INA, Ill. (March 5, 2026) — The Rend Lake College Warriors basketball team knocked off the 7-seeded Spoon River Snappers on Tuesday, March 3, with an 83-72 victory in the quarterfinal matchup and final home game of the season.
The #14 Warriors (22-8) will move on to the semifinals against #12 Parkland College (23-7) at Danville Area Community College at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 6. The winner of that game will earn a spot in the Region 24 Championship against the winner of the DACC and LLCC.
The Warriors utilized all 14 players in the contest and were led by four double-digit scorers. It was a big night for the RLC frontcourt: Opeyemi "Zeke" Wilson (Tulsa, OK) compiled 11 points and 17 rebounds, Elijah Edosa (Scarborough, ON) recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Will Paulson (Marthasville, MO) tacked on another 21 points and 4 rebounds. Freshman Donovan Coates (Collinsville) also tallied 12 points for the Warriors, including three 3-pointers.
The road to the national tournament is still very much alive for the "Ina Boys" as they look to continue their historic season.
“We had a small lull recently, but there will be ups and downs in any season," said Head Coach Tim Wills. "Our boys knew it was winning time and they came ready to play from the tip-off. A bunch of guys are banged up this late in the season, and our whole team was ready to pick up their teammates and contribute."
The livestream link for the Region 24 Championships will be streamed on DACC’s FanHudl link: Livestream Link for Region Semifinals and Championship