The Rundown: Stephens scores 49 points, Illini West wins county showdown, Hannibal girls finish strong week

QUINCY — The first full regular-season Friday night of the prep basketball season gave us a glimpse of what to expect from now until March. That’s epic individual performances, down-to-the-wire games and teams coming of age.

Here’s a look at what happened …

• The Southeastern boys basketball team raced to an 18-1 lead in the first half against Pittsfield at Voshall Gym. The Saukees didn’t make their first field goal until 6:47 remained in the second quarter, yet they were able to close the gap to two possessions in the second half. They just couldn’t subdue all-stater Danny Stephens, who led the Suns to a 56-45 victory. Stephens scored 49 points, his second-highest point total of the season. Adam Musgrave led the Saukees with 16 points and Nolan Daniel added 15.

• The Illini West boys basketball team bookended both halves with strong efforts, allowing the Chargers to outlast West Hancock 57-55 in Hamilton. The Chargers scored 23 points in the second quarter and 17 points in the fourth quarter, while getting a balanced scoring effort. Gannon Bergman led Illini West with 14 points, while Colby Robertson and Reece Shoup had 13 points apiece.

• The Brown County boys basketball team led Winchester West Central by seven points through three quarters in Mount Sterling, but the Cougars went on a 21-8 run to put away a 58-52 victory. West Central took the lead with a steal and a layup with 2:20 to play and Zach Evans made four consecutive free throws in the final minute. Cole Behymer led the Hornets with 22 points.

• Isaac Genenbacher scored 20 points and Carter Eyler added 10 points as the Central boys basketball team powered the ball to the post and beat Liberty 54-32. Tanner Gimm led the Eagles with nine points.

• The Hannibal girls basketball team won the consolation championship of the Winfield Tip-Off Tourney, beating St. Louis Christian 61-10. Abbie Martin scored 15 points and Malia Stolte added 14 points. Pirates sophomore guard Mariah Mayfield was named to the all-tournament team.