Althoff faces red-hot Springfield Southeast with trip to state at stake

There are six public and private high schools in Springfield, each with its own athletic program and tradition.

But in the aftermath of his team's championship victory at the Taylorville Class 3A Sectional, Southeast High School senior D'Angelo Hughes had no issues staking claim to the capital city in the name of the Spartans.

"This is great," Hughes told the State Journal-Register. "Now we feel like Springfield is our town."

Southeast (24-6) gets to stay close to home Tuesday at the Prairie Capital Convention Center when it takes on the Althoff Crusaders (29-2) in the 3A super-sectional with a weekend trip to Peoria on the line. Tip off is at 7 p.m.

The Spartans’ victory over Lanphier Friday — their third over their cross-town archrival this season — propelled them to just their second sectional championship ever and its first since 1980. But the team is on a roll, having won 11 straight since a 13-6 start.

"They are on a heater right now," said Althoff head coach Greg Leib. "It's going to be a fun challenge."

Althoff, meanwhile, could lay claim to local loyalties this weekend.

The Crusaders already are the top-ranked team in Class 3A and ranked No. 20 nationally by MaxPreps. With a win Tuesday, they will advance to the IHSA 3A final four for the second year in a row with a chance to bring Belleville its first-ever state basketball championship.

Althoff reached the title game last season, only to fall by four points to Westchester St. Joseph. Having been on that stage before, though, will serve the Crusaders well, Leib says.

"It always helps you to have that experience and the understanding of how to slow things down mentally and not getting too geeked up, said Leib, now in his 13th year at Althoff. "Being there last year and playing in the shootout events we played in this year can definitely be an advantage."

But the Prairie Capital Convention Center floor, where Tuesday's game will be played, has deep and dimly-lit backdrops behind the goals. In addition to being conveniently close to its own fan base, Southeast has played enough games on the convention center floor that Leib concedes the idea of it being a neutral court.

"It's a great venue, but a little unusual, and they have experience playing there," he said. "It's a challenge, but we've just got to play our game and be disciplined. Nerves are a part of human nature and everybody will feel them to some extent. You just have to trust in the things that got you there."

Althoff last year advanced to the state tournament on that same court by defeating Mahomet-Seymour, 79-49, in the super-sectional.

Scouting Southeast

Hughes leads the Spartans in scoring at 15.5 points per game, with a single-game high of 28. He also leads the team in rebounds (4.7 per game), three-point baskets (37-for-98) and is a 47 percent shooter overall.

"He's got an old school game — he likes the mid-range," Leib said. "He'll shot fake you and is accurate from 12 to 16 feet. It's not something teams really worked on that much anymore."

But Hughes is hardly a one-man show. Trevyon Williams also scores in double figures at 12.5 ppg. and Isaiah Walton, at nearly 10 ppg, is a close second on the team at 4.5 rebounds per game.

The Spartans are effective defenders as well, sometimes working man-to-man, but more commonly setting up in a 1-3-1 zone that has forced opponents into an average of 17.7 turnovers per game.

"They are athletic and have some length. They don't do a very good job of beating themselves," Leib said. "The approach you have to take to that is to be disciplined and just work it, work it, work it until you find a guy open. That's easier said than done when you're got guys who go 6-foot-4 to get around, but in these situations, players got to make plays."

Scouting Althoff

The Crusaders last loss was to Chaminade and Duke University recruit Jayson Tatum at the Highland Shootout Jan. 9. They have since won 17 in a row, including their 67-53 defeat of Centralia to clinch the Highland Sectional Friday.

The challenge for Southeast will be keeping account of Althoff's deep roster of scorers. Five, each with Division I college futures, average in double figures. Jordan Goodwin (18.4 ppg) leads the team, but Brendon Gooch (13.8 ppg), Tarkus Ferguson (13.1 ppg), Marvin Bateman (11.4 ppg) and C.J. Coldon (11.1) all have been game-high scorers.

The first man off the bench, senior Keenen Young, average 8.3 points per game to go with a single-game best 17 against Mater Dei on Dec. 5.

This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 5:29 PM with the headline "Althoff faces red-hot Springfield Southeast with trip to state at stake."