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[JAN. 22, 2002]   

Girls

At Mount Pulaski

Riverton                   30  43  65  90

Mount Pulaski            9  16  27  35

Howe 2-3-7, Faith 6-1-14, Rucks 1-5-7, Sanders 3-3-9,

Three-point field goals: Faith

At Dunlap

Centennial               17  32  39  53

Olympia                  12  19  25  33

Floyd 2-0-5, Prager 1-1-3, Short 3-0-6, Gaither 5-4-17, Goebel 1-0-2

Three-point field goals: Gaither 3, Floyd

[JAN. 22, 2002]   

Men

Westminster             43  39   90

Lincoln Christian      42  40   91

Clark 11-3-28, Raymer 2-0-4, Below 8-2-18, Turney 2-0-6, Okusami 3-2-8, Grooms 2-1-5, Searby 8-5-22

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

Womens

Westminster          37  30   67

Lincoln Christian   17  24   41

Robbins 7-1-16, Urton 2-2-6, Wertin 1-0-2, O’Malley 1-2-4, DeVore 3-1-7, Jewell 3-0-6,

Three-point field goals: Robbins

Illinois State-Bradley pre-game notes

[JAN. 22, 2002]   

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Illinois-Wisconsin pre-game notes

[JAN. 22, 2002]   

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[JAN. 22, 2002]   NORMAL — The public is invited to attend Illinois State’s annual football signing party on Wednesday, Feb. 6, at the Kaufman Football Building, located at Hancock Stadium.

A video highlight tape featuring this year’s signees will be narrated by head coach Denver Johnson.

The event begins with lunch and an open house at noon. Johnson will begin his remarks at 12:15 p.m. in the main team room on the second floor. Those attending should enter the building on the upper level adjacent to the Ropp parking lot, north of the Kaufman building. Free parking is available in all adjacent lots.

The admission charge for the event is $3, which includes lunch. Reservations must be made no later than noon on Feb. 1, by calling (309) 438-3803.

[Todd Kober, ISU director of media relations]

[JAN. 21, 2002]   

Boys

At Lincoln

Mount Zion      10  28  40  60  73

Lincoln             14  31  48  60  65

Bunch 2-0-4, Farmer 5-1-16, Kommick 1-0-2, Schrader 12-2-30, Young 5-3-13

Three-point field goals: Farmer 5, Schrader 4

At Monticello

Olympia              6  18  25   40

Monticello         13  25  47   57

Elliott, 1-0-2, Olson 1-0-2, Wise 4-1-9, Dillenburg 2-2-6, Sherman 1-0-2, Kieser 2-0-4, Cheek 3-0-8, Criswell 1-1-3, Wright 1-0-2, Schultz 1-0-2

Three-point field goals: Cheek 2

Girls

At Washington

Olympia            8  18  27   40

Washington     10  19  32   37

Wilcox 1-0-3, Floyd 4-1-10, Short 1-0-2, Gaither 9-1-21, Goebel 1-0-2, Litwiller 1-0-2

Threee-point field goals: Gaither 2, Floyd

[JAN. 21, 2002]   

Concordia                32  43   75

Lincoln Christian       28  33   61

Clark 4-11-19, Below 2-3-8, Tumey 3-0-7, Okusami 3-2-8, Grooms 2-0-4, Searby 6-2-15,

Three-point field goals Below, Tumey, Searby

[JAN. 21, 2002]   

Stephens College         10  16    26

Lincoln Christian          30  24    54

Robbins 10-2-22, Urton 3-0-6, Szostek 3-0-6, Wertin 3-0-6, O’Malley 3-0-6, Davis 3-0-8

Three-point field goals: Davis 2

[JAN. 21, 2002]   

Lincolnland College     26  27   53

Lincoln College           34  45   79

Roberson 5-2-15, Clark 2-0-5, Fowler 2-0-5, Turner 5-2-13, Kehr 2-0-4, Sams 2-3-7, Major 2-0-4, Hollyfield 11-2-26,

Three-point field goals: Roberson 3, Hollyfield 2, Clark, Fowler, Turner

[JAN. 21, 2002]   Casey Reid sunk a free throw with no time remaining on the clock to give Illinois State a 61-60 victory over Southwest Missouri State in Missouri Valley Conference action Saturday night at Redbird Arena.

Illinois State, 7-11 (3-4 MVC), trailed most of the game, but took the lead for the first time at 52-51 on a layup by Randy Rice with three minutes remaining in the contest. Gregg Alexander gave the ’Birds the lead again at 58-57 with a 3-point basket with just under a minute left.

