Jim Muir, Author at Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News

Christopher Falls in Turkey Tourney Championship to Wayne City

November 27, 2016 By Jim Muir Leave a Comment

Christopher Falls in Turkey Tourney Championship to Wayne City

Steve Dunford, Franklin County Hoops and Gridiron

CHRISTOPHER- I talk to a lot of basketball fans across Southern Illinois . When it came to the Christopher Turkey Tournament, most of us had penciled in a potential championship game against the Christopher Bearcats and the Waltonville Spartans. In fact, as a Thompsonville alumnus, I was hoping to draw Wayne City in the first round instead of Webber Township. For 31 minutes, the Indians flat out outplayed the Bearcats on both ends of the floor in route to a 61-57 victory over the hosts in the 42^nd annual Christopher Thanksgiving Tournament.

The pace was very slow in the first quarter. Christopher coach Eric Stallman comes out in a 2-3 zone, which the Bearcats play man-to-man 90 percent of the time. The Indians had a 7-6 lead with about two minutes to play in the first. The Bearcats go on a 6-0 run at the end of the quarter to take a 12-7 lead after one.

Wayne City goes on an 8-0 run to take a 15-12 lead at the 6:15 mark at the second quarter. Christopher coach Eric Stallman calls a time out and the Bearcats come out in a full court press. Wayne City broke the press but for a few possessions, it forced them to play up tempo which the Bearcats like to play. Christopher took back the lead for a short while. In the last three minutes of the quarter the Indians began to bust open the Bearcat zone open by hitting three very deep three pointers. At the intermission Wayne City has a 22-18 lead

The Bearcats come out of the locker room going back to playing man-to-man. They also came out of the locker room flat. There were several unforced turnovers and the lid was on the bucket. To put it bluntly the Bearcats just looked out of sync. Wayne City extended the lead to nine on several occasions. In the closing seconds of the quarter Kaelab Pedigo hits a three to cut the Wayne City lead to 34-28.

The fourth quarter became very rough. Both sides of the gym became very vocal with the boo birds coming out. When the officials tried to establish control, it was tool late. When Wayne City was pulling away Pedigo would come up with something big, as he had 15 on the quarter. The Indians kept pounding the ball into 6’ 4” center Chad Dickey who had 14 on the quarter. It was looking like Wayne City was going to blow the game wide open when the Bearcats were storming back in the closing seconds. They could not get the lead under three as Wayne City takes the title with the 61-57 victory

Pedigo had a game high 26 points for the Bearcats. Bradley Young added 12 on the night with seven rebounds. Jarred Curry chipped in 10 and led the Bearcats with six assists. There are some little things that does not show up in the box score from time to time. Zach Snell had four rebounds and an assist in the fourth quarter

For Wayne City Eric Green had a game high 22, Dickey added sixteen, Jordan Greenwalt added 10 for the Indians.

The Bearcats won the cheerleading title. The All Tournament Team was the following: Kaleab Pedigo was named MVP with Bradley Young and Jared Curry from Christopher; Chad Dickey and Eric Green From Wayne City; Charles Neal and Jaxon Helm from Webber Township; Isaac McPhail and Zane Wilson from Waltonville and Matt Long from NCOE.

In other action of the evening Webber Township took third place with a 58-55 win over Waltonville. Thompsonville won the consolation bracket with a 51-38 win over Zeigler-Royalton. NCOE won the 7^th place game with a 77-49 win over the Hamilton County JV squad.

The Hamilton County JV squad set a tournament record with most three pointers made in a tournament with 26. The record was previously held by the 1996 Christopher Bearcats.

The Bearcats will have a very long extended break from action. Their next contest will be on Saturday, December 10 at home against the Woodlawn Cardinals.

