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Wednesday, Dec. 4

High school basketball

[DEC. 4, 2002] 

Boys

At Athens

Illini Central def. Pleasant Plains 65-56.

Girls

Springfield Southeast def. Lincoln 64-59.


Lincoln College men vs. Carl Sandburg

[DEC. 4, 2002]  GALESBURG -- Rueben Trotter led four Lincoln College players in double figures as the Lynx defeated Carl Sandburg 78-51 in men's basketball action here Tuesday night.

Trotter tossed in 20 points on eight-of-10 shooting from the floor and four-of-four at the foul line. Joining the Lynx guard in double figures were Loyd Bowen with 11 and Josh Clark and Derik Hollyfield with 10 each.

Lincoln College bolted to a 41-21 first-half lead, making 16 of 37 field goal attempts, while the best the hosts could do was make nine of 25 shots. The second half was much closer, however. The Lynx stayed in control and actually picked up the shooting pace with 13 of 26 for 50 percent. 

James Roberson pulled down 10 rebounds for Lincoln as the Lynx had a 39-31 edge off the boards. Brandon Jones was the lone player for Carl Sandburg to reach double figures, with 15 points.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

Lincoln College (78) -- Josh Clark 4-5-0-0-10, Jeff Carlson 3-5-1-1-7, Michael Fowler 3-8-1-2-8, Rueben Trotter 8-10-4-4-20, Loyd Bowen 4-9-3-4-11, Amir Major 2-7-0-0-5, James Roberson 2-7-0-0-5, Derik Hollyfield 3-9-1-4-10, Rian Lazzerini 0-3-2-2-2.  Totals: 29-63-12-17.  Three-point goals: Clark 2, Fowler, Roberson, Hollyfield 3.

Carl Sandburg (51) -- Amil McMurtry 1-1-0-0-2, Brad Arthur 1-6-0-0-3, Kellen Brandon 4-8-0-0-8, Jordan Mesick 1-6-0-0-2, Jason Jones 0-1-0-0-0, Caleb Bennett 2-3-4-4-9, Courtney Collins 2-6-3-4-7, LaNerrick Harris 2-6-0-0-4, Ryan Twaddle 0-3-0-0-0, Brandon Jones 7-9-0-1-15, Brandis Leverette 0-40-0-0.  Totals: 20-53-7-9-51.  Three-point goals: Arthur, Bennett, Hararis, Jones.

[Bill Martinie, Lincoln College
sports information director]

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Lincoln College women vs. Carl Sandburg

[DEC. 4, 2002]  GALESBURG -- The Lincoln College women suffered an 85-77 setback at the hands of Carl Sandburg in basketball action here Tuesday night.  

Lincoln College will be at home Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the opening round of the Courier Classic.

Carl Sandburg held a one-point, 41-40, advantage at halftime before outscoring the Lady Lynx 44-37 in the second half. Erica Ernst and Victoria Scott led the Lynx in the first half, with Ernst knocking down 10 points and Scott seven. Nicole Dearing carried the load in the second half with 10 points. Zabrina Harper scored nine of her 11 points in the second half.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

Lincoln College (77) -- Ariel Lamb 2-2-7, Lakeisha Graham 1-0-2, Victoria Scott 3-1-8, Kanisha Pettis 1-0-3, Becky Spears 1-0-2, Kim Calhoun 3-2-8, Nicole Dearing 5-0-12, Ashley Sims 0-1-1, Maria Coronel 3-0-9, Zabrina Harper 4-2-11, Erica Ernst 5-4-14.  Totals: 28-12-77.  Three-point goals: Lamb, Scott, Pettis, Harper, Dearing 2, Coronel 3.

Carl Sandburg (85) -- Cook 7-3-17, Blurkhead 0-1-1, Jones 1-2-4, Peterson 5-2-15, Owen 2-0-4, Steck 8-3-21, Schmidt 1-0-2, Bray 9-3-21.  Three-point goals: Peterson 3, Steck 2.

[Bill Martinie, Lincoln College
sports information director]

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Illini pass first test: Carolina 'Cooked!'

By Greg Taylor

[DEC. 4, 2002]  On my way to Champaign Tuesday night, I was really worried about the Illinois-North Carolina game. I was afraid the kiddie corps from Carolina would run away from Illinois and that Illini fans would leave disappointed and jump off the bandwagon. However, LCHS assistant coach Eric Ewald boldly predicted, "The Illini will win by 15 -- write it down." Are you out of your mind, I thought as I tried to avoid deer and radar on remote Route 10. How can the Illini hang with a team that just beat Kansas and Stanford to win the NIT championship? The best guess I could muster was an Illini victory at the buzzer.