Two free throws by Shedrick Ford extended the Illinois State lead to three, 60-57, with 19 seconds left, but a 3-point basket by SMS’s Terrance McGee tied the game at 60 with 10 seconds remaining. With no timeouts left, Illinois State went the length of the floor and Reid was fouled on his shot attempt as the clock expired. Reid needed only his first free-throw attempt to seal the victory.

[to top of second column in this article]

Shawn Jeppson led the ’Birds in scoring with 14 points, while Gregg Alexander of Lincoln and Dirk Williams contributed 11 and 10 points respectively. Illinois State shot 54 percent from the field in the second half, including 57 percent (4-7) from beyond the arc. Dirk

Williams also led the team on the boards with six rebounds.

Southwest Missouri State, 8-11 (3-4 MVC), was led in scoring by Scott Brakebill with 16 points. Mike Wallace posted a double-double for the Bears with 14 points and 13 rebounds. McGee finished with 15 points.

The Redbirds head to Peoria on Wednesday, Jan. 23, to face Bradley in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup.

[Erica Fricke, assistant director of media relations, athletics media relations, Illinois State University]

[JAN. 21, 2002]   CARBONDALE — Stacey White’s career-high 16 points were matched by teammate Kristi Larson as Illinois State scored a season-high 69 points while beating Southern Illinois 69-67 in a Missouri Valley Conference game Sunday at SIU Arena.

Larson had 12 of her points in a high-tempo first half, while Taren O’Brien had 13 and Katie Donovan finished with 11 points. Freshman Chris Kutschinski came off the bench in the second half to incite a 20-3 Redbird run during which Illinois State forced nine Southern Illinois turnovers. The run turned an 11-point SIU lead into a six-point Redbird advantage.

Holly Teague had 16 points in the first 16 minutes for SIU but only one more after halftime, thanks in a large part to the long-armed, quick-footed Kutschinski. After leading 56-45 with 10 minutes left, SIU had just two field goals the rest of the way. Redbird coach Jenny Yopp believed her team’s defense turned up the heat and Kutschinski was the ignition.

"Our defensive intensity made the difference in the second half," said Yopp, whose team shot 46 percent from the field and hung on despite making just 3-of-8 free throws down the stretch. "Chris made a tremendous difference and created opportunities for us offensively," she said.

Kutschinski was glad to help — ISU scored 20 of its 37 second-half points off SIU turnovers and 28 points off turnovers for the game — but believed everyone on the floor fueled the defense.

"I take pride in my defense most," said Kutschinski, who averages just 1.2 points per game. "It’s what helps my team most. But everybody stepped it up. I just wanted to keep my player from scoring. I hate getting scored on."

The Redbirds, 4-12 overall and 2-5 in the Valley, had lost 14 of their last 15 in SIU Arena, dating back to the 1989-90 season, and had lost 14 straight away from home dating back to last season.

SIU, 4-10 and 0-6, got 14 points from Jodi Heiden and 12 from Molly McDowell but fell victim to 24 turnovers — the most created by the Redbirds this season.

The game opened at a furious pace for both teams. The Redbirds scored the first nine points and took a 22-18 lead in the first nine minutes, with Larson making four straight baseline jumpers. ISU made 10 of its first 14 field goals. But the last of Teague’s nine straight SIU points helped the ’Dogs to pull even at 22-22 after 10 minutes. SIU took control and led 39-32 at halftime. The Saluki lead stretched to 56-45 at the 10-minute mark.

[to top of second column in this article]

Then the ’Birds turned up the defensive heat. Steph Reichle’s free throw, followed by her steal and layup 12 seconds later, jump-started an 11-0 Redbird run, all coming off defensive pressure. ISU scored after steals by Reichle and Kutschinski, plus an offensive foul drawn by White.

Kutschinski’s pressure led to a sideline violation and a Donovan layup. Then O’Brien took a Kutschinski deflection for a layup to tie the score at 56-56 with 7:20 left.

McDowell stopped the SIU bleeding with a baseline jumper with 7:05 remaining. A Donovan free throw and two more by Reichle put the Redbirds ahead for the first time in the second half, 59-58, with 5:07 left.

Reichle’s corner pass to White produced a 3-pointer with 4:33 left, and another defensive stop led to Larson’s hook shot with 3:35 remaining, to put the ’Birds up 64-58. After that, ISU held on, despite missing five of their final six free throws, by making defensive stops.

