Chargers Beat IVCC for Twaddle’s 250th Win, Will Play for Conference Title Tuesday

GALESBURG — The Carl Sandburg College men's basketball team earned coach Ryan Twaddle a milestone victory and put itself in position to win a championship with a 57-54 Arrowhead Conference win over Illinois Valley on Thursday at John Lewis Gym.

Not only did the triumph give Twaddle his 250th career win, but it also gave the Chargers a chance to clinch the conference title with a victory Tuesday in their Arrowhead finale.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS
Sandburg (14-13 overall, 3-2 Arrowhead) moved into a first-place tie with Illinois Valley (3-2) in the league standings with one conference game remaining. Should the Chargers win Tuesday at Kishwaukee (2-3), they'd clinch at least a share of just the sixth conference title in program history and their first since 2018.

Sandburg would share the league crown with Illinois Valley if the Chargers beat Kishwaukee and IVCC wins Tuesday at Black Hawk (2-3). The Chargers would earn the title outright with a win and an IVCC loss.

All four Arrowhead teams will tie for the conference title at 3-3 if Sandburg loses to Kishwaukee and Black Hawk beats Illinois Valley.

KEY MOMENTS
• To put itself on the verge of a title, the Chargers first had to escape the Eagles in a game that saw neither team lead by more than six points. IVCC led 30-26 and halftime and opened the second half with a bucket for its biggest advantage of the contest.
• Sandburg then used an 8-0 run to take a 34-32 lead. David Hise started the spurt with a 3-pointer that he followed up with a traditional three-point play, and Jeremiah Babers fed Koen Derry for a layup at 17:50.
• Tied at 52 with 3:40 to go and the shot clock winding down, Babers found freshman Logan Sluder in the left corner, and Sluder beat the buzzer for a go-ahead 3-pointer. Sluder added a layup with 3:06 to play for a 57-52 lead.
• Those would be Sandburg's final points of the night, but the Chargers' defense held strong down the stretch. IVCC had the ball with a chance to tie in the final seconds, but the Eagles' 3-point try was well short, securing the victory.

SANDBURG STANDOUT
Sluder's clutch buckets in the closing minutes highlighted his 13 points on the night. The freshman guard finished 5 of 10 from the field, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. Sluder also had five assists in the win.

OTHER TOP CHARGERS
• Derry — 16 points, 8-12 FG
• Hise — 13 points, 5-7 FG, 2-4 3FG, 9 rebounds
• Roee Dinnar — 8 points, 10 rebounds
• Babers — 9 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals

FOR THE EAGLES
• Qu'amar Hobbs — 18 points, 5 rebounds
• Roko Jurasovic — 15 points, 6 rebounds

UP NEXT FOR SANDBURG
7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kishwaukee 

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