Saturday, February 28 Preview

Another night to honor those who have gave two years of dedication to their respective schools looks to provide much excitement. Wednesday night’s sophomores all left their home gym for the final time victorious. Logan, Lake Land, Olney and Southwestern all protected their home court in the final home game of the season. Saturday night, Rend Lake, Trail, Kaskaskia, and Southeastern all look to do the same and protect home court for the final time this year. All four home teams tonight are coming off losses.

Wednesday night saw Lake Land hoard off a furious comeback by the Statesmen of Lincoln Trail and player of the year candidate Huzie Hambrite hit a game winner. It saw John A. Logan and Southwestern put up 30 point victories, as well as Olney Central snapping a 21-game losing streak to the Falcons of Southeastern Illinois.

Saturday’s matchups are key matchups. Coming down to the final night of GRAC play, there will be a few matchups that have seeding implications for the Region tournament.
Here are the conference standings with Rend Lake games removed.
Southwestern Illinois 13-1
John A. Logan 10-3
Southeastern Illinois 9-4
Olney Central 7-6
Wabash Valley 5-8
Lake Land 5-9
Lincoln Trail 2-11
Kaskaskia 2-11

**Special Note**
The Region meeting will be held Sunday, March 1. I will have final tournament seeds, Player of the Year, All-Conference, All-Region, and Coach of the Year Awards to post. I will post these as soon as I receive them.

Saturday’s Matchups:
Lake Land, 16-12 (6-9) @ Rend Lake, 14-15 (4-11) (3:00PM Start)
Last Outing:
Lincoln Trail 79 @ Lake Land 81 (2-25-09)
Rend Lake 58 @ Southwestern Illinois 83 (2-21-09)
Last Meeting:
Rend Lake 65 @ Lake Land 72 (1-31-09)
Notes:
Lakers look to extend their winning streak to two after a Hambrite game winner. Hambrite who played in pain the entire game with continuing back problems put on his superman cape and put the Lakers on his back as he took over in the final 30 seconds. The Laker win ended a 6 game losing streak as they look to gain momentum into the tournament. The Warriors of Rend Lake were off Saturday and look to be reenergized as the Lakers come into town. The Lakers tournament fate is in the hands of the Warriors, not of Rend Lake but of Wabash Valley. If the Warriors lose, it forces a two way tie for 5th place and will be determined by tie breakers.

Olney Central, 19-10 (9-6) @ Kaskaskia, 11-18 (2-11) (3:00PM start)
Last Outing:
Southeastern Illinois 65 @ Olney Central 75 (2-25-09)
Kaskaskia 73 @ Southwestern Illinois 103 (2-25-09)
Last Meeting:
Kaskaskia 81 @ Olney Central 84 (1-31-09)
Notes:
Olney Central may have to hook the trailer up on the Chevy Express to carry the momentum they have following them. The Blue Knights are winners of four straight after knocking off the Falcons of Southeastern Illinois on Saturday. OCC locked up the 4th seed in the Region tournament with its win Saturday. The Blue Devils of Kaskaskia look to fight off Lincoln Trail for the 7th seed. The Statesmen play Wabash Valley at home and have been playing well. Kaskaskia needs to knock off the Blue Knights and put the pressure on Lincoln Trail Saturday night.

Wabash Valley, 19-10 (7-8) @ Lincoln Trail, 6-21 (2-11)
Last Outing:
Wabash Valley 64 @ John A. Logan 95 (2-25-09)
Lincoln Trail 79 @ Lake Land 81 (2-25-09)
Last Meeting:
Lincoln Trail 79 @ Wabash Valley 89 (1-31-09)
Notes:
An epic IECC battle as the Warriors throw some starter fluid in the Van’s in hopes they start so they can head up Highway 1 to Robinson. The Warriors who have played three of their last four games in the crispy clean-confines of Spencer Sports Center head to Trail. Lincoln Trail, believe it or not has been one of the toughest teams to play in recent games. Three of their last five games have been in overtime, and two were losses on buzzer beaters, and one was a 40 point blow-out. However, they are going to give the Warriors all they can handle and hopefully send them putting their way back down Highway 1. A Statesmen win keeps them alive in the battle for 7th while a Wabash win guarantees a 5th place finish for the Warriors.

Game of the Night:
John A. Logan, 19-8 (11-4) @ #11 Southeastern Illinois, 23-4 (11-4)
Last Outing:
Wabash Valley 64 @ John A. Logan 95 (2-25-09)
Southeastern Illinois 65 @ Olney Central 75 (2-25-09)
Last Meeting:
Southeastern Illinois 85 @ John A. Logan 76 (1-31-09)
Notes:
This matchup turns out not only to be the game of the night, but at the current time is possibly the matchup of the season. The battle for 2nd place is right here. Currently in a tie for 2nd place as far as conference rankings are concerned, although Logan holds a one-game lead for 2nd place in the Region rankings. Logan is coming off a 30-point win over the Warriors of Wabash Valley, while Southeastern dropped its 3rd straight road game on Saturday night. The Falcons come back to the comforts of home and look to force a tie for second in the Region rankings and gain some momentum going into the tournament.