Thankfully, Lincoln's Brian Cook had a monster game Tuesday night in Champaign as Illinois pulled away from highly regarded North Carolina 92-65 as part of the ACC-Big Ten challenge. Cook scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists to help Illinois win big just two days after a sloppy win over Western Illinois. Illinois returns to action on Saturday with an 11:30 a.m. (note time change) road game against Arkansas at Little Rock. The game can be seen on ESPN2.

 


[Photo by Tom Seggelke]

However, early on Tuesday night, no one could have guessed Illinois would win by 27 points. North Carolina jumped out to an early 11-3 lead, as the Illinois team looked nervous and the UNC team looked poised and in control. The Tar Heels extended the defense beyond the half-court line, and every Illinois starter struggled early to handle the ball and grab onto rebounds and loose balls.

After consecutive 30-second timeouts, Illinois finally began to gain some offensive momentum, as Dee Brown scored a layup in transition and Nick Smith dunked to pull Illinois within four at 11-7. Illinois began to run both "high-low" post plays involving Cook and other Illini big men and also several "back-door" plays to catch the overaggressive Carolina team off guard. Both worked like a charm.

Illinois led 40-36 at the half and just 46-43 when coach Matt Doherty sat down his two best players, freshmen Rashad McCants and Sean May. Illinois promptly extended their lead to double digits within minutes, and Carolina was playing catch-up the rest of the evening. Freshman Raymond Felton made two free throws for UNC at the 6:50 mark of the game to pull the Tar Heels within eight, but Illinois went on an amazing 28-10 run to end the game, and the Assembly Hall was deafening!

Today the LDN takes time out to highlight some important information uncovered in Champaign.

Top ten things learned at Tuesday's UNC-Illinois game

1.  UNC coach Matt Doherty is right: Brian Cook may be the best player in America, and he was definitely the best player in Champaign on Tuesday night. Cook led Illinois with 22 points and eight rebounds and showed the leadership needed to help Illinois continue their success of recent years.

2.  UNC's freshmen are the real deal. Raymond Felton is a great young point guard, Rashard McCants is a great offensive talent, and Sean May is a player unlike any I have seen in quite some time. I think May is the best of bunch, and he carried Carolina at the Hall with 21 points and showed great composure.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

3.  Senior leadership cannot be overlooked. Cook, of course, is awesome. But what about the game Sean Harrington brought off the bench? How about 20 points (six-of-eight shooting from 3-point land), five steals and zero turnovers? Harrington was huge on Tuesday night and proved he is more than just a jump shooter (although he is pretty good from the outside).

4.  A healthy Luther Head is a difference-maker in more ways than one. Sure, we all know Head can jump out of the gym, and he did that a couple time Tuesday night. But what about his smothering defense? What about his improved outside shooting? What about his ball handling against the UNC pressure? Head was good -- real good.

5.  Nick Smith could go really good but continues to make life really hard on himself. Smith was poised to have a monster game (don't laugh) but again missed easy 5- to 6-foot shots and committed silly fouls to earn a spot on the pine. I still think Smith can be a major player on this year's team and is a pretty good passer from the high post, but he must play stronger and with more confidence.

 

6.  Cook was the best player on the court, but what about Carolina freshman Sean May? I think he is poised for a stellar freshman year and really looked good Tuesday against a taller Illinois team, scoring 21 points. But, what I like most about him is this: He grew up in Bloomington, Ind., and told the hometown Hoosiers "no thanks" and headed out of state. That's my kind of kid!

7.  Dee Brown may be the fastest, quickest basketball player I have ever seen. He was the force behind the Illinois attack and played great with 12 points, six assists and no turnovers.

8.  Illinois can play with and beat anyone -- in Champaign. But don't forget, several big games await this young Illinois team away from the Hall, including Arkansas at Little Rock, Temple at Chicago, Missouri (and Duran Duran wannabe Quin Snyder) in St. Louis, and at Memphis. The real test will come away from Champaign.

9.  Bill Self may be the best young coach in America. I love his passion for the game and his coaching genius, but I appreciate most who he is as a person. He always answers questions with class and grace (even from lame writers like me) and has a great gift of making people feel special. I say, let's give him a 10-year contract right now!

