Panthers reach 20-win mark before season’s end
By FRED KRONER
The St. Joseph Junior High seventh-grade boys’ basketball team reached the 20-win mark before bowing out from the IESA Class 3A postseason tournament with a loss in the sectional tournament.
The Panthers won the Hoopeston Regional after beating Clifton Nash, 41-14, in the semifinals on Jan. 24 and Prairie Central, 44-41, in overtime in the championship game on Jan. 25.
Brock Franzen scored 20 points against Clifton and 15 vs. Prairie Central. Kiptyn Rosenthal had 11 points vs. Clifton and 13 against PC.
St. Joseph ended the season with a 21-6 record following a sectional title-game setback on Jan. 29 against Monticello (22-9), 32-30. Monticello went on to place third at state.
Franzen tallied 15 against Monticello and Rosenthal added nine.
For the year, Franzen led St. Joseph with a 14.6 per-game scoring average. He was the team’s top scorer in 25 games and the second-leading scorer in one game.
Franzen produced four 20-point games with a high of 28 against Tuscola.
Kyler Smith and Jasper Snyder each led the team in scoring once. Snyder had a high game of 16 points and Smith had a 14-point outing.
Rosenthal was the team’s second leading scorer in 17 games, followed by Smith (five games), Isaac Hernandez (four games), Landyn Thome (three games), Snyder (two games), Franzen (one game) and Ike Shelato (one game).
The team’s top scoring game was 56 points against Rantoul Eater.
