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 couldn’t hold onto an early lead and dropped a 61-45 non-conference decision on Monday at Teutopolis.

SJ-O led 14-13 after one quarter, but trailed 26-21 at halftime.

Chance Izard led the Spartans with 20 points, including three baskets from three-point range. Izard has a team-high 75 three-pointers as a senior.

Jordan Kelly hit six points and Ty Pence added five points.

The loss snapped an 11-game Spartan winning streak.

SJ-O (21-7) returns to action on Friday at Bloomington Central Catholic when it tries to complete an undefeated run through the Illini Prairie Conference.

SJ-O is 9-0 in IPC contests.

SJ-O will host its own Class 2A regional next week. The Spartans will open on Tuesday in the 6 p.m. game against Westville.

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Chance Izard scored 29 points on Tuesday as the Spartans won their ninth consecutive boys’ basketball game, earning a 66-53 Illini Prairie Conference decision at Rantoul.

Ty Pence hit 14 points and Jordan Kelly contributed nine points.

Kelly and Conner Hodge shared the team lead in rebounding with five boards apiece. Payton Grimsley collected four rebounds and Izard handed out three assists.

SJ-O led 13-10 after one quarter and 32-28 at halftime.

The Spartans (19-6) return to action on Friday in its regular-season home finale against Illinois Valley Central. SJ-O remains unbeaten in Illini Prairie Conference play after eight games.

With one more win this season, SJ-O will have its eighth 20-win season in the past 10 years.

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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 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 were outscored 18-5 in the third quarter on Saturday at home and lost a 65-51 decision to unbeaten Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.

Chance Izard netted a season-high seven three-point shots and scored 25 points, leading the team in scoring for the 11th time in 16 games.

At halftime, SJ-O trailed 26-24 against an opponent which now has an 18-0 season record.

In the third quarter, the Spartans were limited to one field goal apiece, scored by Jordan Kelly and Ty Pence.

Payton Grimsley finished the game with six points.

SJ-O (10-6) returns to action on Tuesday at home against St. Thomas More.

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St. Joseph-Ogden’s boys’ basketball team opened its season with a win on Tuesday, despite missing 9 of 17 free throws in the opening round of the 31st Spartan Classic.

SJ-O upended Georgetown-Ridge Farm, 65-37.

Chance Izard scored 19 points and Jordan Kelly added 12 points for the Spartans, who turned a 7-4 lead after one quarter into a 21-11 advantage at halftime.

Izard and Kelly were two of five SJ-O players who connected on a three-pointer.

Coach Keil Duval started four seniors – Payton Cain, Drew Coursey, Conner Hodge and Izard – along with freshman Ty Pence.

Cain scored eight points, Pence had seven and Luke Renfrew chipped in with six points.

SJ-O continued its winning ways on Wednesday, knocking off Notre Dame de La Salette, 48-37.

Cain registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 steals.

Pence ended with eight points, including 4-of-4 from the free throw line in a game where the Spartans were 6-of-12 overall from the line.

Izard and Andrew Beyers each scored seven points.

Cain collected a team-high seven rebounds. Pence and Hodge each gathered four rebounds.

The Spartans scored nine of the game’s first 10 points and held a 41-20 fourth-quarter lead.

The Spartans (2-0) return to action at 8 p.m. on Friday against Cissna Park.

All six teams will play twice in the round-robin event on Saturday. The final-day SJ-O games will be at 11:30 a.m. against Schlarman Academy and at 7 p.m. against Watseka.

St. Joseph-Ogden Girls’ basketball

The Spartans trailed after each of the first two quarters on Monday against Tuscola, but rallied to register a 50-46 overtime win.

Katie Cramer scored 14 points to lead SJ-O. Both Cramer and Payton Jacob nailed three-pointers in OT to help the Spartans pull away.

Taylor Barnes scored nine points and Abby Behrens added eight for SJ-O.

SJ-O (5-1) returns to action tonight at Danville. The Spartans received votes in the first Class 2A state poll, which was released on Wednesday.

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