Sparta 53, Chester 41
Sparta used a strong fourth quarter to pull out a 53-41 victory over Chester Saturday night at home.
The Bulldogs led 15-14 at the end of the first quarter but trailed 26-22 at the break. Sparta outscored Chester 12-9 in the third and 19-6 in the fourth for the 12-point win.
Aaron Rushing had a huge night for the Bulldogs, scoring 21 points, while freshman Dwayne Dodson added 12.
Sparta improved to 2-5 overall with the win.
Matt Heberlie was the only Chester player to reach double figures in scoring, as he posted 18 points.
The Yellow Jackets dropped to 3-4 on the season.
Pinckneyville 55, Monticello 44
Pinckneyville outscored Monticello in every quarter except the third in a 55-44 victory Saturday night in the Saluki Shootout at the SIU Arena.
The Panthers led 14-6 at the end of the first quarter and 28-19 at halftime.
Payton Nippe scored 11 points to lead the Panthers, while Dylan Hardin had 10.
Pinckneyville improved to 5-0 on the season with the win.
Okawville 63, Trico 53
Okawville rallied to outscore Trico 19-7 in the fourth quarter for a 63-53 win Saturday evening in the Saluki Shootout at the SIU Arena.
The Pioneers trailed 13-8 at the end of the first quarter but held a 32-29 lead at halftime.
Okawville cut the deficit to two points in the third quarter, outscoring Trico 15-4.
Chase Heins paced Trico with 23 points, while Dylan Witthoft added 16.
Trico dropped to 5-1 on the season with the defeat.
Steeleville 72, Marissa-Coulterville 59
Trailing 9-8 at the end of the first quarter, Steeleville outscored Marissa-Coulterville 44-25 over the next two quarters en route to a 72-59 win at home Friday night.
Darin Winkelman led Steeleville with 26 points, while Jacob Combs added 13.
The Meteors’ Joey Smith led all scorers with 32 points, while Chazz Phelps and Austin Place each had eight.
Steeleville improved to 3-3 on the season and 1-0 in the Cahokia Conference Kaskaskia Division.
The Meteors dropped to 3-3 and 1-1 in conference play.
Breese Central 63, Red Bud 41
Breese Central, the number two ranked team in the state in Class 2A, out-pointed Red Bud in every quarter Friday night for a 63-41 victory.
The Musketeers trailed 16-9 at the end of the first quarter and 35-22 at the intermission.
The Cougars outscored Red Bud 15-10 and 13-9 in the second half for the 22-point win.
Jacob Kueker led the Musketeers with 14 points, while Jason Greer added eight.
Red Bud fell to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play following the loss.
Pinckneyville 52, Carterville 34
Pinckneyville outscored Carterville 12-3 in the first quarter and 23-8 in the third to run away with a 52-34 win Friday night.
Hunter Queen led a balanced scoring attack from the Panthers with 13 points. Dylan Hardin and Payton Nippe each had 11 points in the win.
Pinckneyville improved to 4-0 on the season with the win and 1-0 in the SIRR Mississippi.
Nashville 45, Sparta 36
Nashville outscored Sparta in every quarter to win a tight fought 45-36 contest Friday night.
The Bulldogs trailed 11-10 at the end of the first and 21-18 at halftime. In the second half, Nashville outscored the Bulldogs 14-12 and 10-6, including the game’s final seven points, for the nine-point win.
Aaron Rushing led Sparta with 14 points, while Tyler Morrison added eight. Sparta dropped to 1-5 overall and 0-1 in the SIRR Mississippi.
Sesser-Valier 57, Chester 44
A good start by Sesser-Valier was a difference in the Red Devils’ 57-44 win over Chester Friday night.
Sesser-Valier led 17-6 at the end of the first quarter and 31-18 at halftime.
Each team scored 26 points in the second half, as Sesser-Valier’s maintained its lead for the 13-point win.
With the loss, Chester fell to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Black Diamond. Kyle Landon led Chester with 13 points, while Caleb Arbeiter had 11.