The Villa Grove/Heritage boys’ basketball season ended in Wednesday’s semifinal round with a 56-40 loss to the host Spartans.

After three lead changes in the early minutes, SJ-O shot ahead 5-4 as part of a 16-0 run. The Hawks were unable to recapture the lead although they pulled within six points (42-36) in the game’s final seven minutes before SJ-O went on a 14-4 run to end the game.

Jake Eversole nailed a team-high 16 points. Logan Nohren added 11 points.

On Tuesday, the Hawks picked a great time to earn their first overtime win of the season.

VG/H used the extra four minutes to power past Tolono Unity 67-63 and secure a spot in the Class 2A regional semifinals.

Eversole led the way for the Hawks, hitting the 30-point mark for the second game in a row. His 30 points included four three-point baskets.

Nohren added 16 points to the VG/H cause and Blake Smith contributed 12 points.

Unity led 15-6 after one quarter and 27-22 at halftime. VG/H took a 40-36 lead into the final period. The teams ended in a 55-55 deadlock after regulation.

Until Tuesday, VG/H was 0-2 for the season in overtime games.

VG/H ends the season with a 21-11 overall record. SJ-O snapped the team’s season-best five-game winning streak in the regionals.

For the season, Eversole was the team’s top scorer in 17 of the 23 games in which he played, including the final nine.

Nohren led – or shared – the team lead in scoring in nine games. Both Eversole and Nohren hit the 30-point mark in two games.

Blake Smith was the scoring leader in five games, Issac Mahoe in two games and Ierik Sorenson in one game.

Eversole (40), Smith (22), Mahoe (17) and Sam Reno (16) were the team’s top three-point marksmen.

Coach Corey White didn’t know what to expect coming into a season where four starters from the previous year’s 20-win team had to be replaced and one of those candidates – Ezra Ely – never played basketball this season following a football injury that sidelined him throughout most of the winter.

“For the first month, we were trying to see the best combination,” White said. “By mid-January we figured it out and took off from there (winning nine of 11 games before Wednesday).”

For the majority of the season, four juniors and senior Sorenson were in the starting lineup.

“We’ll have a nice nucleus back,” White said. “It’s great to have back-to-back 20-win seasons and we hope to make it three in a row next year.

“We’ll keep building and try to get to the point where we can play for a regional championship and win one.”

In addition to the underclassmen who played prominent roles this season, Ely is expected to return next year along with junior Nick Coffin, who suffered a season-ending injury in December.

In addition to Sorenson, Reno and Anthony Arbuckle were the other seniors who were a part of the Hawks’ regular rotation this season.

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The Hawks used a 28-point third-quarter on Friday to pull away from Arthur Okaw Christian, 65-40, in a non-conference game at Heritage.

VG/H carried a 26-23 lead into halftime, but built its lead to 54-31 after three quarters.

Blake Smith netted a season-high 21 points to lead the Hawks. He drained four three-point shots, also a season high.

Logan Nohren added 19 points and Nick Coffin scored 10 points.

VG/H is 7-3 overall and returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 26 in its own BSN Tournament, with games at 11:30 a.m. against Georgetown-Ridge Farm and at 7 p.m. against Judah Christian.

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Villa Grove/Heritage Girls’ Basketball

The Blue Devils (4-1) overcame a halftime deficit on Tuesday to post a 49-43 victory at Tuscola. The host Warriors led, 22-20, at halftime, but VG/H went on a 17-5 tear in the third quarter and took control.

Aliya Holloman scored 18 points, Kyleigh Block had 15 and Samantha Campbell hit a season-high 12 points for the Blue Devils.

Block has nailed a team-high 10 three-pointers through five games.

The Blue Devils will play their home-opener tonight against Westville (0-5).

Villa Grove/Heritage Boys’ basketball

The Hawks (3-1) opened and closed the Cerro Gordo Thanksgiving Tournament with wins and captured third place.

VG/H topped Sangamon Valley 50-20 in Monday’s opener and followed with a 51-36 triumph over Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg.

A third-round loss on Friday to LeRoy, 49-23, set the stage for Saturday’s bounceback game, a 59-44 verdict over Cerro Gordo/Bement.

Jake Eversole canned a season-high 22 points against CG/B. Logan Nohren (12 points) and Issac Mahoe (11 points) also had their top-scoring performances of the week.

Mahoe canned three three-pointers and Eversole hit two treys.

VG/H led 40-33 after three quarters, but pulled away for the win.

Against LeRoy, the Hawks connected on only six second-half points. Mahoe had five points, Sam Reno had three points and Ierik Sorenson also scored three points.

The points by Reno and Sorenson came on three-pointers.

Against Windsor/SS, VG/H used a 13-2 third-quarter run to take control.  Nohren tallied a team-high 11 points. Contributing eight points apiece were Eversole, Reno and Blake Smith.

Eversole fired in 13 points and Nick Coffin had 12 points in the season’s first game, against Sangamon Valley. Smith added seven points.

The Hawks led 32-5 at halftime.

Eversole was picked for the all-tournament team after scoring 45 points for the week.

The Hawks play their home-opener on Tuesday at Heritage against Urbana University High School.

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