Chargers earn chance to defend Hancock County Tournament title after dispatching Mustangs

WARSAW, Ill. — Nothing has changed in the past week.

Saturday night’s matchup between the Illini West and West Hancock boys basketball teams will decide the championship of the 104th Hancock County Invitational Tournament at Warsaw High School.

From the start, that was the most anticipated pairing of the week-long, round-robin event. Both schools won Friday evening contests to enter the 7:30 p.m. title game with 3-0 records.

Illini West, the defending tournament champion, squeezed past Mendon Unity 65-63, while West Hancock blitzed Augusta Southeastern 96-40. 

West Hancock (17-4) has beaten its three tourney opponents by an average of 51.3 points. In the Titans’ last two victories, they topped 90 points and the fourth quarter was played with a running clock.

“We’re the defending champs, but we know we’re going to be the underdog against West Hancock,” said Illini West coach Blaize Kimmell, whose team is 15-6. “West Hancock is really good. Our defense will be a key, especially our transition defense.”

Illini West, which defeated West Hancock in last year’s county tournament 59-56, has held 12 of its opponents to 40 points or less. The 63 points Unity scored matched the most Illini West has surrendered this season.

“We did not play that well defensively,” Kimmell said. “We just weren’t guarding well.”

The back-and-forth affair, which played out in front of about 500 fans, saw a long 3-point try fall short for Unity as time expired. Most of the game was played with either team up by no more than five points.

Kimmell said Illini West players were able to “feed off” one another’s energy to escape with the victory. 

“The kids were really geeked up tonight,” he said.

The return of 6-foot-3 junior Wesley Robertson was an obvious asset for Illini West. Robertson missed his club’s 61-42 win over West Prairie on Tuesday after requiring eight stitches due to an injury to his left index finger. His return to the lineup produced a team-leading 21 points, including 14 in the first half when Unity (12-7) built a 33-30 halftime edge.

Robertson said he and his Illini West teammates did not enter the game taking Unity lightly, despite a one-sided win earlier in the season.

“We knew Unity was a good team, even though we had beaten them 51-28,” Robertson said. “Unity is a very physical team, but we know West Hancock will be the best team we play this season.”

Robertson said his injury, which was rather heavily bandaged, was of no concern.

“I was able to practice (Wednesday and Thursday) and felt pretty good,” he said. “It’s not really bothering me.”

Senior point guard Tre Neiderman scored 13 points for Illini West, including 11 in the second half when he emerged as the Chargers’  most consistent offensive threat over the closing two quarters.

Developing big man Wes Smith, a 6-foot-5 junior, contributed 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds. On occasion, Kimmell likes to pair Smith and Robertson in a twin-tower type of backline.

Unity’s Sawyer Allen (28) and Blake Arnsman (16) combined for 44 points. Allen registered nine of his points in the final quarter when the Mustangs outscored the Chargers 21-14.

“Sawyer Allen is a heckuva player and creates a lot of problems,” Kimmell said.

Illini West now owns 12 straight wins over Unity. The Mustangs’ last win in the rivalry came in January 2017.