BOX SCORE:

CHRISTOPHER (57) Pedigo 5 4 4-5 26; Young 2 0 8-11 12; Curry 5 0 0-0 10; Sanders 2 0 0-0 4 Pratt 0 1 0-0 3; Schimpf 1 0 0-0 2; Snell 0 0 0-0 0 Motsinger 0 0 0-0 0 TOTALS: 15 5 12-17 57

FOULED OUT: Pedigo, Young, Schimpf

WAYNE CITY (61) Green 1 3 10-14 21; Dickey 7 0 2-2 16; Greenwalt 2 1 3-9 10; Willett 0 1 1-2 4; Caudle 0 1 0-0 3; Tubbs 1 0 1-4 3 Henson 1 0-0 0 2;

King 0 1 1-2 1 TOTALS: 12 6 19-31 61

FOULED OUT: King, Tubbs

SCORE BY QUARTERS

CHRISTOPHER (2-1) 12 6 10 29- 57

WAYNE CITY (3-0) 7 15 12 27-61

Jack Lee Perkins – Benton, IL

November 27, 2016 By Jim Muir Leave a Comment

Jack Lee Perkins, of Benton, IL, passed away Saturday, November 26, 2016 at the home of his son with both of his sons at his bedside.

Services will be at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016 at Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton, with the Rev. Carl Cottingham officiating.

Burial with Masonic Rites will be conducted at Masonic & Oddfellows Cemetery, in Benton. Visitation will be after 9 a.m. on Tuesday at the funeral home.

Memorials can be made to the First Baptist Church of Benton.

Filed Under: Benton News, Obituaries

West Frankfort Defeats Cairo 64-58 in Opener

November 27, 2016 By Jim Muir Leave a Comment

http://westfrankfortsports.com/fchs-redbirds-open-their-season-with-a-victory-over-cairo-p412-165.htm

Filed Under: High School Sports, Sports, Uncategorized, West Frankfort High School Sports

Mrs. Alice Diane Whitten – Benton

November 27, 2016 By Jim Muir Leave a Comment

Mrs. Alice Diane Whitten, age 73 of Benton IL, passed away Wednesday, November 23, 2016 at her home. She was born on April 17, 1943 in Chicago Heights, IL, the daughter of William Singleton and Sadie (Maki) Singleton. She first married Vernon Paul Denton in 1963 and he preceded her in death in 1972. She would later marry Ron Whitten in 1976, and he preceded her in death in 1996.

Her working career was that of a LPN at the Illinois Veteran’s Home in Manteno. She and her late husband Ron would also volunteer at the Veteran’s Home. Due to their commitment and dedication as volunteers, they were invited to the Governor’s Mansion for recognition of their achievements as volunteers.

Diane loved her family, and especially enjoyed getting to spend time with them. She was an avid St. Louis Cardinal fan.

She is survived by her three children: Cathy Campbell of Aurora, MO, Vern Denton and wife Melanie of Benton, IL, and Paul Denton and wife Inita of Flower Mound, TX; Eleven Grandchildren; Seventeen Great-Grandchildren; her siblings: Dolly of Tennessee, Dale of Georgia, Ron of North Carolina, Dorcus of Illinois, Helen of Minnesota, Sharon of Illinois, and Rich of Illinois; and several nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Whitten was preceded in death by her parents, two husbands, and two sisters: Carol and Patsie.

A Memorial Celebration of Life Service will be held at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton, with Paul Denton officiating. Visitation will be from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday at the Leffler Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Illinois Warrior Assistance Program.

Diane’s wishes were to donate her body for scientific study.

To leave the family online condolences, or to share memories of Alice Diane Whitten, visit www.lpfuneralhome.com

Filed Under: Benton News, Obituaries

Christopher vs. Wayne City Preview

November 26, 2016 By Jim Muir Leave a Comment

Christopher vs. Wayne City Preview

By Steve Dunford

Franklin County Hoops and Gridiron

At the Championship of the 42^nd annual Christopher Turkey Tournament the host Bearcats will match-up against the Wayne City Indians. I am taking the Bearcats by three in this one tonight.

In semi-final wins, Christopher defeated Webber Township 61-52 Wednesday night. In an overtime thriller, Wayne City defeated Waltonville 61-58 on a last second half court shot by Landon Willett. Darren Kinnard and Caleb Martin were searching for the video. I would say there is a very good chance that will be on Martin’s moments on Monday night.

