Here are 9 boys basketball teams to watch around the Springfield area for 2022-23

Naturally, all eyes for the 2022-23 boys basketball season in The State Journal-Register's coverage area will first turn to Sacred Heart-Griffin after the Cyclones brought home the Central State Eight Conference’s first state basketball championship earlier this year and return almost an entire roster.

But there are other teams in the Springfield area poised for big things, such as Pleasant Plains and Petersburg PORTA in the Sangamo Conference with talented rosters, and annual CS8 contenders Lanphier, Southeast and Chatham Glenwood.

The State Journal-Register looks into the teams and why the teams have the expectations they do.

Except for the state champion Cyclones, these are listed in alphabetical order.

More:Here are 14 of the Springfield area's top high school boys basketball players for 2022-23

Sacred Heart-Griffin

It’s been a celebration on West Washington since March when SHG brought home its first state championship with a 53-50 double-overtime win over Metamora in the Class 3A state tournament. Not all defending state champions are created equal. Most deal with heavy graduation losses that hamper repeat hopes before they ever begin. But not with these Cyclones. Every starter and all players return for the 2022-23 season except for backup center Mike Utinske. The senior starting five of J’veon Bardwell, Jake Hamilton, Will Hamilton, Zack Hawkinson and KeShon Singleton are all back and will have to be ready to meet the big bullseye they’ll have as the Central State Eight Conference and state champs.

Ty Lott, Bardwell, Jake Hamilton and Singleton also just led SHG to the Class 4A state football championship on Nov. 25. Lott, who suffered a knee injury during last basketball season, will also return to the Cyclones. SHG went 35-3 overall and was 18-0 in the CS8 and won the league title by four games over Southeast and Decatur MacArthur. Since the CS8 began in 1993, three teams had played for a state title — Lanphier in 2002, Lincoln in 2013 and Southeast in 2018 — before SHG, not traditionally a basketball school, became the league’s first banner winner.

If SHG stays healthy, there shouldn’t be anything standing in the Cyclones’ way of making it back to Champaign for another shot at the big trophy.

Analysis:4 reasons why Sacred Heart-Griffin basketball will be favored to repeat at state champs

Auburn

Fresh off the first postseason title in school history since 2004, Auburn’s back for another round but will have to do so despite some heavy graduation losses, including leading scorers Spencer Rikas and Grant Dobson. But the chief option for picking up that scoring load will be senior Nathan Barth, who averaged 8.7 ppg a season ago. But others, like junior Talin Kern, have also stepped up. After averaging 3.4 ppg in 21-22, he scored a game-high 16 points on Tuesday to give coach Seth McCoy his 100th win. Jackson Kern, who averaged 4.4 ppg, had 13 points — to match Barth — in that game. Tuesday’s 30-point win over Carlinville was Auburn’s fifth straight after going 4-0 to win the Bill Rucks Tournament in Mount Pulaski in the opening week.

More:2022 Capital Region Awards: Here are the boys basketball player of the year nominees

Chatham Glenwood

With four key starters or heavy rotation players back from last year’s season, coach Kody Kirkpatrick’s second season at Glenwood begins with a smooth transition. Senior Josh Jones will stand out on the Titans, and not simply because of his 6-foot-6 frame. He projects to be a rim protector and an interior scorer and has shown the ability to step out and hit the 3. Jones will have to help make up for graduated Wes Anderson’s 13.6 ppg and 7.2 boards. Sophomore Mason Marshall had big moments as a freshman and the 5-11 guard will be asked to put more on his shoulders, along with junior Jack Dettro, who played in all 34 games as a sophomore. Senior Logan Tomlinson was fourth on the team last year with 18 made 3s.

Lanphier

The Lions might’ve been inconsistent at times last season, but Lanphier finished 17-12 overall and 8-8 in the conference. Coach Blake Turner will lean on sophomore guard JaiQuan Holman, who was second on the team last year with 11.4 ppg as a freshman. Six-foot-6 senior center Austin Robinson is averaging a double-double through four games with 14.8 points and 11.3 boards and sophomore forward Shaunassey Hatchett Jr. Is second on the team with 14.0 ppg — just above Holman’s 13.3 in the early going — to go with 7.0 rebounds. One thing that’s been un-Lanphier like so far is the Lions have lost the turnover battle overall, 64-62.