Still, SIU’s McDowell had a chance to turn the game around with a 55-foot heave ahead of the buzzer. It caught rim and bounded harmlessly away.

Reichle had four of Illinois State’s 11 steals, the Redbirds’ highest team heist total in more than a year (30 games).

"A road win is just another step on the road to the top for this team," said Yopp, whose team won without sophomore center Sharon Blade, who is nursing a foot injury. "I think our stamina was a key for us. In the second half, we were still fighting through cuts and screens and we defended them much harder at the end. We pressured their ballhandlers and it obviously worked well for us."

Illinois State returns home to play Wichita State at 7:05 p.m. Thursday in Redbird Arena. SIU hunts for its first league win Thursday at Northern Iowa.

[ISU news release]

[JAN. 21, 2002]   LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After falling to Butler 4-3 on Friday, the Illinois State men’s tennis team dropped their second match of the spring season, 5-2, to No. 67 Louisville.

Leading the way for the Redbirds was senior Ricky Heath. Heath defeated Paulo Carvalho 7-5, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. In addition, he and junior teammate Jason Smit defeated Cody Conley and Paulo Carvalho 9-7 at No. 1 doubles.

Also playing well for the Redbirds was the doubles duo of Ciaran Foley and Brent Steven. Foley and Steven defeated Alex Sivertsen and Jake Kirts 9-7 at No. 2 doubles.

Coach Greg Kennett was pleased with his team’s intensity but felt the team could have finished matches better than they did.

"We played well until the end of all the matches," said Kennett. "We need to learn to finish matches like we start them."

The Redbirds will be back in action Friday, Jan. 25, at the MVC Individual Indoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

[Illinois State news release]

[JAN. 19, 2002]   

Boys

At Havana

Hartsburg-Emden             16  33  58    73
Havana                            17  36  48    68

Westen 0-0-0, Ke. Leesman 5-2-12, Anderson 2-0-4, Olson 0-0-0, Gleason 10-0-26, Jones 7-0-15, Wrage 5-4-14, Sherwood 1-0-2.

Totals 30-6-73

At Mahomet

Olympia                             9  21  30    54
Mahomet-Seymour            8  16  22    39

Cheek 1-0-3, Sherman 2-5-9, Wright 0-0-0, Dillenburg 4-2-11, Elliott 8-4-20, Olson 0-1-1, Schultz 0-0-0, Slager 0-0-0, Wise 5-0-10, Criswell 0-0-0, Thornton 0-0-0.

Totals 20-12-54

At Mount Pulaski

Delevan                           13  24  40    64
Mount Pulaski                  13  26  37    52

Blaum 4-1-9, Erlenbush 1-1-3, Schilling 2-1-5, Wilson 1-2-4, Anderson 3-2-10, Coers 1-0-2, Clements 5-0-10, Olson 3-0-7, Tierney 1-0-2.

Totals 21-7-52

[JAN. 18, 2002]   

Girls

At Mahomet

Olympia                           10  25  39    53
Mahomet-Seymour            7  21  33    41

Short 0-0-0, Gaither 4-7-15, Canopy 1-2-4, Goebel 5-0-10, Floyd 7-3-20, Prager 2-0-4, Wilcox 0-0-0, Hieser 0-0-0, Brand 0-0-0.

Totals 19-12-53

At Warrensburg

Mount Pulaski                  11  20  22    31
Warrensburg                    29  53  63    77

Maske 0-0-0, Sanders 3-0-6, Faith 2-0-5, Rucks 4-4-12, Reesley 0-0-0, Jason 3-0-6, Howe 0-2-2, Stoll 0-0-0.

Totals 12-6-31

[JAN. 18, 2002]   

Illinois State                     29   28     57
Evansville                         31   39     70

Donovan 2-0-4, White 1-4-6, Larson 6-0-12, O'Brien 2-2-7, Reichle 3-0-7, Harakas 4-5-13, Harnisch 0-0-0, Huston 2-0-6, Nickerson 0-0-0, Kitschinski 1-0-2.

Totals 21-11-57

Illinois State-Southwest Missouri State pre-game notes

[JAN. 18, 2002]   

From Illinois State

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[Click here to read "ISU defeats Southwest Missouri State in thriller, 61-60."]