10.  Eric Ewald is a basketball genius (27 is even better than 15) -- now if we can only get him to ditch the Dukies!

[Greg Taylor]


Illini kick the 'Tar' out of the 'Heels!'

Cook's man-child performance helps Illinois make statement, 92-65

By Jeff Mayfield

[DEC. 4, 2002]  I know that we Illinois fans have been treated to some great basketball over the last few seasons. Believe me when I say that I appreciate it so much and have no desire whatsoever to return to the days of a decade ago. And even though the slug-it-out, deliberate style employed here most recently has helped us hoist three Big Ten champion banners in the last five years, this year’s team may be even MORE exciting.

"How can he say that?" you may ask. Simple. I love all-out hustling play, coast-to-coast for 40 minutes… more if they’ll let us play longer!

Last night Deron Williams may not have had his best offensive game ever, but it didn’t result in a slump on defense or chasing down loose balls into the bench or into the Orange Krush section!

 


[Photo by Tom Seggelke]

Aaron Spears shook off the fact that he saw approximately zero minutes of playing time in the first half and came out in the second half possessed to play great defense on UNC’s wide bodies. He did just that. He was swarming and may have been closer to the Heels than their own jerseys! And that was WITH Ted Hillary’s crew in charge of the contest, if you know what I mean.

And then there was the play of James Augustine. He is one guy that I think we can count on to go in there and mix it up. He can play physically, he can shoot it, and he and Cook run the high-low series of plays about as well as any duo we’ve seen in the Hall. And remember, James is only a freshman.

And did I mention Dee Brown? I should have. Because he was like -- everywhere! Maybe in a past life he was Underdog! He is so fast, has so much lateral quickness and just seems to be relentless. In fact, he may still be out on the court pickin’ another Carolina pocket! He and these young freshman are so exciting to watch, they make me feel like this is why the game was invented!

And I haven’t even mentioned the UPPERclassmen. For in many ways, last night was their night.

Luther Head was rock solid. He tossed in 12 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists, and most of his shots were just so timely.

Roger Powell contributed seven points and four rebounds and attracted Carolina attention wherever he roamed.

Then there was Nick Smith. I know that there are a few Smith bashers, and yes, he had only six points and three rebounds while missing a few bunnies; but, he continues to improve. He was in there battling, tipping balls and keeping them alive, and IF we can get him to the charity stripe, he’s money. We’ll need him to play well several times this year.

Blandon Ferguson played only a few minutes in this contest, but they were about as quality as you could get, and they came at a critical juncture in the ballgame.

[to top of second column in this article]

And still coming around a screen somewhere is Sean Harrington, who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Illini players ever. All the senior did was to go off for 20 points on six-of-eight 3-point shooting, pull down four rebounds, dish out three assists and come away with five steals. He has worked so hard that it is rewarding to see him have a game like this.

In my mind the night belonged to Brian Cook, much to the dismay of his detractors. Naysayers take note: Cook led ALL scorers with 22 points, led all boarders with eight, had a steal and dished off an amazing five assists to go along with some other nifty passes on the night. Many times throughout the night, he simply dominated play. He was all over the boards yanking down stray caroms. The ones he couldn’t get he tipped to a teammate. He was jumping out and helping everywhere on defense. When he got the ball at the top of the key, he was finding several ways to break down the vaunted NC defensive pressure. It was a thing of beauty!

 

Don’t cry for UNC too long, because they are a great team. You will hear a lot about Williams, McCants and May. I for one hope they beat some of their neighbors as many times as is humanly possible.

But WE’VE got some kids who can play too, despite what you may have read or heard. It is especially gratifying to have a national TV audience that has to listen to guys like Digger Phelps berate and bad-mouth the Illini and the Big Ten see what basketball in our neighborhood is REALLY like.

I get so tired of hearing about how great the ACC or the SEC is… PUUHLEASE -- Give it a rest, people! The best basketball is STILL found where it has always been found… right HERE in the Heartland of BIG TEN country! When those other teams can even go into Wisconsin or Northwestern and get a win, much less into the Hall, we then may wish to rejoin your fantasy-land conversation. Until then, let Illinois’ little message of last night linger in your minds.

We’ve been a great team for many years, and on any given night we proved that we could beat ANYone. But now we may even be more fun to watch!

