[click on the titles below to view that section of the Sports Page]

Sports Talk

Sports News

Live Game
Broadcast


Railers grab a No. 6 seed

By Jeff Mayfield

[FEB. 2, 2001]  While Lincoln High School coach Neil Alexander would surely have been elated with a top-four seed, he figured going into the annual meeting that his Railers would be somewhere in the second-tier group. That’s exactly where they ended up as a No. 6 seed for the upcoming regional/sectional complex. This week the LDN sizes up that pick and analyzes this year’s seeds…

Official results of the Jan. 31 seeding meeting:

 1. Springfield Lanphier

 2. Mount Zion

 3. Springfield Southeast

 4. Danville

 5. Rantoul

 6. Lincoln

 7. Quincy

 8. Champaign Centennial

 9. Champaign Central

10. Decatur MacArthur

11. Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin

12. Decatur Eisenhower

13. Urbana

14. Mahomet-Seymour

15. Springfield

16. Jacksonville

There was probably little doubt that Lanphier and Mount Zion would be the top two seeds. What was up for doubt, though, is who would be No. 1 and who would be No. 2. Lanphier has been on a roll lately, but Mount Zion had won an earlier matchup with the Lions. I tend to reward the victors in head-to-head competition … but, then again, I didn’t have a vote.

I would say that you would have to place Southeast solidly in third.

After that the next several slots are a dice roll. Danville probably takes the 4-spot by virtue of their win here in Lincoln — too bad that narrow Railer loss on an off night came back to haunt them now. A 4-spot selection would have guaranteed that the two regional games would have been played in the friendly confines of Roy S. Anderson gymnasium.

 

Rantoul is a question mark to me in the 5 hole. Their record looks good, but who have they played? I find it hard to believe that either they or Danville have lined up with the kind of competition that Lincoln has. Say what you will about coach Alexander, but he’ll play anyone, anywhere!

If I were given a butterfly ballot, I could have made a case to put Lincoln anywhere from the third to the sixth spot.

 

 

[to top of second column in this article]

The guy who may be fuming today could very well be former Railer coach and current Quincy coach Loren Wallace. The Blue Devils took home the lucky 7, which may include an all-expenses-paid trip to Mount Zion — not an easy road for sure, but if I were the Braves, I STILL wouldn’t want to play them.

The Champaign schools garnered positions 8 and 9. This year I don’t know much about either team. As I’ve done a lot of scouting the last few years, I’ve come away very impressed with Central’s coach, Scott Davis. I think he does a nice job with his kids and always seems to get more out of them than what you might think is actually there. I admire that in a coach. Coach Alexander is the king of that in my book.

The always-very-athletic Decatur schools hold down the No. 10 and the No. 12 seeds. They also have two of the best coaches in Mel Roustio and one of my favorites, Clark Barnes. Don’t be surprised to see either one of those teams spring an upset on the way to the PCCC!

Jim Drew has done a great job turning the fortunes around at Griffin. As a Railer fan I hate to face their match-up defense again, but at least we’ve seen it before and we’d be playing them at home. It’s always possible that a seed switch could occur because of travel, but there’s been no indication of one at this time.

Holding down the last four seeds are Urbana, Mahomet-Seymour, Springfield and Jacksonville. Any of those teams is capable of shocking someone on a given night. They could sure help the Railers’ cause if they would do just that.

Lincoln’s brutal schedule continues this weekend as the Railers travel to Chatham and to Centralia. The game against the Orphans should be a dandy. It also might point the direction those two teams are going, come playoff time.

Looking into the crystal ball, the LDN sees a game two rematch with our friends from Southeast. BUT, this time we predict a different outcome: first, a tough, hard-fought win over Griffin; then, in game 2, Lincoln in a squeaker; and then it’s on to the PCCC!

Good luck, fellas, and, as always, GO RAILERS!

[Jeff Mayfield]


Illinois, Cook do it right

By Jeff Mayfield

[JAN. 22, 2001]  The longer a weaker team stays in a game, the more dangerous they become. At least that’s what I used to preach to my players when I coached. I think we all saw the results of that philosophy at Northwestern last Wednesday night. And for my viewing pleasure, coach Self took exception to it. I don’t know what he said. I don’t know if it peeled the paint off the locker room walls. I do know that the Illini got his message loud and clear. When they came out of the locker room for Saturday’s sparring match with Penn State, they looked like a team possessed…

They looked like the team that I hoped they would become way back in the preseason.

In a short wire report of the game, you will notice that the Illini were led by Sergio McClain’s 15 points, followed by Cory Bradford’s 13 and Robert Archibald’s 12. But if that’s all you know about Illinois’ impressive 92-60 thrashing of the Nittany Lions, then you’ve only missed the point.

