Mahomet-Seymour Junior High Basketball ready for tournament play, Volleyball defeats Urbana
By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
A 17-game winning streak for the Mahomet-Seymour seventh-grade boys’ basketball team came to an end last week, but the Bulldogs immediately started a new streak on Tuesday.
M-S lost a 40-35 decision to Champaign Jefferson on Jan. 16.
Trey Peters scored a team-high eight points. Gavin Hammerschmidt and Nate Hale each ended with six points. Lucas Dyer 4 contributed four points while Henry Wagner and Brayden Garrett each finished with three.
The Bulldogs improved to 18-3 with Tuesday’s 30-25 verdict over Monticello.
Peters led the way with 10 points. Dyer totaled five points. Ray Long and Hale each netted four points. Hammerschmidt ended with three points.
On Thursday at Normal Kingsley, in the team’s regular-season finale, M-S moved closer to a 20-win season by conquering Normal Kinglsey at home, 43-28.
Hale nailed a team-high 12 points. Peters tallied seven points and Reis Claybrook chipped in with six points.
Four teammates contributed three points apiece: Dyer, Hammerschmidt, Gavin Bailey and Ethan Esker.
The Bulldogs (19-3) start IESA Class 4A regional play on Saturday at Urbana against Rantoul in the 10:15 a. m. game. If the second-seeded Bulldogs are victorious, they would return to the court again in a regional semifinal game at 2:30 p.m.
Mahomet-Seymour Junior High Eighth-grade boys’ basketball
M-S dropped to the .500 mark (11-11) after splitting two games this week.
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs topped Monticello 36-25, which was an opponent they had lost to a year ago as seventh-graders.
Jack Gallier led the way with 10 points, but was followed by a strong supporting cast. Isaac Warren totaled seven points, Braden Pagel tallied six points and Finn Randolph also had six points.
On Thursday, Normal Kingsley topped M-S 61-38. The winners drained nine three-point shots in the game.
Cade Starrick and Warren each hit nine points for M-S.
The Bulldogs will host a seven-school regional which will start on Feb. 12.
Mahomet-Seymour Junior High Volleyball
The seventh-grade M-S team defeated Urbana 25-1, 25-9 on Monday at home.
In the first set, after scoring on a sideout, the Bulldogs reeled off 16 consecutive points from the service line to take a commanding lead.
In the second set, M-S expanded an 8-5 lead into its eventual 16-point triumph.
On Thursday, the seventh-grade Bulldogs were victorious in their first road match of the season.
A nine-point service run by Ellie Barker sparked a 25-8 first-set win. M-S completed the sweep by capturing the second set, 25-18.
The second set featured seven ties and six led changes.
The seventh-graders are 4-1 overall and play host to their own invitational on Saturday. All four Bulldog wins have been two-set sweeps.
The eighth-grade Bulldogs dropped a three-set match to visiting Urbana 24-26, 25-16, 25-17 on Monday.
After winning the opening set, M-S took a 15-14 lead in the second set, but was limited to two points thereafter, which forced a third-set tiebreaker. Urbana took control quickly in the final set, creating an 8-1 lead.
On Thursday, Sammie Vanswol served a string of 14 points in a row during a 25-15 first-set win. M-S didn’t let up in the second set and came away with a 25-17 triumph.
The eighth-grade team is 2-3 and also plays host to its own tournament on Saturday. Blue Ridge, Monticello and Tolono Unity are the other schools in the tourney.
