FIRST ROUND:

SANDWICH 52, SOMONAUK 42

   The Indians were led by the sharp shooting of Dave Curran and Harold Dannewitz as Sandwich led all the way in a 52-42 win against Somonauk, who finished just 1-8 in league play.  Sandwich led 13-8 after the first eight minutes and expanded their lead to 27-19 at the break.  After three periods the Sandwich advantage was 39-29 and the clubs played an even fourth frame as each scored 13 points.  Curran scored 17 points to pace the Indians, while Dannewitz chipped in with 14.  The Bobcats’ Mike Bohlinger led all scores with 20 points on eight field goals and four free throws.

Sandwich       fg  ft  tp  Somonauk     fg  ft  tp

Curran          7   3  17  Bohlinger     8   4  20

Dannewitz       5   4  14  Sherman       4   1   9

Henning         0   4   4  Floyd         1   1   3

Weber           1   0   2  Lackey        1   1   3

Vickery         0   0   0  Dolder        0   0   0

Hansen          2   0   4  Haas          3   0   6

Meade           5   1  11

Totals         20  12  52  Totals       17   8  42

Sandwich                 13    14    12    13 - 52

Somonauk                  8    11    10    13 - 42

 Total fouls - Sandwich 15, Somonauk 14.

EARLVILLE 66, PAW PAW 32

  The Red Raiders, who entered the tournament 3-2 in loop play jumped out to a 14-9 first quarter lead to jump start a 66-32 win over Paw Paw.  Earlville then put the game away as they out-scored Paw Paw 22-3 in the second period to enter halftime up 36-12.  The Bulldogs, who ended league play without a victory, were unable to recover from the Red Raiders second quarter blitz as they trailed by 31 (52-21) entering the final period.  Mike Schmitz led Earlville with 18 points.  He was the only player to score in double fihures in the game.  Del McCord’s eight points were high for Paw Paw and Dick Jones added seven.

Earlville      fg  ft  tp  Paw Paw      fg  ft  tp

Schmitz         8   2  18  Clausen       2   0   4

Seaton          4   0   8  Morehead      0   1   1

Feld            3   2   8  McCord        2   4   8

T. Myers        3   2   8  Gaines        2   0   4

B. Myers        2   0   4  D. Jones      3   1   7

Keller          1   2   4  Yenerich      0   0   0

Goodbred        3   0   6  Youssi        0   4   4

Wold            2   2   6  Alexander     0   2   2

Orr             1   0   2  Grinka        1   0   2

Totals         27  12  66  Totals       10  12  32

Earlville                14    22    16    14 - 66

Paw Paw                   9     3     9    11 - 32

 Total fouls - Earlville 15, Paw Paw 18.

SHABBONA 72, HINCKLY-BIG ROCK 46

  Shabbona’s Ron Johnson, who ends the season the conference’s scoring leader (18.6 ppg), scores 31 points as the tournament favorite Indians roll past Hinckley-Big Rock 72-46.  Johnson scored eight points in the first period as the Indians stormed out to a 14-6 lead.  The on going defensive pressure helped head coach Ernest Oest’s Indians take a 36-14 advantage heading to intermission.  The lead grew to 52-29 after three periods before the Royals outscored the Indians in the fourth 17-15.  Joe Meserole and Ron Merriman each added 10 points for the winners, while Monte Eberly and Paul Linden each led H-BR with 13 markers.

Shabbona       fg  ft  tp  H-BR         fg  ft  tp

R. Johnson     12   7  31  Eberly        6   1  13

Merriman        5   0  10  K. Davis      3   2   8

Challand        0   0   0  Linden        6   1  13

Meserole        5   0  10  Raymond       2   1   5

Colby           1   3   5  Sprinkle      2   3   7

Hickey          1   0   2  Merchant      0   0   0

Krahenbuhl      2   4   8  Anderson      0   0   0

Prestegaard     2   2   6  Jump          0   0   0

Hart            0   0   0  Freundt       0   0   0

Landers         0   0   0

O. Anderson     0   0   0

Lake            0   0   0

Totals         28  16  72  Totals       19   8  46

Shabbona                 14    22    21    15 - 72

Hinckley-Big Rock         6     8    15    17 - 46

 Total fouls - Shabbona 20, H-BR 14.  Fouled out- Sprinkle.

