Heimann advances to IHSA State, Girls’ basketball wins on senior night
By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Senior Wyatt Heimann is the lone Mahomet-Seymour wrestler to qualify for the Class 2A individual state tournament, which starts on Thursday at the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center.
He rebounded from a 9-4 quarterfinal loss to Mascoutah’s Caleb Grau — the eventual champion at 170 pounds — to post three consecutive dominating wins in wrestlebacks during Saturday’s sectional at M-S.
In those three wrestleback bouts, Heimann didn’t allow a point, outscoring his opponents by a combined 23-0 margin and guaranteeing himself of a spot at state.
He then lost, 6-4, in the third-place match to Argenta-Oreana’s Makail Stanley.
The top four placers in all 14 weight classes earned berths at state.
Heimann was one of eight Bulldogs who qualified for the sectional.
One (Braeden Heinold at 120 pounds) bowed out due to an injury. The other seven all won at least one match.
Owen Straub was 2-2 at 113 pounds and had one of the team’s three sectional pins.
Teammates with pins were Gage Granadino (152 pounds) and Heimann.
Other squad members who participated at the sectional were Noah Schnepper (126 pounds),
Chance Decker (138 pounds), Daunte Roberts (182 pounds) and Daniel Renshaw (195 pounds).
Decker and Renshaw both advanced to the semifinals.
The M-S team (14-7) will return to competition in the team-dual meet series on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. at Taylorville against Troy Triad, which has five individual state qualifiers.
Girls’ basketball
Mahomet-Seymour’s girls’ basketball team had played 27 games before its Senior Night home finale on Thursday against Taylorville.
In those 27 games, one M-S player scored as much as 20 points in a game one time.
On Senior Night, seniors Kailyn Northrup and Lakedia Nichols each hit the 20-point mark as the Bulldogs prevailed 63-55 to avenge an early-season loss to the Tornadoes.
Northrup nailed a season-high four three-point shots and scored a season-high 25 points. Nichols chipped in with 20 points.
Both players had double-doubles. Nichols pulled down 12 rebounds and Northrup grabbed 10.
Nichols also had four assists and four blocked shots.
Maddy Wade grabbed six rebounds and scored eight points for an M-S team which entered the fourth quarter in a 43-43 deadlock.
The Bulldogs finish 5-7 in Apollo conference play.
The other Bulldog with a 20-point game this season was Makayla Rosenbery in the 11th game.
M-S (13-15) returns to action tonight against Clinton in the 6 p.m. game of the Charleston Class 3A Regional.
Boys’ basketball
For the second time this season, six Bulldogs hit three-point shots on Friday, but — also for the second time this season — Mahomet-Seymour lost an Apollo Conference decision to Taylorville.
The latest loss was by a 74-50 margin.
The Bulldogs (9-15) led 10-9 after one quarter in the game played at Taylorville, but trailed at halftime, 34-23.
Netting three-pointers were Mason Butler, Grant Coleman, Braden Finch, Ben Greenberger, Connor Kamphaus and Jordan Veldman.
Coleman hit a team-high 22 points and was also the top rebounder with six.
Finch scored 11 points and joined Coleman as the only Bulldogs with more than one field goal.
Cole Lener collected five rebounds.
Finch, Kamphaus and Lener all ended with two assists.
M-S is 3-6 in Apollo Conference games.
The Bulldogs return to action again on Tuesday at Normal West.
