Boys Basketball | Murphysboro, Chester, and Sparta all get wins at Du Quoin

DU QUOIN — Murphysboro got a win over Du Quoin at the Du Quoin Tip Off Classic after getting through a tough first quarter. The final score was 56-43.

The Red Devils lost the first quarter 17-16, but turned it around in the second quarter with a strong defensive effort, holding Du Quoin to just two points. The defensive pressure got them multiple steals that ended up as fast break points. Murphysboro finished the game on a 40-26 run.

Murphysboro had two players with double figures. Junior Cade Brooks filled up the stat sheet with 24 points, hitting five of the seven 3-point shots the team made. Junior Gibson Fager also chipped in with 10 points.

Brooks was looking for his shot the entire game. He started with 11 out of the teams 16 in the first quarter.

The Red Devils defense is what allowed them go on a scoring run. Brooks knows that you have to play defense first to open up other things.

“Coach says defense first, and then defense turns into offense,” said Brooks. “We try to bring that to the court everyday. That stat is amazing (40-26 run) and knowing that we had a run like that means it’s something special.”

The Indians made it a good fight while playing hard. They got to a lot of loose balls and made the game very physical. They never gave up in this contest.

Murphysboro head coach Daryl Murphy gave a lot of props to the Indians.

“They came out and made the game very physical,” said Murphy. “I don’t think our players were as ready for that as their kids were. They’re a strong team with a lot of good athletes that are quick. They were out battling us. We had to make an adjustment defensively and start to cut off lanes.”

The Red Devils next game is against Cairo on Dec. 1 at 5:30 p.m.

The Indians top scorer was Senior Trelin Smith with 15 who also added some key offensive rebounds for Du Quoin.

Both coaches raved about the other team. Saying they both went out and battled and never gave up.

“First and foremost hats off to Coach Murphy and his group,” said head coach Webster Maguire. “They have a lot of character and they play hard. Their effort and intensity was something that we came out with and wanted to match that. First quarter I thought we did a good job with that. We’re developing depth right now, trying to find the right line-ups.”

Du Quoin's next game is on Dec. 5 at Anna-Jonesboro.

Chester 68, Cairo 53

Chester earned a 15 point win over Cairo in on Wednesday night. The final score was 68-53 in another game at the Du Quoin Tip Off Classic.

Chester had four players in double figures.

The lead man was junior Devante Palacio with 18. Juniors Kolton Jany and Brenden Malley had 13 and 12. Senior Lucas Thompson had 11 points.

The Yellow Jackets lead in every quarter except the fourth where they were out scored by five points.

Chester’s next game is against Carlyle on Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Cairo drops down to 0-4 and 0-2 in the Du Quoin Tip Off. The Pilots had three players with double figures. Junior Jeserich Pilgrim was the high man with 23 points. Juniors Maceo Childs and McKenlee Pirle had 11 and 16 points. Their next game is against Murphysboro on Dec. 1 at 5:30 p.m.

Sparta 69, Sesser-Valier 50

Sparta got a big win over Sesser-Valier, the score was 69-50. The Bulldogs went into the fourth quarter out scoring Sesser 20-7.

Sparta had two players in double figures. Junior Damian Lanton had the high 22 points. The second player was freshman Dariontez Monroe with 10.

Sparta’s next game is Dec. 2, their opponents haven’t been announced yet.

Sesser-Valier’s high scorer was junior Kyler Willmore with 18. He was the lone player on Sesser with double figures. Sesser-Valier’s next game is Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. against Johnston City.

Kedarius Flowers covers high school sports for The Southern. He can be reached at and on Twitter/X.

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