[JAN. 17, 2002]   From Havana Classic

Boys

Hartsburg-Emden     11  24  35  50

South Fulton            10  24  35  49

Hartem Stags stats: Westen 0-0-0, K. Leeesman 3-8-14, Anderson 3-0-6, Olson 0-0-0, Gleason 5-1-13, Jones 0-0-0, Wrage 3-6-12, Sherwood 2-1-5.

Three-pointers: Gleason, 2.

[JAN. 17, 2002]   At Quincy

Men

Lincoln College        31  53    84

John Wood             38   40   78

Lincoln Lynx stats: Clark 3-0-8, Fowler 4-0-9, Turner 7-3-18, Sams 5-2-12, Hollyfield 4-1-11, Roberson 5-8-18, Kehr 0-3-3, Major 0-0-0, Bowen 2-0-5.

Three-point field goals: Clark 2, Hollyfield 2, Fowler, Turner, Bowen.

[JAN. 17, 2002]   NORMAL — Brody Deren went 7-of-10 from the field, notching 16 points and five blocked shots to lead Creighton past Illinois State, 63-56, in Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball action Wednesday in Omaha, Neb.

Illinois State (6-11, 2-4) was led by Baboucarr Bojang, who had 15 points. Shawn Jeppson also reached double digits on the evening, scoring 14. Creighton improves to 10-5 overall and 5-1 in the Valley. McKinney ended the game with 10 points, while Tyler Michael Lindeman also dished out 10.

After a solid and equal first half, the score was tied 31-all during the break. The game remained fairly even through the first 10 minutes, until Creighton broke out to an eight-point lead, its biggest of the game, at the 10:16 mark. The Redbirds pulled to within one after a jumper by Jeppson with four minutes remaining, setting the score at 55-54.

[to top of second column in this article]

The Bluejays pulled ahead, however, leading by three, 59-56, with just over a minute left in the game. Shedrick Ford had the chance to bring the Redbirds within one but banked a jumper from the top of the key. The missed shot followed by two Redbird turnovers led to Tyler McKinney’s 3-point basket that put the Jays up by six, securing the win.

The Redbirds shot 47 percent for the game while Creighton shot 46 percent. Out-rebounding the Jays by four, the ’Birds had a team total of 29 to CU’s 25.

Illinois State returns to action on Saturday when Southwest Missouri State comes to Redbird Arena for a 7 p.m. game.

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

[JAN. 16, 2002]   

Girls

At Lincoln

Jacksonville                      10  26  46    53
Lincoln                             12  26  37    50

Bunch 1-0-3, Dawson 3-0-6, Robbins 3-2-9, Ingram 2-0-6, Froschauer 2-0-4, Moore 1-1-3, Schonauer 0-1-1, Carey 7-0-18.

Totals 19-4-50

[JAN. 16, 2002]   At Chicago

Men

Lincoln Christian                 22   43     65
Moody Bible                      35   17     52

Clark 5-10-20, Raymer 2-0-6,  Below 3-6-13, Broadfuehrer 1-0-2, Turney 1-0-3, Okusami 4-1-9, Grooms 4-4-12.

Totals 20-21-65

Women

Lincoln Christian                 23   14     37
Moody Bible                      33   21     54

Robbins 3-0-6, Urton 3-0-6, Szostek 1-1-3, Wertin 3-2-8, O’Malley 0-2-2, DeVore 1-0-2, Jewell 5-0-10.

Totals 16-5-37

[JAN. 16, 2002]   At Centerville, Iowa

Men

Lincoln College                  35   24     59
Indian Hills                         36   42     78

Fowler 2-1-5, Turner 6-2-15, Kehr 1-0-2, Sams 5-1-12, Major 1-0-2, Hollyfield 9-0-23.

Totals 24-4-59

[JAN. 16, 2002]   Illinois and Iowa met in Champaign on Tuesday night in a nationally televised Big Ten conference game. Both teams entered the game with surprising 2-2 conference records and feeling the game was a "must win." Illinois entered the game on a high, having beat Michigan on Saturday in Champaign 94-70, while Iowa entered the game coming off a 77-66 home loss to Indiana on Sunday. Both teams were trailing undefeated Indiana and Ohio State in conference play.

A literal "Sea of Orange" greeted the Hawkeyes of Iowa Tuesday night in Assembly Hall. Illinois jumped out to a quick 9-4 lead as Lincoln’s Brian Cook started the game with an alley-oop dunk and finished the run with a 3-point basket.

