Vandalia Holiday Tournament wide open after two days

The Vandalia Holiday Tournament opened with plenty of excitement on Monday.

After two days, the tournament standings are:

1. Flora is 3-0
2. Wesclin is 3-0
3. Pana is 3-0
4. Vandalia is 3-0
5. Altamont is 1-2
6. Stew-Stras is 0-2
7. St. Elmo is 0-3
8. Greenville is 0-3
9. Shelbyville is 1-2
10. South Central is 0-2

Below are individual game results through Tuesday.
Game 14
Wesclin 71
St. Elmo 43
Outsized by Wesclin and playing without two of its top players, St. Elmo did not have much of a chance in a 71-43 loss on Tuesday.
Sophomore Connor Beasley and junior Jake Mansker – the team's top two scorers in the first two games of the tournament – were both inactive due to ankle injuries.
Mansker is not expected to play again in the tournament, and Beasley's status is being determined before each game.
Despite those challenges, coach Greg Feezel said the team "played harder" than it had in its two games on Monday.
Already trailing by 20 at halftime, senior Garrett Buzzard took control of the offense and scored all 12 of his points in the second half.
"He got hit in the mouth by somebody and that made him mad, and then his demeanor changed," Feezel said. "He had a whale of a ballgame."
Patrick Schaal also had 12 points for the Eagles, half of which came in the second half. He, along with Levi Maxey and Dylan Bullard, saw extended minutes because of the injuries.
Ten different Wesclin players scored in the game, and the Warriors were led by Phil Kunz with 19 points.
Warriors:
Points – P. Kunz, 19; West, 14; Wilken, 9; Emig, 6; Isenhower, 6; Deterding, 5; B. Kunz, 4; Chad Klein, 4; M. Klein, 2; Takacs, 2.
Rebounds – Chad Klein, 5; Emig, 4; P. Kunz, 3; Hilmes, 2; B. Kunz, 2; West, 2; Isenhower, 1; Chase Klein, 1; M. Klein, 1.
Eagles:
Points – Buzzard, 12; Schaal, 12; Sperry, 7; Stolte, 7; Maxey, 3; Scholes, 2.
Rebounds – Buzzard, 4; Schaal, 4; Sperry, 3; Bullard, 1; Pruett, 1; Stolte, 1.
Game 13
Vandalia 48
Altamont 38
The Vandals opened the second half on a 10-2 run, but later had to overcome a run by Altamont to secure a 48-38 win on Tuesday.
For the first six minutes of the second half, Vandalia players grabbed four defensive rebounds, forced five turnovers and allowed the Indians to score just two points.
But over the next six minutes, Altamont bettered that effort, using a 14-2 run to tie the score at 38 with 4:43 left in the game.
"We had a real nice run, then turned around and did that," said Vandals coach Kevin Jackson. "But we closed out nicely."
Junior Bryan Hosick would score five of the game's final 10 points as the Vandals shut out Altamont in the final four minutes.
Seniors Marty Johnson and Daniel Bell also scored in that stretch.
"When you play five games in four days, you're going to have an ugly one," Jackson said.
Bell, who had been struggling to find his shot during the tournament, surged to a game-high 16 points, hitting three 3-pointers in the process.
"Daniel scored the ball for us," Jackson said. "A new guy steps up every night."
Bell also had a team-high eight rebounds.
Defensively, the Vandals were able to contain Altamont's big three of Ryan Heiden, Jacob Jahraus and Jordan McGinnis. Combined, they scored just 24 points, far fewer than their season average of 36.
Vandals:
Points – Bell, 16; Austin, 8; Henna, 8; Hosick, 8; Johnson, 4; Godoyo, 3; Ritchey, 1.
Rebounds – Bell, 8; Austin, 4; Johnson, 4; Godoyo, 3; Hosick, 3; Henna, 2; Berning, 1.
Indians:
Points – Duckwitz, 9; Heiden, 9; Jahraus, 6; Buzzard, 4; Drone, 4; McGinnis, 3; Miller, 2; Ledbetter, 1.
