Thanksgiving Tournaments are always the first taste of high school basketball and also a great way to begin gauging the area’s teams.
The Centralia Orphans and Benton Rangers impressed everybody – so much so that they tied in points at the top of the rankings and had to decide who is #1 by way of first place votes. Centralia’s 8 first place votes edges Benton’s 4 out.
The Murphysboro Red Devils leapfrogged nearly everyone, going from #7 in the preseason poll to #3 this week. That was thanks to a very impressive 4-0 week at the Du Quoin Tip-Off Classic that included a dominant 87-30 win over Sparta in the championship game.
Waltonville climbed from #10 to #8 thanks to a 65-53 win over Meridian at the Marion Legence Bank Shootout. Meridian was the preseason #8 team but the loss pushed them out of the top 10.
Goreville makes their first appearance in the Top 10 this week.
Here’s a look at the Full Rankings:
| Rank | School (First Place Votes) | Points | Rank Last Week |
| 1 | Centralia (8) | 113 | 1 (-) |
| 2 | Benton (4) | 113 | 2 (-) |
| 3 | Murphysboro | 87 | 7 (+4) |
| 4 | Mt. Vernon | 81 | 3 (-1) |
| 5 | Pinckneyville (1) | 69 | 4 (-1) |
| 6 | Marion | 57 | 5 (-1) |
| 7 | Nashville | 53 | 6 (-1) |
| 8 | Waltonville | 49 | 10 (+2) |
| 9 | Herrin | 32 | 9 (-) |
| 10 | Goreville | 19 | NR |
Also receiving votes: Meridian 16, Vienna 9, Steeleville 6, Carbondale 5, Carterville 5, Christopher 1
*The John A. Logan SI Basketball Poll is voted on by a trusted group of area coaches and media members each week