CS8
1) Lanphier – The Lions have FINALLY earned the number one ranking. Lanphier went into Pekin and blew away the competition, toying with teams at times on their way to defending their Christmas crown. Yaakema Rose, Cardell McGee and Aundrae Williams are a three-headed monster that no team has been able to figure out yet. The contributors like Corrington Jones, Big William Boles and Karl Wright have been playing their best basketball lately too and a trip to Decatur to take on the Eisenhower Panthers will truly show how dominant this team can be in the CS8 this season.
2) Southeast – The Spartans have lived all season with the target on their back after returning everyone but D’Angelo Hughes from their supersectional run. They held on to the power rankings top spot after losing to 4A power Bolingbrook in the Turkey Tournament, and after losing to 4A power Edwardsville and 3A power East St. Louis at the Holiday Tournament. But we can’t, in good conscience, put them at number one after falling at home to Eisenhower on Tuesday. Anthony Fairlee continues to improve at a scary pace, but the Spartans might have to sweep their season series with Lanphier to be back in the CS8 race.
3) Eisenhower – It just so happens that the Panthers will host the Lions on Friday and after Tuesday’s win at Scheffler Gymnasium, that’s a dangerous proposition for the Lions. Ike impressed us down in Collinsville and then went into Southeast and handed the Spartans their first CS8 loss this season. The third time was the charm for Eisenhower against the previously ranked number one team.
4) MacArthur – Santa delivered exactly what we asked him to bring the Generals. The Brummetts are healthy and Mac must have been extra nice last year because they have also picked up some major contributors to go with the twins. Adrian Williams is a more than capable option inside and the rest of the Generals seem to be gaining confidence.
5) Lincoln – The Railsplitters are reeling after their holiday trip to Collinsville exposed a few weaknesses in their game. There’s no shame in losing to Edwardsville or to new 3A No. 1 Lanphier as they did on Tuesday and fortunately, the losses at Collinsville to MacArthur and Eisenhower don’t count on the conference record. Isaiah Bowers needs more help on offense for a team that has become even more dependent on the three ball than is normally the case.
6) Jacksonville – The struggles are still there but a few constants can steady this ship down the stretch. Brandon McCombs is a guaranteed double double and we know Brady Hays can get buckets. James White remains the three point threat, but the Crimsons need the supporting cast to come through for them to be a contender again.
7) Springfield High – The Senators have beaten Glenwood twice so far this season, so we can’t put the Titans ahead of them. The only problem is…Springfield High struggles against everyone else. Trevor Minder and Zaire Harris are clearly the go-to guys for the Solons…get them the rock.
8) Glenwood – The youth of the Titans is starting to gain their footing as shown on Tuesday against the Cyclones. Freshman Jason Hansbrough opened some eyes on Tuesday in a win over SHG. Glenwood is officially the No. 8 team that nobody up top really wants to play.
9) SHG – A wake up call isn’t exactly the worst thing in the world for this young team who’s seen what it takes to be successful but they aren’t quite there yet. We don’t think SHG will stay in the nine slot long.
10) Rochester – The Rockets have been putting up more points recently and Collin Stallworth has started to show more aggression against his opponents and the rim. We like both.
Area
1) Williamsville – For our money, the Bullets are the most consistent team we’ve seen so far. Williamsville is always going to play incredible defense and stay disciplined. A steady scoring option isn’t exactly there, but they are dangerous because Joe Mitchell, Casey Tuttle or Jake Pennell have all shown that they can put up 25-30 on any given night. Imagine if they’re all on, together.
2) New Berlin – Our last area Power Rankings had the Pretzels just on the outside of the top five looking in. A Waverly Holiday Tournament run blasts them to number two this week and it seems like they will stick around with an impressive road win over Pawnee on Tuesday. The Pretzels prepare for County as a six seed. That six seed worked out pretty well at Waverly. Max Day and Hunter Stockton are an excellent one-two punch for their offense and guys like Wade Ballenger and Ben Butcher are excellent sidekicks when opponents’ defenses are focused on the big two.
3) Auburn – The No. 2 seeded Trojans ended the Waverly Holiday tournament strong after getting knocked off by New Berlin. A rematch with Athens would have been fun, but it wasn’t in the cards. It was probably a rematch Athens wanted more after dropping the first contest. The Trojans have plenty of scoring options in Benji Eaker, Ben Johnson, Connor Berola, Tanner Bailey and the list goes on and on. Auburn gets two more shots at New Berlin in the next five days, playing them Friday in Sangamo action and again in the first round of the Sangamon County Tourney. Those will be must-see.
4) Athens – The previously ranked number one team in the Area power rankings has slipped on some ice. The Warriors struggled against Triopia in the opening round of the Waverly tourney, mainly because a few guys were on the bench with disciplinary issues from the road loss at Auburn. They recovered and made it to the championship game but the Pretzels were too hot to handle and had a good game plan to stop the high-flying Warriors. A loss to Hart-Em on Tuesday has us a little worried as Athens heads into County as a vulnerable one seed. Especially considering the fact that Jeff Johnston sat his starters late in that game after they fell down 20+, only to watch the reserves battle back and nearly win it.
5) Pleasant Plains – A loss to Tremont certainly doesn’t look bad when the Turks are still undefeated and ran through the Williamsville Holiday Tournament without a lot of opposition until they played the Bullets in the finals. Plains was able to get past Sangamo foe PORTA before losing to another 2A ranked team in Peoria Quest to close out the tourney. A new coach still takes some getting use to and a lot of youth is gaining valuable playing time as we head into the meat of the schedule. Honestly, would you want to see this Cardinals team?
Honorable mention: PORTA Bluejays
