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[Provided by Dennis Willmert]

[FEB. 1, 2002]   ...In what WL-B coach Bret Farmer called "a very emotional game."

“Carroll coach Brian Brackney and I have been friends for a long time,” Farmer said, “and it was tough to go up against him. While it’s nice to win and we’re happy to move on in the tournament, it is personally hard on me to see them that disappointed. Carroll Catholic could easily be called the best team in our area throughout the regular season!"

Brandon Farmer led WL-B with 16 points, four steals and two assists, while Jake Hedenberg pumped in 13 points and pulled down eight rebounds.  Max Goodrich had nine points and five rebounds, and Jacob Carey added seven points.

[to top of second column in this article]

WL-B’s record now stands at 18-3, while Carroll finished an outstanding season at 20-2.  WL-B will now face Springfield Christ the King on Tuesday night at 6 in Mount Pulaski.  Should they win that contest, they will advance to the Sweet Sixteen in the IESA playoffs in Wenona on Feb. 9.

Congratulations and good luck, fellas, from all of us here at the LDN!

[Jeff Mayfield]

[FEB. 1, 2002]   At Mason City:

Girls

Mount Pulaski       9  17  19   37

Illini Central        28  45  68   94

Mount Pulaski — Maske 1-0-2, Sanders 1-0-2, Faith 4-2-13, Rucks 0-2-2, Reeley 1-0-2, Jason 1-0-2, Howe 3-3-9, Gleason 1-3-5

Three-point field goals: Faith 3

Illini Central — Damm 11-5-35, Oney 10-0-28, Francis 1-0-2, Bitner 3-0-7, Montgomery 7-3-20, Durdle 0-2-2

Three-point field goals: Damm 8, Oney 8, Montgomery 3, Bitner

Junior varsity: Illini Central 41, Mount Pulaski 28

[FEB. 1, 2002]   NORMAL — Taren O’Brien scored a career-high 20 points, but Northern Iowa matched that with 20 by Amy Swisher as the Panthers topped Illinois State 71-59 in Valley action at Redbird Arena Thursday.

The Redbirds fall to 5-14 overall and 3-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Northern Iowa improves to 12-9 overall and 7-3 in the MVC.

Kristi Larson chipped in 12 points, and Katie Donovan recorded 10 rebounds for the Redbirds. Swisher got scoring help from Kate Miller, who had 15 points, and Abbi Schutte, who chipped in 13 points.

In a tight game for the first 13 minutes, the Panthers edged out to a 21-15 lead on a 7-0 run punctuated by Angela Bork’s 3-pointer with 5:59 left in the half. O’Brien scored back-to-back baskets to cut the lead to 21-19, but Miller’s 3-pointer started a 13-4 run to take a 34-23 halftime lead.

It took the Redbirds only nine minutes to get the lead back. O’Brien scored six points and assisted on six more to lead a 20-5 Redbird run which ended in a Donovan jumper with 12:14 left to tie the score at 41-41. Michelle Harakas hit a jumper 42 seconds later to put ISU ahead 43-41, the first Redbird lead since 15-14 in the first half.

[to top of second column in this article]

Northern Iowa coach Tony DiCecco was impressed with Illinois State’s improvement over the past four weeks.

"Illinois State is much improved since they visited Cedar Falls," said DiCecco. "They have really solidified what they do."

ISU led 45-43 on two free throws by Michelle Harakas with 9:28 left before Swisher hit the first of three straight UNI shots, the last two by Kate Cline, and the Panthers went back ahead 49-45 heading into the last eight minutes.

The Redbirds caught up, 51-51, at the 6:05 mark on a pair of White free throws, but Swisher scored seven and Schutte added a basket for a 9-0 run to make it 60-51 Panthers with 3:40 left.

"We started giving them a lot of second chances, particularly in the last seven minutes," said Yopp, who was missing center Sharon Blade and guard Heidi Harnisch and had a couple of other players weakened from a virus.

[Erica Fricke, assistant director of media relations, athletics media relations, ISU]

[FEB. 1, 2002]   NORMAL — Illinois State sophomore Dirk Williams broke the first cuneiform bone in his left foot Thursday at practice and will miss six to eight weeks.

