Crim: Muddy River Showcase checks every box for atmosphere, excitement and mission

QUINCY — The boxscore shows Max Richardson playing only a few seconds for the Illinois boys basketball team in the inaugural Muddy River Showcase, more than he expected, yet long enough to create a memory that will last a lifetime.

The 6-foot-4 power forward from Illini West who has since signed to play for Eureka College was initially selected to participate in the all-star game. That, however, was before torn cartilage was discovered under his left kneecap, requiring the first of four surgeries now planned on his balky knees.

Rather than just replace him and move on, Illinois coach Greg Altmix made the classy gesture to ask Richardson to remain part of the team and take part in the event’s festivities, including sitting on the bench in uniform Saturday in John Wood Community College’s Student Activities Center.

“I was glad to be part of it, even if I really couldn’t play,” Richardson said.

However, with just under a minute remaining as Illinois pulled away for a 95-55 victory over Missouri, Altmix surprised Richardson by asking if he wanted to take the floor, presumably for a cameo appearance to earn some well-deserved applause and get his name in the boxscore.

“I had no clue,” Richardson said. “Coach said, ‘You want to go in and stand in the corner?’ I said, ‘I might as well.’”

Richardson did more than just stand in the corner, however. Setting up on the right block as Illinois inbounded the ball from in front of its own bench on the opposite side of the court, he circled around a screen, took a pass on the right wing and drained a 3-pointer.

The Illinois bench and its fans erupted in cheers.

“It was awesome,” said a grinning Richardson, who averaged 15 points per game as a senior at Illini West. “They set me up for it. I was surprised I made it. I didn’t take many of those in high school. We had other guys who could score from out there.”

Altmix quickly called a timeout to remove Richardson from the game as he basked in the ovation.

“I had in my mind that if the game allowed it to get him a chance,” Altmix explained. “He hadn’t really warmed up, but he puts it up and it goes in.

“I appreciate what Missouri did, too. They could have jumped the screen and contested the shot. The other guys recognized what we were trying to do and let him do that. And then we got him out of there to protect his knees.

“It’s what all-star games are all about.”

It was a fitting conclusion to an entertaining all-star doubleheader, something area basketball fans had grown accustomed to and sorely missed the past two years. The McDonald’s/Herald-Whig Classic was a June staple for 37 years before it was halted by a pandemic and a newspaper ownership change.

Muddy River News and Sports and JWCC, along with primary sponsors Advance Physical Therapy and Blessing Orthopedics, stepped in to fill the void.

Judging from the atmosphere created by the enthusiasm and energy displayed both on the court and in the stands, it provided an exclamation point to an extraordinary high school basketball season.

The Illinois girls, with only six players due to injuries and scheduling conflicts, pulled away in the third quarter to open a 16-point lead and staved off obvious fatigue in the fourth for a gutsy 67-55 victory over Missouri.

Illini West guard Caydee Kirkham played all but 58 seconds — one of four Illinois players to log 35 or more minutes out of necessity — and earned her team’s Most Valuable Player honors by running the point and scoring a game-high 25 points. Headed to Coe College, she also contributed three assists, three rebounds and three steals, demonstrating why she has been one of the area’s elite players.

After Missouri, which never fully capitalized on its clear height advantage, cut a double-digit deficit to 56-48 when Delaney Straus of Marion County scored from the lane with 4:15 left, Kirkham responded by scoring six straight points in the ensuing minute to blunt the charge, the last coming on a 3-pointer off a turnover.

The Missouri boys opened a surprising eight-point lead 10 minutes into the game, but the taller Illinois squad responded with an 18-6 run to close out the first half and a 29-9 spurt to open the second half to take control.

After a slow start, Quincy High School’s Jeremiah Talton hit 8 of 9 shots from the field in the second half, including all five 3-point attempts, to finish with a game-high 35 points (in just under 21 minutes) to earn his team’s MVP honors.

Moreover, Talton was one of five players in the boys game who will play for JWCC next season, providing Trail Blazers fans with a hearty dose of excitement. He will be joined by Illinois teammates Logan Robbins of Liberty and Ramsey Fry of Augusta Southeastern, along with his cousins, Joshua and Josiah Talton of Monroe City. 

Joshua Talton, the Missouri Class 3 Co-Player of the Year, finished with 18 points and four rebounds to earn Missouri MVP honors. The focal point of Illinois’ defense, the 6-foot-1 guard was limited to four field goals and did most of his damage from the free-throw line, where he made all eight attempts, but still offered flashes of what’s to come on the collegiate level.

“I told them this was the last time they’ll be in this gym and I won’t be yelling at them,” JWCC coach Brad Hoyt quipped before the game began.

For Hoyt, who also serves as the school’s athletic director and was instrumental in helping create the Muddy River Showcase, the event was everything he hoped for.

“It’s all about the kids and the opportunity for them to play,” he said after the players and fans had filed out of the Student Activity Center on a bright, sunny evening. “We appreciate being able to host. It fits our mission in so many ways.

“It checked every box.”

It did indeed.