Defense, stellar free-throw shooting carry Central to Class 1A regional championship

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Jalen Conley found ways to get to the basket and make the Central boys basketball team work to stop him.

The Panthers denied everyone else that opportunity.

The top-seeded team in the Class 1A Central Regional showed its defensive dominance in the first half Friday night, allowing one only Bushnell-Prairie City player aside from Conley to score a field goal and limiting the Spartans to 13 total points over the first two quarters.

It set the stage for a 46-35 victory and the Panthers’ first regional championship in four seasons.

Central (26-4) advances to the Bushnell-Prairie City Sectional and will face Peoria Christian at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Illini Bluffs and Elmwood square off in the other sectional semifinal.

The Panthers took control with solid perimeter shooting as Nick Moore and Breyhar Wiskirchen each buried a pair of 3-pointers in the first half. Isaac Genebacher had six points in the first half.

Although Central was outscored 9-4 in the third quarter, the lead wasn’t ever threatened because of salty free-throw shooting. Moore, who finished with 22 points, went 10 of 10 from the line in the fourth quarter with the Panthers going 16 of 18 from the line overall.

Wiskirchen and Gavin Blewitt each scored eight points for Central. Conley finished with 16 points.