Several of college basketball’s biggies were on hand Tuesday night, including Dick Vitale and Andy Katz, to witness the battle between the hated Big Ten rivals.

The game featured two of the young rising stars in the coaching profession, Steve Alford and Bill Self. Alford is in his third season at Iowa after previously resurrecting programs at both Manchester College and Southwest Missouri State. Self, on the other hand, is in his second season at Illinois after successful stops at Oral Roberts and Tulsa. Both coaches were great players in very successful programs: Alford winning a national championship while at Indiana and Self making all-Big 8 recognition while playing at Oklahoma State.

Illinois jumped out to a 19-9 lead with 11:37 remaining in the first half, prompting Alford to burn his first timeout. Freshman Luther Head completed an alley-oop dunk from Frank Williams to give the Illini their first double-digit lead of the game, and the crowd was absolutely out of control. With chants of "Baby Bobby" and "Sit Down Alford" directed at Alford and echoing in the background, there was no doubt whom the hometown fans had selected as public enemy number one.

An intentional foul by Iowa sophomore Sean Sonderleiter at the 8:14 mark of the first half created a near brawl, as all 10 players on the court quickly came the defense of their teammates. Senior Robert Archibald nailed both free throws, and Illinois appeared poised to run away with the game. Illinois’ lead swelled to 14 as Cook hit his second 3-point basket of the game to take the Illini lead to 33-19 just before the four-minute mark of the first half.

However, the Hawkeyes refused to fold and began to attempt to chip away at the Illinois lead. Illinois held just a five-point lead at the half, 36-31, after Iowa’s Pierre Pierce nailed a 3-point basket at the buzzer. Iowa finished the first half on a 12-3 run, with two Illini starters on the bench with foul trouble. Freshman Nick Smith picked up three fouls, and both Robert Archibald and Sean Harrington were whistled for their second fouls prior to the eight-minute mark, forcing both players to the bench. Frank Williams also picked up his second foul in the first half, with around two minutes left.

Cook led Illinois in scoring at the half with 10 points, and Williams was halfway to a triple double, with five points, five rebounds and five assists. Iowa was led in scoring in the first half by Indiana transfer Luke Recker, who tallied nine points.

Just seconds into the second half, Iowa cut the Illinois lead to two after Glen Worley hit a 3-pointer, but Illinois responded with an 8-0 run to extend the lead back to double digits, prompting Alford to burn another timeout at the 17:06 mark of the second half.

[to top of second column in this article]

Illinois controlled most of the second half and took advantage of a "free-for-all" attitude by the three officials calling the game. Iowa, a team which prides itself on physical play, seemed almost offended that Illinois was willing and able to match them blow for blow. On several occasions Alford came close to receiving a technical foul during repeated protests to the men in stripes.

Williams played like an all-American for much of the night and was never better than in a four-possession series where he dunked, created a steal, fed Cook for a dunk on a no-look pass and, after another steal, scored a layup to extend Illinois’ lead back to 14, 53-39, at the 12:55 mark. Williams finished the game with 16 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Illinois was able to extend their lead to as many as 20 in the second half as they destroyed the visitors from the northwest. Illinois finished with an 11-point victory, and sent 16,500 Illini fans home happy.

•  Illinois has won four of their last five games against the Hawkeyes.

•  Iowa features four players from the state of Illinois on their roster:

• Ryan Hogan, Deerfield

• Rod Thompson, Galesburg

• Pierre Pierce, Westmont

• Marcellus Sommerville, Peoria

•  Illinois’ game against Iowa is the second of three straight Big Ten home games — Illinois returns to action next Wednesday against Wisconsin, looking to avenge an earlier loss in Madison on Jan. 5.

•  Williams was close to a triple double, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. The last triple double in Illinois history was by Sergio McClain last year at home against Michigan, when he finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

•  Cook finished with 21 points, leading four Illini into double figures (Williams, 16; Archibald, 11; Bradford, 16).

•  Alford is now 1-4 lifetime as a coach against Illinois.

•  This was the only regular-season meeting of the teams this year; however, a strong possibility exists that the teams could meet in Indianapolis for the Big Ten tournament.

[Greg Taylor]

’Birds ready to build on success

[JAN. 16, 2002]   NORMAL — Steph Reichle’s approach to rebounding in Illinois State’s 64-57 overtime upset of Missouri Valley Conference leader Creighton reflects what she and her teammates hope to do on this weekend’s road trip to play Evansville and Southern Illinois.

