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CARTERVILLE --- After several years pining to get over the hump, the Carterville Lions finally did it Thursday night defeating division rival Nashville 54-42.

The Lions held a firm grasp on the lead throughout, leading by 13 at the end of the first quarter and the Lions led by as many as 16 at one point.

"We did a great job, keeping [Nashville] spread out on the shooters," said Carterville coach Matt Crain. "We rebounded well and we were running the floor tonight.  Our athleticism got to kick in there towards the end and we got some easy lay ups."

SIU commit and Lions-point leader Jeniah Thompson was one of the key scorers for the Lions with 15 points on the evening.

"She did her job," Crain said. "She's going to SIU for a reason."

The win big in several ways but it also moved the Lions to 30 wins on the 2019-2020 season.

"I never thought I'd be able to say that," Crain said.  "[We've] had the bullseye on our back all season long.  Had to beat Nashville three times... To say you're 30-2... told them before the game 'you're champions to me, you're champion people.  Tonight just let it go hang out and see where the chips fall.'"

Crain's pride shone through after the game as he discussed finally making it to the Super-Sectional, especially with the senior group of Thompson, his daughter Abby Crain, and Megan Barton.

"Unbelievable... Proud of them.  That's been their goal to get there.  Put a lot on them when they came in as freshmen, and when Meg came as a sophomore, and they had to carry the scoring load for their younger years... It's been on their shoulders.... They fought to the bitter end."

Next up for the Lions, they play the Wooden Shoes of Teutopolis, a team that the Lions already beat this season in a 44-40 battle on November 23rd.

"We'll have to have our 'A' game," said Crain. "Our conference toughens us up for that.  You had first and second place playing tonight.  Right now, get as prepared as you can get, get up there, roll 'em out, let the chips fall, and see where you end up."

SIU Baseball made history on Tuesday night with a 10-0 win over Austin Peay, tossing their first no-hitter since 1979 when Paul Evans pitched a 7-inning no-hitter.  It's the first 9-inning no-no since 1953 when Paul Grandcolas no-hit Arkansas State.  Mike Reis, the voice of the Salukis, caught up with skipper Lance Rhodes after the game, as well as the man who shut things down in the final frame, Kaden Peterson:

0:00 - Lance Rhodes

3:22 - Kaden Peterson

IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson spoke with Matt Varney about some of the burning questions surrounding Illinois High School Athletics during the era of COVID-19.  Why must IHSA ask for control of decision-making back when they are not a government entity? How can basketball players play while being expected to wear a face mask?  Is there any hope for fall sports like football, volleyball, and boy's soccer returning this fall?  All those and more questions were answered in this interview.