By FRED KRONER
Even with a missed shot at the buzzer, the game ended for Royal Prairieview Ogden much better than it started on Thursday for the Mustangs.
In the IESA Class 1A seventh-grade boys’ basketball state championship game at East Peoria, Lincoln West Broadwell held on to edge Royal Prairieview Ogden 36-35.
Lincoln scored the game’s first 14 points.
“We switched defenses after the first quarter and battled back,” Mustangs coach Chase Gilliland said. “We thought we were OK to guard them ‘man,’ but they were quicker than we thought.
“We switched to a zone and frazzled them.”
Logan Lackey led the comeback, hitting a team-high 14 points. He nailed four shots from three-point range.
Coy Taylor added 10 points. James Huisinga and Parker Fitch each made four points and Kodey McKinney contributed three points.
The Mustangs held a 30-27 lead after three quarters, but then needed a last-second shot to try to record a win.
Lackey’s attempt was off-target as the final buzzer sounded.
“We had the guy we wanted, the spot we wanted and the shot we wanted,” Gilliland said. “It just didn’t go in. It has been a fun ride.”
Royal Prairieview Ogden ends the season with a 22-5 record. Lincoln West is 29-1.
“It stung in the moment, but I am really proud of them,” Gilliland said. “The further removed (from the game), the prouder I am of them.
“It’s not very often that small schools make it as far as we did. I told them not to take that for granted and they’re starting to appreciate that.”
Though the players were disappointed as they left the game site, Gilliland expects they will soon recognize the magnitude of their achievement.
“When they see the trophy in the case, they will be more excited,” Gilliland said. “They didn’t want to smile for the (postgame) picture, but it’s awesome what we did.”
The Royal Prairieview Ogden eighth-grade team lost in the sectional finals to Potomac 42-36 on Wednesday at Chrisman and closed the season with a 17-5 record.
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During the postgame hours on Thursday, St. Joseph seventh-grade boys’ basketball coach Wes Miller had a chance to reflect.
“If you’d said at the beginning of the season we’d be second in the state, I don’t know if I would have believed you,” Miller said. “Our goal at the beginning of the year was to win regionals.”
When the season ended on Thursday, the Panthers could claim much more than a regional title. They could say they were second in the state in the IESA Class 3A tournament.
St. Joseph dropped a 44-27 title-game decision to Taylor Ridge Rockridge on Thursday at Wenona Fieldcrest.
“You fall short sometimes,” Miller said. “Rockridge is a solid team.”
Rockridge held a 17-10 halftime advantage, but Miller liked most of what he saw in the opening two periods.
“We did what we set out to do defensively the first half,” Miller said. “We just couldn’t get a lot going offensively. We didn’t take it to the hole like we’d been doing.”
Collin Thomey led St. Joseph with 12 points. James Barron contributed eight points. Jude Coursey scored three points. Teammates Kendrick Johnson and Tanner Siems collected two points apiece.
“I’m proud of their effort and the way they fought all season,” Miller said.
Miller ranks his current team alongside the group he had in 2015 (which are now high school seniors) when they earned fourth at state.
“They were the teams that were the most coachable and worked best with each other,” Miller said. “They are the kinds of kids you dream of having on the team.”
Also on Thursday, the St. Joseph eighth-grade team lost to Monticello 39-28 in the sectional finals at Tolono Unity, finishing one win away from qualifying for the eight-school state tournament.
