St. Joseph-Ogden won the first half, but Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin captured the second half and the victory in Friday’s Class 2A boys’ basketball regional championship game at the Spartans’ sold-out gymnasium.

B-H/R-A improved to 32-0 with a 38-28 triumph. The game attracted an estimated 1,500 spectators.

Ty Pence scored 14 points and Chance Izard had 11 to lead the Spartans. The team’s other three points were scored by Payton Grimsley.

The Spartans held a 19-14 halftime lead, but managed just eight points thereafter.

Drew Coursey cleared six rebounds in the season-finale. Jordan Kelly handled five rebounds. Payton Cain had three assists.

SJ-O ends the season with a 23-9 record.

The deep and balanced Spartans had seven squad members lead – or share the team-lead – in rebounding this season.

Cain led the way in 10 games, followed by Coursey (nine games) and Conner Hodge (eight games). Pence led in seven games.

Kelly led in rebounding twice and teammates Andrew Beyers and Grimsley each led once.

Pence had the top single-game performance, with 12 rebounds.

Izard was the scoring leader in 17 games, followed by Pence (10), Cain (seven) and Hodge (one).

Izard registered a 36-point game, followed by Pence with a 28-point performance.

Izard ended the year with 83 three-pointers. Pence totaled 57 and Kelly had 14.

Izard posted the highest scoring average for the team this season (16.2 points per game), followed by Pence (12.8) and Cain (9.0).

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St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ basketball took a double-digit lead in the first quarter of Wednesday’s Class 2A regional semifinal game in their gym and then had to hang on in the final period to collect a victory.

SJ-O opened up a 17-4 first-quarter lead and never lost the lead again despite Villa Grove/Heritage pulling within a 42-36 margin in the game’s last seven minutes.

The Spartans ended the game on a 14-4 run to capture a 56-40 triumph.

SJ-O (23-8) will take on state-ranked Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin (31-0) in Friday’s 7 p.m. regional championship game.

Freshman Ty Pence led the Spartans to the postseason win with 19 points and seven rebounds.

Jordan Kelly chipped in with 12 points. Payton Cain and Payton Grimsley each ended with eight points.

Other top rebounders for SJ-O were Grimsley with six and Kelly with five. Izard contributed four assists and two steals.

On Tuesday, the Spartans scored 20 of the 22 first-quarter points – after opening the game on a 9-0 run – and overpowered Westville 70-22 in a Class 2A regional tournament quarterfinal game in St. Joseph.

Chance Izard tallied a game-high 17 points for SJ-O and for the season has made a team-best 80 three-pointers.

Lukas Hutcherson hit a season-high 10 points and became the seventh squad member to post a double-digit scoring performance this season.

Three other Spartans finished with nine points apiece:  Dade Allinger, Cain and Pence.

Senior Brayden Weaver, who was injured in football and only returned to action in basketball on Senior Night, scored his first two points of the season.

Conner Hodge cleared a team-high seven rebounds. Cain and Drew Coursey handled six boards apiece.

Coursey added two assists as did Kelly.

Friday’s winner will earn a berth in the Pontiac Sectional and will face either Pontiac or Coal City at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

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The Spartans moved closer to an undisputed Illini Prairie Conference championship after a Senior Night win at home on Friday over Chillicothe IVC, 60-54.

The win helped SJ-O improve to 9-0 in IPC games with one league game remaining.

Chance Izard posted 18 points, Ty Pence had 15 and Payton Cain finished with 12 as the Spartans hit the 20-win mark for the season.

Cain also cleared a team-high seven rebounds to go with three steals.

Drew Coursey contributed five rebounds. Izard and Payton Grimsley each registered three assists.

The Spartans led 18-11 after one quarter and 28-21 at halftime.

On Saturday, SJ-O dispatched West Hancock 72-37 in the Riverton Shootout for the team’s 11th consecutive victory.

Pence raised his career-high to 28 points, thanks to a 6-for-6 showing from the free throw line.

Izard tallied 18 points. Cain contributed eight points along with a team-high four rebounds and two assists.

Pence and Coursey each cleared three rebounds.

SJ-O led 19-8 after one quarter and 36-20 at halftime.

The Spartans (21-6) return to action on Friday in their conference finale at Bloomington Central Catholic.

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With wins on back-to-back nights, the Spartans extended their winning streak to eight games.

On Friday, SJ-O improved to 7-0 in Illini Prairie Conference games with a 63-52 win at Pontiac.

On Saturday, the Spartans opened up a 44-16 halftime lead against Auburn and went on to a 71-47 triumph in the Sangamo Conference/Illini Prairie Conference Shootout at Unity’s Rocket Center.

Against Pontiac, Chance Izard drained six three-point shots and tossed in a game-high 26 points. Jordan Kelly scored 10 points. Conner Hodge ended with nine points.

Izard and Kelly each tallied six points in the third quarter as SJ-O used a 15-10 spurt to extend its lead.

Drew Coursey and Ty Pence both cleared five rebounds.

The Spartans made 12 of 17 free throws.

Against Auburn, Izard led the way with 18 points and was followed by Pence (15 points), Payton Cain (10 points) and Payton Grimsley (seven points).

Coursey captured seven rebounds. Pence hauled down five rebounds to go with three assists. Izard contributed five assists and four steals. Cain had three assists.

SJ-O (18-6) returns to action on Tuesday at Rantoul.

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Ty Pence scored a career-high 25 points on Tuesday, leading the Spartans to their sixth consecutive Illini Prairie Conference win.

Pence nailed four three-point shots in SJ-O’s 57-52 win at home over Monticello. The game marked the fourth time in the past six games that the freshman led the team in scoring.

