El Paso-Gridley, Lexington, Fieldcrest, Woodland to play for regional titles

El Paso-Gridley needed overtime to advance while Fieldcrest, Lexington and Woodland moved on as each posted wins Wednesday to advance to the regional championship round in their respective tournaments.

Coming up short in regional semifinals included Prairie Central, Flanagan-Cornell and Dwight.

Herscher Regional

At Herscher, the best game of the night for the Bingo Magic Sports teams was this Class 2A battle between El Paso-Gridley and Prairie Central. The Titans were able to slip past the Hawks 62-60 in overtime.

EPG, the fourth seed in the subsectional, saw its nine-point halftime lead wither over the third and fourth periods.

A 13-6 difference favored Prairie Central in the fourth quarter, which ended all tied at 53-53. Dane Wheeler’s 3-pointer with 29 seconds left in regulation created the need for the extra period.

Cha’von Maxon was key for the Titans in overtime with a three-point play that gave EPG a 61-58 lead with 19 seconds remaining. Spencer Ray scored on a layup seven seconds later, but Maxon was sent to the line with 4.1 ticks on the clock. He made the first toss but missed the second. The Hawks got the rebound but the long desperations shot was off the mark.

Braden Hayes led El Paso-Gridley (17-13) with 21 points. Maxon added 17 while Jack Hempstead, Elijah Webster and Jayvion Maxon scored 7 points apiece. Webster also snared 6 caroms.

Prairie Central (14-16) was led by Wheeler with 15 points. Bryson Gadberry added 14 points, Ashton Sheldrake scored 13 and Ray contributed 12 points and 6 rebounds.

The Titans will take on top-seeded Bishop McNamara, a 71-42 winner over host Herscher, in Friday’s final.

Lexington Regional

At Lexington, the favored Minutemen protected the home floor with a 65-43 decision over Cissna Park to advance to the title game of the Class 1A Lexington Regional.

Lexington outscored the Timberwolves in each period, starting with a 16-12 difference in the opening lap. It was a 29-23 game at the break and the Minutemen pulled away over the final two periods.

Blaine Friedmansky hit for 18 points and 3 rebounds in pacing Lexington (22-11). Joe Cheever contributed 13 points and 4 boards while Leo Davis and Joe Steffen scored 11 points apiece. Bo Stutzman added 7 points while

Camden McCue chipped in 5 points and 3 boards.

The Minutemen will take on rival and co-op partner Ridgeview (22-9) after the Mustangs ran past GCMS 77-36.

Woodland Regional

At Woodland, the Warrior Dome was rocking as the home team advanced to the Class 1A Woodland Regional final with a 72-41 drubbing of Henry-Senachwine.

The Warriors struck quickly by dropping 22 on the Mallards in the first quarter. WHS augmented its 22-8 lead by tallying 20 points in the second frame for a 42-19 halftime advantage. It was a 54-29 game through three periods.

Nate Berry took scoring honors with 19 points for the Warriors (24-9). Jaron Follmer added 15 points and single-season scoring record-holder Nolan Price tossed in 14 markers. Grant Wissen scored 13 points and Brezdyn Simons hit for 9 points.

Woodland will take on Newark, a 55-41 victor over Gardner-South Wilmington, in Friday’s final.

Knoxville Regional

At Knoxville, Fieldcrest made the long, westward trip worthwhile with a 67-45 victory over Peoria Heights at the Class 1A Knoxville Regional.

The Knights had the 3-ball falling early and closed out the game at the free throw line. Fieldcrest jumped out to a 14-4 lead after one quarter and upped the margin to 31-18 by halftime. FHS led 50-35 after three quarters, and drained 7 of 8 free throws in the last stanza.

Layten Gerdes led the balanced Knights (18-13) with 16 points. Eli Gerdes chipped in 14 and Kash Klendworth tallied 13 markers. Drew Overrocker scored 10 points and Kayden Eilts had 6 points.

Fieldcrest will battle Brimfield for the regional title. The Indians defeated Roanoke-Benson 59-42.

Serena Regional

At Serena, Dwight’s season came to end as the Trojans dropped a 76-66 decision to Tri-County Conference rival St. Bede in the Class 1A Serena Regional.

Dwight was dine in by the Bruins in the third period. The Trojans were outscored 22-12 in the third after trailing 34-31 entering the period. St. Bede hit 12 of 16 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Collin Bachand poured in 24 points to lead Dwight (19-13). Joe Duffy added 18 points, Trevor Jensen scored 8 and Kayden Wood had 6 points. Joey Starks and Evan Cox had 5 points apiece.

St. Bede will face Ottawa (Marquette), a 60-40 winner over Midland, in Friday’s final.

Other Regionals

Flanagan-Cornell and Monmouth-Roseville saw their respite seasons come to an end on Wednesday.

Flanagan-Cornell finished its season at 10-22 after dropping a 65-47 decision to LeRoy at the Class 1A Hoopeston Regional.

Monmouth-Roseville could not repeat its triumphant effort against Sherrard of nearly two weeks ago as the favored Tigers registered a 63-40 win to take the Class 2A Farmington Regional semifinal game.

The Titans (13-18) claimed a 44-33 win over the Tigers on Feb. 13.

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