April 18, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Izard, SJO boys’ basketball rolls in postseason opener

It wasn’t even close.

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ basketball team picked the perfect time for its most lopsided win this season.

The Spartans, seeded fourth in the Class 2A regional they are hosting, defeated No. 13 Westville 70-22 on Tuesday night during a regional quarterfinal game in St. Joseph.

Now, the Spartans (22-8) will have a quick turnaround before its next game when SJO hosts sixth-seeded Villa Grove/Heritage (21-10) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in a regional semifinal game. VG/H outlasted No. 12 Unity 67-63 in overtime on Tuesday night in a regional quarterfinal game.

SJO bolted out to a 9-0 lead against Westville in the game’s first four minutes before leading 20-2 entering the second quarter. The Spartans only expanded their lead against the Tigers, going into halftime ahead 40-14 and leading 66-22 entering the fourth quarter.

Nine different SJO players scored at least two points during the win against Westville, with senior guard Chance Izard dropping in a game-high 17 points and making 8 of 11 shots from the field.


Junior guard Lukas Hutcherson added 10 points, while senior guard Dade Allinger, senior forward Payton Cain and freshman forward Ty Pence all notched nine points. Senior guard Jordan Kelly and senior forward Conner Hodge chipped in six points, with senior forwards Drew Coursey and Brayden Weaver rounding out the scoring with two points apiece.

If SJO knocks off VG/H on Wednesday night, it would face either No. 1 Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin (30-0) or No. 11 Oakwood (18-13) at 7 p.m. on Friday in the regional championship game. BHRA and Oakwood kick off Wednesday night’s action at the SJO Regional with a 6 p.m. semifinal game.

Notes: Prior to Tuesday night’s win, SJO closed out the regular season with two losses last week. The Spartans lost 62-53 at Bloomington Central Catholic last Friday night and lost 61-45 at nonconference foe Teutopolis on Feb. 17.

Cain led SJO with 16 points against BCC, with Pence (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Izard (13 points) also hitting double figures.


Izard paced SJO with 20 points in the loss against Teutopolis.

Banner
Related Posts

SJO girls’ basketball looks to bounce back against Tuscola

November 29, 2021

November 29, 2021

Playing the Paris girls’ basketball team is always a challenge, with the Tigers as one of the premier small-school programs...

Red-hot SJO volleyball faces St. Teresa for regional championship

October 28, 2021

October 28, 2021

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School volleyball team concluded August with an impressive three-set win at St. Teresa. If the Spartans...

Going the Distance: Smetzer excels at Western

October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019

Ross Smetzer has goals. The 2016 St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate runs cross country and track for Western Illinois University...

Cramer, Lannert spark SJO girls’ basketball to fifth at State Farm Holiday Classic

January 3, 2020

January 3, 2020

Close games. Again. Clutch moments. Again. The small-school State Farm Holiday Classic had all of these attributes — and more...

Meyer, Cook and Orcutt to play for Fighting Bees

February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019

Back in the ‘80s there was a movie that hit theatres across America called the Three Amigos. St. Joseph-Ogden High...

Ingram, Behrens lead SJO soccer in spring season

April 21, 2021

April 21, 2021

The St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ soccer team experienced a whirlwind of aseason during the 2020-21 school year. A season they’ll likely...

Ingram shines, but SJO football still seeking first win

September 17, 2021

September 17, 2021

Six wins are needed to automatically qualify a high school football team into the playoffs in Illinois. For St. Joseph-Ogden...

Spartans hope to raise the bar

August 27, 2021

August 27, 2021

By Jim Cotter St. Joseph-Ogden football hopes raise the bar this season.Last season, the Spartans finished 2-4. The Spartans are...

DeJarnette to lead soccer program at SJO

May 21, 2020

May 21, 2020

Bill DeJarnette is no stranger to the St. Joseph-Ogden soccer program. DeJarnette was the first coach of the SJO soccer...

Mattsey, Plotner key strong starts for SJO cross-country

September 10, 2019

September 10, 2019

The Chrisman Cow Chip Classic features seven different waves of runners. Run over a pasture near Chrisman High School, hence...

SJO to host first-round playoff game

October 22, 2022

October 22, 2022

The St. Joseph-Ogden football team (6-3) will host Robinson (6-3) in the first round of the IHSA Class 3A football...

SJO girls’ basketball embarks upon IHSA postseason play

February 13, 2023

February 13, 2023

Throw the records out the window.Take it one game at a time.Survive and advance.Pick any well-used cliche, and it’s applicable...

A numbers game: Interest in golf, girls’ tennis at SJO increase, but both aren’t
board-approved sports

September 9, 2022

September 9, 2022

 St. Joseph-Ogden High School doesn’t want to be mediocre. To Athletic Director Justin Franzen that means making sure student athletes...

SJO boys’ basketball can clinch Illini Prairie title tonight

February 13, 2024

February 13, 2024

Talk to enough coaches and players in the area and across the state and one common sentiment seems to pop...

Mabry, Stegall pace SJO boys’ cross-country to regional title; sectional meet up Saturday

October 30, 2021

October 30, 2021

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ cross-country team has shown the capability it could win a state title all season....

Comments
Leave a Reply