Photo gallery: Scenes from Saturday’s Superfan Shootout at The Pit

South Shelby coach Luke O'Laughlin implores his defense to challenge Quincy Notre Dame guard Abbey Schreacke during the second half of Saturday's game in the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at The Pit in Quincy. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent Saturday inside Quincy Notre Dame’s The Pit watching the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout unfold. Here are some of the images he captured throughout the day:

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Hammer time: QND girls use 3-point barrage in first three minutes to put South Shelby on its heels

Quincy Notre Dame's Amber Durst, left, battles South Shelby's Hannah Wegman for rebounding position during Saturday night's game in the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at The Pit. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball Eric Orne left Abbey Schreacke with something to think about. “He told me before the game to just drop the hammer,” Schreacke said. When the Raiders won the opening tip against South Shelby in Saturday’s marquee matchup of the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at The Pit, the…

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Inside, outside, upside, down: Ability to run offense through Connoyer in paint allows Raiders to roll Bearcats in Shootout finale

Quincy Notre Dame senior forward Alex Connoyer, center, scored 18 points in leading the Raiders to a 67-40 victory over Cairo (Mo.) Northeast on Saturday night at The Pit. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Alex Connoyer established a trend the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team needs to follow if its season is going to last another five weeks. Starting with the first time he touched the ball Saturday night through his final offensive possession in the 67-40 victory over Cairo (Mo.) Northeast at The Pit, the…

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Central-Southeastern showcases growth and potential in lopsided Shootout victory

Central-Southeastern's Brilyn Lantz, left, and Parker Crim, right, set up defensively during Saturday afternoon's game against Alton Marquette in the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at The Pit. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Matt Long is quick to point out his Central-Southeastern girls basketball team is still quite young with two sophomores and a junior in the starting lineup. “They haven’t been in the big wars,” he said. “Even if they were last year as freshmen, they don’t really understand what the big game is.” Still,…

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Stephens’ complete effort in Shootout allows Suns to pull away in fourth quarter

Southeastern senior forward Danny Stephens scored 31 points Saturday in the Suns' 56-41 victory over Steelville in the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at The Pit. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Just give Danny the ball. “That’s pretty much what we did,” Southeastern boys basketball coach Brett Ufkes said. “He usually makes me look good.” Sure, Ufkes was having a little bit of postgame fun Saturday when discussing senior Danny Stephens’ performance in the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at Quincy Notre Dame’s The…

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Unity pulls away in second half of Shootout victory behind senior guard’s Barry good performance

Unity senior guard Kylee Barry accepts the trophy after being named the most outstanding player in the Mustangs' 68-41 victory over Cairo (Mo.) Northeast on Saturday in the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at The Pit. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Unity girls basketball coach Brad Begeman was paying senior Kylee Barry a compliment. Honest, he was. “I like to call her our Rodman, after Dennis Rodman,” Begeman said. Rodman was the controversial, but oh-so-effective part of three NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. Barry is hardly a controversial figure…

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Gem City dandy: Raiders’ Schreacke becomes top-scoring player at either Quincy high school

Quincy Notre Dame's Abbey Schreacke, center, delivers a pass during Friday night's game against Bethalto Civic Memorial during the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at The Pit. | Photo courtesy Mathew Kirby

QUINCY — For Abbey Schreacke, the distractions tied to individual accomplishments have officially been laid to rest. She now can fully concentrate on trying to help the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team win a second straight Class 2A state championship. The 6-foot-1 wunderkind scored 22 points Friday night to lead the Raiders to an…

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Wallingford’s return helps Raiders kickstart Shootout weekend with victory over Indians

Quincy Notre Dame's Jake Wallingford, left, and Braden Sheffield line up to rebound on a free throw during Friday night's game against Payson Seymour in the KHQA-American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at The Pit. | Ron Kinscherf photo

QUINCY — The gentle giant is back. Jake Wallingford, the soft-spoken big man with an even softer jump shot, is once again an integral part of the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team. The 6-foot-8 senior made his season debut Friday night, helping QND to a 70-42 victory over Payson Seymour in the KHQA-American Family…

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SuperFan Shootout: Talton’s field goal gives Panthers final edge in epic state-ranked showdown with Eagles

Monroe City guard Joshua Talton calls timeout before being tied up by Liberty's Breighton Klingele during the second half of Saturday night's game in the SuperFan Shootout at The Pit. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Tied up, off target, then true. Joshua Talton smiled knowing the last one was the only one that mattered. Stymied at the end of regulation when his drive to the basket resulted in a jump ball and foiled at the end of the first overtime when his elbow jumper caromed off the rim,…

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SuperFan Shootout: Edwardsville pulls away from QND in fourth quarter in showdown of two girls basketball dynasties

Edwardsville's Elle Evans, left, tries to take away the passing lane from Quincy Notre Dame's Abbey Schreacke during Saturday night's game in the SuperFan Shootout at The Pit. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Sydney Harris said she and her Edwardsville girls basketball teammates tend to struggle following a long bus ride. That haul from Madison County to Quincy, however, proved to be little or no problem when the Tigers outlasted Quincy Notre Dame 66-54 in Saturday night’s marquee matchup in the SuperFan Shootout at The Pit.…

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SuperFan Shootout Roundup: Mustangs overwhelm Cougars with balanced offense

The Unity girls basketball team huddles during a timeout Saturday against Winchester West Central in the SuperFan Shootout at the Pit. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Four players scored in double figures for the Unity girls basketball team in a resounding 73-31 victory over Winchester West Central on Saturday afternoon during the SuperFan Shootout at the Pit. Unity (23-4) led 18-10 after the first quarter, then outscored the Cougars 20-4 in the second quarter. The lead never dipped below…

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SuperFan Shootout: Quintero, Cornwell step into spotlight to help QND girls hold off Central-Southeastern

Quincy Notre Dame's Eryn Cornwell dribbles to the basket while Central-Southeastern's Amanda Stephens defends during Friday night's girls basketball game at the Pit in Quincy. | David Adam

QUINCY — The Central-Southeastern girls basketball team was in a good spot in the third quarter of Friday night’s game at the Pit. The Panthers scored the first six points of the second half and trailed Quincy Notre Dame, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2A, 33-26 with 5:08 left in the quarter. Even better,…

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SuperFan Shootout: Stratton fuels Raiders’ stretch drive, spearheads fourth-quarter rally

Quincy Notre Dame's Jackson Stratton, right, played a pivotal role in the Raiders' fourth-quarter rally against Northeast Cairo (Mo.) on Friday night in the SuperFan Shootout. David Adam photo

QUINCY — The analogy offered by Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer was spot on. “In NASCAR terms, it was a splash and go,” Meyer said. Meyer was recounting the fourth-quarter contribution of 6-foot-1 guard Jackson Stratton, who scored 18 of his 23 points over the final eight minutes — including 14 at…

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