BASKETBALL: Tigers roar into state quarterfinals
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Pinckneyville (Distrcit #204) advanced into the Quarterfinals of the Class S state basketball tournament at Rend Lake College with a 60-43 win over St. Joe (Olney) behind monster efforts from Caleb Dahn and Brian Taylor.
The Tigers (23-2) wasted no time in building up a lead, scoring the first 11 points of the contest before the Wildcats got on the board with 1:18 left in the opening period.
Dahn's rebound and put-back got the scoring started, then Taylor added a free throw before Dahn's three-point play with 5:18 on the clock.
Taylor grabbed a rebound after an SJS miss and took it coast-to-coast for a layup, then after a Wildcats turnover, Dahn used the head fake to get a good look for two more of his eight first-quarter points. Taylor and Dahn accounted for all 16 of #204's points in the first quarter.
Leading by a dozen after the opening period, the Tigers kept pouring it on the second. Including Taylor's three-point play at the end of the first, the Tigers went on a 16-0 run until just 1:13 left in the half en route to building a 31-11 lead at the break.
SJS fought back in the third with an 8-0 run to start the half, but the Tigers had still had enough cushion to regain their composure and keep the Wildcats from getting any closer than 10 the rest of the way.
Dahn's 24 points led the way for Pinckneyville (Dist. #204), Taylor was right behind him with 22 despite enduring a bit of foul trouble during the second half.
Sam Simpson added 6 points, all coming in succession during a fourth quarter push by the Tigers to put the game out of reach for good. Dylan Lee had 3 points, Chris Mitchell and Brandon Zelasko each had 2 and Layton McNew 1.
Pinckneyville (Dist. #204) will face Bartelso in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament at Rend Lake College in Ina at 6:00 p.m. on Monday evening with the winner advancing into Thursday's 7:15 p.m. semifinal against the winner of New Hope and Rome.
A win Monday also guarantees the Tigers of at least a shot at playing for third place.
</group><group id="1AFC9499-72CA-4659-A837-1B1A43498F44" type="seoLabels"><seoLabels></seoLabels></group>