The 2024-25 season is in full swing for Charleston High School boys’ and girls’ basketball.
The boys are 3-2 and are preparing for their first Apollo Conference game against Mahomet-Seymour.
The girls are off to a 0-9 start that includes conference losses at home to Mt. Zion and Taylorville.
Here’s how each team has begun its season:
CHS boys place third at Toyota of Danville Classic
After a 59-44 loss at home to Triad, the Trojans began a 24-day stretch without a home game that will last until December 20, when they play Effingham.
Charleston played four games last week at St. Joseph-Ogden High School in the Toyota of Danville Classic. Junior guard Tyler Oakley’s 31 points lead the Trojans to a 76-49 win in their first game of the tournament against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond.
“I was really just trying to play as a team and the ball ended up coming to me and I got open shots,” Oakley said. “It really was a team game, and we all played really well to end up winning.”
The Trojans beat Watseka 55-30 on Wednesday before falling to the hosts St. Joseph-Ogden on Friday, finishing second in their pool and earning a berth to the third place game against the Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers on Saturday.
Charleston survived a late Panthers surge to win 55-50 and take home third place.
“I thought we played pretty well,” head coach Brian Deadmond said. “It’s a good tournament for us to be in to get us some games against some good competition.”
Oakley and senior guard Luke Bonnstetter were named to the all-tournament team. The two Trojan guards are both averaging double-digit points per game.
Charleston is the only team to have not played a conference game so far, but that will change when the Trojans travel to Mahomet-Seymour on Tuesday.
Tip off against the Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m.
Trojan girls basketball still looking for win number one on the season
Charleston came close to erasing a 22-point deficit on Monday at Baker Gym against Tuscola. The Trojans, who were down 32-10 at halftime, outscored the Warriors 23-7 in the remaining two quarters but fell short 39-33.
The Trojans are not being physical enough, according to head coach Alex Koebele. He says he wants to see the Trojans play to their strengths and build a lead as opposed to having to play from behind, and it starts with being physical and getting offensive rebounds.
Koebele says that free throw shooting has improved a lot since the start of the season, which was on display against Tuscola. The Trojans were 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the second half, an improvement from the first half where they were 4-of-12 from the line.
Senior point guard Brie Tomlinson is starting to grow into the role of running the offense, says Koebele. Tomlinson has 33 points in three games this season, while sophomore forward Mickaylee Patton has emerged as the team’s leading scorer with 37 points in seven games.
“I could care less about what the record is,” Koebele said. “It’s going to take time for people to learn their roles doing some different stuff.”
The Trojan’s next game is on Thursday at home against Mahomet-Seymour. Tip off for that game is set for 7 p.m.
Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at ghnewman@eiu.edu.
