CHAMPAIGN—Goreville can shoot. The Blackcats arrived at the state finals as one of the most prolific three-point threats in state history. They made 326 threes this season, good enough for a top 20 spot on the all-time list.
But many great shooting high school teams have found State Farm Center a difficult place adjust to, especially in the first half of the first game. And especially if you are used to playing in small Class 1A gyms.
“Man, it is a whole lot different playing in this big of a place,” Goreville senior Garrett Church said. “There is no backdrop, so you really have to focus on the rim and not what is behind it. Once I got into the flow of the game it definitely helped me.”
Church made eight threes in the Blackcats’ supersectional win, and he hit three in the 55-47 win against Lawrenceville in the Class 1A semifinals on Thursday. The Blackcats were 6-for-14 from three-point range.
Goreville (35-4) will face Marshall in the championship game on Saturday.
“Our confidence is through the roof,” Blackcats junior Nick King said. “We all trust each other, off the court as well. We trust each other with all our hearts.”
King led Goreville with 20 points and five rebounds. Church scored nine and Tommy King and Braden Compton each added eight points.
Goreville players celebrate as the Blackcats take a first half lead against Lawrenceville.
Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times
“This team is so athletic,” Blackcats coach Todd Tripp said. “And the guys that aren’t as quick, like [Garrett Church], are really smart. When you mix the quickness, the smarts, the guts and the heart it all comes together.”
Goreville held Lawrenceville (34-3) to just five points in the third quarter and led 36-24 heading into the fourth.
“They play really good man-to-man defense, and they make you feel uncomfortable with how hard they play and how they get up in you,” Lawrenceville coach Tad Shick said.
Jayden Goff led Lawrenceville with 16 points and six rebounds and Noah Wilson scored 11.
“We were a little rattled at the beginning,” Shick said. “That’s expected coming up here for the first time. I really liked how we played late in the fourth quarter. We showed a lot of heart. The game was out of hand but these guys didn’t quit playing.”
