Spartans season comes to an end in loss to Pontiac
By Fred Kroner
The boys’ basketball season for St. Joseph-Ogden came to an end on Tuesday (Feb. 28) in the semifinal game of the Hercher Class 2A Sectional.
The Spartans dropped their second decision of the year to Illini Prairie Conference rival Pontiac, 55-40. The previous loss was by 14 points.
Ty Pence led SJ-O with 19 points, the 28th time as a senior he was the team’s top scorer.
SJ-O ends the season with a 27-5 overall record. Pontiac carries a 26-6 record into Friday’s sectional championship game at Herscher against the state’s top-ranked Class 2A team, Prairie Central (31-2).
Tanner Jacob scored eight points, Logan Smith scored seven points, McGwire Atwood scored four points and Caleb Ochs added two points against Pontiac.
Pence cleared a game-high 13 rebounds to account for his seventh double-double as a senior. Atwood grabbed six rebounds.
An Illinois State University signee, Pence wound up first at SJ-O in career points (2,328), second in points in a season (825 as a senior, 14 behind record-holder Brandon Trimble), first in career three-pointers made (245) and first in three-pointers made in a season (94 as a senior).
Junior teammate Logan Smith also entered the all-time SJ-O leaders’ list with 112 assists this season. That total is 12th all-time for one season.
Pence hit the 30-point mark in 12 games and reached 40, or more, points three times in the final nine games of his prep basketball career.
In a basketball history that dates back to 1963, SJ-O has had nine players average at least 20 points in a season. Pence and Trimble are the only ones to do so twice. Trimble (29.3 and 27.1) has the top two averages, followed in third by Pence as a senior (26.6 average).
Pence became the third Spartan to average at least 20 points for a career, finishing with the best-ever scoring average (21.4). Trailing him were 2017 graduate Trimble (20.9) and 1996 graduate Brandon Frerichs (20.3).
Pence was one of eight squad members to have double-figure scoring games this season. Following his 31 double-figure games were Smith (14), Tanner Jacob (10), Tanner Siems (eight) and Coy Taylor (eight).
Pence had a high game of 46 points, Smith’s top game was 25, Jacob’s best game was 18, Siems’ top game was 17 and Taylor’s best outing was 18.
The top SJ-O rebounders were Pence (7.2), Smith (4.5) and Atwood (3.6).
The top free throw marksmen (with a minimum of 10 attempts) were Jacob (76.5 percent), Pence (75.4), Siems (72.4) and Ochs (70.0).
Eleven of 13 Spartans who scored points this season in varsity games hit at least one three-pointer. The team leaders were Pence (94), Jacob (45), Taylor (23), Maddux Carter (18) and Siems (18).
Trailing Smith (112) in assists were Pence (62) and Jacob (59).
Playing in all 32 of the team’s games were Atwood, Carter, Jacob, Ochs and Smith.
The senior class compiled a four-year varsity record of 82-28, a win total that was held down by playing just 13 games during the COVID season of 2020-21. The Spartans’ seniors were Atwood, Carter and Pence.
SJ-O won its 19th regional title since 1963 this season and second in a row. The regional semifinal win over Oakwood, 73-36, was career win No. 100 for fifth-year Spartan head coach Kiel Duval, whose career record is 101-38.
