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Quarterfinals began on Monday evening
at Clinton High School. In that game the Wolverines tossed Findlay
Okaw Valley the way of their previous competitors, Our Lady of
Lourdes. West Lincoln-Broadwell won over Findlay Okaw Valley 73-31.
Highlights:
West Lincoln-Broadwell set the IESA
all-time state basketball tournament record for made 3-point field
goals in its 73-31 quarterfinal round win over Findlay Okaw Valley.
West Lincoln-Broadwell made 11 3-point field goals for the game,
eclipsing the all-time record of 10 by Buffalo Tri-City in 1999 in a
Class 8A game and by Rochester in 2004 in a Class 8AA game. Findlay
Okaw Valley made four 3-pointers in the game. The two-team total of
15 is believed to be the IESA all-time single-game record for
combined 3-point field goals.
West Lincoln-Broadwell roared out of
the gate and went on to take a 23-4 lead after the first quarter and
35-14 at halftime. Jordan Nelson led West Lincoln-Broadwell at
halftime with 17 points. He scored nine in the first quarter and
eight in the second and pumped in a trio of 3-pointers in the
process. He was one of three players to score for the Wolverines in
the first half. Teammate Hayden Cosby added nine, including one
trey, and Ben Brackney also added nine with a trey of his own. The
Wolverine swarming pressure defense forced Findlay Okaw Valley into
numerous turnovers and cold shooting.
In the second half, West Lincoln-Broadwell
kept on rolling. The Wolverines moved from their 35-14 halftime
margin to 54-24 after three quarters, and when reserve John Costello
fired in a 3-pointer from the right side to end the scoring for the
game, it gave the winners their final 73-31 victory.
The 73-point total was a Class 7A
team single-game points record, breaking the old mark of 63 by Hume
Shiloh in 1986 and Springfield Christ the King in 2004. The margin
of victory set the Class 7A record, breaking the old mark of 41 by
Pekin Rankin in its 61-20 win over Cowden-Herrick in 1987.
Sixth-grader Jordan Nelson of West
Lincoln-Broadwell led his team with 26 points, including six
3-pointers. He became the eighth male player in IESA basketball
history to make six in a single game. (The all-time record of eight
treys in one game was set by Max Reavy of Springfield Christ the
King in its 41-38 first-round win over Bloomington Holy Trinity
Saturday. Reavy scored 34 points against Holy Trinity.) Nelson, a
feisty guard, scored nine points in the first quarter, eight in the
second, three in the third and six in the fourth before leaving with
nearly three minutes to play. Joining him in double figures for the
winners were Hayden Cosby with 16 and Ben Brackney with 16.
The West Lincoln-Broadwell
3-pointers were scored by Nelson with six, Cosby with two, Brackney
with two and one by John Costello.
Leading Okaw Valley in scoring was
Ethan Foster with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
West Lincoln Lincoln-Broadwell
advanced to Tuesday's semifinal game with a record of 21-1. Findlay
Okaw Valley ended its season at 17-8.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
 Semifinal
round
Moving on to semifinals, West
Lincoln-Broadwell clobbered Pontiac St. Mary's 65-29.
Game
highlights:
The Wolverines of West Lincoln-Broadwell
continued their 3-point goal barrage Tuesday evening as they made 11
3-pointers in cruising to a 65-29 victory over the Saints of Pontiac
St. Mary's. West Lincoln-Broadwell jumped out to a 17-9 lead at the
end of the first quarter, extended the lead to 37-18 at halftime and
outscored the Saints 21-9 in the third quarter for a 58-24 lead
heading into the fourth quarter.
Leading the way for the Wolverines
was Hayden Cosby, who had five 2-point field goals and five from
beyond the arc for a game-high 25 points. Ben Brackney had two
3-point goals and six 2-point baskets for 18 points, while
sixth-grader Jordan Nelson had four field goals, all from 3-point
range, for 12 points.
Luke Gschwendtner, Kyle Ledford and
Kyle Masching each scored eight points for Pontiac St. Mary's, which
will play for third place on Thursday against Chrisman-Scottland.
West Lincoln-Broadwell advances to
the championship game on Thursday. WL-B, now with 22 wins and one
loss, faces Toluca Fieldcrest West, which has 24 wins and two
losses, for the first-place state title. Game time is 7:30 p.m. on
Thursday, once again at Clinton High School.
= = =
West Lincoln-Broadwell Wolverines
Coach: Gary Eimer
Assistant: Brian Brackney
Team members:
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Dylan Eimer
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Jordan Nelson
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Hayden Cosby
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Jase Camp
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Nick Cale
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Ben Brackney
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John Costello
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Cameron Turner
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Obada Obaisi
-
Brandt Coyne
Video: Cary Bell
[LDN and
Illinois Elementary
School Association] |