The keys to the game are following:

For Wayne City, it seems Chad Dickey has been in high school for eight years now. The four year starter had 24 in last nights win. Eric Green is a bomber from the outside he had 13. Last nights hero. Willett was the third in double figures with 10. Clayton Tubbs and Jordan Greenwalt looked like they spent a lot of time on the hardwood from Jack Bullock’s story on the game last night. I let Richard Blakely and Mike Fleming on WXAN tell me about it. I had my good friend Kevin Smith scouting for me. He said the team out of the Midland Trail Conference looked very good.

I have a gut feeling Bradley Young will explode against the Indians tonight. He spent the night in foul trouble all night in the win against NCOE. If I told you that Bradley young would only have six that night and the Bearcats would have put up 100, I would have tried to sell someone my beach front property in Buckner. Teams are keying on him defensively and he is due.

Webber Township coach Brad Beatty went to a 1-3-1 zone Pedigo was shut down, but Curry was dominant on the post. Curry stepped up big. I remember that Wayne City was a man to man team. This will leave some openings for either Pedigo or Young.

Bryce Pratt played very well all week. Coach Eric Stallman worried about his bench coming into the season. He has nothing to worry about.

I am cutting this short. I get to see it with my own eyes. My opinion will go out the window when they tip it up tonight at 7:30.

Filed Under: Christopher High School Sports, Thompsonville High School Sports, Zeigler-Royalton High School Sports

Barbara Wyant- Benton IL

November 26, 2016 By Jim Muir Leave a Comment

Mrs. Barbara J. Wyant, 81, of Benton IL, passed away at 9:45 p.m., Friday, November 25, 2016, at Helia Healthcare of Benton.

She was born on October 11, 1935, to William “Willie” and Ida Mae (Poynor) Heifner in Macedonia, IL. Barbara was self employed as a babysitter and caretaker. She married John J. Wyant and he preceded her in death.

She was a member of Plasters Grove Free Will Baptist Church in Thompsonville, IL. Barbara was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was known to take care of children she had claimed to be her own. She would always make time to spend with her family and friends. If you left her home hungry it was your own fault.

Barbara is survived by her children, Jack Wyant and wife Jackie of Akin, IL, Ron Wyant of Dale, IL, Carla Dare and husband Jeff of Freeman Spur, IL and Beverly Wyant and Susie Minton of Herrin, IL; one brother, Jim Heifner and wife Patty of Akin, IL and one sister, Darlene Roberts and husband John of Dale, IL; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William Martin and Ida Mae Heifner, husband, John J. Wyant, three brothers, John Heifner, Carlton Heifner and Charles Heifner and two grandchildren, Jeffery Conner and Tommy Sullivan.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Pate Funeral Home.

Visitation will be held Monday, November 28, 2016, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Pate Funeral Home, 301 S. Main St., Benton, IL.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, November 29, 2016, 10:00 am at the Pate Funeral Home, Benton, IL, with the Reverend Willie Huffine officiating.

For more information, please visit the website www.patefh.com

Filed Under: Benton News, Obituaries, Thompsonville News

Thompsonville vs. Zeigler-Royalton Preview

November 26, 2016 By Jim Muir Leave a Comment

Thompsonville vs. Zeigler-Royalton Preview

By Steve Dunford

Franklin County Hoops and Gridiron

The cross-county rivals will meet at 4:30pm today in the consolation bracket at the Christopher Thanksgiving tournament. As always, I will make my prediction first in case you want to scroll down. I am going with the Tigers by 12 this afternoon.

T’ville’s road to this afternoon was a 78-75 thriller over Norris City-Omaha-Enfield Wednesday night. Z-R beat Hamilton County’s JV team 73-63 last night.

One of the greatest HS games I ever witnessed was quoting Shooter Flach in Hoosiers was “That purgatory of a gym” we had at Thompsonville at the time. On February 7, 1984 Sean Conner scored 61 in a 97-89 victory for the Tornadoes. According to the IHSA website he was 27-35 from the field and 7-10 from the field. This is before the days of the three point line. He would have had 75-80 today. He was bombing from the center circle or the second 10 second line on the wing a lot in the old T’ville gym. Lost in the shuffle was a 42 point performance from long time Lady Redbird coach Matt Hampleman for the Tigers, and Greg Clark chipped in 31. Jerry Rea had 25 for the Tornadoes that night.

