Basketball

Nashville Hornets senior Maddox Ritzel wins our Joe’s Pizza & Pasta Player of the Week.

Basketball Teams I’ve Seen During the 2025-26 Season

Pinckneyville — The Duster Thomas Hoops Classic Championship delivered the drama.

For the third straight season, it’s Goreville and Waltonville playing for the Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament championship.

ELDORADO — Day one at the Eldorado Holiday Tournament did not disappoint.

MARION — The Marion Wildcats and Centralia Orphans meet tonight in Marion for a South Seven Conference showdown with both teams undefeated in conference play and overall on the season.

CHRISTOPHER — The Christopher Bearcats improved to 5-3 on the season with a 59-49 win over Sesser-Valier in a Black Diamond Conference rivalry matchup Friday night at home.

GALATIA — NCOE rolled to a 69-47 road win over Galatia in a Greater Egyptian Conference matchup Tuesday night.

The Centralia Orphans remain atop the rankings once again, this time unanimously, after beating previously ranked #2 Mt. Vernon 57–39.

MARION — The Marion Wildcats improved to 4-0 on the season with a 72-47 win over Massac County Saturday night at home.

The Centralia Orphans wins their eighth straight after beating Mt. Vernon 57-39 in South Seven Opener.

With Week One of high school boys basketball being wrapped up, we will release our second poll of the season. The top three teams remain the same, but many teams still haven't played their first game yet so expect to see some big changes still to come.

The Woodlawn Cardinals opened their season with a 66–46 win over Metro-East Lutheran, and honestly they looked in control pretty much the whole night. The biggest difference was the defense. Woodlawn’s length and activity threw Metro-East off from the start, forcing over 20 turnovers.

This year’s preseason field has a strong balance of returning talent across all classes, and we’re excited for what should be an electric basketball season in Southern Illinois.

The SIU Salukis won their home opener 83-42 against the McKendree Bearcats.