Rebounds – McGinnis, 11; Jahraus, 4; Heiden, 2; Hooks, 2; Miller, 2; Buzzard, 1; Drone, 1; Gordon, 1.
Game 12
Pana 73
Shelbyville 47
Pana scored a combined 52 points in the second and third quarters in defeating Shelbyville, 73-47, on Tuesday.
Lucas Rochkes led the Panthers with 21 points, and Jared McMillen was right behind with 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Darin Breeden and A.J. Howell each scored 11 points for the Rams in the losing effort.
Panthers:
Points – Rochkes, 21; McMillen, 17; Beyers, 8; Arnold, 7; Hrabak, 5; Epley, 4; Spracklin, 4; Kirkbride, 3; Claxon, 2; Kile, 2.
Rebounds – McMillen, 8; Spracklin, 4; Arnold, 3; Beyers, 3; Hrabak, 2; Rochkes, 2; Claxon, 1; Epley, 1; Kile, 1.
Rams:
Points – Breeden, 11; Howell, 11; Langan, 7; Bence, 6; Keown, 4; Baker, 3; Standerfer, 3; Shuff, 2.
Rebounds – Bence, 8; Breeden, 7; Baker, 6; Langan, 4; Howell, 1; Keown, 1; Schwengel, 1.
Game 11
Flora 55
Greenville 37
Flora held Greenville to 28 percent on field goals and allowed the Comets to score fewer than 10 points in three quarters during a 55-37 victory.
Paul Knapp led the way for the Wolves with 18 points, including 10-of-16 free throws. In total, Flora was 18-for-25 on free throws.
Dannon Young led the Comets with 12 points.
Wolves:
Points – Knapp, 18; Painter, 16; Lewis, 9; B. Taylor, 8; Greenwood, 2; C. Taylor, 2.
Rebounds – Greenwood, 8; Painter, 6; Lewis, 5; C. Taylor, 4; Knapp, 2; B. Taylor, 2.
Comets:
Points – Young, 12; Bone, 9; Schatte, 7; Perry, 4; Lewis, 2; Williams, 2; Carr, 1.
Rebounds – Lewis, 7; Huber, 6; Young, 4; Perry, 2; Bone, 1; Carr, 1; A.J. Childerson, 1; Chilovich, 1; Schreiber, 1.
Game 10
Vandalia 60
South Central 33
The Vandals played a strong all-around game to beat South Central, 60-33.
Vandalia opened play with a flurry of scoring, leading 8-0 within the first three minutes and holding a 13-3 advantage after the first period.
Sophomore Leyton Godoyo scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half, helping the Vandals take a 33-10 lead into halftime. That lead grew to 41-20 at the end of the third period.
Senior Marty Johnson briefly exited the game due to a minor head injury.
With about six minutes left in the game, coach Kevin Jackson began to cycle in his bench players. Reserve center Chase Woolsey found the most success, grabbing four rebounds and scoring two points.
Fischer Tharp, South Central's standout sophomore, was limited to just two first-half buckets, aiding Vandalia's cause. Tharp finished the game with 15 points, seven of which came late in the fourth quarter.
Vandals:
Points – Hosick, 14; Godoyo, 13; Austin, 8; Johnson, 8; Berning, 6; Ritchey, 3; Bell, 2; Cowger, 2; Herker, 2; Woolsey, 2.
Rebounds – Godoyo, 5; Henna, 4; Woolsey, 4; Austin, 2; Bell, 1; Cowger, 1; Hosick, 1; Ritchey, 1; Wells, 1.
Cougars:
Points – Tharp, 15; Bushue, 6; Snow, 6; Cain, 2; Harmeier, 2; Hill, 1; Wilkins, 1.
Rebounds – Stock, 5; Tharp, 4; Bushue, 3; Cain, 3; Snow, 3; Harmeier, 1; Hill, 1; Wilkins, 1.
Game 9
Altamont
Greenville
Altamont used a 24-point third quarter to seal a 52-31 win against Greenville on Tuesday.
