Boys basketball face Moline in 4A Sectional after Regional Title victory

Dylan Wehmeyer, Senior Staff Reporter • Feb 28, 2023

Photo Courtesy of: Mr. Jeff Christopherson

Jaheem Webber goes up for a dunk against Peoria Manual on December 9 in a 40-36 loss.

The Ironmen boys basketball program secured its third consecutive 4A Regional Title on Friday, Feb. 24, with a 61-45 win over the Yorkville Foxes.

After a quarter of play Friday, the Iron (20-13) trailed Yorkville (26-6) by a score of 12-9.

In the second period, something clicked.

The Ironmen scored 26 second-quarter points to take a 35-24 lead after a half of play.

Braylon Roman accounted for 20 of the Ironmen’s first-half points. Roman would finish the night with a game-high 27 points, shooting eight for fourteen from the field.

Nine of Roman’s points came at the charity stripe, where the sophomore sank all nine free-throw attempts.

Jaheem Webber added 12 points for the Ironmen while tallying four assists and eight rebounds in the contest.

Junior Dexter Niekemp was perfect on the night, going 4/4 to record nine points for Community.

Efficiency was the name of the game for Community, as the Iron shot 52.6% from the field, recording 28 points in the paint.

Beyond the arc, the Iron converted six of 14 3-point attempts, with Roman and senior Brady Starkey each contributing two.

The Ironmen travel to Moline to face the 4th-ranked Maroons Tuesday, Feb. 28 in the first round of Sectionals.

Moline is undefeated at home this season, going 12-0. The Ironmen are 4-4 on the road.

The 4A Sectional matchup tips off at 7 p.m.

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About the Contributor

Dylan Wehmeyer, Senior Staff Reporter

Dylan Wehmeyer is a senior at Normal Community High School and is involved with Best Buddies and FMP. This is his third year working with the Inkspot; he is a senior staff reporter. A book that moved me is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. A slogan I live by is “You never know what someone is going through. Be kind. Always.”