Williams, who started all four games during the winning streak for the Redbirds, came down on his foot in practice and felt a sharp pain but wasn’t really sure how the injury happened.

"I’m certainly disappointed for Dirk," Richardson said. "He’s been playing some strong minutes for us, and he’s a guy that I thought could really contribute in the final weeks of the season. This will certainly change our rotation on the court, and some of the other guys are going to have to step up and take advantage of more playing time due to Dirk’s misfortune."

Williams, a native of Pekin, played in all 21 games for the ’Birds with eight starts. He was averaging 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

[Todd Kober,
director of media relations, Illinois State University]

[FEB. 1, 2002]   

[Click here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]

[Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]

[JAN. 31, 2002]   Pairings are released for the 18th annual Illinois Elementary School Association "Little Sweet Sixteen" Class 7A Boys State Basketball Tournament, to be at Routt High School in Jacksonville on Feb. 2, 4, 6 and 7. This is the 73rd year of IESA boys basketball. Hartsburg-Emden plays Toluca Fieldcrest West at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, in the first round of the tournament. Scores will be updated after each game on the IESA website: www.iesa.org. 

Lexington def. Odell 33-22

Hanna City Logan def. Williamsfield 36-31

Monmouth Yorkwood def. Roseville 37-35

Champaign St. Matthew def. Chrisman Scottland 37-32

Effingham St. Anthony def. Hutsonville 51-27

Lovington def. Stewardson-Strasburg 53-50

Gifford def. Rossville-Alvin 40-38

Ford Heights Cottage Grove def. Crescent City 41-19

Sciota Northwestern def. Hamilton 48-33

Roanoke-Benson def. Peoria Pleasant Valley 59-26

Winchester def. Griggsville/Perry 28-24

Madison def. Mulberry Grove 44-35

Toluca Fieldcrest West def. Gardner 55-34

Hartsburg-Emden def. Springfield Christ the King 39-34

Mount Sterling Brown Co. def. Palmyra Northwestern 46-11

Edinburg def. Pawnee 43-40

[IESA news release]

[JAN. 31, 2002]   ThePairings are released for the 18th annual Illinois Elementary School Association "Little Sweet Sixteen" Class 7AA Boys State Basketball Tournament, to be at Clinton High School in Clinton on Feb. 2, 4, 6 and 7. This is the 73rd year of IESA boys basketball. Scores will be updated after each game on the IESA website: www.iesa.org.

Springfield Franklin def. Chatham Glenwood 59-44

Teutopolis def. Marshall 24-17

Metamora Germantown Hills def. Peoria Christian 31-16

Decatur Mound def. Mount Zion 48-21

Herscher JHS def. Bradley Central 46-29

Jacksonville Turner def. Quincy 29-26

Champaign Edison def. Gibson City G.C.M.S. 49-22

Harvey Brooks def. Markham Prairie-Hills 60-26

Seneca def. Streator Northlawn 42-26

Assumption Central A&M def. Williamsville 54-37

Joliet Dirksen def. Homer Glen Homer 45-42

Morton def. Aledo 38-22

Urbana def. Georgetown Mary Miller 57-41

Woodridge Jefferson def. Roscoe 38-26

Bloomington JHS def. Stanford Olympia 48-22

Cahokia Wirth def. Vandalia 44-39

[IESA news release]

[JAN. 31, 2002]   At Canton:

Women

Lincoln College     36  23   62

Spoon River          24  35   71

Roberson 5-2-14, Clark 2-0-4, Turner 2-0-4, Sams 3-0-6, Major 5-4-17, Hollyfield 5-5-17

Totals 22-11-62

Three-point goals: Major 3, Hollyfield 2, Roberson 2

[JAN. 31, 2002]   The running Redbirds of ISU won for the fourth straight time as they upset the UNI Panthers 70-55 before 5,697 wacky fans at the Bird House! Those crazy people, who would not let the weather stop them, were treated to a scary performance from Boo Bojang. And I mean scary good. Bojang tickled the twine for 23 points and hauled down a career-high 15 boards to go along with four spectacular blocks.

Gregg Alexander, who had missed the previous two days due to the flu, came off the bench and hit his first four shots, including three 3-pointers.

The LDN predicted that to the crew on press row, and judging by their e-mails to us already this morning, they are still stunned by that prediction. We’ve just seen it all too often from his junior high and high school days. We figure, why would it change now?

