Vandals excel in all facets of game to win tourney

The Vandalia Junior High seventh-grade boys basketball team won its own tournament on Saturday by beating St. Elmo and Greenville after it had been defeated by a combined 112-40 in the first three games of the season.

“It’s amazing,” said coach Eric Sinclair. “They looked like a different team. They ran their offense and got points. We finally found a groove.”

Previously, the Vandals (2-4) had scored no more than 17 points in a game against Pana, Taylorville and Central A&M during the Pana Tournament last week, but by the end of the first quarter against St. Elmo, Vandalia had already tallied 16.

Crisp passing and shooting allowed the Vandals to take an early lead after Garrett Grimsley fired up two 3-pointers, Luke Tessman scored from 3-point range and Grant Wells made a two-point bucket in the first three minutes of the contest.

Wells assisted on two of the 3-point shots and also grabbed the rebound to set up his own bucket.

The second quarter was more of a defensive struggle, as the teams combined to score just 10 points, leaving the Vandals with a healthy 23-9 advantage.

In the second half, though, it seemed a determined St. Elmo press defense possibly would waste Vandalia’s best effort of the season.

The Vandals did not score in the third quarter as the Eagles trimmed their deficit to 23-19 and eventually 23-21 early in the fourth quarter.

Sinclair said it seemed as though there was “a lid on the basket” in the third quarter after the Vandals missed eight shots, some of which rimmed out after unlucky bounces.

Dillon Beck ended the St. Elmo run by scoring his only two points of the game early in the fourth quarter. Wells would later convert a 3-point play to give the Vandals a safe 28-21 lead before Vandalia finished off the Eagles, 33-24.

The championship game was much different for the Vandals.

Greenville did not use a press defense against Vandalia, which allowed the Vandals to set up their offense more efficiently. That paid dividends in the first quarter.

The Vandals scored 11 points, and each of their five shots had an assist attached to it – two by Kasey Jones, two by Tessman and one by Wells. During the tournament, Vandalia had 14 assists.

“Our passing wasn’t so good the first few games,” Sinclair said, “but (today) we started seeing the floor and using pass fakes.”

The Vandals outscored the Blue Jays 8-3 over the first four minutes of the second quarter, but Greenville cut the Vandal lead to 19-13 with a two-point score with 24 seconds left in the first half.

And then came the decisive third quarter.

“We come out and have a lead and get too comfortable,” Sinclair said. “I told them, ‘The third quarter’s been the worst quarter so far. Let’s come out there and send a message.’

“And we did. We made that first layup, but then we got cold again.”

Grimsley scored just 33 seconds into the half, but the Vandals would not score again for five minutes, allowing Greenville to tie the game at 21.

A 3-pointer by Grimsley would give the Vandals the lead, but the Blue Jays answered back with a two-pointer early in the fourth to make it 24-23.

Tessman would connect from 3-point range with about four minutes left in the game, which opened up the 7-0 run for the Vandals that secured the tournament title with a 34-29 win.

On Tuesday, against Hillsboro, Vandalia lost 16-4. Wells and Tessman each scored a basket for the Vandals.

The Vandals trailed the Dragons 10-2 at halftime and were unable to produce steady offense to follow up their tournament championship.

Tuesday, Nov. 9
vs. Hillsboro
Hillsboro 16
Vandalia 4
Scoring – Tessman, 2; Wells, 2.

Saturday, Nov. 6
at Vandalia Tournament
vs. Greenville
Vandalia 34
Greenville 29
Scoring – Grimsley, 16; Tessman, 8; Brandon Gelsinger, 6; Jones, 2; Eli Bowen, 2

Saturday, Nov. 6
at Vandalia Tournament
vs. St. Elmo
Vandalia 33
St. Elmo 25
Scoring – Grimsley, 15; Wells, 7; Tessman, 5; Jones, 3; Beck, 2; Gelsinger, 1.

at Pana Tournament
vs. Pana
Pana 31
Vandalia 12
Scoring – Grimsley, 8; Jones, 2; Enrique Jenner, 2.

vs. Central A&M
Central A&M 34
Vandalia 17
Scoring – Grimsley, 8; Gelsinger, 5; Tessman, 2; Bowen, 2.

vs. Taylorville
Taylorville 47
Vandalia 11
Scoring – Grimsley, 8; Cody Woolsey, 2; Beck, 1.