Game Night Guide: Camp Point Central gets sectional title game rematch with Illini Bluffs

Class 1A Abingdon-Avon Sectional Championship

Camp Point Central (25-8) vs. Illini Bluffs (32-3)

Where: Abingdon-Avon High School

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Livestream: Central Illinois Sports on YouTube

Scouting the Panthers: This group just knows how to win, whether that’s on the gridiron or the hardwood. The Panthers have won 52 basketball games the last two years combined and are the reigning Class 1A state football champions. That big-game experience should play off, especially in the backcourt with Nick Moore and Drew Paben handling the bulk of the ballhanding responsibilities. Moore is the team’s leading scorer and an all-state candidate, while Paben’s defensive tenacity is infectious. The Panthers can play big despite not having anyone taller than 6-foot-2. Elijah Genenbacher and Kadin Niekamp are physical presences, and Gavin Blewett is bouncy and capable of going and getting rebounds. 

Scouting the Tigers: This is a rematch of last year’s sectional championship game, which the Tigers won 54-46. Illini Bluffs lost by a point to eventual state champion Waterloo Gibault in the super-sectional. The Tigers return the central focus of their attack in all-state forward Hank Alvey, a 6-foot-9 senior who has signed with Lehigh University. He is a physical presence who causes matchup problems because of his length. A pair of 6-foot-3 juniors — Toby Cooper and Devon White — and 6-foot-4 guard Wyatt Hendel give the Tigers a decided height edge over any Class 1A opponent. Junior guard Jayden Washington is scrappy defender who will harass the Panthers’ backcourt.