Chance Izard chipped in with 10 points. Payton Cain had eight points and Jordan Kelly finished with seven points.

SJ-O held a 19-18 halftime edge and broke from a 22-22 deadlock by virtue of an 11-0 run that extended into the early seconds of the fourth period.

Cain and Drew Coursey each pulled down eight rebounds. Cain had three assists and Coursey provided three steals.

The Spartans helped their cause by hitting 21 of 25 free throws.

Pence cleared five rebounds and Izard handed out three assists.

The Spartans (16-6) put their 6-0 league record on the line on Friday in a game at Pontiac.

On Saturday, SJ-O will participate in the Sangamo Conference/Illini Prairie Conference Shootout with a 4:30 p.m. game against Auburn at the Rocket Center, in Tolono.

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The Spartans extended their winning streak to five games on Saturday with a 79-44 conquest at Westville.

SJ-O led 25-19 after one quarter, but scored the first 10 points of the second period in a 4-minute, 14-second span and took a commanding lead.

Ty Pence led the Spartans in scoring (19 points) and rebounding (eight).

Two teammates had their highest-scoring games of the season. Payton Grimsley tossed in 16 points and Jordan Kelly netted 14 points.

Payton Cain also scored 14 points.

Pence collected five steals and Grimsley grabbed four rebounds. Kelly chipped in with four steals and three assists. Chance Izard led with a team-high six assists.

On Friday, the Spartans posted a come-from-behind 56-49 verdict over visiting Prairie Central in an Illini Prairie Conference game.

Cain tallied a team-high 14 points and also contributed seven rebounds, four assists and three steals to the SJ-O cause.

Izard scored 13 points and Pence added 10 points. Izard collected four assists and Pence grabbed four rebounds.

The Spartans’ top rebounder, with eight, was Drew Coursey. Kelly finished with three assists.

SJ-O (15-6) returns to action on Tuesday at home against Monticello. The Spartans are 5-0 in IPC action.

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The Spartans stayed unbeaten in Illini Prairie Conference play with Tuesday’s 54-46 win at Tolono Unity.

Payton Cain led SJ-O with 15 points and also grabbed six rebounds to go with four steals.

Chance Izard hit four three-pointers in a game for the sixth time as a senior and ended with 14 points. Ty Pence scored seven points and Payton Grimsley netted six points.

Conner Hodge pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Drew Coursey collected six rebounds.

The Spartans led at halftime, 26-20.

SJ-O (13-6) will seek its fourth win in a row on Friday when it plays host to Prairie Central. SJ-O is 4-0 in IPC contests.

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The Spartans zipped into an 18-1 lead after one quarter and doubled up Olympia 61-30 on Friday night in Stanford.

Ty Pence tallied a team-high 15 points and knocked down three three-point shots.

Chance Izard followed with a 13-point performance. Jordan Kelly scored nine points and Payton Cain added eight points to go with nine rebounds.

Drew Coursey grabbed seven rebounds and Pence totaled five. Cain had two assists.

The Spartans (12-6) return to action on Tuesday at Tolono Unity.

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The Spartans produced their best defensive effort of the season on Tuesday in front of the home crowd, limiting Williamsville to 22 points in a 50-22 SJ-O triumph.

SJ-O held a slender 8-6 lead after one period, but had extended its margin to 22-10 at halftime.

Chance Izard was the top Spartan scorer for the ninth time in 14 games, tossing in 21 points. It was his fifth 20-point game of the season.

Ty Pence scored 15 points and produced five steals in the team’s second consecutive win.

Payton Cain and Drew Coursey shared rebounding honors with six apiece. Payton Grimsley cleared five rebounds. Cain also had three steals.

SJ-O is 10-4 and returns to action on Saturday in the final game of its own Christie Clinic Shootout. The Spartans will play in the 8 p.m. game against Farmington.

Saturday’s complete Christie Clinic Shootout schedule:

11 a.m., Crete-Monee vs. Mahomet-Seymour
12:30 p.m., Kankakee vs. Danville
2 p.m., Rich Central vs. Champaign Central
3:30 p.m., Cissna Park vs. Monticello
5 p.m., Pleasant Plains vs. Notre Dame de LaSalette
6:30 p.m., Maine South vs. Normal Community
8 p.m., Farmington vs. St.  Joseph-Ogden

NOTE: A junior varsity game between the same schools will take place 2 hours prior to the varsity game, starting with a 9 a.m. contest between Crete-Monee and Mahomet-Seymour. The JV games will be played in the SJ-O Practice Gymnasium.

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St. Joseph-Ogden opened Illini Prairie Conference play on Friday with a win against Rantoul before dropping its first game of the season on Saturday against Tri-Valley.

Both boys’ basketball games were played on the SJ-O court.

The Spartans overpowered Rantoul 60-37, but fell victim to a late Tri-Valley comeback a night later, losing a 66-64 decision.

Ty Pence tossed in a career-high 22 points to lead SJ-O against the Eagles. He also cleared eight rebounds as did teammate Conner Hodge.

Hodge totaled eight points while Payton Grimsley and Chance Izard added seven points apiece.

Payton Cain captured seven rebounds and Grimsley handed out two assists.

SJ-O extended an 18-point halftime lead into a 57-22 bulge after three quarters.

Izard and Pence lit it up from the outside against Tri-Valley, each knocking down five three-points shots.

Izard netted a season-high 27 points. Pence added 17. Drew Coursey contributed eight points to go with a season-high 11 rebounds.

Cain added three rebounds and two steals.

SJ-O carried a 44-37 lead into the fourth quarter, but fell behind for good in the last 2 ½ minutes.

SJ-O (6-1) returns to action on Tuesday at Champaign Central.

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