Gregg’s sister, Tammy Kirby, thinks that there might be other reasons for Gregg’s inspired play. She seems to indicate that her work with her little brother through the years has gone unnoticed. All we know is that we’ve seen a lot of Valley games this year, and Alexander is the best freshman that we have seen, period!

Gregg finished the night with 11 points and three rebounds. His greater contribution may once again have come on the defensive end of the court. There he limited the MVC’s leading scorer, Robby Sieverding, to only 11 points, when he’s averaging nearly 19 a game.

When we asked Gregg to account for his brilliant performance after being so sick, he said, "I just love playing college basketball, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. That keeps me motivated."

[to top of second column in this article]

Shedrick Ford also came off the bench and had 13 points and seven rebounds. Shawn Jeppson joined the others in double figures with 11.

Alexander added a comment regarding the current morale of the Redbirds. "Everyone is starting to believe," he said. "A couple of weeks ago guys were thinking this is going to be a long season and let’s just hurry and get it over with. Now we’re playing with a lot of confidence."

Can’t argue with him there. Because with the win, ISU now moves to 10-11 and an incredible 6-4 — good for a third-place tie in the Valley.

A tough game looms on the horizon, though, as the Redbirds travel to the always tough Hammonds Student Center Saturday to face the Bears of Southwest Missouri State. How does the LDN know that it is always tough there? Because one of our writers is an alum from there, that’s how! Saturday’s game is scheduled to start at 3:05 p.m. and is to be televised on Fox.

[Jeff Mayfield]

[Click here for an Illinois State news release on the game with UNI.]

[JAN. 31, 2002]   NORMAL — Baboucarr Bojang notched his seventh double-double of the season, posting 23 points and 15 rebounds, a career high, to lead Illinois State to its fourth straight victory, a 70-55 decision over Northern Iowa in Missouri Valley Conference basketball action Wednesday at Redbird Arena.

Illinois State improved to 10-11, 6-4 in the Valley, while Northern Iowa, 11-8, 6-4, recorded its second loss in three games.

Also leading the ’Birds past the Panthers were Shedrick Ford, who tipped in 13 points and seven rebounds, and Gregg Alexander along with Shawn Jeppson, who had 11 apiece.

The Redbirds jumped on the board early, taking a 20-15 advantage with nine minutes left in the first half, led by a 12-point effort by Bojang, who finished the first half a perfect 6-of-6.

A layup by Greene and a 3-pointer by Alexander gave ISU a 13-point lead with five minutes to play before intermission. Alexander hit his third trey of the half at the 3:40, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 through 17 minutes of the game. Alexander and Bojang combined were 10-of-10.

Two free throws by Chris Foster after a foul on Jeppson followed by a fast-break layup by Foster pulled the Panthers to within nine with two minutes remaining before Ford hit his first jumper of the game to lift ISU up by 10 going into halftime.

  A quick jumper by Ford gave the Birds a 12-point cushion to start the second. With the lead still in double digits at 12, a trey by Robbie Sieverding with 12 minutes shortened the lead to nine before Andy Strandmark hit his first jumper of the contest to boost ISU back up by 11.

[to top of second column in this article]

Still up by 11 with five minutes remaining, a foul on Andy Woodley of UNI put Jeppson on the line. He connected on both free throw attempts and ISU led 60-47.

The Panthers would not back down, however, hitting key shots in the final three minutes and closing the lead to as few as nine. But Illinois State pulled away at the end.

The Redbirds continue Valley play on Saturday when they travel to Springfield, Mo., to face Southwest Missouri State at 3:05 p.m.

[Rob Huizenga, athletics media relations,
Illinois State University]

[JAN. 31, 2002]   NORMAL — Just a day after the Northern Iowa men’s basketball team plays Illinois State at Redbird Arena, the Panther women’s team goes against the Redbirds.

UNI, 11-9 overall, 6-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference, held Illinois State, 5-13, 3-6, to just 44 points in a 53-44 Panther victory Jan. 4 in Cedar Falls. Both coaches agree that the Redbirds are better than they were four weeks ago.