PLANO 73, LELAND 53

  The second seeded Plano crew used a huge second half to eliminate Leland 73-53.  The Reapers, who put four players in double figures led 12-11 after one period and held a slim 25-21 advantage at halftime.  In the third period, Plano out-scored the Panthers 26-20, increasing their lead to 51-41.  The Reapers claimed a 22-12 fourth quarter to seal the 20-point victory.  Bill Heller topped Plano with 23 points, while Dick Dennis followed closely behind with 22.  LTC second-leading scorer sophomore Norm Hage (17.4 ppg) added 13 and Danny Keltner chipped in with 10.  Bill Laugaland tied Heller for game-high honors with 23 for Leland.

Plano          fg  ft  tp  Leland       fg  ft  tp

Heller         10   3  23  Laugaland     9   5  23

Dennis         10   2  22  Tellefson     1   3   5

Hage            5   3  13  Larson        5   2  12

Keltner         5   0  10  Leonard       3   0   6

Foli            0   3   3  Hendrickson   2   3   7

Pierce          0   2   2

Totals         30  13  73  Totals       20  13  53

Plano                    12    13    26    22 - 73

Leland                   11    10    20    12 - 53

 Total fouls - Plano 14, Leland 13.  Fouled out - Laugaland.

SECOND ROUND:

SERENA 67, SANDWICH 51

  The defending champion Huskers got off to a fast start and never looked back on the way in rolling to a 67-51 win over Sandwich.  Serena streaked out to a 10-1 lead four minutes into the game and led 20-8 after the first quarter.  The Huskers halftime lead was 32-23, they then pulled away by out-scoring the Indians 35-28 in the second half.  Serena’s Dan Johnson poured in 24 points to pace four Huskers in double figures, while, Tom Olson added 15, Gary Christopherson 14 and Gary Pritchert 12.  Terry Fritsch topped Sandwich with 15 on seven baskets and a free throw.

Serena         fg  ft  tp  Sandwich     fg  ft  tp

Da. Johnson     8   8  24  Dannewitz     3   2   8

Hyatt           0   0   0  Curran        0   0   0

Reese           0   0   0  Hansen        2   0   4

Christopherson  6   2  14  Henning       3   3   9

Brandburg       0   0   0  Fritsch       7   1  15

Do. Johnson     0   0   0  Meade         5   0  10

R. Johnson      0   0   0  Stahl         1   1   3

Britt           1   0   2  Vickery       0   0   0

Pritchert       6   0  12  Wallis        0   0   0

Olson           7   1  15  Weber         1   0   2

Totals         28  11  67  Totals       22   7  51

Serena                   20    12    16    19 - 67

Sandwich                  8    15    13    15 - 51

 Total fouls - Serena 19, Sandwich 10.  Fouled out - Do. Johnson, Olson.

EARLVILLE 43, WATERMAN 42

  Earlville pulled off a mild upset by holding off a late Waterman charge to advance to the semi-finals with a 43-42 triumph.  The Red Raiders led 12-7 after one period and 23-16 at halftime.  The Wolverines cut the lead to four (31-27) entering the final quarter, but fell behind by nine late in the fourth frame.  Implementing a furious press, Waterman was able to cut the disadvantage to 42-40 with under a minute to go.  Earlville’s Tom Myers swished a free throw with :18 on the clock, then Waterman’s Veryl Rueff tried to tie the contest by scoring a lay up while trying to draw a foul, but Earlville played it safe ending the Wolverines comeback hopes.  Roger Keller paced Earlville with 11 points; Mike Schmitz added 10 and Jim Seaton nine.  Waterman leading scorer Byron Rueff led his club with a game-high 15 in a losing effort.

