Three of the five local high school boys basketball squads are done for the season, with the remaining teams playing for regional titles Friday night.

Waterloo (23-9) entered its own Class 3A regional having won a share of the Mississippi Valley Conference title following a win at home last Friday against co-champion Highland.

In a “Battle of the Bulldogs,” Waterloo’s orange-and-black ‘Dogs emerged victorious, 54-41. Alex Stell led the way with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Max Oswald added 14 points. 

It marks the first MVC title for Waterloo hoops since 2014.

But the Bulldogs were not done with MVC opponents just yet. Waterloo hosted familiar foe Mascoutah to open regional play Wednesday. 

Thanks to a big night from point guard Trent Glaenzer, Waterloo won 64-45. Glaenzer, who was left open frequently as Mascoutah focused on stopping Stell, made five of seven three-point attempts for 15 points. Stell added 13 points and eight rebounds. Oswald contributed 11 points and nine rebounds for the ‘Dogs, who pulled away in the third quarter.

Waterloo now faces another MVC foe, Triad, 7 p.m. Friday in the regional final. The Bulldogs split two regular season matchups with the Knights, winning 57-47 on Dec. 6 but falling 42-35 on Jan. 17.

Triad (25-6) has won 17 of its past 18 contests. A win by Waterloo would give the program its first regional title in 50 years.

The winner of the Waterloo Regional plays Tuesday in the Marion Sectional. 

Stell, a 6-foot-10 senior, leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 21 points per game and in rebounding at 13.4 per contest. Stell’s 1,693 career points put him in second place all-time at Waterloo. His 1,216 career rebounds are the most ever for Waterloo boys basketball and rank Stell at 14th most all-time in the state of Illinois per IHSA records.

Columbia (26-6) faced Cahokia Conference foe Wesclin at the Class 2A Carlyle Regional on Wednesday, winning 62-39. The Eagles trailed 24-21 at halftime but outscored the Warriors to the tune of 41-15 in the second half.

Brody Landgraf led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Sam Donald with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The Eagles face Breese Central in the regional final Friday night for a berth in Tuesday’s Carterville Sectional. Friday’s game will be a showdown of two highly ranked 2A squads. Columbia has lost twice this season to its Cahokia Conference nemesis – 62-53 on Feb. 11 and 53-43 on Dec. 20.

The Eagles closed out their regular season with two convincing wins last week. 

Last Thursday, it was an 84-51 victory over Mounds Meridian in Pinckneyville. Landgraf scored 21 points, Donald added 11 points and 15 rebounds, and Micah James contributed 11 points and seven rebounds. 

This past Saturday, Columbia won 72-52 at home over Rochester. Eddie Smajic led the way with 27 points (6-for-10 on three-pointers), with Donald adding 13 points and 12 rebounds. 

Donald, a 6-foot-8 senior, averages 16.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game to lead the Eagles this season. He is fourth all-time in scoring at Columbia with 1,924 career points and tops all-time in career rebounds with 940. 

Smajic is averaging 15 points per game thanks mostly to 45 percent shooting from three-point land.

A long season for Gibault (9-23) came to an end Wednesday night. The Hawks lost to highly ranked Waltonville at the Class 1A Marissa Regional.

The Hawks opened regional play Monday night with a 60-49 victory over the host school. Ryan Biffar, a senior who led Gibault in scoring this season at 12 points per game, poured in 22 points. 

The Hawks ended the regular season with a 47-41 loss to Marquette last Thursday. 

Valmeyer (15-16) ended its season Monday night with an 84-51 loss at New Athens to open Marissa Regional play. Jeremy Crossin led the Pirates with 13 points and eight rebounds. Evan Hill and Landon Roy contributed 11 points each. 

Valmeyer committed 22 turnovers and 30 fouls in the game. 

The Pirates concluded the regular season Friday with a 72-46 win at home over Lebanon. Aiden Crossin scored 22 points, and Roy added 19 points. 

On Thursday, Valmeyer won 53-44 over Maryville Christian. Roy scored 20 points. 

Playing their final games as Pirates on Monday were seniors Roy and Aiden Crossin. Both finished with more than 1,000 career points. 

Roy averaged 13.5 points per game this season and finished with 1,068 career points. 

Crossin averaged 15.5 points per game this season and finished with 1,289 career points. 

Dupo (2-18) also ended its season Monday night, falling 48-43 to Carrollton in a Class 1A regional contest.

On Thursday, the Tigers concluded their regular season with a 73-44 loss to Wood River. Teegan Hargrove led Dupo with 17 points. 

Last Tuesday, it was an 80-41 loss for the Tigers against Steeleville. Kaden Scheppelman scored 17 points to lead Dupo. 

Scheppelman was the leading scorer for the Tigers this season, averaging 12.3 points per game.