St. Elmo wins final matchup vs. Brownstown

Unless both teams pull off some upsets, last Friday’s boys basketball contest was the final one between St. Elmo and Brownstown High Schools.

Photo by Rich Bauer

St. Elmo senior Connor Beasley (5) looks to block a shot from Brownstown senior Austin Hunter during last Friday's game.

Buy this photo

The teams will co-op in the sport at St. Elmo next season, and the Eagles picked up a road win on Friday, taking a 62-54 victory that counted in the standings of both the Egyptian-Illini and National Trail Conference standings.

It is possible for the teams to meet in the championship game of the St. Elmo Regional, but the Eagles are the No. 4 seed, and the Bombers are the No. 6 seed.

On Friday, St. Elmo senior Connor Beasley led all scorers and matched his season-high with 21 points to lead three Eagles in double figures as they led for the majority of the game.

But the Bombers (8-13, 1-7 NTC, 2-2 EIC) sure tried to rally, as they scored 25 points in the final eight minutes.

Included were nine of senior Matt Sefton’s team-high 17 points.

He, along with senior Austin Hunter, led the team in scoring, and junior Jacob Behrends added 15 points.

St. Elmo stretched out its 23-17 halftime lead in the third period, scoring 18 points – including 11 from Beasley – to take a 20-point lead to the final period.

The Eagles (13-10, 5-3 NTC, 2-3 EIC) then made 12-of-16 free throws in the fourth quarter to fend of Brownstown’s rally.

Senior Garrett Bartels made seven of those shots, and had a season-high 15 points in the game. Junior Levi Maxey also scored 15.

Friday, Feb. 1
St. Elmo 62
Brownstown 54
S: 10-13-21-18—62
B: 8-9-12-25—54
Eagles
Points: Beasley, 21; Bartels, 15; L. Maxey, 15; Alec Brady, 4; Reece Wells, 4; Cole Smithson, 3.
Rebounds: Beasley, 7; Bartels, 6; Brady, 4; L. Maxey, 4; Ben Davis, 2; Smithson, 2; Malachi Maxey, 1; Wells, 1.
Record: 13-10 (5-3 NTC, 2-3 EIC)
Bombers
Points: Hunter, 17; Sefton, 17; Behrends, 15; Brock Oberlink, 3; Curt Frailey, 2.
Rebounds: Hunter, 8; Frailey, 7; Behrends, 5; Oberlink, 5; Sefton, 3.
Record: 8-13 (1-7 NTC, 2-2 EIC)