Bulldogs reach 20-wins, Regional play begins tonight
By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
For the fifth time in the past six seasons, the Mahomet-Seymour boys’ basketball team has achieved a 20-win season.
The Bulldogs reached that plateau in Friday’s Senior Night regular-season finale, outscoring Mattoon in every quarter of an 80-54 triumph.
The visiting Green Wave jumped ahead early, 9-2, before M-S got rolling.
“We were down to start the game before righting the ship and getting ourselves a lead at the end of the first quarter,” M-S coach Ryan Bosch said. “We opened it up a bit before the half, before pulling away in the second half.”
All five seniors broke into the scoring column in their last home game, accounting for 53 of the M-S points and 18 of the Bulldogs’ 26 rebounds.
Seniors Grant Coleman and Kobe Essien were the top scorers with 20 and 18 points, respectively.
The other seniors were also contributors.
Cole Lener added seven points, Mason Butler – who has hit all of his baskets this season from three-point range – contributed six points and Nic Liagridonis had two points.
Lener continued his series of stellar all-around performances with nine assists, seven rebounds and seven steals, all team highs.
He was also a spark on defense.
“Once again, we had to move Cole Lener over to Mattoon’s electric guard Cam’Ron Thomas, after he got nine early points against us in the first three minutes,” Bosch said.
Thomas ended with 15 points.
M-S drained 10 of 21 three-point shots.
Coleman and Essien each pulled down five rebounds. Coleman handed out three assists.
Junior Braden Finch knocked down 17 points and totaled five rebounds. Another junior, Eli Warren, had five assists.
M-S led 18-15 after one quarter and 36-27 at halftime.
The Bulldogs (20-10) return to action on Tuesday in the Rantoul Class 3A regional against the winner of a Monday game tournament between Rantoul and Champaign Central.
