Quincy, IL - The fifth-seeded Illinois Central College Men's Basketball team (11-19) is getting in their final preparations to tip off the long-awaited postseason, as they'll head westward to the Student Activities Center in Quincy to take on the fourth-seeded John Wood Blazers (13-17) in the Region 24 Tournament Quarterfinal on Tuesday night at 6:00 PM.
THE NON-REGION SLATE
It was a very tight-knit schedule outside the confines of Region 24 for coach Tony Wysinger's group, with the Cougars playing 12 of their 17 such games to a margin of 10 points or fewer. The best stretch in non-region play came when ICC went (3-1) in mid-late November and early December, bookended by a series sweep of St. Ambrose JV.
The Cougars were also able to secure a victory over a team either ranked or receiving votes when they beat (RV) St. Louis 76-71 on January 18th.
REGION 24 SEASON
When it comes to Region 24 in Men's Basketball this season, it's frankly been a bit all over the place, but sometimes chaos such as that can create quite the entertainment value once March arrives.
The Cougars picked up road region wins over Lincoln Land & Rend Lake, the latter coming in as the tournament's 2-seed. ICC secured four region wins at Ramsey Gym, defeating Spoon River, Lincoln Land, Danville Area, and Lewis & Clark.
WHO'S BEEN LEADING THE WAY?
There have been two players atop the scoring column more often than not this season, as Idris Thomas (15.1 ppg) and Payton Cook (11.2 ppg) have paced ICC's scoring efforts. That dynamic duo is also 1-2 in rebounds (7.5 per game for Thomas, 7.2 per game for Cook).
The Cougars have gotten quality ball distribution from Isaiah Payne (4.1 assists per game) and Azarion Richardson (2.3 apg) to lead that category. Payne and Jaylen Brown have helped ICC out the most from distance, averaging 1.3 and 1.2 makes from three per game, respectively.
ABOUT THE BLAZERS
Under a first-year head coach in Jonny Dahl, the Blazers have been led by Jakeb Wallingford, who enters the postseason averaging 14 points per game, while shooting at a 53.1% clip. Interestingly enough, however, Wallingford has not played in either meeting with the Cougars thus far. Wallingford has also led the team in rebounding, nearly averaging a double-double, as he's at 9.3 boards per game.
The Blazers swept the regular season series from ICC, winning 89-75 in East Peoria on January 22nd and 78-63 in Quincy on February 22nd.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
2025 Region 24 Tournament Quarterfinal
@ #4 John Wood Blazers (13-17)
Tuesday, March 4th - 6:00 PM
at Student Activities Center - Quincy, IL
Watch Live (YouTube)
FULL REGION 24 TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS
Quarterfinals (Tuesday, March 4th)
G1 | #8 Lincoln Land (3-23) @ #1 Parkland (27-2) - 7:30 PM
G2 | #5 Illinois Central (11-19) @ #4 John Wood (13-17) - 6:00 PM
G3 | #7 Lewis & Clark (9-20) @ #2 Rend Lake (16-14) - 7:00 PM
G4 | #6 Spoon River (9-16) @ #3 Danville Area (15-12) - 6:00 PM
Semifinals (Thursday, March 6th - @ Spoon River College)
G5 | Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 - Time TBA
G6 | Winner G3 vs. Winner G4 - Time TBA
Championship (Saturday, March 8th - @ Spoon River College)
G7 | Winner G5 vs. Winner G6 - Time TBA
