No. 12 Pontiac remains unbeaten in IPC while Ivory Bryant paces Fieldcrest girls on Senior Night

Pontiac was able to remain unbeaten in Illini Prairie Conference play with a victory at home over Paxton-Buckley-Loda in a rare regular-season boys’ basketball Thursday contest.

Meanwhile, Ivory Bryant stepped in for an injured Macy Gochanour and helped rally Fieldcrest past El Paso-Gridley on Senior Night for the FHS girls.

Pontiac’s Amazin King, left, and Anderson Horning trap Jack Wesslund of Paxton-Buckley-Loda in the backcourt in their game Thursday. (Erich Murphy/Bingo Magic Sports)

Pontiac 62, PBL 50

Cayden Masching found his range as the senior sharpshooter led Pontiac to a 62-50 win over Paxton-Buckley-Loda in an Illini Prairie Conference boys’ basketball contest at home Thursday.

Masching connected for 22 points as the Indians, ranked 12th in this week’s Class 2A state poll, improved to 5-0 in league play and 16-4 overall.

“Masching has anchored our offense in the recent stretch and continued that tonight,” PTHS head coach Matt Starker said.

Pontiac’s Cayden Masching leans in for a shot against Paxton-Buckley-Loda Thursday. Masching had a game-high 22 points in the Tribe’s victory. (Erich Murphy/Bingo Magic Sports)

Masching scored 10 points in the first quarter as the Tribe built an 18-8 advantage. Pontiac scored the first 10 points of the game, but the Panthers were able to close the gap throughout the half, outscoring PTHS 15-13 in the second frame to make it a 31-23 game at the break.

Evan Wolf took over for the Tribe, especially in the fourth quarter, to help put the game away. Wolf hit three 3-pointers in the final frame and finished with 13 points for teh game.

“Wolf provided an offensive spark off the bench, which was great for another night where some shots didn’t seem to fall for us,” Starker said.

Pontiac’s Bryce Robison lets Tyler Cole of Paxton-Buckley-Loda fly past before taking a shot in Thursday’s PTHS victory. (Erich Murphy/Bingo Magic Sports)

Aden Brummell added 9 points while Amazin King contributed 7 points and Anderson Horning dropped 6 markers.

“Tonight, (PBL) made shots to keep it within range,” Starker noted. “We are proud of our players and being able to find ways to win.”

Tyler Cole led Paxton-Buckley-Loda (12-10, 0-4) with 14 points.

IVC 62, Prairie Central 59

At Chillicothe, Prairie Central’s late-game rally came up short as the Hawks dropped a 62-59 decision to host Illinois Valley Central in an Illini Prairie Conference boys’ basketball game Thursday.

Prairie Central trailed 47-37 entering the final frame. Easton Friedman buried a trio of 3-pointers and added a free throw as he led the Hawks’ late-game surge.

Five other players scored in the fourth as the Hawks cut the margin to one possession.

Friedman finished with 17 points in pacing Prairie Central (8-14, 1-4). Dane Wheeler added 14 points while Bryson Gadberry chipped in 7 points. Acer Kratochvil scored points with Spencer Ray and Ashton Sheldrake adding 5 points apiece.

Fieldcrest 50, EPG 44

At Minonk, a fourth quarter surge lifted Fieldcrest past El Paso-Gridley 50-44 to a Heart of Illinois Conference girls’ basketball victory on Senior Night at FHS Thursday.

Ivory Bryant stepped up to fill the shoes of the injured Macy Gochanour by registering a double double in leading Fieldcrest. Bryant collected 13 points and 16 rebounds as the Fieldcrest seniors played their final home game.

The Knights made their charge in the final period. Trailing 42-30 entering the fourth quarter, Fieldcrest went to work on both ends of the floor by scoring 20 points and holding the Titans to just two points.

The game was tied at 13-13 after one quarter and EPG led 32-18 at the intermission.

Balance was a key for the Knights (13-12, 4-5). Complementing Bryant were Terilynn Timmerman with 10 points and senior Pru Mangan chipping in 9. Senior Ava Gott added 4 points.

EPG (13-11, 5-4) was led by Myli Ehrhardt with 28 points. KayTe Herr added 8 points as the Titans placed seven players in the scoring column.

No. 7 Abingdon-Avon 66, West Central 29

At Biggsville, West Central was able to challenge state-ranked Abingdon-Avon but came up short in the end, falling 66-29 at home Thursday.

WCHS head coach Tom Williams was happy with his team’s effort, noting the aggressiveness of his charges. The Heat scored 15 points in the second period against the Tornadoes, who came in ranked seventh in Class 1A.

Reegan Shafer led West Central (0-20) with 8 points. Addison Burrell added 7 points while Lia Klossing chipped in 6 markers. Macee McConnell and Kaisey Henry tallied 4 points apiece.

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