HOOPESTON — Hoopeston Area’s bid for a 20-win season and a spot in the regional championship was denied by Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Wednesday night.
The Panthers for the second time in six days defeated the Cornjerkers, this time 56-43 in a regional semifinal contest.
Hoopeston Area (19-13) got off to a good start, taking a 8-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, but PBL responded in the second quarter. The Panthers (13-14) outscored the Cornjerkers 16-8 to take a 22-16 halftime advantage on their way to the regional championship on Friday against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.
Braydon Walder and Nick Cardenas shared team-high scoring honors for Hoopeston Area with 11 points each, while junior Cole Miller got a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.