Winning streak takes Mahomet-Seymour Junior High girls’ basketball to IESA Sectionals, strong start to boys’ season

By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

The seventh-grade Mahomet-Seymour girls’ basketball team carries a 16-game winning streak into Wednesday’s IESA sectional game at Effingham.

The Bulldogs are 21-2 overall.

They ended the regular season by overpowering St. Joseph 29-4 and then won back-to-back regional games, beating Champaign Edison in the semifinals, 46-15, and Champaign Jefferson in the finals, 32-26, in overtime.

In the game at St. Joseph, Kylie Waldinger scored six points and Addi Eisenmann contributed five points.

Waldinger scored 10 points and Talia Francom added six against Edison.

In the championship game, M-S trailed 13-8 at halftime, but had built a 21-18 lead after three quarters.

The teams were tied at 25 after regulation.

“Our core group of girls fought through exhaustion to pull out a victory in overtime,” coach Jimmy Lanphear said.

Grace Binkley hit a team-high 11 points and tallied five of M-S’ points in OT.

Ellie Dallas sat out the first half due to an injured ankle, but played a crucial role in the second half and overtime, scoring eight points and going 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

Waldinger added nine points led the team with eight steals.

The M-S eighth-grade girls (14-7) ended the regular season with a 14-7 record after dispatching St. Joseph 22-15. Claire Seal scored a team-high nine points. Sidney Young added five points.

The eighth-graders start regional action this week.

M-S eighth-grade Boys’ basketball

The Bulldogs are off to a 6-1 start for the season.

On Nov. 14, M-S blitzed Paxton-Buckley-Loda 60-13, holding PBL to one first-half point.

Cade Starrick led M-S with 10 points. Braden Pagel and Jake Rothlisberger each hit eight points.

“Our full-court pressure gave them a lot of trouble,” coach Doug Ingold said. “We created turnovers and were able to score in transition.”

On Nov. 18, the Bulldogs’ four-game winning streak was halted, 29-28 by Normal Parkside.

Jack Gallier tallied 14 points and Isaac Warren ended with 10 points.

“Tough loss for us,” Ingold said.” We led through most of the game. A few late mistakes were too much to overcome.”

On Nov. 19, M-S returned to its winning ways, topping Charleston 37-26.

“Definitely a bounce-back game,” Ingold said. “Overcame a tough loss the night before, and Charleston beat us by 11 last year. We really locked down defensively.”

Gallier led the team with 15 points. Pagel had seven points and Finn Randolph finished with six points.

On Nov. 25, M-S defeated Normal Chiddix at home, 36-30.

Gallier tallied a team-high 14 points. Warren and Starrick each chipped in with five points.

“We played well and were able to make free throws late in the game to seal the victory,” Ingold said.

M-S seventh-grade Boys’ basketball

After starting the season with two consecutive losses, M-S has reeled off five wins in a row.

Ray Long had 10 points and Trey Peters added four in a season-opening 32-20 loss to Mount Zion.

Peters had a team-high 11 points in a 57-38 loss to Danville North Ridge. Reis Claybrook, Lucas Dyer and Henry Wagner all netted five points.

The first M-S win was 43-22 over Tolono Unity. Peters tossed in 14 points and Long added six. Gavin Hammerschmidt contributed five points and Nate Hale finished with four points.

In a 32-19 win over Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Claybrook and Peters each ended with six points. Miles Woolsey and Long added five apiece.

Peters was the top point-maker in a 36-32 triumph over Normal Parkside. He scored 12 points. Long had seven points and Dyer added six points.

Against Charleston, in a 53-21 win, Peters broke the 20-point mark, swishing 21 points. Long scored nine and Claybrook had five. Scoring four points apiece were Wagner, Woolsey and Mason Orton.

Last Monday, the Bulldogs used some late heroics to edge Normal Chiddix, 41-40.

Peters drilled the game-winning shot with two seconds to play. He had the chance for the starring role after Hammerschmidt tied the game with a three-pointer in the final half-minute.

Peters netted a team-high 17 points. Hammerschmidt finished with eight points.

Both seventh- and eighth-grade teams return to action today at home against Mattoon.