Central Catholic slides past Pinckneyville to claim Third Place in Class 2A

Posted on March 10, 2018

*Smooth shooting helped the Central Catholic Saints past Pinckneyville in the Class 2A Third Place game. (Photo courtesy Larry Duling/WJBC)*

By Blake Haas

PEORIA – Less that 24 hours after losing to play in the State Championship, Central Catholic (26-7) claimed Third Place in Class 2A with a 69-61 win over Pickneyville (31-5) at Carver Arena.

The Saints came out looking for revenge, jumping out to an early 14-8 first quarter lead backed behind senior guard Austyn Ellison’s 22 points and seven rebounds. Saints coach Jason Welch said the win comes down to how his seniors took control.

“I’m so proud of those guys, (and their) wonderful senior leadership,” Welch said. “Guys came and stepped up, (I’m) awful proud of them.”

Hot shooting for the Saints continued in the second quarter forcing the Saints to lead 35-20 at the half. Welch said the Saints took control in the second half out hustling the Panthers.

“We had a nice lead at halftime,” Welch added. “I thought (that) ultimately our kids made one or two more plays, and again those guys (seniors) stepped up and (I’m) so proud of them.”

The Panthers clawed their way back in the second half, but hot shooting from Ellison helped the Saints secure the win. Welch added that even though the season was a grind, it was worth every minute of it.

“They (the Central Catholic Saints) work extremely hard, and again some seniors came off of the bench (and helped secure the win),” Welch said. “They weren’t fearful of the stage and did a great job.”

Junior Tommy Nelson chipped in nine points in the win.

Central Catholic will hold a ceremony celebrating the win on Monday at the High School at 11:40 p.m. in the commons.

Blake Haas can be reached at Blake.Haas@cumulus.com.

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