8 memorable Manual-Peoria High boys basketball games over the last 20 years

Adam Duvall, Journal Star
·6 min read
Manual and Peoria High take part in one of the area's top boys basketball rivalries. We take a look at some of the top matchups from the last 20 years.
Manual and Peoria High take part in one of the area's top boys basketball rivalries. We take a look at some of the top matchups from the last 20 years.

Manual-Central. Rams-Lions.

These Peoria Public Schools rivals are separated by 3.6 miles and ooze boys basketball tradition. The pair of Big 12 Conference foes have collected five state titles each and have combined for 30 state trophies.

No team will ever again accomplish the difficulty of winning two games on state championship Saturday four years in a row like Manual did from 1994-97. Sergio McClain, Marcus Griffin and Frank Williams will forever be a part of River City hoops lore.

Peoria High has claimed the most recent success, winning three titles in the last 18 years including the Shaun Livingston-led back-to-back Class AA crowns in 2003-04.

Manual hosts Central as the 2021-22 version rivalry tips off at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Here are eight of the more memorable Manual-Peoria High games over the last 20 years, listed in chronological order:

Top players: Peoria area's top 10 high school boys basketball players

2001 regional final: Peoria High 59, Manual 54

In the season’s rubber match on March 2, the Lions moved onto the sectional at Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse thanks to the trio of Marcellus Sommerville (20 points, 12 rebounds), Quentin Edwards (17 points) and Daniel Ruffin (12 points, five assists). It was also the first the Rams, who opened the second-half with a three-point lead, didn’t win a regional title since 1985. Peoria High made 12 of 16 fourth-quarter free throws as coach Chuck Buescher put his team in a four-corners stall.

2003 regional final: Peoria High 87, Manual 47

This March 7 game is significant for two reasons. First, this was the largest margin of victory to-date in the history of the River City series. The Lions opened the game on a 12-2 run, then led 42-14 at halftime. Manual transfer Brandon Lee scored a game-high 16 points, while Shaun Livingston did his usual thing – 10 points, nine assists, three steals and two blocks. Also, this was a meaningful contest as it was the first postseason plaque en route to state championship trophy following Livingston’s last-second, title-winning shot.

Manual want state: 'Got to make that state trip': Manual junior has lofty expectations for Rams basketball

2006 regional semifinal: Manual 64, Peoria High 54

The Rams together put a historic performance, ending the Lions’ 19-successive regional title winning streak on Feb. 28. Breland McKnight’s career-high 38 points and 11 rebounds led Manual, which knocked out Peoria High in its postseason opener for the first time in 25 years. The Lions, who got a team-high 12 points from Roosevelt Jones, made things interesting with a nine-point run in the second quarter. But the Rams, who saw Jeremy Jackson score 17 points, responded by opening the third quarter on 11-2 spurt, putting the game away for good.

2011 regional final: Peoria High 55, Manual 38

On March 4, the Lions put on a defensive clinic on Manual’s home floor. Peoria High held its rival to just 27.4 percent shooting (17-of-62), beating the Rams for the second time in a week. Bench play was key in this meeting with Peoria High holding a 30-0 advantage paced by Deontray Dorsey (12 points) and Tre Kellum (8 points, 10 rebounds). Darian White added 13 points and eight boards for Lions, who let Manual back within six twice, but closed the game with a 23-12 advantage in the final eight minutes.

Top boys teams:Top 5 Illinois high school boys teams in the Peoria area

2012: Peoria High 67, Manual 63

A very much anticipated matchup — Class 3A No. 1 Manual and fourth-ranked Peoria High — highlighted this Jan. 20 meeting within the Mid-State 6 Conference. The Lions grabbed a lasting lead in the second quarter and never looked back in front of a sold-out crowd. That advantage ballooned to double-digits by the fourth quarter off 16 points each from Hill, Jordan and Trey Kellum. A.J. Riley scored 16 points, while Jacoby Roddy went for 12 and 12 as Manual missed three free throws in the final 48 seconds.

2012: Manual 55, Peoria High 43

This Feb. 24 regular-season finale proved to be even the season series as well as give the city foes a split of the Mid-State 6 Conference title. Top-ranked Peoria High fell victim to a hot-shooting Rams reserve Justin Williams, who hit a trio of 3s including one to end an 11-2 third-quarter surge. Jacoby Roddy’s big block turned into a coast-to-coast layup for Manual’s Jeff White, whose three-point play turned a near six-point game to 11. White scored 21 points with 11 rebounds for the Rams. Manual’s controversial sectional semifinal loss to Washington prevented a third meeting with the Lions, who went on to win the 3A state championship.

2016 regional semifinal: Manual 76, Central 51

Just two days removed from Da’Monte Williams giving his verbal commitment to Illinois, the then-junior showed out in a big way at the Washington Regional on March 1. He went for 15 points, six rebounds and three steals in helping the Rams move to 13-7 in the postseason against Peoria High since the two-class split. He was joined in double-figures by Romon Douglas-Watkins (18 points, six rebounds), LeRoy Smith (16 points) and Cleonta Brown (14 points). The Rams made a run to the state finals, finishing third in 3A as the six-ranked team. Deshaun Jackson scored a team-high 12 for the Lions.

Manual's Da'Monte Williams (20) gets pumped up during player introductions before a 2015 game against city rival Peoria High at the River City Shootout at Renaissance Coliseum.
Manual's Da'Monte Williams (20) gets pumped up during player introductions before a 2015 game against city rival Peoria High at the River City Shootout at Renaissance Coliseum.

2019: Manual 57, Peoria High 56

This wouldn’t be a proper rivalry without a little bit of drama. A last-second basket by Manual’s Josh Ivory brought that excitement exactly two years ago to the day — Dec. 17. His go-ahead basket off a dish from Myriece Byrd set the final score as time expired. But the officials put 2.9 seconds back on the clock only to see a half-court heave by Nathan Moore bounce off the rim, giving Manual the win. Dionysius Hogan (10 points, six rebounds) had just put the Lions ahead 56-55 with 10 seconds left. Chris Williams scored 21 points for Peoria High, which saw Manual’s Rolando “Pee Wee” Brown go for 17 points and 11 rebounds along with a game-tying freebie with 35.6 to play.

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA basketball: 8 memorable Manual-Peoria High games over 20 years