal, the host Eagles (21-10) beat Hutsonville OPH 91-59.
Lewis and Blank led OPH with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Lawyer added 10 points for OPH, which finished 12-17.
Newton's Parker Wolf led all scorers with 41 points, including 14 2-point field goals, two 3-pointers and seven free throws. Dylan Gier added 17 points and Caden Nichols 13 for Newton. The Eagles now face Teutopolis at 7 p.m. Friday for the regional championship.
