Bureau County Sports Hall of Fame: Hall Red Devils basketball teams made historic run

Shawn Jeppson saw the making of something special in the 1995-96 basketball season at Hall High School.

He was one of four sophomores going up against No. 4-ranked Mendota on its homecourt and upset the Trojans 70-68 in front of packed Cooper Gym. It was the first loss of the season in 18 games for Mendota, which would go on to reach the state quarterfinals, falling to eventual state champion Shelbyville.

“If I recall we played Mendota at their place and we went in with a starting lineup of four sophomores and we ended up beating them, which may have been when we first realized we could be a really good team in the future,” said Jeppson, who scored a team-high 21 points. “Crowds were always great up there, but with Coach (Eric) Bryant’s confidence in a group of underclassmen we were ready for the moment.”

There were many memorable moments to follow during the next two seasons.

The 1996-97 Red Devils captured Hall’s first sectional championship in six years and punched their ticket to State for the first time in school history reaching the championship game.

For an encore, the Red Devils rode the No. 1 ranking and undefeated record back to the State finals.

While both teams would fall in the state title game, the first time in overtime and second by six points, the Red Devils made their mark.

Hall’s two-year stretch of state runner-up finishes is unmatched in Bureau County history. Only Princeton (1953-54, 1954-55), Western (1974-75, 1975-76) and Bureau Valley (1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02) have made consecutive state tournament appearances.

For all of their accomplishments and history-making seasons, the Hall Red Devils (1996-97 and 1997-98) basketball teams earn induction into the Bureau County Sports Hall of Fame.

What made those teams special goes well beyond the wins and losses, Eric Bryant, who was a senior on the 1996-97 team, said.

“It’s the friendships and bond that was made between all those guys and how we have it now,” he said. “We just met about two months ago to take my dad out to celebrate his birthday. Things like that. We’re still connected and it has a lot to do with those teams we played on whether it was football or basketball.”

There are disappointments, certainly not being able to go all the way. Bryant said you’re not a competitor if you don’t have some regrets.

“I guarantee everybody still says, ‘What about this play and what about that play. If Shawn would have scored 52 (in the 1997 championship game). Why didn’t he score 52?’ he said. “Or ‘if we got a hand up on a shot, or switched or made a layup, or missed a free throw.’ Everyone of those guys who played has a regret. That’s just the type of people we are.

“Do our lives change if we win? I doubt it. I think we’d still be close if we won. Those are good life experiences you should pass on to the younger generations.”

1996-97 Red Devils (27-6)

As Jeppson projected, the 1996-97 Red Devils were ready to take off behind his classmates Joey Reed and Nick Sterling, the two big men, and Ryan Anderes and Bryant.

The Red Devils won their first nine games of the season including their own Holiday Tournament, before being handed a one-point loss in the Plano Christmas Classic by Hinckley-Big Rock, settling for third place.

The remaining losses came in the rugged NCIC play at the hands of Mendota, L-P, Sterling and Kewanee, taking a 20-5 record into the postseason.

Hall had all the comforts of home for its own regional, defeating Midland 63-45 and DePue 75-45.

Returning to Plano, the Red Devils won the sectional title with wins over Amboy 60-56 and Indian Creek 71-48.

Eric Bryant led his dad’s Devils to a 70-51 win over Elgin St. Edward at the Dekalb Supersectional with 26 points and eight rebounds, both team-highs to send Hall to State.

In Peoria, Hall opened with a 57-55 quarterfinal win over Nashville behind Jeppson’s 27-point effort.

In the semifinals, the Red Devils shot down Normal U-High 68-54 with Jeppson (23) and Joey Reed (18) combining for 41 points and Bryant adding 11.

Not even a record-breaking 51-point game by Jeppson in the championship game could carry the Red Devils to the crown, falling to Warsaw 92-85 in overtime. The Red Devils led 51-45 after three quarters, but the Titans rallied to force overtime on a last-second 3-pointer by Bill Heisler.

In the postgame, coach Bryant said, “It’s tough to lose a game like this, real tough. But these kids, especially the seniors will have something to remember for the rest of their lives. They’re sad now, might even seem like it’s the end of the world. But it’s not. They will realize that tomorrow and realize what they have accomplished.’’

1997-98 Red Devils (32-1)

With the core of its starting five coming back from their state run the year before with the exception of Bryant, the Red Devils proved to be the team to beat in all of Class A in 1997-98.

Senior Craig Olson took over at point guard and the Red Devils didn’t miss a beat. They sailed through the regular season undefeated in 25 games, sweeping the NCIC championship, ranked No. 1 in Class A.

At the Putnam County Regional, Hall downed Ohio 89-63 and the host Panthers 84-58 with Jeppson netting 30 points in the title game.

The Hall hoopsters returned to the old Red Devils Gymnasium for the sectional, repeating with a 65-37 win over Paw Paw and a 102-45 rout over Bureau Valley in the finals.

At DeKalb, the Red Devils rolled to a 70-42 win over Marengo in the supersectional back at Chick Evans Fieldhouse. Jeppson (24) and Anderes (16) combined for 40 points while Reed pulled down 11 rebounds.

In Peoria, Hall hustled its way back from a 25-20 halftime deficit to defeat Teutopolis 52-44 in the state quarterfinals, outscoring the Wooden Shoes 17-6 in the third quarter. Anderes led the Red Devils this time with 18 points and Jeppson had 14.

The third quarter proved to be the difference maker for the Red Devils again in the semifinals, outscoring Chicago Leo 16-6 on the way to a 56-46 victory. Hall had three players in double figures with Jeppson (19), Anderes (14) and Reed (13).

Back in the championship game, Hall ran in to some bad luck before the game even started against Nauvoo-Colusa. Jeppson had his shooting hand cut by a TV camera during the introductions and was in and out of the game to be rebandaged and limited to 10 minutes in the first half.

Despite the mishap to their shooting star, the Red Devils managed to grab a 19-15 lead at the end of one quarter and 26-20 at the half.

Jeppson, who averaged 23.9 ppg and was Hall’s leading scorer in all but four of their first 32 games, however, was not the same, held to nine points on 4 of 10 shooting from the field. He had his hand stitched up at halftime.

The Vikings outscored Hall 25-13 in the second half to escape with a 45-39 upset win.

“No doubt about it. It really hurts a lot. But what are you going to do,” Coach Bryant said in the postgame. “We didn’t play that good of a ball game. I guess you have to take what’s dealt to you.

“It just hurts for the kids. They’ve worked so hard and it meant a lot to them.”

Anderes scored 12 points, Reed 10 and Sterling nine to help pick up the slack for Hall, which shot just 24% from the field (8.3% on 3s) in the second half.