I shared a little history, now on to the keys to today’s game.

Both Z-R coach Matt Morgan and Thompsonville coach Pete Gordon have a lot of mutual respect for each other. I talk to both of them frequently. This old geezer behind a computer monitor has a lot of respect for them both.

The last time both squads met was in a consolation semi-final game where the Tigers were victorious with a 49-21 victory. I remember Jared Payne shutting down Brendan Whiting who exploded for 42 right before the tournament against Galatia. It was the best defensive performance for the years.

Both teams basically have everyone back from last year, except 6’ 6” center Jesse Darnell for Thompsonville. For Z-R, Whiting is a shooter. All conference RB Steven Anderson is one heck of an athlete he is Whiting’s running mate and can drop some threes too. Cam Newton (yes he was C-Z-R’s QB) plays the three. Nolan Domineck started down low for the Tornadoes. The whole Tiger back court is back in Payne, Cory Wilce and Tyson Kessler, who has had a great tournament. Tiger Center Anthoney Darge made some starts last year.

In the starting lineup has been Jakob Baxter down low for the Tornadoes. Reed Raubach has grown to 6’ 4” over the summer and has been starting for the Tigers. Corbin Fitch a 6’ 1” freshman started Wednesday night and scored 21 points for the Tigers.

I have not watched the Tornadoes this year but I am going off blind speculation. I just think the Tigers size and the athleticism that Fitch brings to the floor will cause the Tornadoes match up problems. Jacob Dixon a 6 4” junior did not play against NCOE Wednesday night. It would not surprise me if he sees a lot of time this afternoon or even gets the start. Not very many 1A schools this year have the probable combination of putting kids 6’ 7” and a pair of guys that are 6’ 4”. The Tigers are big.

For Thompsonville to win this afternoon they have to show up to play. It is easy to have a let down after a huge win I am not disrespecting the Tornadoes at all; I just see the Tigers matching up better with them.

I will say this at the end of every preview. I analyze in advance. Games are played on the hardwood. Being an alumnus, I have a tendency to see things through blue colored glasses.

Filed Under: Christopher High School Sports, High School Sports, Sports, Thompsonville High School Sports, Uncategorized, Zeigler-Royalton High School Sports

Mr. William “Bill” Daniel McPhail-Royalton

November 26, 2016 By Jim Muir Leave a Comment

Mr. William “Bill” Daniel McPhail, 73 of Royalton, IL passed away on November 23, 2016 at Herrin Hospital. He was born on December 28, 1942 in Royalton, IL to December 28, 1942 in Royalton, IL to Pete McPhail and Eva (Hammett) McPhail,who preceded him in death.

He had worked in retail for over 30 years, and then served as librarian and director of the Royalton Public Library. He was a member of the St Aloysius Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Royalton In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to the Royalton Public Library or the St Aloysius Ladies Sodality.

Survivors include one sister in law, Jessica McPhail of Florida; Neices and Nephews; Raylene (Carl) Stafko of Royalton, Danny Jerrells of Royalton, Greg (Robyn) McPhail of Florida, Kathy Towers of Christopher, Ronda (Forrest) Moreland of Florida, Michele (Scott) Fry of Florida, Dianna (Frank) Stubits of St Louis, Sharon (Jerry) Zilske of St Louis and many great and great great nieces and nephews.

Also surviving was a special friend Kathy Beegle of Benton

Also preceding him in death were; brother Tom McPhail, sisters Sue Carol McPhail, Ruth Jerrells, sister and brother-in-law Jean and Tom Towers, brother-in-law and his wife Ray and Roberta Jerrels, two nieces Vicki Kincade and Carolyn Jerrells, and one nephew Ricky Towers.

A memorial mass will take place on Saturday December 3, 2016 at 11:00 A.M., at the St Aloysius Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Royalton. Father Urban Osuji will be officiating. Interment will follow at Miners Cemetery in Royalton.

Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher, IL was entrusted with the arrangements. For more information, please visit their website www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com.

Filed Under: Obituaries