Sounds of silence: Panthers regain proper mentality following tourney loss, steamroll Hornets

Central-Southeastern's Luaren Miller applies pressure to Brown County's Kenzie Kassing during Monday's girls basketball game in Mt. Sterling, Ill. | Shane Hulsey photo

MT. STERLING, Ill. — The Central-Southeastern girls basketball team didn’t need a pep talk. In fact, Panthers coach Matt Long had not spoken a word to his team from the moment they left the gym after their 56-37 loss to Breese Mater Dei on Saturday in the Pana Thanksgiving Tournament championship to when they took…

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Countdown to tipoff: Central-Southeastern’s goal is quite simple — finish season at Redbird Arena

Central-Southeastern senior Lauren Miller, who will play any spot on the floor, is hoping to lead the Panthers to the Class 2A state tournament and the opportunity to play in Redbird Arena. | Matt Schuckman photo

Coverage of the Central-Southeastern girls basketball team is brought to you by: CAMP POINT, Ill. — Amidst the individual accolades and recognition, Lauren Miller has not fulfilled her ultimate quest. That goal seems well within reach for Miller and the Central-Southeastern girls basketball team. In 2023-24, Miller averaged 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 steals and…

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Panthers showcase their resolve by regaining momentum in third set to beat Chargers

Camp Point Central's Karly Peters delivers the final kill in the third set of a 25-18, 12-25, 25-14 victory over Illini West on Tuesday night in Carthage, Ill. | Shane Hulsey photo

CARTHAGE, Ill. — Volleyball is often a game of momentum, but in Claire Huston’s eyes, the pivotal moment in Tuesday’s match between Camp Point Central and Illini West didn’t happen in the flow of play. After the Panthers cruised to a 25-18 first set victory, the Chargers punched back with a commanding 25-12 effort in…

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Bunte, Raiders sidestep postseason nemesis to win Class 2A regional championship

The Quincy Notre Dame softball players celebrate as Brooke Boden holds the Class 2A regional championship plaque following Saturday's 3-1 victory over Buffalo Tri-City in Buffalo, Ill. | Addi Zanger photo

BUFFALO, Ill. — Even the most seasoned competitor can feel the pressure when a postseason nemesis stares you in the face. So Quincy Notre Dame softball coach Eric Orne reminded junior ace Caitlin Bunte to just breathe as the Raiders headed into Saturday’s Class 2A regional championship game against Buffalo Tri-City. “I was telling Coach…

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Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Instincts, intangibles set Central-Southeastern’s Miller apart more than numbers, accolades

Central-Southeastern junior forward Lauren Miller, who led the Panthers to a 29-3 record, has been named the Muddy River Sports 2023-34 Girls Basketball Player of the Year. | Matt Schuckman photo

CAMP POINT, Ill. — As good as Lauren Miller’s statistical resume is, the numbers alone don’t set her apart. Nor do the postseason accolades, which proved be across-the-board impressive when you realize the Central-Southeastern junior forward was considered one of the 10 best Class 2A girls basketball players in the state by two different organizations.…

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CSE’s Miller receives second-team all-state honors, three others earn honorable mention

Central-Southeastern junior forward Lauren Miller, who was named a Class 2A second-team all-stater by the Illinois Media, led the Panthers to a 29-3 record and a super-sectional berth. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Lauren Miller’s game is drawing interest from NCAA Division I and II women’s basketball coaches throughout the Midwest. For good reason. The Central-Southeastern junior forward was named a Class 2A second-team all-stater this week by the Illinois Media. She is the only area girls player to be named all-state in any of the…

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Nashville Blues: Hornettes’ defensive length overwhelms Central-Southeastern in super-sectional

Nashville's Emma Behrmann consoles Central-Southeastern's Lauren Miller during the final seconds of Monday's Class 2A girls basketball super-sectional at Vandalia High School. Holding the ball is Nashville's Summer Brinkmann. In the background is Central-Southeastern's Brilyn Lantz. | David Adam photo

VANDALIA, Ill. — The southern half of the state already has learned. The rest of the state will find out this weekend. The Nashville girls basketball team is exceptionally good and a state championship threat — now and for the next three years. The Hornettes, ranked No. 3 in the Class 2A state poll, field…