"We were really struggling offensively then," said ISU coach Jenny Yopp. "As a team, we’re getting more scoring opportunities now. Of course, with the second round (of the Valley schedule), you have to be able to add to what you’re doing."

Tony DiCecco, who has turned UNI from a league doormat into a league contender during his seven years, believes Illinois State will be more of a challenge the second time around. It took four years for DiCecco to lead UNI to its first winning record in league play, but UNI has sustained its success, with winning records each of the past three seasons. The Panthers are just two games off the pace in the Valley race in 2002.

"(Redbird Arena) is a tough place for visiting teams to win, and Illinois State has proven they can play well against anybody on their home court," said DiCecco. For the UNI women, Normal has been just as tough a place to play — 17 losses in 19 visits — as for the men, who lost 15 of their first 17 against ISU in Normal. Both UNI women’s wins have come in the last two years.

The Panthers have a balanced team — No. 3 in the Valley in scoring defense, field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense. DiCecco’s team has balanced scoring, led by powerful Amy Swisher with 14.8 points per game. Senior Abbi Schutte, UNI’s 6-foot-4 center, averages 11.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. Sharpshooting Katie Miller comes off the UNI bench to average 10.0 points per game.

[to top of second column in this article]

"We know UNI will be a well-coached, well-prepared team," said Yopp, whose squad was battling a virus which began with point guard Taren O’Brien falling ill during Saturday’s 59-55 loss to Southwest Missouri State. "The only good thing about the virus is that it seems to only last a day, and then it’s gone. But it’s hit a couple of our players and (athletics trainer) Von Logan pretty hard."

Yopp already is without 2000-01 scoring leader Sharon Blade, who continues to be sidelined with a foot ailment. Blade has missed the last four ISU games. The UNI game is the third of four straight home games for the Redbirds, who have split the first two. The next ISU win would surpass the 2000-01 total of five and match the 1999-2000 season total of six victories.

[ISU sports news release]

[Click here for pre-game notes from ISU on the women's games vs. UNI and Bradley]

[JAN. 30, 2002]   

Girls

Olympia                9  21  32   38

Prairie Central     13  21  35   48

Short 2-0-4, Gaither 5-3-15, Wilcox 1-0-3, Canopy 2-0-4, Litwiller 2-1-5, Floyd 1-0-2, Pranger 3-0-6

Three-point field goals: Gaither, Wilcox

[JAN. 30, 2002]   Lincoln 139,  Peoria Christian 93,  Olympia 57

[JAN. 29, 2002]   

Girls

Illini Bluffs           19  35  44   62

Mount Pulaski      6   11  25   38

Maske 1-0-2, Sanderson 6-3-15, Faith 4-2 11, Rucks 2-1-5, Jason 1-0-2, Howe 1-1-3

Three-point field goals: Sanders 3, Faith, Howe

Warrensburg       8  26  37   54

Maroa                5  10  22   36

Streckfuss 7-1-17, Reynolds 2-0-4, Weber 4-3-11, Connel 3-0-11, Martin 1-0-2, Cluver 5-0-10, Perry 1-0-2, Littrell 0-1-1

[JAN. 29, 2002]   

Men

Lincoln Christian     32  41   73

Judson                    42  50   92

Clark 8-4-21, Raymer 4-0-11, Below 5-0-11, Turney 3-0-8, Okusami 3-0-6, Grooms 1-0-2, Searby 6-1-14

Three-point field goals: Raymer 3, Turney 2, Clark, Below, Searby  

Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa pre-game notes  (men)

[JAN. 29, 2002]   

[Click here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]

[Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]

[JAN. 28, 2002]   

Boys

At Springfield

Lincoln               17  29  42   56

Springfield          11  22  34   44

Bunch 1-0-2, Farmer 7-4-20, Schonauer 0-3-3, Schrader 6-0-14, Young 7-3-17

Three-point field goals: Farmer 2, Schrader 2

Girls

At Lincoln

Lincoln                4  16  29   40

Springfield         10  17  27   41

Dawson 5-6-14, Robbins 1-1-3, Ingram 3-0-8, Froschauer 1-0-2, Moore 1-2-4, Carey 2-0-5, Whalen 1-0-2

At Stanford

Olympia               2  20  30   38

University High   10  20  33   40

Floyd 2-2-7, Prager 3-1-7, Gaither 3-6-15, Canopy 1-1-3, Goebel 2-1-5, Litwiller 0-1-1

