Peotone boys basketball fans have seen this movie before and it produces a happy ending each time.
Junior Alex Chenoweth scored 16 points, including 14 in the second half, to lead the Blue Devils to a 47-43 rivalry win over Illinois Central Eight foe Manteno on Feb. 10.
Sound familiar?
On Dec. 19, he scored all of his 24 points after the halftime break in a 61-58 overtime win over Wilmington.
What is it about those second halves in dramatic games?
“He is just a winner, plain and simple,” Blue Devils coach Ron Oloffson said of Chenoweth.
“Sometimes I am still looking for my shot in the first half, obviously,” Chenoweth said. “But once that second half hits and we’re down, I want the ball. I totally trust my teammates, but I want to put it up a little bit more.
“When it comes down to it, I definitely want to execute and get the big buckets.”
Ethan McNeill had 12 points and nine rebounds against the Panthers. Tyler Walker added 11 points and Nick Cronin had a free throw with 1.8 seconds left.
The next night, the Blue Devils beat Cissna Park 52-40. But on Feb. 13 they fell 50-42 to Herscher to snap a six-game winning streak, McNeill had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Blue Devils. Peotone came into this week at 15-11 overall and in a three-way tie for second in the ICE at 8-5, a half-game behind 8-4 Streator.
Seeds announced
Peotone’s boys basketball team drew the third seed in Sub-Sectional B of the Class 2A Sectional, while Beecher was eighth. Manteno drew the seventh seed in Sub-Sectional A.
In Class 3A, Crete-Monee was seeded seventh at the Hillcrest Sectional.
In Class 1A, Illinois Lutheran was 10th in Sub-Sectional A of the Momence Sectional.
Jackson leads area state wrestlers
Crete-Monee’s Dominic Jackson was a sectional champion, winning the Class 2A Hinsdale South title at 285 pounds on Feb. 14.
Teammate Trevon Williams took third at 157.
Peotone freshman Jonah Young (126 pounds) and Manteno sophomore Lucas Hetman (165) both finished fourth in the Class 1A Coal City Sectional.
All four earned berths into the state finals, which open Feb. 19 in Champaign.
Big girls hoops games
Beecher’s girls basketball team opened the postseason on Feb. 14 with a 46-33 win over Herscher in the opening round of the Class 2A Bishop McNamara Regional.
The 19-12 Bobcats were led by Gianna Bonomo’s 12 points and they were scheduled to take on Joliet Catholic on Monday in Kankakee.
Peotone also won its postseason opener, 38-30 over Coal City on Feb. 14. That earned the Blue Devils a Class 2A Seneca Regional semifinal matchup against Manteno on Feb. 16.
Crete-Monee made a statement on Feb. 9 with a 47-40 stunner over Kankakee. Jada Franklin led with 18 points and Sakai Jones added 12. Three days later, Kankakee won the rematch, 66-64.
Manteno tied a program record with 24 wins after a 48-27 win over Streator Feb. 10 and the Panthers won a share of the Illinois Central Eight title with Lisle.
Salazar takes Beecher helm
Sebastiane Salazar was named Beecher’s boys soccer coach.
He has coached soccer on the youth and adult level including a stint with Chicagoland United Soccer Club and Chicago House U-23 semipro team.
Football dates set
After much debate, the IHSA football season will open practice on Aug. 5 to accommodate the expanded playoff format.
Schools voted for the change 290-245 with 67 submitting a “no-opinion” ballot.