Hornets, Indians still on top
With mid-winter tournaments completed, teams can start thinking postseason
02/04/2026
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - There isn't much left to say other than TGIO (Thank God It's Over) when it comes to mid-winter tournaments.

With bad weather throwing a big monkey wrench into everything, the teams can get back to conference games and tuning up for the only important part of the process – the state tournament.

As stated before, 2A hasn't lived up to what is the norm in southern Illinois so far this season.

Effingham St. Anthony, who was bumped up in class this season, became the 43rd ABV area 2A team to lose to a 1A team last night, dropping a decision on the road to Casey-Westfield.

The Bulldogs, with as bad as this classification group of teams is, could be a major player in the postseason.

Nashville so far has proven its worth for Coach Stote Reeder but they have some key games coming up.

Staunton and head coach Ty Laux showed that they have work to do to get ready for the postseason and they have a measuring stick game coming up Saturday at the EAWR Shootout against Columbia.

The Eagles have a dozen wins in a row for Coach Mark Sandstrom and the contest on Saturday will be a feather in the cap to the winner.

In 1A some love can go out to Hardin County for winning the GEC Tournament on Saturday night.

The Cougars and head coach Rodney Lane have a 12-game winning streak and they will play at Webber Township on Wednesday in a game that was added to the schedule.

It will be a stern late season test for his crew.

No one in this area had a worse basketball weekend than Goreville, losing games to Webber Township and Woodlawn.

The Blackcats need to quickly regroup.

The way geography and the state tournament goes, they have a good spot in the postseason already laid out for them.

Sparta is a runner up on the bad weekend, losing to the flu, injuries and Carlyle on the road.

The Bulldogs, once healthy, will be one of the toughest outs in the postseason as they recovered with wins over Anna-Jonesboro and a close call triumph over New Athens.

The Yellow Jackets are also one of the teams on the outside looking in and could be a factor once the postseason starts for Coach Conrad Widdersheim.

Benton topped Carterville on Saturday in a make up BIT title tilt.

Coach Ron Winemiller knows the path to Champaign, having taken his Rangers there two years ago.
1. NASHVILLE (22-2) ***
The Hornets topped Warrensburg-Latham last Saturday to spice up the resume.
2. TEUTOPOLIS (21-3)
The Wooden Shoes are a lock for the top-seed in their sub-sectional.
3. COLUMBIA (21-4) ***
The Eagles have a 12-game winning streak riding. Big game coming up at EAWR Shootout.
4. TOLONO UNITY (23-2)
The Rockets extended their winning streak to 14.
5. STAUNTON (20-3) ***
The Bulldogs' schedule caught up with them. Game with Columbia coming up.
6. BREESE CENTRAL (17-7) ***
The Cougars have some key games coming up to get ready for the postseason.
7. ALTON MARQUETTE (17-5)
The Explorers added a big win over Althoff to the slate.
8. CARTERVILLE (22-3) ***
The Lions needed a better showing at Benton. Work to do moving forward.
9. ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN (17-7)
The Spartans are a part of the mix with T-town and Unity.
10. BENTON (19-5) ***
The Rangers topped Carterville to win BIT after a clunker at DQ.
HONORABLE MENTION IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER: Breese Mater Dei ***, Carlinville ***, Effingham St. Anthony, Fairfield ***, Hamilton County, Herrin ***, Litchfield ***, Massac County, Murphysboro ***, Newton, Pinckneyville, Roxana ***, Salem and Wesclin ***.
1. LAWRENCEVILLE (22-1) ***
The Indians added a second consecutive LIC title last week.
2. WALTONVILLE (22-3) ***
The Spartans tough schedule should pay postseason dividends.
3. TUSCOLA (20-4) ***
The Warriors should be the top-seed in their sub-sectional.
4. SPARTA (22-3) ***
The Bulldogs caught the injury/illness bug last week. Looking at getting healthy soon.
5. ALTAMONT (12-7)
The Tribe lost a heart-breaker to St. Anthony in the NTC finale. Resume is still strong.
6. WOODLAWN (20-3) ***
The Cardinals are part of an interesting sub-sectional with two other ranked teams.
7. WEBBER TOWNSHIP (18-3) ***
The Trojans have a bunch of games to squeeze in the next three weeks.
8. CUMBERLAND (21-4) ***
The Pirates got some payback against Dieterich in the NTC third place game.
9. DIETERICH (17-7)
The Movin' Maroons have some important games coming up.
10. GOREVILLE (18-3) ***
The Blackcats' have some work to do after a dumpster fire weekend.
Honorable Mention: Cairo ***, Carlyle ***, Casey-Westfield ***, Central A&M, Christopher ***, Edwards County, Nokomis, North Clay ***, Hardin County ***, Mounds Meridian ***, New Athens, Steeleville ***, Trico ***, and Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg ***.
*** Teams I've seen in person.