Area Roundup: El Paso-Gridley notches upset of top-ranked Dee-Mack in regular-season finale

It’s hard to generate better momentum heading into the postseason than bumping off a top-ranked team in the state. But that’s what happened for El Paso-Gridley as the Titans upset Dee-Mack Thursday night.

Monmouth (United), Dwight and Tri-Point also garnered victories in regular-season finales.

EPG 48, Dee-Mack 39

At El Paso, although Dalia DeJesus didn't play, Class 1A top-ranked Dee-Mack is still a tough challenge for any team. El Paso-Gridley head coach Sarah Webster had her Titans ready as they used a strong third-quarter effort to pull away for a 48-39 Heart of Illinois Conference victory at the Titan Center.

EPG led 15-11 after the first quarter but the Chiefs came back to pull even, at 24-24 by halftime. The Titans came out of the break hot, putting up 15 points while limiting their guests to just 4 in building a 39-28 advantage.

Myli Ehrhardt led the way for El Paso-Gridley (18-11, 8-4) with a game-high 20 points. Lily Wettstein contributed 9 points and 8 rebounds and Edie Stauter collected 6 points and 7 boards. Sophie Hinthorne also scored 6 points.

The 18 wins for EPG is the most since the 2017-18 season when the Titans went 21-7.

Riley Durbin’s 13 points and 10 points and 8 rebounds from Anna Schmidgall led Dee-Mack (27-3, 10-2).

El Paso-Gridley is hosting a Class 2A regional and will take o U-High in the semifinal round on Feb. 17.

Watseka 63, Prairie Central 61

At Fairbury, it was a tough Senior Night for host Prairie Central as the Hawks dropped a 63-61 nonconference decision to Watseka.

The Warriors rallied down the stretch after Prairie Central had taken a 47-43 lead into the last stanza. The game was tied at 16-16 after the opening period and Watseka led 30-27 at the break.

Senior Jayla Hammond paced the Hawks (13-17) with 18 points. Addi Donley tossed in 17 and senior Abi Nimbler scored 9 points.

Prairie Central will host a Class 2A regional and will meet Monticello on Feb. 16.

Tremont 72, Fieldcrest 46

At Tremont, still shorthanded, Fieldcrest found host Tremont too strong as the Turks claimed a 72-46 in a Heart of Illinois Conference over the Knights.

Tremont got off to a fast start in building a 25-6 lead after one quarter and pushing it to 40-19 by halftime. It was a 58-36 game through three frames.

Fieldcrest (13-17, 4-8) was led by TeriLynn Timmerman with 19 points. Leah Armes had 14 points and Ivory Bryant added 13.

Fieldcrest will host a Class 1A regional and open play Saturday against Donovan.

United 42, West Central 34

At Monmouth, host United will enter postseason play on a high after taking down West Central 42-34 Thursday.

Reegan Shaffer led West Central (0-24) with 10 points, including hitting a trio of 3-pointers. Lia Klossing added 9 points and Grace Seitz scored 5.

There was no scoring summary provided for United (7-18). The Red Storm and Heat will open Class 1A Elmwood Regional play  Saturday.

Dwight 66, Coal City 42

At Dwight, reached the 20-win mark for the season with a 66-42 win at home over Coal City. The nonconference victory pushes the Trojans to 20-11 as they head to regional play.

Dwight raced out to a 23-10 in the first quarter and despite being outscored in the second, led 36-27 at the half. The Coalers inched a bit closer in the third, cutting the margin to 49-42. DTHS shut the door in the final frame by outscoring the visitors 17-10.

Dwight will hot a first-round game Saturday in the Class 1A Amboy Regional.

Tri-Point 51. Clifton 31

At Cullom, host Tri-Point has quietly had a season similar to the Chargers teams of late 1990s. On Thursday, The Point improved to 24-7 with a 51-31 victory over Clifton.

The Chargers led 8-4 after the opening quarter and progressively pulled away by outscoring the Comets in the period. It was a 23-11 game at the break and 36-21 difference through three periods.

Tri-Point, champions of the River Valley Conference with a 16-0 mark, will play a semifinal-round game Monday at the Class 1A Clifton Regional.

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