Terriers Sweep Staunton 7th & 8th Grade Tournaments
December 7, 2022
The Staunton Terriers had a great week last week, as both the 7th and 8th grade teams went 3-0 in their own tournaments to claim championship titles on their home floor. The 8th grade defeated Gillespie, Nokomis, and Southwestern to win their bracketed event, while the 7th graders defeated Nokomis, Litchfield, and Bunker Hill to win a round robin affair.
SJHS 8th graders opened play with a 50-4 victory over Gillespie on Monday, Nov. 28. Several team members scored in this game, including Lucas Dillon (9 pts.), Luke Moore (8 pts.), Isiah Laux (7 pts.), Ty Simpson (6 pts.), Owen Looney (5 pts.), Owen Rizzi (4 pts.), Peyton Luketich (3 pts.), Braylen Brown (3 pts.), Lucas Coalson (2 pts.), Jeremiah Graham (2 pts.), and Caiden Crowe (1 pt.). The Terriers returned to play two nights later against a tough Nokomis team and emerged with a 32-20 victory. Looney (11 pts.) and Laux (10 pts.) both posted double figures for Staunton, while Graham (4 pts.), Moore (4 pts.), and Dillon (3 pts.) rounded out the scoring. The semifinal victory placed Staunton in the championship game against Southwestern. The Terriers shot off to a 22-8 halftime lead and withstood a late surge to win the title by a score of 42-29. Moore (18 pts.) and Looney (16 pts.) contributed the bulk of the scoring with help from Graham (6 pts.) and Luketich (2 pts.). In addition to the tourney title, several players took home hardware after the game. Laux, Looney, and Graham were all named to the All-Tournament Team, while Moore was named Most Valuable Player of the event. Additionally, Looney competed in the free throw contest and made all 25 of his attempts to take home that trophy.
The 7th grade Terriers were not to be outdone, as they won their second tournament of the season in their portion of the event. On Tuesday, Nov. 29, SJHS took on Nokomis. The Terriers played one of their better games of the season in a 33-25 victory. Paxton Brown (13 pts.), Xander Clark (8 pts.), Cale Dugger (6 pts.), Kaiden Linkeman (4 pts.), and Aiden Saracco (2 pts.) all entered the scoring column for the Terriers. The Terriers played another close game the next night against Litchfield before emerging with a 34-29 win. Dugger (12 pts.) and Saracco (10 pts.) posted double figures on the night, while Brown (6 pts.), Chase Bodner (4 pts.), and Clark (2 pts.) aided in the attack. The Terriers returned the last night with tired legs against a Bunker Hill squad that they had easily defeated earlier in the season. Staunton struggled early and was tied 13-13 at the half. However, SJHS turned it on in the second half and ran away with a 36-17 victory. Saracco paced the squad with 15 points. Dugger (8 pts.) and Clark (5 pts.) aided in the attack, and the scoring was rounded out by Brown, Linkeman, Chase Foster, and Ethan Watters with 2 points each.
The Terriers also played a regular season conference game the previous week at Gillespie. The 8th graders shot out to a 38-0 lead and never looked back in a 47-11 victory. Looney and Moore paced the attack with 11 points each. Luketich, Laux, and Rizzi each posted 6 points for the Terriers, while Graham, Simpson, Josh Dahl (2 pts. each), and Coalson (1 pt.) rounded out the scoring. The 7th graders, fresh off their tournament championship at Gillespie, ground out a 22-11 victory over the host school. Dugger and Saracco each scored 8 points for the Terriers, while Linkeman chipped in 6 points to round out the scoring.
The Terriers have a tough week coming up, as they face conference opponents Southwestern (Dec. 5), Carlinville (Dec. 6), and Bunker Hill (Dec. 8).
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