CHAMPAIGN – It's a message this Champaign Central basketball team should have memorized by now.

"We've been talking about rebounding forever," Maroons coach Scott Davis said after being forced to raise the topic yet again at halftime Friday night.

By then, Central had allowed 10 offensive boards that resulted in 10 Decatur MacArthur points – nearly one-third of the visitors' total at the break.

Although the Maroons still led 34-32, Xavier Martin and his Central teammates knew they eventually would be in deep trouble if the Generals' dominance on the glass continued.

"We need to crash the boards more," Martin said. "We've got to start boxing out more."

The Maroons did enough of both in the second half to pull away to a 76-64 Big 12 victory at Combes Gym.

Martin, a starter who went scoreless in the first half, was among Central's most aggressive players around the basket in the final 16 minutes. Cashing in on putbacks or drawing trips to the foul line, the 6-foot-4 sophomore contributed eight points as the Maroons (9-12, 6-4 Big 12) took command.

"We just played harder, picked up the energy," Martin said.

Davis still would like to see his players become more physical around the basket. That's been another frequent discussion point.

"Sometimes we've got inside position, but we let people just kind of push us," Davis said. "We've got to get bodies on people, and we've got to push them back. We've got to create space."

Although Central went to a four-guard lineup for a good portion of the second half, solid board help from several backcourt players made a difference.

"We went small ... and when we do that, it's going to put us at a defensive disadvantage," Davis said. "But Chris Freeman (five rebounds) and Clark Browning (four) are good rebounders. Those guards have got to step up and rebound for us."

Freeman scored a team-high 17 points, while 6-8 center Jay Simpson added 15.

Normal West 59, Danville 34. The short-handed Vikings fell victim to a hot-shooting opponent. The Wildcats hit 14 of 20 first-half shots and overpowered visiting Danville.

"They were on fire, and we couldn't hit anything," Danville coach Gary Tidwell said. "We had a tough time finding the basket."

Ed Clark, JaVanta Gaines and Joey Robinson were the top scorers for Danville (12-10) with seven points apiece. Danville was without its top active scorer, Dennis Hightower, who was serving a one-game disciplinary suspension. He'll return for tonight's game at Peoria Manual.

Mattoon 62, Urbana 57. The Tigers let a five-point lead entering the final period slip away in a road loss. Devin Carter (17 points) and Larry Green (15) led Urbana in scoring.

Centennial 66, Bloomington 65. The Chargers fended off a late rally to win at home behind Josh Piper's 19 points and Lawrence Kinney's 18.