Skip to content

Jr. Vandals are regional champions

Carrying the confidence of a winning streak and a strong game plan, the third-seeded Vandalia seventh-grade boys basketball team didn’t even care that Greenville brought a 21-2 record into last Thursday’s regional championship game.

Or for that matter that the top-seeded Blue Jays had three times defeated the Jr. Vandals during the regular season.

Nathan Casey scored 12 points, including two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and the Jr. Vandals played a strong game defensively to beat Greenville 30-27 and take the Class 3A Hillsboro Regional championship.

“We were playing our best ball toward the end of the season, so we were thinking, ‘Why can’t we win it?’” said coach Mark Rinehart. “It was a solid team effort.

“It wasn’t easy,” he said, “but the kids wanted it and believed in themselves.”

Vandalia (16-8) advances to Wednesday’s sectional game against Southwestern (20-3) at Auburn Junior High. The winner advances to the state tournament at Wenona Fieldcrest Junior High next Monday at 1 p.m.

Leave a Comment