A tough stretch for the PORTA-AC Central boys basketball team got even tougher as the Jays dropped two tight conference games to good teams last week to push their losing streak to five games. PORTA-AC has lost eight of their last nine to fall to 12-16 on the year and 1-6 in the Sangamo Conference.
Add undefeated Sangamo Conference Champions to the ever-growing list of accomplishments for the 2023-2024 PORTA-AC Central Lady Bluejays.
A whipping of rival Pleasant Plains last week gave the Lady Jays a perfect 8-0 mark in the conference and the championship. Wins over Athens and Canton pushed their record to 29-1 overall entering postseason play.
The best season in twenty years for the BHS girls’ basketball team came to an end in the first round of regional play on the road at West Hancock.
The Lady Tigers finished the year with a record of 12-19 which is the most wins in a season since they won 17 in 2003-2004. After winning a maximum of seven games for six years running, Beardstown has won twelve, nine and eleven the last three and Coach Jimmy Maltby will return a very solid core of players for next year. Having joined the West Central Conference, BHS was obligated to make up a snowed-out game against West Hancock, meaning they would face the Titans twice in the final week of the season. A loss to West Central in the middle meant a three-game skid to end the season.
The third time was the charm for the Triopia-Meredosia-Virginia Lady Trojan basketball team as they beat South Fork for the first time in three tries to win in the opening round of their own regional.
In a process that is yet to make sense to me, the Lady Trojans traveled to the better seeded Ponies home floor in the opening game even though Triopia is the Regional host. Nevertheless, Triopia got the win, roping and tying the Ponies in 43 to 38 victory, moving to 14-14 on the season. Prior to regional action, the Trojans knocked off North Greene and lost to Pawnee.
A strategic defensive adjustment by coach Eric Anderson and an increase in intensity for the Beardstown boys’ basketball team turned a five-point halftime deficit into a 72 to 52 runaway home win over the Western Wildcats in the Tigers only game last week.
For the second straight year, the season of a very good Triopia Trojan eighth grade basketball team was ended by a very good Pawnee eighth grade basketball team.
After a second-round win over a pesky Springfield Little Flower team, the young Trojans lost to Pawnee 39 to 32 in the Regional Championship game held at Springfield Blessed Sacrament last Thursday.
The Virginia Redbird eighth grade boys’ basketball season ended with a second-round regional loss to the top seeded hosts, Augusta Southeastern.
It was an ominous start for the Birds as they failed to score in the opening quarter but found themselves only down by five. A 14 to 6 second frame gave the Suns a 19 to 6 halftime lead. They would stretch the margin to 26 to 9 after three quarters. The Redbirds won the fourth period 10 to 5 but it was too little too late in the season ending 31 to 19 loss.
With the junior high boys’ basketball season well into postseason play, only a couple of local teams remain in the mix while a couple of squads bowed out last week.
The Beardstown eighth grade team finished off their season in the first round of the Pittsfield Regional with a 46 to 9 loss to top seeded Athens. The Warriors bolted to a 19 to 0 first quarter lead in the easy win. It was 28 to 2 at the half and 31 to 9 after three quarters. Brandon Figueroa had six points, Carter Ross scored two and Erick Mejia notched one in the season ending loss for the Tigers.
The beat goes on for the PORTA/A-C Central Lady Bluejays as they won their only game last week to improve to 23-1 on the year. The boys’ team meanwhile split a pair of home games to remain over .500 on the season at 11-9.
PORTA-A-C Central went 3-1 in the 101st Winchester Invitational Tournament to secure a Fifth-Place finish. After their opening round win over North Greene, the Bluejays faced off against eventual tourney champion West Central and fell 69 to 46. A 43 to 35 win over Triopia followed. PORTA-AC won the 5th Place game over Hardin Calhoun by a score of 54 to 47.