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Attebury, Saulsberry highlight area athlets named to AP All-State Team

HARRISBURG - In the 2017-18 basketball season, Eldorado's Braden Attebury and Harrisburg's Isaiah Saulsberry were recognizable names for their respective teams. Late last week, the rest of the state took notice as well.

Both Attebury and Saulsberry were named to the Illinois Associated Press Class 2A All-State Second Team and were joined by Pinckneyville's Grant Jausel.

Anna-Jonesboro senior forward Jake Parr was the lone southern Illinois product to be named to the AP Class 2A All-State First Team.

Parr joined other players such as Chicago Corliss' George Conditt, Winnebago's Andrew Morrissey, Chicago Orr's Raekwon Drake, Momence's Lamar Lillard and Chicago Leo Catholic's Fred Cleveland on the First Team. Cleveland was the lone junior on the First Team.

Attebury, Saulsberry and Jausel were joined by Orr's Dannie Smith and Shelbyville's Malcom Miller.

Mt. Carmel's Austin Rager and Pinckneyville's J.C. Moll were a handful of players that made the 2A Honorable Mention Team.

In Class 1A, Cairo's Damarius Taylor and Goreville's Braden Webb were both named to the AP All-Sate 1st Team. Sesser-Valier's Tyler Winchester was named to the Honorable Mention Team.

Attebury, who was named MVP of the Black Diamond Conference for a second straight year recently, was an Honorable Mention AP All-State player a year ago. He averaged a double-double (17 points, 14 rebounds) for a 29-3 Eagle team that feel to Teutopolis in the Robison Sectional semifinal. Attebury went over the 1,000 points mark at EHS and recently committed to Lindenwood-Belleville to play football.

Saulsberry became Harrisburg's All-Time leading scorer finishing his Bulldog career with 1,900 points.

This season, Saulsberry averaged 21.3 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game to go along with 2.7 assists per game.

He is a three-year Southern Illinois River-To-River Ohio All Conference player and was named to last year's All-South Team. In addition, Saulsberry was named to the All-Tournament team at Murphysboro and Eldorado this season. At Carmi-White County Invitational Tournament, Saulsberry took home Most Valuable Player honors.

Currently, Saulsberry has an offer from Maryville University and Southwest Minnesota State University.

Jausel led the Panthers with a 13.7 points per game average, 3.1 rebounds per game, and 1.7 assists per game. Causal shot 62 percent from the field and was a 31 percent shooter from 3-point range. He scored over 1,000 points in his career and ranks in the Top 17 all-time at Pinckneyville High School.

Jausel was a 2nd Team IBCA All-State as a junior and has been a part of three 20-plus win seasons for head coach Rob Waggoner.

Jausel has signed scholarship papers to play baseball at nearby Rend Lake Community College.

Parr averaged 23.9 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game, along with 3 assists per game and was named MVP of the Goreville Tournament to start the season and was named to All-Tournament Teams at Eldorado and West Frankfort Mid-Winter this past season.

Parr was named to last year's All-South Team and is a three-year Southern Illinois River-To-River Mississippi All Conference player.

"He's the hardest working kid I've ever coached. He's the first one to the gym and last to leave most of the time. When the game is on the line, we all want the ball in his hands," A-J head coach Mike Chamness said.

Parr is undecided on a college, but will likely sign scholarship papers at the end of the season.

Rager went over the 1,000 point club this year for the Aces and averaged 16.9 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game.

Rager shot 59 percent from the floor this season and was named to the Lawrence County Capital Classic All-Tournament Team, the Toyota Teamwork Classic All-Tournament Team and the Carmi-White County All-Tournament Team.

Moll was an AP All-State honorable mention as a junior and was an SIRR Mississippi All-Conference player the last two years. Moll has been a part of a Panther basketball team that has won three straight league titles and possibly four straight regionals.

He averaged 12.8 points per game and 2.3 rebounds per game, to go along with 3.8 assists per game. Moll was named to All-Tournament Teams at Kaskaskia, Duster Thomas Christmas Tournament and Benton Invitational Tournament.

Moll currently has scholarship offers from Belleville Lindenwood and Rend Lake Community College.

Taylor was the best player for the No. 9 team in the final AP state rankings. The Cairo captain averaged 27.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2 steals. He was MVP of both the DuQuoin and West Frankfort tournaments and scored over 1,500 career points. Taylor currently has college interest from D-1 Grambling State and Rend Lake JUCO.

Webb was an Honorable mention AP All-State last season. He is the school's all-time leading scorer (2,074 career points) averages 19 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5 assists. He also holds Goreville's 3-point record for a career (232) and single-season (68). Webb is a repeat Black Diamond West Conference MVP and was also all-conference as a sophomore, All-Tournament at Goreville Invitational, Sesser-Valier Holiday, Massac County Superman Classic, IBCA third-team All-State in 2017. Webb double dips and is a starter on 2-time state trophy-winning baseball team (1st 2016, 3rd 2017).

Michael Dann covers prep and college sports for the Southern Illinois Local Media News Group. Follow him on Twitter: @spydieshooter.