What is the point, you might say.

Well, I’m glad you asked. As this reporter saw it…almost total unselfish basketball!

I submit as Evidence A for the people that the Illini recorded 22 assists on 31 field goals, which is an astonishing ratio.

As Evidence B, I would submit the vastly improved play of center Robert Archibald, who recorded another double-double with his work on the glass.

For Evidence C you’re going to have to trust me and dig deeper than most area reporters had time to tell you. Yes, Frank Williams had another awesome game…seven points, seven assists, four steals and only one turnover. However, his greatest contribution was the suffocating defense he played on the Big Ten’s leading scorer, Joe Crispin. In fact, Crispin was completely shut out and shut down by halftime and finished the day only 3-of-14 from the field for 13 points (wish people could have limited me to only 13 a game…I would’ve been happy to be a disappointment in double figures every night!).

But in order to see Evidence C more clearly, get out your magnifying glass. And think, if you will, of Sean Harrington. Sean scored six points and had a rebound and an assist…not necessarily numbers that would make him a candidate for the Wooden award. But…as much of a glove as Frankie was on Crispin, I think Harrington frustrated him even more…coaxing Joe into an air ball and a couple of shots that were way off the mark. Right before the half Harrington made a great defensive play and then banged in a long 3-pointer just before the buzzer to send the delirious Illini nation into pandemonium.

For Evidence D I would have to display Penn State’s dismal 34 percent field goal shooting for the game. It’s even worse when you consider that the Lions’ starters were a woeful 9-for-43 for 21 percent.

For Evidence E I would direct your attention to the Illinois bench. Bench contributions were not limited to their 35 points and 17 rebounds; they brought energy and fed the fire of momentum.

For my closing argument, on top of all these other reasons, I have to tell you that Illinois shot a season-best 60 percent from the field on 31-of-52 shooting. Good shooting covers a multitude of sins…I think that’s in the Bible somewhere. The Illini’s stifling, tenacious defense never let the Lions out of their den…Case closed!

Illini notes

Cory Bradford extended his NCAA-record streak to 83 games with at least one 3-pointer. He also passed former Illini great Nick Anderson and moved into 21st place on Illinois’ all-time scoring list with 1,175 points for his career.

Lincoln’s Brian Cook continued his inspired play of late by getting into double figures again with 10 points and three rebounds. He also is among the league leaders in blocked shots. Staying out of foul trouble will key his and the Illini’s effectiveness over the next few games.

Illinois’ sellout crowds are making their presence felt. Personally, I’ve been going to games at the Assembly Hall since 1975, and I’m FINALLY starting to feel like we might be getting closer to having a home-court advantage. In my limited opinion, there is nothing better than game day…period!

We were told that the officials received a mandate from the NCAA home office to clean up the game this season. I may have missed it…but, was the Big Ten exempt from that ruling? I probably should be careful, since the LDN has nationwide connections and I might get fined like Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavs, but I’m sorry, I just don’t see it. The game desperately needs to be cleaned up, especially in the paint, but call me skeptical…or better yet, call me when it actually happens!

The Illini schedule takes another turn toward the difficult with the next two games on the road. Illinois is at Michigan on Jan. 25 and at Penn State on Jan. 31. A split would put us in pretty good shape, but of course we’re pulling for a rare road sweep. The Illini don’t return to the Hall until Feb. 3.

Brian Cook made a triumphant return to Roy S. Anderson gym to help encourage the Railers in their exciting victory over Lockport. Cook had to share the spotlight with some kid named Payne.

[Jeff Mayfield]

[to top of second column in this article]

[The Illini's game Saturday against Penn State brought out the best in both the team and its supporters. LDN photographers were there taking lots of pictures of our local sports hero Brian Cook. Cook was right in there turning in his usual superior performance.]

Back to top


 

Top Stories | Sports News | Sports Talk | Area Athletes in Action | Out and About | TechLine | Weather | Elsewhere

A Day in the Life... | Milestones | Obituaries | Diaspora

Business & Ag | Organizations | Events | Good Neighbors | Honors & Awards

Ombudsman | Law & Courts | Rural Review

Crosswords | Games

The Arts | Home and Family | Spiritual Life | Health & Fitness | Teaching & Learning | Book Look | Movies & Videos

Still Waters | The Hallway Buzz | What's Up With That? | Where They Stand | the em space
How We Stack Up | By the Numbers

Letters to the Editor | About LDN | Corrections | Happy Ads | Quick Coupon Clip-Outs