[Jeff Mayfield]


Articles from the past week

Tuesday:

  • High school basketball

  • Women's basketball pre-game notes: Illinois State vs. Illinois-Chicago and Northern Illinois

  • Weekly notes: Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball

  • Men's basketball pre-game notes: Illinois vs. North Carolina

  • Illinois vs. Arkansas game time changed

Monday:

  • Quick Monday morning mutterings
    By Jeff Mayfield
  • Lincoln Gator Swim Club results

  • Holiday hoops results

  • High school basketball

  • Men's basketball pre-game notes: Illinois State vs. Chattanooga

Saturday:

  • Follow the high school holiday hoops tournament

  • Holiday hoops results

  • High school basketball

  • Men's basketball pre-game notes: Illinois vs. Western Illinois

Friday:

  • 1977-78 LCHS basketball
  • Follow the high school holiday hoops tournament

  • High school girls basketball

  • High school wrestling

  • Men's basketball pre-game notes: Illinois State vs. Illinois-Chicago

  • Grigsby named Gateway Defensive Player of the Year

  • Grigsby named a finalist for Buchanan Award

  • Rams make roster moves, promote King

Thursday:

  • Thanksgiving Day holiday (No new articles)

Wednesday:

  • Follow the high school holiday hoops tournament

  • Preachers play Principia

  • LCC women's basketball

  • Redbirds fall to Central Michigan 74-69

  • Illinois names Jankovich to men's basketball staff

 


Quick Monday morning mutterings

By Jeff Mayfield

[DEC. 2, 2002]  The Bears looked good for a lot of the game but then faded. Not sure it's the worst thing for them to lose in this situation, as it does seem to put them in a better draft position later.

Chicago fought valiantly but came up short 30-20 north of the cheese curtain.

But what is going on with the St. Louis Rams? The one good thing about them is that they're now starting Lincoln's Andy King. The Eagles did win 10-3, but without McNabb do they have enough firepower to go far in the postseason? We think not…

* * *

The Illini will have to play much better against North Carolina on Tuesday than they did against Western Illinois yesterday. Give WIU some credit, as they were gritty and scrappy. Illinois, on the other hand, looked pretty sloppy at times.

 


[Photos by Tom Seggelke]

Brian Cook led the way with 17 points and six rebounds. Cook also tallied his 1,166th point, which helped him pass two former Illini greats, Kevin Turner (1,150) and Skip Thoren (1,164). In addition it was the 87th start he has recorded in his illustrious career and the 60th time he's hit for double figures.

The Illini are now 28-1 at the Hall under Bill Self and now have an all-time record of 98-12 against in-state rivals.

The Illini honored the Hall's seven-millionth fan, Dale Trulock. Basketball has been played in the Hall since March of 1963. Last year Illinois sold out all of their games for the first time in 30 years!

* * *

How 'bout those Railers? The Lincoln squad went a sparkling 5-0 to win their own Turkey Shootout! Next up for Lincoln is a road contest versus SH-G in Springfield.

* * *

No word on any of the area teams in girls basketball…

* * *

[to top of second column in this article]

We did catch most of the Carroll Catholic-Lincoln Junior High contest last week. What a barnburner that one was! Great coaching by LJHS' Donnie Aeilts and CC's Todd Lowman, who was filling in for Brian Brackney.

The Brackneys were a little busy coaching their new little girl into the world. Rachel Ann Brackney hit the scales at 9 pounds, 13 ounces and measured 21 inches long. Congratulations to the Brackneys from the LDN!

* * *

The ISU Redbirds are struggling out of the gate a little bit this year, falling to UIC 65-78. Gregg Alexander was second in scoring with 12, but the 'Birds could not find consistent scoring to get over the hump. Next up is a Monday night contest with Chattanooga. (See pre-game notes.)

* * *

"FANdamonium" is hoping to have some very special guests on tonight' show. We're hoping that during our middle, local segment we will have Mount Pulaski night! That's right!

We're awaiting final confirmation even now, but we hope to have state volleyball finalist coach Donna Dulle and new Hilltopper coach Jim Jumper on tonight's show. If for any reason that doesn't happen, we hope to have them both very soon. Mount Pulaski has always had loyal and faithful fan support, and now we understand that they're hooked up to our local cable system as well. See you at 6 tonight!

Have a great week, everybody!

[Jeff Mayfield]


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