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CS8 Power Rankings
Lanphier – Coach Blake Turner’s squad finally got a test from a top conference team Jacksonville and they passed with flying colors. Now it’s time for the Lions to take their show on the road. They’ve played at home for their Turkey Tourney and hosted SHG and Jacksonville. A trip to MacArthur on Friday will show their maturity and whether or not they stay atop these rankings for awhile.
Southeast – The Spartans aren’t playing like they want to be in second place in our power rankings. Southeast finally played a home game and Lawrence Thomas’ team put on a show for the Eastside, stomping Eisenhower. Next up is Jacksonville, a team that the Lions dismantled last Friday. Seems like a good way to see where Southeast sizes up with Lanphier.
Jacksonville – We’re not here to make excuses and Sean Taylor won’t either, but going on the road to the top team in the rankings and suffering a loss without your top scorer doesn’t mean you drop. Jacksonville is going through early season struggles, dropping one at home to Pleasant Plains and then losing at Lanphier. The Crimsons can rebound and they have the perfect chance to show what they’re capable of with a trip to Southeast on Friday.
Glenwood – It is time to give the Titans some credit. Glenwood has just one loss this season and that was their first game of the year, against Jacksonville in Alton. Since then, Coach Todd Blakeman’s bunch has been on a roll, even going into their rival's gym (SHG) last Friday and getting it done. Parker Allen, a familiar name for the Titan faithful has been setting nets on fire with hot shooting, but we’ll see how good they really are when they travel to Southeast on Saturday.
MacArthur – The Generals picked up a much needed win over a Senators team that has shown they can score. The MacArthur dropping a spot has more to do with what Glenwood has done and less to do with what the Generals haven't. MacArthur can prove they they should be a top team when host Lanphier on Friday.
Lincoln – The Railsplitters are going to stay at six in our rankings for two reasons. They don’t drop because they picked up a conference road win, but they don’t jump because they needed two overtimes to beat the number seven team in our rankings. Aron Hopp led the way last week, but Lincoln will need more to escape this weekend unscathed when they host SHG and Springfield, both capable of pulling an upset.
Rochester – The Rockets need to find a rhythm on offense. Dalton Handlin, Collin Stallworth, Dan Zeigler and Matt McClintock have shown they can score, but not consistently against CS8 opponents. Coach Mike Steers said he needs his bench to step up as well. The Rockets have more chances to grow this weekend when they travel to Glenwood before hosting Lanphier on Saturday.
Eisenhower – The Generals had a tough go last weekend traveling to our No. 2 team in the rankings and they got beat again. They can easily rebound this weekend and climb the rankings with games against Springfield High and Jacksonville, if they win those, they will be heading upwards.
SHG – The Cyclones couldn’t contain Parker Allen, one of the best scorers in the Central State Eight last week, at home. Coach Carey McVickers and his guys have a chance to get their first conference win of the year this weekend, when they travel to Lincoln before taking on MacArthur on Saturday. The continued growth of Albert Okwuegbunam as a basketball player in the paint may directly correlate to the amount of success this team is going to have.
Springfield High – The schedule hasn’t done the Senators any favors so far this year and two more road conference games this weekend don’t make things any easier. We're still looking for signs that this team is rallying together rather than drifting aimlessly.
Area Power Rankings
Pleasant Plains – Isaac Collins has earned the nickname “Baby Steph Curry” due to his lethal shooting from beyond the arc. The junior is shooting 52.3 percent from long range this year, which has lifted the Cardinals to impressive wins over Jacksonville and Williamsville. The additions of Austin Finley and Nik Clemens down low has also given Pleasant Plains a steady post presence, which has opened up looks for the Cardinals bevy of talented guards.
Williamsville – Bullets head coach, Nick Beard called Williamsville’s loss against Pleasant Plains last Friday a measuring stick game for his team. The Bullets showed up and played well against the No. 1 team in the area power rankings. Williamsville had a lead at the end of the first quarter, at halftime and heading into the fourth, but couldn’t hang on. The Bullets have multiple scoring options and depth, making them one of the candidates to make a run at the Sangamo.
Athens – Athens is starting to see what they had envisioned before the season come to fruition with a healthy roster. The Warriors believed they were Sangamo contenders before the year, but injuries to Nick Hanner and Hunter Maxwell curbed those talks temporarily. Hanner missed several games after suffering a sprained ankle and Maxwell will be out for the foreseeable future due to a back injury. With their starting point guard back in Hanner, the Warriors have won two straight against New Berlin and Auburn and they appear to be finding their stride. It also helps whens you have arguably the best player in the Sangamo in Matt Wendling on the team.
Auburn – The Trojans make their first appearance on the area power rankings list after an impressive showing against Pawnee, that included a game winner at the horn from Tristan Weaver and an overtime loss to Athens, where Auburn trailed multiple times, but fought back to send the game into the extra session. The Trojans have a plethora of athletes and feature an inside-outside game, making them difficult to defend. Time will tell us how good Auburn really is in a competitive Sangamo, but its stock is rising.
PORTA – A defeat at the hands of Illini Central has PORTA barely hanging on to the fifth and final ledger, but we knew with the Blue Jays having to replace 80 percent of their starting lineup, that PORTA would go through some growing pains. The Blue Jays still only have one loss on the year. Pleasant Plains would be smart not to look past PORTA on Friday night.
Honorable Mention
Lincolnwood – The Lancers are 8-1 and have earned themselves a three seed in the Waverly Holiday Tournament. That’s right behind the Athens Warriors, who got a two seed and that’s also ahead of Auburn who got a six seed. Lincolnwood’s only loss came in the New Berlin Turkey Tournament to start the season and since then, they’ve taken care of business against some tough 1A and 2A schools.
Pawnee – The Tribe went stride for stride with Auburn, before falling in overtime. It took the Trojans a game-tying field goal and game-winner to put a stake in Pawnee, which is impressive given the Indians compete at the 1A level. Austin Galloway and Garrett Gillette continue to play stellar basketball for the Tribe.