Three-point field goals: Gaither 2, Floyd

[JAN. 28, 2002]   Urbana 131, Lincoln 50

[JAN. 28, 2002]   At Lincoln:

Men

Maranatha              38  36   74

Lincoln Christian     26  29   55

Clark 2-5-15, Raymer 1-0-2, Below 5-2-13, Brodfuehrer 1-0-2, Turney 1-0-2, Okusami 0-2-2, Grooms 1-1-3, Searby 7-1-16

Three-point field goals: Clark 3, Below, Searby

Women

Maranatha             34  31   65

Lincoln Christian    27  22   49

Robbins 6-3-16, Urton 1-0-2, Szostek 1-0-2, Wright 5-1-12, Wertin 1-0-2, O’Malley 1-0-3, DeBore 0-1-1, Jewell 3-1-7, Davis 1-1-4

[JAN. 28, 2002]   At Lincoln:

Men

Parkland              42  31   73

Lincoln College    35  42   77

Roberson 2-0-4, Clark 2-3-9, Fowler 2-1-5, Turner 3-8-14, Sams 2-0-6, Major 6-4-18, Hollyfield 6-4-21

Three-point field goals: Hollyfield 5, Major 2, Clark 2

[JAN. 28, 2002]   NORMAL — Rice scored a career-high 17 points as Illinois State defeated the Drake Bulldogs 68-54 in Missouri Valley Conference action Saturday night at Redbird Arena.

Illinois State, 9-11 overall, 5-4 in the Missouri Valley Confererence, made six of its 12 3-point attempts in the game for 50 percent. The Redbirds also shot 88 percent (22-for-25) from the free-throw line on the night.

Shedrick Ford, with 15 points, was the second-leading scorer for the ’Birds, while Baboucarr Bojang collected his sixth double-double of the season with a 14-point, 10-rebound performance. Shawn Jeppson also found double digits in the scoring column, with 13 points, all of which came in the second half.

Drake, 8-11, 3-6, had only one player in double figures in scoring, with Luke McDonald collecting 11 points. The Bulldogs shot only 36 percent in the game, including 9-for-27 from the field in the second half for 33 percent.

[to top of second column in this article]

Midway through the first half, Illinois State capitalized on a Drake scoring drought that lasted nearly five minutes to take a five-point lead on the Bulldogs, 18-13. However, Drake went on to score the next seven points and take the lead 20-18 with 4:42 remaining in the half. Bojang scored six points at the free-throw line to lead the ’Birds on an 11-3 run to close out the half and head into the break with a 29-23 advantage.

In the second half, Drake was able to cut the lead to two, 31-29, on an Andry Sola 3-pointer with just over 17 minutes remaining. However, Illinois State had an answer for any further attempts to cut into the Redbird lead. Clutch free-throw shooting by the ’Birds in the final two minutes sealed their third-straight conference victory.

The Redbirds continue their conference slate Wednesday, Jan. 30, with a home game against Northern Iowa at 7:05 p.m.

[Rob Huizenga, ISU athletics media relations]

[JAN. 28, 2002]   Kristy Larson poured in 14 points and freshman Katie Donovan snagged 12 rebounds, but the Southwest Missouri State Bears came from behind to upend the Illinois State women’s basketball team 59-55 Saturday afternoon at Redbird Arena.

Illinois State, 5-12 overall and 3-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play, led by 13 at the half after shooting 50 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. Cold shooting took over after the intermission as the Bears went to a zone defense, and the ’Birds made just 6-of-29 in the second half. The ’Birds also missed some key free-throw attempts down the stretch as SMS struggled to hold off Illinois State.

SMS, 9-7 overall, 6-2 in the Valley, placed three players in double figures. Anne Cavey and Jennifer Lingor led all scorers with 16 points apiece, followed by Erica Vicente with 11.

The ’Birds led 8-6 early before a Donovan free throw with 14:52 left started a 7-0 Redbird run featuring a layup by Taren O’Brien, plus a jumper and two free throws by Larson. ISU had a nine-point lead and stretched it to 13.

