This week, Lawrenceville moved into the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Class 1A boys basketball poll. Now with a state-sized target on their back, the Indians returned to Little Illini Conference play in a matchup against Newton on Friday.

Coach Tad Schick’s team passed its’ first test, defeating the Eagles, 61-52, to improve to 17-1 on the season, and more importantly 3-0 in the LIC, where they are now tied for first place with Casey-Westfield.

Tied for first? How did that happen? Previous-leader Olney (now 3-1, 7-13) was knocked from the top spot after a 65-53 loss at Mt. Carmel. The Golden Aces, who moved to 2-2 in league play and 10-9 overall, received a season-best 29 points from junior Shain Meador to lead the way.

Casey-Westfield, for its’ part, also moved to 3-0 in the conference (and 13-6 on the season) with a 48-38 win over ancient-rival Marshall (2-3, 5-9). Like Olney, Newton fell from the ranks of conference unbeatens. The Eagles are now fourth in the standings, at 2-1 (9-7 season).

Also on Friday, Robinson (6-12) lost to OPH, 56-55.

The LIC boys conference tournament begins on Saturday, Jan. 24 in Robinson. However, there are still three league matchups prior to the full league gathering. Tuesday, Lawrenceville hosts Robinson (0-4, 6-11), Mt. Carmel heads for Newton, while Olney tries to get back on the winning track at home against Casey-Westfield. Also on Tuesday, Marshall plays at Cumberland, and OPH comes to Paris.

Thursday, Newton plays at Dieterich while Robinson visits Sullivan, and on Friday, Marshall goes to Martinsville to complete pre-tournament play.

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Fun fact: OPH plays a full non-conference slate against Little Illini schools. The 10-10 Panthers are 2-4 versus LIC opponents, with games remaining against Paris (Tuesday) and Newton on Feb. 10.

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This story will be edited as more information becomes available. Some of the statistics used in this story are unofficial.