The Comets scored fewer than 10 points in all but the first quarter, struggling to a 36 percent shooting percentage for the game.
Altamont's Jordan McGinnis had a game-high 14 points. No Greenville players scored in double figures.
Indians:
Points – McGinnis, 14; Heiden, 9; Jahraus, 9; Duckwitz, 8; Miller, 5; Hooks, 3; Gordon, 2; Wolff, 2.
Rebounds – McGinnis, 8; Jahraus, 6; Miller, 4; Duckwitz, 3; Heiden, 3; Hooks, 2; Ledbetter, 2; Buzzard, 1; Wolff, 1.
Comets:
Points – Young, 9; Bone, 5; Williams, 5; Huber, 4; Schreiber, 4; Lewis, 2; Schatte, 2.
Rebounds – Huber, 4; Williams, 4; Perry, 3; Schreiber, 3; A.J. Childerson, 1; Chilovich, 1; Lewis, 1; Young, 1.
Game 8
Pana 71
Stew-Stras 51
Four Panthers scored in double-figures to help lead Pana against Stew-Stras, 71-51, on Tuesday.
Jared McMillen's game-high 17 points led the way for Pana, which led 41-28 at halftime after a 25-point effort in the second quarter.
For the Comets, Matt Tabbert had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Zach Rincker had a team-high 13 points.
Panthers:
Points – McMillen, 17; Rochkes, 13; Spracklin, 11; Beyers, 10; Arnold, 7; Claxon, 5; Hrabak, 4; Schmitz, 4.
Rebounds – Beyers, 8; McMillen, 7; Spracklin, 5; Arnold, 3; Hrabak, 2; Kirkbride, 1; Rochkes, 1; Schmitz, 1.
Comets:
Points – Z. Rincker, 13; Tabbert, 12; Carson, 11; Ferris, 5; Helton, 4; Cress, 2; Fulk, 2; Mathis, 2.
Rebounds – Tabbert, 12; Carson, 2; Ferris, 2; Helton, 2; Braden, 1; Mathis, 1.
Game 7
Vandalia 47
Greenville 40
For the first time this season, the Vandals had all their players back.
Junior Quenten Austin scored four points and grabbed a rebound in his season debut, a 47-40 Vandalia win on Monday.
“It’s a change. It’s like starting over,” Jackson said, “but Quenten Austin was a spark.”
Sophomore Tim Ritchey led the team with 13 points in just his second game of the season. Both players were injured during football season.
Having those players back has given the Vandals a rotation of eight players, all of whom Jackson believes have starting ability.
Jackson shuffled players in and out of the game against Greenville, but does not consider trying to find the right starting five an experiment.
“If we get five that work, we’re going to leave it,” he said. “We know what all the kids are capable of from the past.”
Greenville led Vandalia 15-9 after the first period, but the Vandals would outscore the Comets 29-13 over the next two quarters, to hold a 38-28 lead going into the final period.
After Michael Williams made a free throw with 2:51 left in the first half, the Comets did not score for the next eight minutes, allowing the Vandals to open their lead.
“I thought our pressure put them into a lot of turnovers, which was a positive for us,” Jackson said.
The Comets had 28 turnovers in the game.  
Vandals:    
Points – Ritchey, 13; Henna, 11; Hosick, 6; Berning, 5; Johnson, 5; Austin, 4; Godoyo, 3.
Rebounds – Godoyo, 5; Henna, 4; Johnson, 3; Bell, 2; Hosick, 2; Ritchey, 2; Austin, 1.
Comets:
Points – Bone, 13; Williams, 7; Huber, 6; Lewis, 6; Perry, 3; Young, 3; Schatte, 2.
Rebounds – Lewis, 5; Williams, 5; Huber, 4; Bone, 3; Perry, 2; Carr, 1; Schatte, 1; Schreiber, 1; Young, 1.
Game 6
Flora 59
Altamont 48
Junior Nick Painter scored a game-high 32 points as Flora defeated Altamont, 59-48, on the first day of the tournament.
