From start to finish, this was a spectacular basketball game between Peoria Richwoods and Marist at Illinois State with a trip to state on the line. Not only did each team get great contributions from their stars but each also had several players making a big impact. Marist had the lead throughout the entire first half but Richwoods was able to keep it close going into the break down just 5. In the third quarter, Richwoods stormed back taking a lead behind the scoring of Amarion Smith-Holley. While Richwoods had the lead for a good portion of the fourth quarter, Marist was able to make a small run in the final couple of minutes to take this one 56-53 and advance.

Charles Barnes – 2026 – SF – Marist

Barnes got off the game to a quick start to get Marist an early lead behind his 8 first quarter points. This included an and one three pointer followed by a curling basket to get Marist up 17-10. He was able to lead Marist with 14 points in addition to being a force on the glass with 11 rebounds. The 6’6” lefty has a ton of translatable tools to his game with his size on the wings and versatile abilities on both ends. As well to hitting a three, Barnes scored some strong, physical baskets inside on a pair of put backs while getting fouled as well as showing a nice spin move getting to the basket. The senior also made some key defensive plays including blocking a jumper on the wing and taking a charge.

Stephen Brown – 2026 – F – Marist

At both the start and end of the game, Brown made some crucial plays. This included a three for the first points of the game followed by an assist to give Marist an early 5-0 lead. In the last two minutes of play, he then made a pair of massive plays defensively. This started with a deflection that led to a transition basket. Then on the next play, he stole a pass and turned it into a transition dunk to put Marist up for good. As well to standout defensive play, Brown also scored 13 points. At 6’7”, he is an incredibly athletic forward who can defend the ball so well but also was highly effective defending atop the zone. He also showed his offensive game hitting a three, a pullup jumper, and some physical drives to the basket.

Davion McClendon – 2026 – F – Richwoods

The senior forward was key on both sides of the ball throughout this game. He has some size at 6’6” and plays even bigger in addition to playing with plenty of physicality. McClendon finished the game with 8 points with some strong buckets inside while posting up, on a put back, and rolling to the basket. On the defensive side he made plenty of plays including multiple steals and blocks.

Amarion Smith-Holley – 2028 – PG – Richwoods

After a slow start which included a scoreless first quarter, Smith-Holley was tremendous the rest of the way showing why he’s one of the top sophomores in the region. The point guard led all in the game with 16 points. Smith-Holley is an incredibly quick and elusive lead guard who scored it extremely well getting deep into the paint. Even against all the size and athleticism of the Marist frontcourt, he was able to finish it so well in a ton of traffic around the basket utilizing ball fakes and finishing with either hand. This included a put back finish inside right between a pair of Marist forwards. He was especially key leading a Richwoods run in the third quarter stringing together a few baskets to get his team the lead for the first time.

TJ Tate – 2026 – PG – Marist

The speedy up-tempo point guard was a key playmaker in the Marist win. He scored 12 points but also did plenty more. His scoring started with a pair of early cutting baskets. In the fourth quarter he had a pair of key baskets with a short jumper as well to a transition basket with just two and a half minutes to play. In the final 30 seconds, Tate also came up with a huge steal quickly jumping a pass in transition.