A buzzer beater by Hank Alvey as time expired willed the Tigers of Illini Bluffs over the Panthers of Camp Point Central by a score of 51-50. Alvey – most assuredly in the conversation for tournament MVP – finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds in a gold star game to hang on his playing resume. Central had an opportunity to ice the game with 12 seconds remaining, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1, setting up the game-winning scenario for Illini Bluffs. The Panthers can look to one black eye that kept Bluffs in this game: free throws. Central never made a free throw in the contest, going a combined 0-for-5. However, what the Panthers did very well, was shoot from beyond the arc. The #4 seed made 10 of their 16 three-point attempts. This game was fought on two fronts (in the paint and beyond the arc) and each team excelled in one each. Bluffs outscored Central 32-16 down low, and Central made 10 threes to the Bluffs’ 2 threes.
Bluffs was led in scoring and rebounds by Hank Alvey, who had 27 points and 10 rebounds on a ridiculous 12-of-13 shooting. Two other Tigers finished in double-digits in scoring: Brandon Coats (13 points) and Toby Cooper (10 points). Wyatt Hendel led the team with four assists.
Central had a duo of double digits scorers. Nick Moore had a team-high 19 points and went 5-of-7 from three-point range. Isaac Genenbacher had 10 points and a team-high five rebounds. Drew Paben added 8 points and swiped a game-high five steals. Breyhar Wiskirchen dished seven assists, which led both teams.
Illini Bluffs advances to Game 26, the Championship game, tonight at 9:30pm. They will face the winner of Game 22’s Southeastern/Eureka matchup. Camp Point Central slides to Game 26 at 8:00pm, where they will play for the 3rd place trophy against the Game 22 loser.
Box Score
Illini Bluffs Info
Camp Pt Central Info
Chris Derry
December 30, 2022
