Mahomet-Seymour boys’ basketball defeats #10 Effingham
By FRED KRONER
Mahomet-Seymour registered its most significant win of the boys’ basketball season on Friday (Feb. 26), earning a 62-61 victory at Effingham.
Effingham was ranked 10th in the state in Class 3A and had won its first 10 games before the Bulldogs snapped the streak.
Eli Warren tallied a season-high 23 points and teammate Blake Wolters tossed in 15 points as M-S prevailed. Luke Koller’s 13-rebound performance was the team’s top single-game performance this season.
“The kids played their hearts out on both sides and it was a great high school basketball game,” M-S coach Ryan Bosch said. “Kids on both teams made huge plays throughout the game, starting early.”
A potential five-point swing just before halftime didn’t unnerve the Bulldogs. M-S missed a wide open layup and Effingham’s Parker Wolfe drained a shot from three-quarters court to trim the Bulldogs’ halftime lead to 30-28.
“Effingham came out hot in the third quarter and got some breaks to pull into the lead,” Bosch said, “but Warren and Wolters both made huge fourth-quarter three-pointers that ultimately put us in position.”
In the final half-minute, Warren made two free throws to lift M-S into the lead and end the game’s scoring.
“Our defense was tremendous and our kids held on for the victory,” Bosch said.
Finch, Zach Carr and Warren each handed out five assists. Finch and Quinton McCullough cleared four rebounds and Finch was credited with three steals.
The win at Effingham was the fourth in a row for the Bulldogs, but the streak was ended on Saturday (Feb. 27) at home when Lincoln edged M-S, 36-32.
Wolters and Zach Travis each scored eight points to share the team lead in scoring. Koller pulled down nine rebounds, marking the sixth game in a row he was the team’s rebounding leader.
M-S outscored Lincoln in three of the four quarters, but the Railsplitters’ 13-2 second-period run proved significant.
Koller and Finch contributed six points apiece.
“We struggle mightily in the second quarter, which proved to be the difference in the game,” Bosch said.
After building a 10-8 lead after one period, Bosch said M-S “just struggled to convert any attempts at the rim in the second quarter.”
Lincoln, which lost by five points to M-S in a previous meeting, led at halftime, 21-12.
“The guys showed a lot of grit and heart, clawing their way back in the second half, getting it to 33-32.”
The Railsplitters clinched the win by hitting free throws down the stretch.
M-S (6-3) returns to action on Tuesday (March 2) at home against Mount Zion. It will mark the first of three games this week.
