Logan men explode offensively against SIC

BY JOHN D. HOMAN
Logan Media Services

CARTERVILLE – Marion product Aaron Adeoye led four players in double digits with 16 points Monday as John A. Logan College raced past visiting Southeastern Illinois, 87-59.

Adeoye, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. Freshman center Kaylen Shane chucked in 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and did a great job of using his body to shield the defender and get his shot off cleanly in the paint.

Sophomore forward Jamie Jones (Herrin) received additional playing time and rewarded head coach Kyle Smithpeters with an 11-point effort that included 3-of-5 shooting from long distance and 2-of-2 free throws. Freshman James Williams chipped in 10 points. He was 2-of-2 on triples and 4-of-4 from the line. Freshman Jay Johnson collected nine points.

Freshman Sondale Conner totaled seven points and yanked down a team-high nine rebounds. Freshman DeVaughn Johnson also flipped in seven points. Freshman Pierre House (Murphysboro) accounted for six points and five rebounds. Redshirt freshman Connor Wheeler of Du Quoin netted five points and turned in another solid effort from the point.

Freshman Michael Schmidt only scored two points, but led the team in assists with six in a reserve role. Freshman Julian Hernandez also had two points.

As a team, the Vols were a sizzling 30-of-52 from the field for 57 percent and 5-of-10 on 3-pointers for 50 percent. They were also a more than respectable 22-of-30 from the line for 73 percent. Logan also won the battle of the boards (41-to-21).

The Falcons, 2-8 overall and 1-3 in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference, were paced by D’Markian Salle with 11 points. Isaiah Thomas came off the bench to notch nine. Jamie Carr finished with eight.

Logan improves to 2-1 in the GRAC and is 7-4 overall.

Smithpeters was pleased to see the Vols break a three-game losing streak in style.

“I have to tip my hat to the kids. They came out, competed and took care of business,” he said. “We finally put a good team away early on. I’m very pleased with the win. The effort was great.”

Smithpeters said the Vols have concentrated hard on improving defensively.

“I think a lot of the guys have taken our words to heart. They’re not freshmen anymore. And tonight, they did a lot of things to show that they have matured.”

Shane said he was proud of his teammates for turning in such a stellar performance after a lengthy layoff.

“I thought we played well,” he said. “Our guards did a great job of getting the ball to me inside and I did my best to finish.”

Jones was happy to contribute from three-point range.

“It felt great. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity,” he said. “You never know when you’ll get another one, so it felt great to knock the shots down. I’ve been staying after practice and taking as many shots as I can. Coach (Smithpeters) told me to keep working on my defense. Hopefully, I did a pretty good job of that tonight.”

Adeoye said he thought the Vols played hard right out of the gate against Southeastern.

“That’s the way we’ve been going in practice, competing and playing hard. That’s the way to get back on the winning track. We were ready to play tonight.”

Adeoye said he didn’t realize he led the team in scoring.

“It always feels good when your shots fall. I was attacking the boards and doing all I could to help our team win. We need to string some wins together and get a streak going.”

The Ball State transfer said he is looking forward to competing Wednesday night at home against Kaskaskia College as part of “Marion Night” festivities.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It should be fun. I’ve changed a little bit. My game is more diverse now than it was a couple of years ago in high school. I would hope the fans turn out and like what they see from me.”