Eighth grade boys end season at sectionals

By Caleigh Parsley
Wednesday, Feb. 7 the East Prairie eighth grade boys’ basketball team unfortunately ended their 21-win and 4-loss season to Monticello, 27-30 at Sectionals in Monticello.

James Parsley-3 points, 2 assists; Jalen Quinn-15 points, 9 rebounds; Haven Hatfield-2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist; Peyton Armstrong-7 points, 3 rebounds; Patrick Pierce-4 rebounds.

“We played a very hard fought game Wednesday night!” Coach Dustin Dees said. “To hold a team like Monticello to 30 points and for them to hold us to 27 proves that both squads were well prepared on the defensive end.

“Obviously, we would have loved the opportunity to go to state, and it is disappointing that we didn’t, in the end though, we had a really nice season,” Dees continued. “To go 21-4, win a regular season JHOC Title, JHOC Tournament, and win a very tough IESA 3A Regional tells the tale of what a great year we had. I just hope that our boys take some time to reflect on those accomplishments and feel happy but not satisfied as they move to the high school level.”

The boys grew a lot this year, Dees said.

“Our practices were a blast, I think that the boys will miss the practices more than anything and that is unusual with junior high boys, but this group, flat out, brought it everyday,” he said. “Again, just super proud of these boys and so excited to see them grow at the next level.”