Game 107: Benton vs. Okawville (Boy's Basketball)

Game 107

Center court at Rich Herrin Gymnasium

Benton vs. Okawville (Boy's Basketball)
Benton Invitational Tournament
(1/19/11)

The final game of my southern Illinois swing between the host Rangers and Okawville, leaving town, and trying to beat a blizzard, and the journey back north.



Following my meal in the hospitality room, I ventured back to the broadcast booth to gear up for the final broadcast between the Rangers and Rockets.  One of the other teams' coaches came up and asked me about the broadcasts.  He mentioned seeing Teutopolis on the iHigh site, and asked if I had covered them at the Charleston Tournament.  I had, but it was for the radio station in Galesburg, and not archived on iHigh.

Benton and Okawville were tied after one quarter of action, 8-8.  The Rangers then took a 23-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.  Both teams had balanced scoring at the break, with seven players scoring between 4 points and 6 points. 

The Rangers extended their lead on their home floor in the 3rd quarter, leading 44-36 heading into the last eight minutes.  Benton finished off Okawville in the 4th quarter, winning 63-52 and the Rangers were clutch at the free throw line in the final frame, going 15-18 from the line in the 4th quarter.  Benton finished 24-30 from the line. 

Caleb Suver led the Rangers with 15 points, and Trey Garrett added 11 points.  Jacob Brammeier scored 15 points for Okawville, and Jeremy Weeke pitched in 11 points for the Rockets.  With the win, Benton improves to 8-9 on the season, while Okawville drops to 9-9.

The B.I.T. All-Tournament Name Team
Brandon Buss - Okawville
Landon LaBuwi - Benton (pronounced Luh-boo-wee)
Hunter Queen - Pinckneyville
Tyson Boehne - Carlyle (pronounced Been-ee)
Levi Lueke - Hamilton County (pronounced Lou-kee)

Basketball Name Team (Born to be ballers)
Clint Hopfinger - Hamilton County
Dylan Rock (Sesser-Valier) and Cameron Rock (Benton)
Bryant Shute - Pinckneyville (pronounced Shoot)
Trey Garrett - Benton

Beating a Blizzard
At halftime of the Benton/Okawville game, I started arranging everything for a quick getaway.  With my eyes peeled on the time...and the National Weather Service forecast, I was packing up and heading out as soon as the game went final. 

When the final horn sounded, I quickly recapped the individual scoring, and ended the broadcast, packing up as fast as I could.  As I left the gym, I found Benton A.D. Ryan Miller and thanked him for the hospitality, and was on my way.

Galesburg assistant coach Rob Williams

Earlier, I had wanted to find the picture of Galesburg assistant coach Rob Williams, an All-Stater for the Benton Rangers in 1982.  I never found it...until I was walking out of the gym.  Walking out the door, I noticed Williams' picture on the wall right next to the door.  I stopped, snapped a picture for the Vintage Streaks blog, and was on my way.

It was 10:50 p.m. when I started the car, some flurries were beginning to fly.  Garmin says it is exactly 4 hours from Benton to Macomb, and I was hoping to shave about 10 minutes off of that time with some faster speeds than recommended.

Snowfall in downtown Lebanon

The driving was smooth sailing for about the first 45 minutes.  Once I got onto Interstate 64 and headed west, I ran into some nasty snow, with snow accumulating on the interstate.  As I drove and drove, the time on my Garmin got later and later.

Driving through the blizzard on Route 4

It was tricky driving, but I was able to make it safely home, an hour late than predicted (shortly before 4:00 a.m.).  I was able to take some pictures on the drive.  The worst portion of the trip was Highway 4 from Interstate 64 to Interstate 55. 

What kept me going during the overnight hours?  Well, I slammed a 5-Hour Energy about an hour into the trip (Berry flavor), but more importantly was probably the hardcore white knuckling of the steering wheel driving into a blizzard!

Game 107 Miles:  255