Larson’s 10 points and some smothering defense helped the Redbirds take a 33-20 halftime lead. ISU shot 50 percent and turned the ball over just five times, while the Bears made just 8-of-27 field goals for 30 percent and had seven turnovers.

"We knew that they were going to come right at us in the second half," O’Brien said. "I think we needed a little more intensity, and that made the difference. We didn’t pick up our intensity in the second half and did not match theirs."

[to top of second column in this article]

The ’Birds led 40-33 in last year’s game against SMS before the Bears put on a second-half sprint to win 81-69. SMS must have remembered that, because after ISU led 37-24 with 17:03 left, Carolyn Weirick keyed a 15-2 run over the next five minutes. Jenny Lingor’s third 3-pointer of the game tied the score at 39-39 with 12:21 left.

Illinois State responded quickly after a time out. O’Brien’s 3-pointer gave the Redbirds back the lead, but Lingor hit a free throw and then a 3-pointer to put SMS up 44-42 with 8:45 left in the game. Larson tied it with a turn-around jumper. SMS scored the next five points, though, on a jumper by Vicente and a 3-point play by Cavey.

Stacey White hit a 3-pointer at 5:05 to cut the SMS lead to 49-47, but Vicente’s back-door cut to the basket put the Bears back up four with 4:49 left. Donovan hit a free throw with 4:40 remaining to slice the lead to 51-48.

"Clearly the second half was different than the first half," Redbird coach Jenny Yopp said. "SMS fought very hard and is a very strong program. The changing defense they had was really a challenge for us. They gave us a hard punch that second half. We started settling for 3s and rushing shots and never really got into the flow. It’s tough to get into the flow in a zone if you’re pushing it."

Illinois State continues its homestand next week with games against Northern Iowa on Friday and Bradley the following Sunday. (Click here for pre-game notes.)

[Erica Fricke, assistant director of media relations, athletics media relations, ISU]

Pre-game notes: Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa,
Illinois State vs. Bradley  (women)

[JAN. 28, 2002]   

[Click here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]

[Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]

[JAN. 28, 2002]   MADISON, Wis. — Senior co-captain Christian Goy clocked the fastest 3,000-meter run in the nation for the 2001-02 indoor track season with a NCAA provisionally qualifying time of 8:02.46 at the Wisconsin Elite Invitational in Madison, Wis. It was the second-best time for the indoor 3,000-meter run in Illinois State history.

"Christian was just trying to go out there and compete," said Illinois State head track-and-field coach Jeff Pigg. "The field of runners in the 3,000 was loaded with talent, and for Christian and Rob (Breit) to go out there and run as well as they did, it tells you something about their ability."

Breit, a senior who competed in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in the fall of 2001, claimed a fourth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:19.

Some other highlights on the men’s side included a first-place finish for sophomore JaRod Tobler in the long jump with a mark of 24-1 (7.34 meters), a first-place finish for senior co-captain Alfie Gordillo in the 35-pound weight throw with an NCAA provisionally qualifying mark of 64-1 (19.53 meters) and an outstanding performance by freshman Gabe Cruz in the 800-meter, with a time of 1:53.62 for second place.

For the Redbird women, freshman Angie Drew finished second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.17 behind unattached runner Katrine Nielsen, a former ISU All-American. Junior Alia Hoyle won the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.77, while senior Keri Davis won in the 400-meter with a time of 59.38.

[to top of second column in this article]

Freshman Laura Kennedy had an impressive performance collecting a win in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:16.82. It was the best time in the event for the Illinois State women this season. Senior Nicole Blow earned a season-high mark in the triple jump with 38-4 (11.68 meters), which was good for a second-place finish.

"The team had a great meet today," said Pigg. "We lined up and did a great job in nearly every event. The kids have been working hard over the last couple of weeks, and sometimes after working so hard a team can come into a meet looking tired, but I thought our team looked impressive today."

The men competed against Illinois and Wisconsin in their meet, while the Illinois State women competed only against Wisconsin. Oregon did not compete as originally scheduled.

The Redbirds return home to host the Redbird All-Comers meet on Saturday, Feb. 2.

[ISU news release]

[JAN. 26, 2002]   

Boys

At Stanford

University High                   9  23  28    46
Olympia                             6  11  23    42

Olsen 3-2-8, Elliott 0-2-2, Wise 1-4-6, Dillensburg 5-1-12. Sherman 2-1-5, Cheek 3-0-9, Schultz 0-0-0, Slager 0-0-0, Kieser 0-0-0, Thornton 0-0-0.