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Trusting process carries Central-Southeastern past Pleasant Plains and to sectional title

The Central-Southeastern girls basketball players celebrate winning the Class 2A Beardstown Sectional championship following Thursday night's 43-37 victory over Pleasant Plains at Beardstown High School. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — There were quite a few blue T-shirts with white lettering scattered across the Central-Southeastern stands Thursday night. The message the shirts carried was a simple one: “Trust the Process.” CSE girls basketball coach Matt Long’s explanation of that phrase was not particularly complicated, but still rather poignant — even more so following…

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Peters’ free throws help CSE hold off Staunton’s fourth-quarter surge and reach sectional title game

The Central-Southeastern girls basketball players react to a Lauren Miller basket during Tuesday night's Class 2A sectional semifinal against Staunton in Beardstown, Ill. | Photo courtesy Mike Pritchard

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Lauren Miller’s assessment was spot on. “We have to do better Thursday,” the Central-Southeastern junior forward said. The CSE girls basketball team escaped Tuesday night’s Class 2 sectional semifinal game with a hard-earned 56-50 victory over Staunton in front of about 600 fans at Beardstown High School. Central-Southeastern (28-2) advances to face…

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C-SE girls race to 17-point halftime lead, force 26 Palmyra turnovers to win 15th consecutive game

Central-Southeastern's Agnes Genenbacher tries to shoot a reverse layup while Palmyra's Candra King tries to block the shot during Saturday afternoon's girls basketball game in the KHQA Superfan Shootout at the Pit. | Photo courtesy of Mike Pritchard

QUINCY – About 20 hours after rallying late to beat South Shelby in a Clarence Cannon Conference game at home, the Palmyra girls basketball team discovered Central-Southeastern doesn’t give up leads so easily. Lauren Miller scored 10 of her game-high 20 points in the first quarter and C-SE grabbed a 17-point halftime lead Saturday afternoon…

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Panthers pluck Ducks with overwhelming first quarter to win ninth straight game

Central-Southeastern's Lauren Miller scored 26 points in guiding the Panthers to a 59-40 victory over Havana on Thursday night in Camp Point, Ill. | Muddy River Sports file photo

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Havana girls basketball coach Michelle Brady cut right to the chase. “We got our teeth kicked in,” Brady said without one bit of hesitation at the onset of her postgame assessment. Brady’s remark came moments following state-ranked Central-Southeastern’s 59-40 victory on a Thursday night when the outcome was all but decided…

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‘We wanted to be ticks on their belly buttons’: CSE dominant defensively in second half of quarterfinal victory

Central-Southeastern's Lauren Miller, right, dribbles past Stanford Olympia's Grace Carter during Thursday afternoon's girls basketball game in the small school girls bracket of the State Farm Holiday Classic at Bloomington High School. | David Adam photo

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Central-Southeastern coach Matt Long knew some people might think he was trying to be funny, but when it comes to girls basketball, he’s usually quite serious. “We told (the Panthers) we wanted to be ticks on their belly buttons,” Long said after his team’s 60-26 victory over Stanford Olympia in the quarterfinals…

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CSE notches record-tying 30th victory in 62-26 sectional semifinal blowout of Staunton

Central-Southeastern's Tori Fessler, right, defends Staunton's Ele Feldmann during Tuesday night's Class 2A girls basketball sectional semifinal game at Pleasant Plains High School. | David Adam

PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — Well, that didn’t take very long. Central-Southeastern had all but secured a Class 2A girls basketball sectional semifinal victory over Staunton before some patrons had found their seats Tuesday night at Pleasant Plains High School. CSE scored the first 18 points of the game, which quickly turned the contest into a…

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CSE survives another nail-biter, upsets No. 2-ranked PORTA on its home floor to win regional

Central-Southeastern's Lauren Miller, left, and Brilyn Lantz celebrate after the buzzer sounded to end Thursday night's Class 2A girls basketball regional championship game in Petersburg, Ill. | Photo courtesy of Mike Pritchard

PETERSBURG, Ill. — Matt Long admittedly ran the full gamut of emotions Thursday night. “I felt like I went from about being ready to black out to relaxing on a yacht,” said Long, the girls basketball coach at Central-Southeastern. More than 15 minutes after CSE’s 31-28 nail-biting victory in the Class 2A regional championship over…

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