Earlville      fg  ft  tp  Waterman     fg  ft  tp

Feld            1   0   2  Turstad       1   4   6

Keller          4   3  11  Martin        2   0   4

Seaton          3   3   9  Tupy          0   0   0

Schmitz         4   2  10  B. Rueff      6   3  15

T. Myers        1   3   5  Laird         3   2   8

B. Myers        0   4   4  V. Rueff      1   5   7

Wold            1   0   2  Roberts       1   0   2

Totals         14  15  43  Totals       14  14  42

Earlville                12    11     8    12 - 43

Waterman                  7     9    11    15 - 42

 Total fouls - Earlville 17, Waterman 14.  Fouled out - Schmitz.

SEMI-FINALS:

SHABBONA 90, SERENA 71

 The top-seeded Indians scored early and often against the Huskers, who had defeated them a year earlier in the title game, ending a four year run.  Shabbona cruised to a 26-15 lead after the opening quarter and expanded the advantage to 54-38 at halftime.  The Huskers tried to press in a attempt to climb back into the contest, however they found little success in slowing down the Indians.  High-scoring Ron Johnson led the Indians with 26 points, while Jim Krahenbuhl added 23 qnd Joe Meserole 19.  Serena was led by Dan Johnson, Gary Christopherson and Tom Olson who had 19, 17, and 16 points respectfully.

Shabbona       fg  ft  tp  Serena       fg  ft  tp

Colby           2   0   4  Da. Johnson   6   7  19

R.Johnson      12   2  26  Christopherson8   1  17

Meserole        7   5  19  Do. Johnson   4   3  11

O. Anderson     1   0   2  Pritchert     4   0   8

Merriman        6   4  16  Olson         7   2  16

Challand        0   0   0

Krahenbuhl     11   1  23

Hart            0   0   0

Prestegaard     0   0   0

Totals         38  14  90  Totals       29  13  71

Shabbona                 26    28    18    18 - 90

Serena                   15    23    19    14 - 71

 Total fouls - Shabbona 19, Serena 13.

PLANO 64, EARLVILLE 62 (OT)

  Norm Hage converted a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left in overtime helped the Reapers defeat Earlville 64-62 to advance the title game.  Plano jumped out to a 22-14 lead after one quarter and the Red Raiders cut the lead to seven (34-27) at halftime.  Out of the mid-game break Earlville stormed back to take a 48-45 lead heading to the fourth period.  The Reapers rebounded to tie the score at 55-all just before the final horn on a Steve Foli charity toss to send the game to overtime.  After the team exchanged a pair of baskets, Plano’s Bill Heller sank a free throw and Stephens hit a basket to give the Reapers a 62-58 advantage.  With 20 seconds remaining, Red Raider Roger Keller swished two free throws to make it 62-60, but Hage’s free throws sewed up the contest.  Dick Dennis led all scorers in the game with 21 points, while Heller added 20.  Top scorers for Earlville were Mike Schmitz and Bill Myers with 18 points each.

Plano          fg  ft  tp  Earlville    fg  ft  tp

Dennis          8   5  21  Feld          0   2   2

Heller          8   4  20  Keller        0   2   2

Hage            5   5  15  Seaton        4   0   8

Keltner         0   3   3  Schmitz       8   2  18

Foli            1   1   3  T. Myers      4   6  14

Stephens        1   0   2  B. Myers      8   2  18

Totals         23  18  64  Totals       24  14  62

Plano                   22   12   11   10   9 - 64

Earlivlle               14   13   21    7   7 - 62

 Total fouls - Plano 17, Earlville 18.  Fouled out - Keltner, Seaton, Schmitz.

