This Friday, January 12, 2024, the 1959 Gymnasium at Beardstown High School will be formally dedicated to the Tigers’ former head coach Bob Hembrough. The gym was the site of an era of unmatched success for Beardstown High School basketball under Hembrough. He led the Tiger basketball team from 1973 to 1976,
The Triopia-Meredosia-Virginia basketball programs picked up some much-needed rest following the Lady Tiger Classic and the Waverly Holiday Tournament as the girls played just one game last week and the boys played two, waiting until Thursday to get back into action. The girls suffered a disappointing loss on the road at Rushville/Industry on Tuesday. The boys squeezed in a WIVC win over Pleasant Hill before an opening round win over Carlinville in the Winchester Invitational Tournament on Saturday.
Following an overly busy holiday, the BHS boys’ and girls’ basketball squads each played just one game last week. The boys’ game originally scheduled for January 2 at West Hancock has been moved to January 18.
The Tigers traveled to Clinton for a New Year’s shootout on Saturday and knocked off Cornerstone Christian out of Bloomington 67 to 49.
They played a game at home and a game on the road last week, but the result was the same each time for the Beardstown seventh and eighth grade boys’ basketball teams as they lost all four contests. On Tuesday, at home the Tigers lost to West Central and on Thursday on the road they fell to Griggsville-Perry.
Following their only loss of the season over the Christmas holiday, the PORTA-AC Central Lady Bluejays are right back on track with a four-game winning streak including three last week. All four of the wins were by over twenty points. Coach Eric Kesler has the Jays at 18-1 on the season.
The PORTA-AC Central Bluejays have won their last two games including an opening round win in the 101st Winchester Invitational Tournament. Prior to last week, the Jays had dropped three out of four games. They lost 53 to 33 in the first game of the Williamsville Holiday Tournament, then knocked off Roanoke Benson 54 to 40 in round two before their tourney ended at the hands of Tremont 66 to 58. A 46 to 29 loss to highly ranked Illini Bluffs followed before the Jays would right the ship.
The Triopia Junior High Basketball teams continued to add to an already impressive resume with five wins out of six games last week. The eighth grade swept all three of their games while the seventh grade lost to Hardin Calhoun but defeated North Mac and Carrollton St. Johns.
For the first time in several years the Beardstown Tigers played on the fourth and final day of the Williamsville Holiday Tournament. The Tigers rebounded from a tough opening round loss to Delavan to beat Deer Creek Mackinaw and Illini Central and earn a birth in the Consolation Championship game. Beardstown ran completely out of gas in their fourth game in four days in the championship tilt and fell badly to Tremont.
Some rough shooting games combined with the usual tough competition of the Lady Tiger Classic led to the host school going 1-3 in the tourney. The Tigers had already faced all four teams they played, and the results were the same in each contest the second time around.
The Triopia-Meredosia-Virginia Lady Trojans rode their defense to two wins in the Lady Tiger Classic knocking off Pleasant Hill-Western and Beardstown. The defense played well in losses to West Central and Havana but the Trojans could not overcome their offensive struggles against the Cougars and Ducks.