The Wolves led the Indians 26-12 at halftime, and Altamont was able to outscore Flora by only three points in the second half. Jordan McGinnis had a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds for the Indians.
Wolves:
Points – Painter, 32; Knapp, 18; Lewis, 7; B. Taylor, 2.
Rebounds – Painter, 5; Greenwood, 3; Knapp, 2; Lewis, 2; Leib, 1.
Indians:
Points – McGinnis, 14; Duckwitz, 13; Heiden, 6; Hooks, 5; Jahraus, 3; Ledbetter, 3; Drone, 2; Miller, 2.
Rebounds – McGinnis, 8; Heiden, 7; Hooks, 3; Duckwitz, 2; Jahraus, 2; Ledbetter, 1.
Game 5
Wesclin 67
Stew-Stras 45
Wesclin was 2-0 on day one after defeating Stew-Stras, 67-45.
Five Warriors scored in double-figures, with Josh West leading the charge with 13 points. Phil Kunz was one rebound away from a double-double and scored 12 points.
The Comets trailed by one at halftime, 31-30, but were outscored 36-15 the rest of the way, shooting just 35 percent from the field.
Warriors:
Points – West, 13; P. Kunz, 12; Chad Klein, 11; Wilken, 11; Emig, 10; Isenhower, 6; B. Kunz, 4.
Rebounds – P. Kunz, 9; Isenhower, 4; Chad Klein, 4; M. Klein, 4; Emig, 3; Deterding, 2; B. Kunz, 2; Wilken, 1.
Comets:
Points – Z. Rincker, 16; Carson, 12; Tabbert, 8; Ferris, 8; Helton, 2.
Rebounds – Mathis, 6; Helton, 5; Tabbert, 5; Carson, 4; L. Rincker, 4; Ferris, 2; Z. Rincker, 1.
Game 4
Shelbyville 55
St. Elmo 50
Fourth-quarter ankle injuries to Connor Beasley and Jake Mansker forced both players out of overtime, allowing Shelbyville to upset St. Elmo, 55-50.
“When you have two players like them go down, that’s rough to overcome,” Feezel said.
He said Mansker’s injury is the worse of the two, with Beasley having tried to return to the game.
He entered for the final 10 seconds, but he did not play in overtime.
“We put him in to see what he could do,” Feezel said. “When overtime started, he said, ‘No, I don’t think I can go.’”
The Eagles had an early lead on Shelbyville, but the Rams took a lead with just under a minute remaining in the first quarter. They didn’t relinquish that lead until halfway through the fourth quarter, when Beasley made a shot to give the Eagles a 43-42 advantage.
The Rams tied the game at 48 with 16 seconds left in regulation and had a five-point overtime lead before St. Elmo even scored.
Rams:
Points – Bence, 12; Baker, 11; Breeden, 9; Langan, 9; Standerfer, 8; Keown, 6.
Rebounds – Bence, 13; Langan, 9; Baker, 8; Breeden, 4; Standerfer, 4; Keown, 3.
Eagles:
Points – Beasley, 15; Scholes, 9; Mansker, 7; Schaal, 6; Buzzard, 4; Sperry, 4; Stolte, 4; Magnus, 1.
Rebounds – Sperry, 5; Stolte, 5; Beasley, 3; Mansker, 3; Pruett, 3; Buzzard, 2; Schaal, 1; Scholes, 1.
Game 3
Flora 55
South Central 48
Top-seeded Flora got a scare from No. 10 South Central, but the Wolves fended off the Cougars’ late comeback attempt to win, 55-48, on Monday.
South Central struggled mightily in the first half, scoring just 12 points and allowing Flora to take an 18-point lead.
But something clicked in the second half for the Cougars, as they outscored the Wolves 36-25, cutting Flora’s lead to nine with a minute left in the game.
“That was the No. 1 seed, and we never gave up and we never quit,” said South Central coach Rick Simmons. “If we can build on that and make progress on that, we’ll be alright.”
Turnovers were a key issue for South Central. It committed 12 in the first half, but just three in the second.
“If you look back, you’re going to find turnovers that led directly to scores,” Simmons said. “That’s what led to our demise.”