THIRD PLACE GAME:

SERENA 70, EARLVILLE 57

  The Huskers rolled to a 18-8 lead after eight minutes and increased their lead throughout their 70-57 victory over Earlville in the battle for third place.  Serena, who put three players in double figures, held a 15 point (35-20) advantage at half time.  The Serena led was 52-35 after three periods before the Red Raiders out-scored the Huskers 22-18 in the fourth.  Junior Gary Christopherson led Serena with 19 markers; Gary Pritchert added 19 and Dan Johnson 12.  Johnson was named to the All-Tournament team after scoring 55 points in the tournament for an 18.4 average.  Earlville’s Mike Schmitz, who was named to the five-player All-Tournament, rolled up the high for the tournament and the game by netting 32 points.  Schmitz was the second leading scorer in the tournament with 76 points for a 19.0 average.

Serena         fg  ft  tp  Earlville    fg  ft  tp

Da. Johnson     4   4  12  Schmitz      12   8  32

Chistopherson   7   5  19  Seaton        0   2   2

Pritchert       7   4  18  Keller        0   0   0

Do. Johnson     4   1   9  T. Myers      0   0   0

Olson           4   0   8  B. Myers      4   0   8

Westvig         0   4   4  Wold          3   0   6

Reese           0   0   0  Feld          1   0   2

Baxter          0   0   0  Goodbred      1   2   4

R. Johnson      0   0   0  Orr           1   1   3

Totals         26  18  70  Totals       22  13  57

Serena                   18    17    17    18 - 70

Earlville                 8    12    15    22 - 57

 Total fouls - Serena 19, Earlville 18.  Fouled out- Olson.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:

SHABBONA 73, PLANO 57

  The Shabbona Indians used a decisive rebounding advantage along with tight defense in winning the Little Ten Conference Tournament championship with a 73-57 victory over the tournament host Plano Reapers.  The Indians used a press that gave the Reapers fits, especially early on and held a 41-26 edge on the boards, with Joe Meserole, who was named to the All-Tournament team, grabbing 14 rebounds.  Shabbona, who didn’t give Plano (37 percent shooting) many good looks inside 15-feet throughout the contest, led after the opening quarter 21-15 and 37-32 at half time.  Plano was able to cut the Shabbona lead to three on a couple of occasions in the third frame before All-Tournament selection Ron Johnson led an assault that push the lead to a 13 point bulge which Plano never recovered from.  The Indians, who shot 43 percent from the field in the game, had as much as a 16 lead in the fourth period as four Shabbona players overcame foul trouble.  Ron Johnson led all scorers in the game and in the tournament with 24 points and 81 for the tourney.  Jim Krahenbuhl had 19 markers, while Meserole added 17.  The Reapers were paced by 5-foot-8, All-Tournament guard Bill Heller who poured in 22 points.  Dick Dennis chipped in 13, while sophomores Norm Hage and Danny Keltner had 11 each.

Shabbona       fg  ft  tp  Plano        fg  ft  tp

R. Johnson     10   4  24  Dennis        4   5  13

Merriman        3   1   7  Heller        8   6  22

Meserole        7   3  17  Hage          4   3  11

Colby           3   0   6  Keltner       4   3  11

Krahenbuhl      6   7  19  Foli          0   0   0

Challand        0   0   0  Stephens      0   0   0

Lake            0   0   0

Prestegaard     0   0   0

Hickey          0   0   0

O. Anderson     0   0   0

K. Johnson      0   0   0

Totals         29  15  73  Totals       20  17  57

Shabbona                 21    16    16    20 - 73

Plano                    15    17     8    17 - 57

 Total fouls - Shabbona 18, Plano 14.

Final Regular Season Conference Standings

                   W   L

Shabbona           9   0

Plano              8   1

Serena             6   3

Waterman           6   3

Sandwich           4   5

Earlville          4   5

Leland             4   5

Hinckley-Big Rock  3   6

Somonauk           1   8

Paw Paw            0   9

  Shabbona defeated Plano 75-52 early in the league season in a game that Ron Johnson exploded for 39 points.  The Indians were able to capture the regular season championship with a perfect record, to go along with their tournament championship.