Illini Bluffs Boy’s Basketball Team Topples the Panthers to Win Sectional Championship

On Friday, March 3, The Illini Bluffs boy’s basketball team clutched an eight-point victory against Camp Point Central, eliminating the panthers. 

Before the game, the Panthers had been on a 13-consecutive-game win streak; however, the Tigers proved that they wanted the sectional title more. 

When being asked what his expectations were for the game going in, Coach Clay Vass said, “Our expectation is that we win the game. We know it is going to be a tough game; we played Camp Point Central over at the Macomb tournament in the semi- final game in December. It was a one-point game, so statistically, this game should be a close one as well.”

And it was a close game indeed. In the early game, junior forward Hank Alvey started the team off strong, helping the Tigers get a four point advantage coming out of the first quarter, which ended with a score of 10-6.

Junior guard Wyatt Hendel was also an instrumental player in the early game, draining three threes in the first half, which helped the Tigers maintain that much needed early advantage.

In the second quarter, Hendel, alongside Senior Brandon Coats, showed remarkable defensive skills, which was a main strategy for this game, leaving the Tigers with a half-time score of 24-21.

In the third quarter, the pressure increased, as Camp Point Central bridged the gap, tying the game 30-30 and eventually gaining a three-point lead against the Tigers in the fourth quarter.

Despite the back and forth in the second-half, the team was able to quickly bounce back late in the fourth quarter, bringing home the victory with a score of 54-46. 

After winning the Sectional Championship title for the first time in school history, energy is at an all time high for the Tigers. The momentum has already begun to build and the boys are ready for their Super Sectional matchup against Waterloo Gibault Monday night in Jacksonville.