St. Thomas More Sabers (Champaign, IL) backers were in high spirits Tuesday as they witnessed their basketball squad thwart the visiting Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers (Paxton, IL), 61-43 in a league bout.

With the win, St. Thomas More upgrades its record to 19-8 on the season. The Sabers travel to Monticello (Monticello, IL) to play the Sages in a Illini Prairie bout on Friday, February 9. The Sages go into the bout with a record of 12-12. Monticello lost 72-61 in their recent league bout against Pontiac (Pontiac, IL)

Next up, the Panthers play the Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghosts (Chillicothe, IL) in a Illini Prairie bout, on Friday, February 9. Paxton-Buckley-Loda will attempt to upgrade on its 5-20 season record. The Grey Ghosts go into the bout with a 15-13 record after their 59-48 league loss to Pontiac (Pontiac, IL).