In the first official John A. Logan College SI Basketball Poll rankings of the regular season, the Centralia Orphans grabbed a stranglehold on the #1 ranking, garnering all 15 first place votes and sitting at 7-0.
The Orphans have a pair of wins over Belleville Althoff, claimed the Roxana Hoopsgiving Classic championship, and have dominated all season long – their closest win of the season was a 24-point shellacking of Bethalto Civic Memorial (62-38).
The Orphans have a huge test Friday when they host #2 Mt. Vernon in a South Seven showdown. With wins over Carbondale, Alton, Triad, and Mascoutah already, the Rams look very impressive rolling in to Friday night.
The Woodlawn Cardinals had one of the biggest jumps in this week’s poll, leaping from #7 to #4 following a big 50-49 win over Pinkneyville (ironically dropping from #4 to #7 this week) in the Kaskaskian Classic at Carlyle’s championship game.
Carterville also had a 3-spot jump, from #9 to #6. They Lions are 5-0 after rolling through the field at the Trico Pioneer Tip-Off Classic and then defeating Vienna earlier this week.
Goreville and Sparta are a pair of teams that are making their first appearance in the Top 10 this season after starting the year unranked. Goreville was one of the top teams receiving votes while Sparta wasn’t even on any of our preseason ballots. The teams tied for the #9 spot this week.
The Goreville Blackcats are 6-0 with an impressive win over Benton at the Goreville Invitational.
The Sparta Bulldogs stunned both Murphysboro and Herrin at the Du Quoin Tip-Off Classic to win the tournament’s championship game. They suffered their first loss of the season on Tuesday night, 63-50 to Breese Central.
Here’s a look at the Full Rankings:
| Rank | School (Record) [First Place Votes] | Points | Rank Last Week |
| 1 | Centralia (7-0) [15] | 150 | 1 (-) |
| 2 | Mt. Vernon (4-0) | 132 | 2 (-) |
| 3 | Marion (2-0) | 86 | 5 (+2) |
| 4 | Woodlawn (5-0) | 84 | 7 (+3) |
| 5 | Nashville (4-1) | 83 | 3 (-2) |
| 6 | Carterville (5-0) | 60 | 9 (+3) |
| 7 | Pinckneyville (4-1) | 57 | 4 (-3) |
| 8 | Waltonville (6-0) | 54 | 10 (+2) |
| 9 | Goreville (6-0) | 37 | NR |
| – | Sparta (4-1) | 37 | NR |
Also receiving votes: Murphysboro 21, Massac County 14, Benton 7, Carbondale 3
*The John A. Logan SI Basketball Poll is voted on by a trusted group of area coaches and media members each week
