Down nine with 56 seconds to play, West Hancock throws scare at Pleasant Plains before losing in regional final

West Hancock's Gavin Grothaus dribbles along the baseline while guarded by Pleasant Plains' Grady Grisham during Friday night's Class 2A regional boys basketball championship game at Warsaw High School. In the background is West Hancock's Nolan Hurt, who caught a pass from Grothaus on the play and took a 3-point shot that would have tied the game but missed. | David Adam photo

WARSAW, Ill. — The West Hancock boys basketball team was facing near-certain defeat when it trailed by nine points with 56 seconds remaining. Thirty-six seconds later, the Titans had a chance at a miracle. Pleasant Plains’ Owen Johnson missed two free throws with 33.8 seconds, and the Wildcats had the ball trailing 60-57. Gavin Grothaus…

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Siegfried’s driving basket with two seconds left caps West Hancock comeback at KHQA Superfan Shootout

KIPP Academy's Carl Johnson gets his hand on the ball as West Hancock's Lewis Siegfried drives to the basket during Friday night's high school boys basketball game in the KHQA Superfan Shootout at the Pit. | David Adam

QUINCY — The final play was designed to go to Gage Scott, but when the ball eventually went into the hands of Lewis Siegfried, West Hancock coach Jeff Dahl knew his team was in good hands. Siegfried scored on a driving layup with two seconds to play, giving the Titans a 58-56 victory over the…

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Moore-to-Blewett basket late in game propels Central boys past West Hancock

Central's Gavin Blewett pulls up for a shot over two West Hancock defenders during Friday night's boys basketball game in Warsaw. | Photo courtesy of Keith Yex

WARSAW, Ill. — Camp Point Central guard Nick Moore launched a seeing-eye pass from the top left corner of the key, aimed directly at Gavin Blewett, who was wide open about five feet to the right of the basket. Blewett reeled in the laser-like toss, took one step toward the hoop and calmly banked in…

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Moore never loses confidence, hits 3-pointer in final minute to help Central reach semifinals at Macomb

Central's Nick Moore drives to the basket while West Hancock's Gavin Grothaus defends in the second half of Wednesday's quarterfinal game in the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament in Western Hall. At left is Central coach James Barnett. | David Adam

MACOMB, Ill. — It’s a good thing Central’s Nick Moore has a short memory. His 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining in the fourth quarter cut West Hancock’s lead to 47-45. Thirty seconds later, Moore launched what could have been the go-ahead shot from the corner. Instead, the ball hit the support behind the backboard. “That wasn’t…

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50 After 50: Pebbles in their socks served as reminder of little things during No. 1 Wildcats’ state championship run

From row from left, manager Brad Heitman, Paul Figge, Casey Shaw, Ryan Jacquot, Bobby Thomas, Randy Crow, Chad Thompson. Back row, assistant coach Kevin Stuckwisch, Dan Buelt, assistant coach Brad Froman, Bill Heisler, Scott Meyer, Bob Manley, Craig Wear, Matt Froman, Aaron Wehner, Mark Quimby, head coach Jeff Dahl, assistant coach Rob Hymes. | Photo courtesy of Warsaw High School

The Illinois High School Association created a second class for boys basketball for the 1971-72 school year. The 2020-21 season would have been the 50th year of the boys basketball small-school tournament. Muddy River Sports is celebrating 50 years of small-school boys basketball by ranking the 50 best teams in Adams, Brown, Pike and Hancock…

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50 After 50: No. 5 Wildcats unbeatable during regular season, but IHSA ruling pulled plug on state title hopes

Front row from left, Bobby Thomas, Matt Maag, Doug Buelt, Shawn Bloyd, Greg Buelt, Brandon Gronewald. Back row, manager Tyler Lomax, Louie Zinn, Stu Froman, Devin Hochgraber, Jason Edwin, Matt Froman, Bob Thomas, Ryan Jacquot, Coach Jeff Dahl. | Photo courtesy of Warsaw High School

The Illinois High School Association created a second class for boys basketball for the 1971-72 school year. The 2020-21 season would have been the 50th year of the boys basketball small-school tournament. Muddy River Sports is celebrating 50 years of small-school boys basketball by ranking the 50 best teams in Adams, Brown, Pike and Hancock…

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Three-point barrage in fourth quarter falls just short in West Hancock’s upset bid

West Hancock's Alec Hymes pulls up for a shot during Wednesday night's Class 2A sectional semifinal game at Beardstown High School. | David Adam

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — The West Hancock boys basketball team appeared to be primed for a massive upset when it got within 31-30 with 5:15 remaining to play in the third quarter. Five minutes of a leaky zone defense proved costly. The Titans gave up 16 of the game’s next 18 points, and not even a…

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