Following a week where most area teams didn’t get any basketball in due to winter weather, this past week saw a few explosive match-ups. The most important one though was a rivalry game between Benton and Pinckneyville at Benton on Friday night. The Panthers won Chapter 2 of this year’s big rivalry in dominant fashion, 51-36 in enemy territory.
That victory for the Panthers gave the only movement in this week’s poll – the Rangers slipped from #2 to #4. Mt. Vernon and Pinckneyville both moved up a spot thanks to that movement.
Here’s a look at the Full Rankings:
| Rank | School (First Place Votes) | Points | Rank Last Week |
| 1 | Centralia (9) | 117 | 1 (-) |
| 2 | Mt. Vernon (2) | 101 | 3 (+1) |
| 3 | Pinckneyville (1) | 97 | 4 (+1) |
| 4 | Benton | 77 | 2 (-2) |
| 5 | Marion | 76 | 5 (-) |
| 6 | Murphysboro | 44 | 6 (-) |
| 7 | Herrin | 43 | 7 (-) |
| 8 | Waltonville | 39 | 8 (-) |
| 9 | Nashville | 36 | 9 (-) |
| 10 | Goreville | 20 | 10 (-) |
Also receiving votes: Harrisburg 9, Meridian 3, Carterville 1, Woodlawn 1
*The John A. Logan SI Basketball Poll is voted on by a trusted group of area coaches and media members each week