Totals 14-10-42

At Hartsburg

Greenview                        16  26  31    40
Hartsburg-Emden             14  34  40    53

Westen 0-0-0, Ke. Leesman 1-0-2, Anderson 5-0-10, Gleason 2-4-9, Jones 2-1-5, Wrage 8-4-20, Fletcher 2-0-4, Ko. Leesman 1-1-3.

Totals 21-10-53

[JAN. 26, 2002]   ESPN has selected the Indiana at Illinois men’s basketball game to be televised on Feb. 26. Game time is 6 p.m. CST.

The Michigan State at Ohio State men’s basketball game will be televised by ESPN Plus at 8 p.m. EST on Feb. 26.

[University of Illinois sports news release]

[JAN. 28, 2002]   (By the way…this was written before Saturday’s game.)

...on this year’s Illini basketball team.

Yes, they have been ranked in the top 10 all season long, but if you knew who was voting on that you’d be even more unimpressed than you may be now.

At times Illinois has rocked the house. At other times they have been the ones getting rocked. I think the Missouri game still sticks out in my mind as the game that displayed the kind of mindset that I’d like to see game-in and game-out. They came out on the court and hit Missouri right in the mouth the first trip down the floor. They were basically saying that you’re not going to beat us tonight. The only thing that is in doubt is how bad the beating will be.

That’s the way the old UNLV teams were in 1990 and 1991. What I loved about those teams is that it never mattered whom they played. They just blew them out and waited for the next victim. Illinois will have to consistently embrace that kind of an attitude if they want to get back into the Big Ten race and if they want to make a deep playoff run.

Getting Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalija back will help, but it’s not like adding Jordan and Malone! While it does make us deeper and gives us many more options, chemistry is volatile and a very delicate thing. Hopefully, coach Bill Self has been able to sell our guys on the fact that everybody’s playing a role and that the only thing that really matters is getting the W.

Currently the Illini are in the throes of a brutal back-to-back road set with Indiana and Ohio State. If both games are lost, all of this discussion will be moot. If you sweep them, you may well be on your way to another title. A split is a must to keep your conference hopes alive. Whatever happens, it should be interesting.

We’re glad to see our suggestion being employed. We’ve stated on more than one occasion that the way to help Brian Cook be more productive is to give him more touches, especially early on in games. That tends to keep him out of foul trouble, helps him to play better defense and inspires him to dominate the boards. Since Illinois has involved him more in this manner, the Illini are 3-0. Whether that will continue and whether the Illini’s newfound roster strength will equate to quality road wins is anybody’s guess. For our money, the jury is still out…

(By the way… this was written after the game...)

For those of you who thought the addition of Johnson and Krupalija would cure all ills… guess what? It didn’t. We now await the Tuesday night results to see what direction this thing is going to go.

The ISU Redbirds, led by Lincoln freshman sensation Gregg Alexander, are on a bit of a roll themselves lately. Gregg had a monster game Wednesday night against Bradley in Peoria. Alexander led the Birds in scoring with 16 tallies,  including a 4-of-7 night from downtown.

Oh, what we would have given to have had him healthy for our state quarterfinal game on that same floor! We’re not saying that we would’ve won the state championship, but we are saying that we would’ve advanced to that game. Then, anything could’ve happened. I know that most of you loyal fans don’t like to play the "what if" game…

We’re just saying that we hate injuries, for either team. We want to play our best against your best, and may the best team win.

ISU has climbed all the way back to .500 in the Valley at 4-4 and will now make a run at .500 for the season. Not bad when you consider that their best player, who just happened to be the nation’s highest returning scorer this year (Tarise Bryson), got hurt on opening night. That left many to feel that ISU would be lucky to win 10 games.

We’d like to see their roll continue all the way to an NIT bid. What a testament that would be to the moxie of this Redbird ball club! A lot of work will have to be done to get that far, but it is a goal that could be reached. Stay tuned.

As a matter of fact, the train does continue to roll along. ISU hammered Drake 68-54 Saturday night for their third win in a row. That makes ISU 9-11 on the year but does take them to 5-4 in league play.