Lincoln

The Railsplitters return four starters from last season’s 25-8 squad but lost leading scorer Elijah Pollice to graduation. Payton Cook averaged 13 points and six rebounds to lead Lincoln to a third-place finish in the Lincoln Eaton Round-Robin Tournament last week. Cook, a 6-foot-7 forward, is the grandson of the late Norm Cook and the nephew of Brian Cook. Both Norm and Brian — Norm’s son — played in the NBA.

The Railers’ other returning starters include: 6-2 forward Jake Bivin (6.3 ppg/3.6 rebounds last season); 5-11 guard Aidan Gowin (6.5 ppg, 1.3 assists per game) and 6-5 forward Tyler Sasse (4.8 ppg). Seven other players who saw playing time in the 2021-22 season will also return. It’s an experienced team for coach Neil Alexander.

More:How Springfield-area boys basketball teams fared in Thanksgiving tournaments

New Berlin

The Pretzels went 4-0 to win the New Berlin-hosted Gene Bergschneider Turkey Tournament over Thanksgiving week and concluded it with a 30-29 overtime win over Jacksonville Routt in the title game. It was just the third time in 19 years New Berlin took home its own tournament.

New Berlin has the pieces in place for a postseason run through Class 1A and returns much experience from its 19-12 campaign from last season. New Berlin will start three seniors — 6-4 Gavin Abbott; 5-9 Kevin Howell and 6-0 Ben Hermes — alongside a pair of 6-4 juniors in Gannon Dodd and Lucas Bixby. Junior Tanner Frye stepped into the starting lineup for the Routt game when Abbott was unavailable. The usual starting five averaged 38.1 of New Berlin’s 41.5 ppg in the Bergschneider tournament.

Petersburg PORTA

The Bluejays are the Sangamo’s other 20-win team which returns a bulk of its production. Seniors Cole Roberts and Gavin Arthalony combined to average 27.5 points and 11.6 rebounds as PORTA finished 23-8 overall and 6-3 in the Sangamo. The Bluejays lost a heartbreaker in its own Class 2A regional title in a 72-70 three-overtime loss to Auburn.

Colin Arthalony is back for his second season as coach. And it began well with a 4-0 record to win the Pittsfield Turkey Tournament after a third-place finish there last year. Colin Arthalony is the father of Gavin Arthalony.

Pleasant Plains

After a 20-10 season and an 8-1 record in the Sangamo Conference last season, the Cardinals will be hungry to make up for a loss in the Class 2A Beardstown Regional title game against Quincy Notre Dame. And Plains’ returning talent gives the Cardinals reason for much optimism.

The Cardinals return their top-five scorers from last season: the 6-foot-6 senior Zach Powell (16.4 points per game), 6-4 senior Nick Sabo (9.0 ppg), 6-2 sophomore Cooper Schallenberg (8.7), 6-3 senior Evan Houser (8.4) and 6-0 senior Tristen Gleason (4.3). Schallenberg was third in the Sangamo with a 3-point percentage of 35.5 (39 of 110). Powell also grabbed 7.8 rebounds per game.

More:Here are the top 13 girls basketball teams around Springfield for the 2022-23 season

Southeast

The Spartans churned out another 20-win season and their leading scorer, 6-5 senior Seth Doss, is back. Doss averaged 15.2 points and 8.9 rebounds as the Spartans went 21-9 and 12-4 in the Central State Eight. He will be joined by Dominick Hobbs, a junior who scored 7.2 ppg last year while senior Marquez Small will also look to up his scoring contribution, after averaging 4.7 a year ago. But those players and others will have to make up for the losses of the reliable Kam Banks and Omar Abdul-Rahim.

Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA basketball: Springfield area's boys teams to watch