Russell Conwell/Student Correspondent
Darren Kinnard
Section618.com
WEST FRANKFORT — It will be an all-SIRR West Frankfort 2A Regional championship game Friday night as the Murphysboro Red Devils will take on the Carterville Lions.
Johnston City vs Murphysboro
The Johnston City Indians were trying to get back to a regional championship game for the first time in eight years, but top-seeded Murphysboro was standing in the way. The Red Devils wouldn’t let the Indians get anywhere close to their goal, winning the first semifinal 54-25.
The Red Devils came out firing in the first, jumping out on a 14-2 run. Later in the quarter, Murphysboro’s Tyreek Feggins hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer, which gave the Red Devils a 21-6 lead at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, it was much of the same. An AJ Walker block led to a fastbreak layup by Calvon Clemmons for the Red Devils. The very next possession, Feggins came up with a steal and fast break layup. Murphysboro would stay on fire for the rest of the half, and they’d go into halftime leading 34-12.
The Red Devils did not let up in the third, outscoring Johnston City 15-6 in the quarter, with Feggins scoring nine of those points. Feggins finished the game as the leading scorer for the Red Devils, and he had 16 points on the night. Murphy would go into the fourth with a commanding lead of 49-17.
A Carmello Davis three-ball in the fourth extended the lead to 50-19, turning on the continuous clock, as the Red Devils rolled into Friday night’s regional championship game.
The Indians’ season ends with a record of 12-18.
Benton vs Carterville
The Carterville Lions were one step away from getting back to playing for a regional championship. The Lions had to beat the Benton Rangers for that to happen, and that’s what they did by a score of 50-33.
The Lions jumped on top thanks to a 9-0 run in the first quarter. Carterville held a 16-7 lead after one quarter. Lions guard Caden Hawkins scored 10 of his team-high 16points in the quarter.
In the second quarter, Aiden Hinton of the Lions scored multiple baskets to stretch Carterville’s lead to double digits. The Rangers rallied late half. Keegan Glover scored on a buzzer-beating layup for Benton, and cutting Carterville’s lead to 27-20 at half.
In the third quarter, the Lions would try to stretch their lead out more. Docker Tedeschi tried to keep the Rangers close with four rebounds and scoring four points in the quarter. Carterville ended up extending the lead to 38-29 after three quarters.
The Rangers came up with multiple defensive stops and a fast break layup to start the fourth, but Carterville pulled away for the 17-point win.
The Lions improve their record to 20-11, and they’ll now play in the regional championship for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Carterville will face Murphysboro at 7:00 PM Friday night in Max Morris Gymnasium.
Benton finishes the season with a record of 16-15. The Rangers will lose some key seniors, but they’ll be returning their top rebounder as well as their best three-point shooter.