NTC Wednesday Preview, St. Anthony vs. Neoga, Altamont vs. South Central, and More NTC History

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Published on January 28 2015 2:56 am
Last Updated on January 28 2015 4:53 am

Building plans for Altamont High School's Gym.

NTC GAME NOTES

(By Kurt Becker)

NO. 2 EFFINGHAM ST. ANTHONY VS. NO. 10 NEOGA

St. Anthony is 62-1 all-time in NTC Tournament quarterfinal play; the lone loss came in 2013, to Stewardson-Strasburg

Neoga must overcome some history, as the No. 10 seed is 0-5 all-time in the quarterfinals, losing by an average score of 81-38. Neoga's lone NTC Tournament title came in 1938, which was also the only time the event was ever contested on Neoga's home floor.

Coach Clyde Mills lettered in basketball for the three-year school at Montrose (Class of 1923) and in his fourth year at Effingham (Class of 1924). He then coached at Dieterich and Neoga, before becoming superintendent at Altamont and spearheading the effort to build Altamont's present-day gymnasium. Ironically, Mills died of cancer in 1954 and his funeral was held in the newly-completed gym which he had been so instrumental in designing, and which has served as the host site for the tournament since 1957.

NO. 3 ALTAMONT VS. NO. 6 SOUTH CENTRAL

John Niebrugge, now in his third season, is 2-0 in quarterfinal play in this tournament as Altamont's coach; the No. 3 seed is Altamont's worst seeding during his tenure, with the Indians having been seeded No. 2 each of the prior two years.

This marks South Central's third year in the NTC and its first time to be seeded as anything other than No. 10. That said, the Cougars have proved to be dangerous in this event, pulling an upset on play-in night in 2013 and rallying from an 18-point deficit to win by 13 points in the seventh-place game in 2014.

Altamont High School's new gymnasium in 1954.