‘They were just one step ahead of us’: Knights gain early edge, fend off Hornets in sectional semfinals

Brown County sophomore forward Jackson McNeff gets off a shot over Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran's Kaleb Turney during Wednesday's Class 1A North Greene sectional semifinal game in White Hall, Ill. | Shane Hulsey photo

WHITE HALL, Ill. — As the minutes ticked off the clock and the goose egg stayed on the scoreboard, the frustration for Jackson McNeff and the Brown County boys basketball team continued to mount. “It just felt like we couldn’t shoot the ball in the ocean,” said McNeff, a sophomore forward. For the first 9…

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‘The sky’s the limit’: Youthful Hornets lay foundation for future success

Brown County freshman guard Michael Kassing probes the Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran defense during Wednesday's Class 1A North Greene Sectional semifinal game in White Hall, Ill. | Shane Hulsey photo

WHITE HALL, Ill. — An abrupt ending to a resurgent season did not prevent Brown County boys basketball coach Jeff Bottorff or his players from recognizing what they accomplished. When Bottorff addressed his team in the locker room following the Hornets’ 59-40 loss to Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran in Wednesday’s Class 1A North Greene Sectional semifinal,…

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‘That was a blast’: Hornets win third straight game at Macomb, take home consolation title

Brown County sophomore forward Jackson McNeff goes in for a contested layup during Saturday's consolation championship game against Canton (Ill.) in the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament in Macomb, Ill. | Shane Hulsey photo

MACOMB, Ill. — The Brown County boys basketball team got accustomed to the early wakeup call. It resulted in the Hornets bringing home some hardware. After playing at 9 a.m. all three days of the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament, the Hornets finally got to play an afternoon game Saturday, winning the consolation championship by defeating defeating…

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Quincy Catholic, Brown County claim third-place trophies at IESA seventh-grade state basketball tournaments

Front row from left: Josh Brenner, Austin Genenbacher, Jake Pyatt, Kage Cook and Deacon Bliefnick. Back row from left: head coach Tom VanderBor, Brennan Venvertloh, Carson Reyburn, Rowan Stegeman, Kaden Marth, Tripp Flesch, Kyle Thompson and assistant coach David Adam. Absent was Reece Schertel. | Photo courtesy of Ben Marth

The Quincy Catholic and Brown County seventh-grade boys basketball teams both captured third place at their respective Illinois Elementary School Association state tournaments on Thursday night. Quincy Catholic led from the start and rolled to a 42-22 victory over Abingdon-Avon in the third-place game of the Class 3A tournament at El Paso-Gridley High School. The…

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