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Alexander needed to put in only five points but did pull down eight rebounds. One of our favorite reporters, Bryan Bloodworth of the Pantagraph, named Alexander the captain of the Valley’s all-freshmen squad at the halfway point. Bloodworth added what we’ve been saying all along, "Where would the Redbirds have been this season without his all-around consistent play?"

My reporters tell me that a crowd actually developed Saturday night to the tune of 8,010 (I didn’t think there was all that much to do in central Illinois even on an Indian summer day), and that they actually made some noise. Maybe some of them might actually wander down to Roy S. Anderson one of these days…

The Lady Redbirds won a thriller Thursday night,  68-64, over Wichita State. Lincoln’s Steph Reichle scored 10 points, pulled down nine rebounds and hit a big foul shot in the closing seconds of the game. ISU has already matched their win total from all of last season and is on their way back to .500 as well.

...were probably not as sharp as coach Neil Alexander would have liked them to be in Tuesday night’s win over Jacksonville at the PCCC. However, since the rivalry with them has escalated in the last few years, any win over them is a good win in our book.

Next up for the Railers will be a difficult road test at Springfield High School. I’m sure the Senators will play a lot better than they did in Roy S. earlier this season. Springfield did not shoot that well from the perimeter, and Lincoln pulled away from them in the second half.

A host of Railers have been playing well of late, including Derek Schrader, Cory Farmer, Adam Schonauer and Eric Young. Josh Gallagher has made some valuable contributions as well.

Speaking of Farmer and Young… What about the efforts they turned in Saturday night at Springfield! Yes, I know that the Senators are not what they’ve been in the past. And yes, I know that the Railers beat them in Lincoln. But, it is still difficult to win in Springfield, even when we’ve had our best teams! So, don’t just sneeze at Lincoln’s 56-44 conquest over SHS. Congratulate Cory Farmer and Eric Young on 20- and 17-point performances, respectively.

Also, where are all the people downtown who said Lincoln would be lucky to be a .500 team this year? We’ve asked several people if we could use their names for a quote, and so far we’ve had no takers. Just what we imagined. The Railers are now 14-5, on their way to yet another 20-win season and may well upset a few powerhouses along the way. There are a lot of towns in the state of Illinois that would love to have such a mediocre basketball team and program.

To the Railers: We’d love to see you guys SHOCK all of the doubters and give us another trip to Peoria!

•  The Lincoln High School swimming team. They display their craft in virtual obscurity. They have to practice at night and at other weird times just to get in the pool, and they still overcome additional obstacles to compete at a pretty high level. Thanks also to the team for sending us the results!

•  We’re also giving a nod to Illini Central for their exhilarating upset over the Class A No. 1 team in the state, Pleasant Plains. IC won 62-52 Friday night, and that makes Coach Jay Genseal’s squad 15-5 and 6-0 on the year while PP slipped to 19-2 and 5-1 in the league. Nice going, IC and coach Genseal!

The Lincoln High School wrestlers swept the quadrangular with Southeast, Springfield and Peoria Manual. That leaves Lincoln with a 19-5 record, which is what we believe to be their best in last few years. It also should sew up a second-place finish in the CS8 for second-year coach Brad Gardner’s grapplers. LCHS seniors Chase Neitzel, Dan Sparks, Ryan Sullivan, Maurice Agaid, Michael Martin, Wes Allen, Andy Frost and Jeff Barringer all won their bouts. The LDN wishes the entire squad good luck in the postseason.

[Jeff Mayfield]

Announcements

[JAN. 8, 2002]  NORMAL — The Illinois State men's and women's basketball teams are inviting youth, ages 18 and under, to Redbird Arena Jan.12 and Feb.15 for "Take a Kid to the Game" day where a child accompanied by an adult can attend a game free of charge.

The special promotion begins this Saturday when the men match up against the Sycamores of Indiana State at 4:05 p.m. Any adult who buys a regular price game ticket will receive a free youth ticket for a child 18 years and under.

The same special will take place for the women's basketball game on Feb. 15 when Illinois State faces Evansville at 7:05 p.m.

Anyone with questions can call the Illinois State Athletic Marketing Office at (309) 438-7429.

[ISU athletic media relations release]

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