02/17/2026
BY JACK BULLOCK
DU QUOIN - On paper the final score of Nashville's 73-49 win Tuesday night will look like a dominating performance from the top-ranked ABV 2A squad.

But head coach Stote Reeder wasn't overjoyed by the performance of his crew in the middle two quarters of his team's 28th victory.

The Hornets jumped out to an 18-2 lead but never quite put the hammer down on the DuQuoin Indians.

Although the lead never dwindled lower than 13-points, Coach Reeder decided to get his club's attention in the break between the third and fourth quarters.

The Hornets responded with a much better fourth quarter to extend the lead for the 24-point victory.

The significance of the win is that Nashville takes home its first outright SIRR Mississippi Division championship since 2022 and they didn't lose a league contest in this battlefield of a schedule, going 10-0.

“To go 10-0 in the River-to-River is no joke. This conference, in my opinion, is the best 2A conference in the state,” said Coach Reeder. “And I know that others would have their opinions as well. A laundry list of great basketball teams have come out of this league. I don't care if the league is up, down or whatever, winning on the road in this conference is never easy. To get this one and win the conference undefeated were two goals of our and we reached them.”

Of course there was the stellar play of the anchor of the Nashville ship.

Six-four senior Maddox Reeder continues to show folks around the state that he is one of the top players.

Ritzel netted 35-points to lead the Hornets, 23 of which came in a dominating first half for Nashville.

“When your best player is your best leader, he has taken it to a new level,” said Coach Reeder about Maddox Ritzel. “He makes his teammates better. Which is something we have pushed. How to make your teammates better. They trust him and he trusts them. Our chemistry and our depth, I've said all year long, has been our identity.”

He got the Hornets off to a fast start with 12 in the first quarter, scoring all around the basket and even stepping out to hit shots from long range.

Ritzel nailed down three of his team's seven 3-pointers in the victory.

His help came from two teammates with double-digits in the scorebook.

Junior guard Kassidy Linkey added 11-points to the total, also canning a trio of 3-point shots.

Gannon Turner, another junior guard, netted 10-points for Nashville.

All of the points from Turner came in the first half as the Hornets led 38-23 at halftime.

Junior Palmer Renken scored his six-points in the final eight minutes and two teammates, senior's Max Reeder and Blake Brooks added four-points apiece.

DuQuoin showed why they could be a dangerous foe in the postseason, hanging with the Hornets after the rough first quarter.

Coach Coleman Fitch and his Indians slipped to 17-10 on the season.

But athletically the Tribe gave Nashville some issues.

Senior point guard Amir Grant led the scoring for DQ with 21-points, 11 in the first half.

Sophomore Layton Hawkins added 11 and senior Jeremiah Jones tossed in nine.

Junior guard Andrew Jones added six-points for DuQuoin, who could be the Hornets first opposition in the postseason if they can get past Herrin in the opening round next week.

The Nashville first quarter was textbook as the Hornets rattled off a 10-0 beginning, holding DuQuoin to just two made field goals and forcing four turnovers for an 18-4 lead after the first eight minutes.

Ritzel nailed down two of his 3-pointers in the first frame and the defense caused a 2-of-13 shooting beginning for DQ.

The senior, a shoe-in for some serious postseason honors state-wide, went back to work in the second quarter scoring six of his points on the inside.

Consecutive shots, with one in transition, pushed the Hornets to a 26-10 spread with 5:27 to go in the half.

Turner added a couple of baskets during a 9-2 run as did Linkey, who nailed down a 3-pointer.

Ritzel closed the half with another drive in the lane and then a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to end the second quarter at 38-23.

The lead reached 52-31 midway in the third quarter before a nice offensive push by DuQuoin closed the gap.

The Indians went on an 8-0 run, with Hawkins, Grant, and both of the Jones' scoring.

A fast break dunk by Jeremiah Jones made it 52-39 with 2:05 left.

But Linkey scored to close the quarter scoring and then Coach Reeder let his squad know that he didn't like what he was seeing during the quarter break.

“In between quarters it wasn't just about tonight. We had a 15-point lead and they tied us in the third quarter (scoring). We played a little bit of AAU ball there in the third and I didn't like it,” said Coach Reeder. “It wasn't just about tonight. It was about next Wednesday. We could be playing them again or Herrin. It was about the postseason run that we want to make and we can't have stretches where we get away from Hornet Basketball on the offensive end. We've got to execute.”

Nashville pulled away in the middle part of the final quarter for the win.

An 11-2 run, sparked by a 3-pointer by Renken and four more points from Ritzel, made it 70-47 before the reserves closed out the final 2:34.

“Part of our execution is the way we can beat people off of the dribble. So often those times happen after simple actions that we run. We got away from that a little bit. I just wanted to remind them it isn't just about beating DuQuoin tonight, it's about everything to come. We have to be disciplined,” said Coach Reeder.

As the score would indicate, Nashville also won the statistical battles.

The Hornets ended up 22-of-36 from the field, 7-of-19 from the arc and held a slight 28-24 rebounding advantage.

Nashville had a few too many turnovers (12) which ended up not being a major factor.

DuQuoin hit just 21-of-54 from the field, 2-of-11 from the arc and coughed up 10-turnovers.

The Hornets, after losing a game in a shootout in Sullivan because of weather, picked up a game with state-ranked 1A club Webber Township and high-scoring senior Nathaniel Marlow for Friday night at home to close out the regular season.

DuQuoin with travel to Hamilton County on Friday to end its regular season.

As mentioned before, the Hornets and Indians could meet again next Wednesday in the semifinals of the 2A Pinckneyville Regional.