Sophomore Fischer Tharp led the Cougars with 19 points and eight rebounds. Knapp led Flora with a game-high 22 points.
Wolves:
Points – Knapp, 22; Painter, 12; Lewis, 10; C. Taylor, 8; B. Taylor, 3.
Rebounds – Lewis, 5; Painter, 4; Knapp, 3; B. Taylor, 1; C. Taylor, 1.
Cougars:
Points – Tharp, 19; Bushue, 8; Harmeier, 8; Cain, 4; Linder, 3; Hill, 2; Snow, 2; Stock, 2.
Rebounds – Tharp, 8; Cain, 6; Bushue, 4; Snow, 3; Hill, 1; Stock, 1.
Game 2
Pana 67
St. Elmo 43
St. Elmo scored six points in 90 seconds to take a brief lead at the end of the first quarter, but Pana played stifling defense the rest of the way to secure a 67-43 win on Monday.
Junior Ben Sperry made a basket for the Eagles with 4:18 left in the second period, but St. Elmo would not score again until Kase Stolte made a shot with about two seconds left in the first half, allowing Pana to take a 34-23 lead.
Two more similar stretches in the second half allowed the Panthers to maintain their lead and kill the momentum St. Elmo had gained after finishing second in its own holiday tournament two weeks ago.
Pana’s Nick Spracklin, who has missed a lot of time this season with an injury, terrorized the Eagles inside for 14 points. Mitchell Beyers had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Panthers:
Points – Spracklin, 14; Rochkes, 11; Beyers, 10; Arnold, 9; McMillen, 8; Schmitz, 8; Claxon, 2; Hrabak, 2; Kile, 2; Epley, 1.
Rebounds – Beyers, 11; Arnold, 5; McMillen, 5; Spracklin, 5; Rochkes, 4; Schmitz, 4; Hrabak, 3.
Eagles:
Points – Beasley, 12; Mansker, 11; Sperry, 8; Stolte, 6; Buzzard, 3; Scholes, 3.
Rebounds – Sperry, 6; Beasley, 5; Pruett, 5; Schaal, 2; Stolte, 2; Magnus, 1.
Game 1
Wesclin 71
Shelbyville 38
Wesclin had no trouble opening the tournament strongly, defeating Shelbyville, 71-38.
The Warriors scored 34 points in the second quarter to take a 45-23 lead, and then held the Rams to just 15 fourth-quarter points.
Ten different Wesclin players scored, with Chad Klein’s 13 points leading the way.
Warriors:
Points – Chad Klein, 13; Isenhower, 9; M. Klein, 9; Wilken, 9; B. Kunz, 7; P. Kunz, 7; West, 6; Emig, 5; Chase Klein, 4; Deterding, 3.
Rebounds – P. Kunz, 9; Chad Klein, 5; Emig, 4; Deterding, 2; Eversgerd, 1; Isenhower, 1; Chase Klein, 1; B. Kunz, 1; West, 1; Wilken, 1.
Rams:
Points – Breeden, 9; Langan, 8; Bence, 6; Standerfer, 6; Baker, 4; Schwengel, 3; Keown, 2.
Rebounds – Langan, 9; Breeden, 6; Baker, 5; Bence, 4; Schwengel, 2; Howell, 1; Keown, 1.

Vandalia’s Tim Ritchey looks to split two Altamont defenders during a 48-38 win for the Vandals on Tuesday. Vandalia is 3-0 after two days.

Daniel Bell works against Altamont’s Jacob Jahraus on Tuesday. He led the team with 16 points in the 48-38 Vandalia win.

St. Elmo’s Ben Sperry fights through the Pana defense for a layup on Monday. Sperry has scored 19 points so far in the Vandalia Holiday Tournament. St. Elmo is 0-3 through two days.

South Central’s Nathan Hill dribbles around the Flora defense. The No. 10 Cougars lost to top-seeded Flora, 55-48, on Monday at the Vandalia Holiday Tournament. The Cougars are 0-2 through two days.