"Once I got a couple of rebounds, I wanted them all," said Reichle, whose career-high 17 rebounds against the Jays were the second-highest Illinois State total in Redbird Arena’s 13-year history. "This team is hungry that way. We got a big win. Now we’re ready to build on that."

Evansville, 7-8 overall and 2-3 in the Valley, is led by reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week LaTasha Austin. The senior guard leads the Aces with 14 points per game, 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.7 steals per game. She has stepped up her production over the past three weeks since the Aces lost Valley Player of the Year candidate Shyla McKibbon-Puelston to a career-ending knee injury.

"Losing McKibbon is huge for them," said Redbird coach Jenny Yopp, whose Redbirds are 3-11 overall, 1-4 in the Valley. "But they are still a veteran team (six seniors). Now, they have become just a little more perimeter-oriented, but their posts (Jamie Gray and Jenna Hayes) still are outstanding threats."

Evansville is coming off a split of the Wichita State-Southwest Missouri State road trip, having upset the Shockers 70-67 before dropping a 66-54 decision at SMS on Monday. Austin had 36 points on the trip, including 24 at WSU.

A year ago, the Redbirds beat Evansville twice — something only Drake and Southwest Missouri accomplished besides the ’Birds. Yopp believes her experienced players should feel confident playing in Roberts Stadium (7 p.m. start).

[to top of second column in this article]

"The win there last year should give us added confidence," said Yopp, whose team will be without 2000-01 scoring leader Sharon Blade, who likely will miss two weeks with a foot injury. "We will miss having Sharon on the court, but it’s an opportunity for other players to step up."

One of those is senior Kristi Larson, who led the ’Birds with 14 points in the win over Creighton and has been shooting well recently. Two who figure to see more court time in Blade’s absence are freshman Michelle Harakas and junior Stacey Nickerson.

"This team has proven it can come together," said Larson. "Against Creighton, we did what it took to win. Sharon plays a big role for us. Now, it’s up to me and Michelle and Stacey Nickerson to step up even more."

The Redbirds continue their road trip at Southern Illinois, where Illinois State has won just once in its last 15 visits, taking a 59-58 squeaker on a Jenny Schmidt scoop shot with 0:00.2 remaining. The Salukis, 4-10 overall and 0-5 in the Valley, have lost their last seven in a row.

"We’ve proven we can get in the (conference) race with our win over Creighton," said Yopp. "We just have to prove we can put some great efforts together for wins."

[ISU news release]

Illinois State-Evansville women's pre-game notes

[JAN. 16, 2002]   Thursday, January 17, 2002, at 7 p.m.; Roberts Stadium, Evansville, Ind.

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[JAN. 21, 2002]   One of the things we’ve spent a lot of coverage on in our two years of reporting is encouraging people not to center their lives on sports. We’ve cautioned that when you do and experience a train-wreck weekend like this past one has been (at least to area and local teams), your mood is so sour that nobody wants to be around you. At least the Illini didn’t take a loss.

Bears fans found out what the Mudville faithful found out that historic day when Mighty Casey struck out — that there is absolutely NO joy in a playoff loss. To get the whole story, you’ll need to consult our own Tom Seggelke, who was on the scene once again for you loyal readers. He was there solely as a fan and not officially representing the LDN. I don’t think that made it any less painful for him. When your starting quarterback goes down and you can’t get much going on either side of the ball, it’s hard to win in the postseason. On the other hand, my boyhood favorites were up 13-3 when my boy and I fell asleep. I woke up to discover that Oakland had lost 16-13 in overtime… Sports can be so cruel…

The Railers took a cruel overtime loss at the hands of those pesky Mount Zion Braves at Roy S. Anderson gymnasium Saturday night. Lincoln couldn’t solve Mount Zion’s ally-oop dunk play, and the game just somehow got away. Mount Zion is pretty athletic, but the scrappy Railers took it to them for most of the evening. If seeds hold in regionals and sectionals, these two could meet later this season in a nifty sectional matchup at the PCCC.

And speaking of the PCCC, don’t forget tomorrow (Tuesday) night’s matchup versus Jacksonville in Springfield. It is a great venue to watch a game. The more Lincoln people that show up, the better. People and sponsors that host big tournaments like to see how a team travels — read: how many people follow them.

Also, it would be good to see the faithful cheer like they did in the last few minutes of the Mount Zion game. It appeared that our fans first had to be riled up by their fans before getting into the game. When you cheer wildly and show your undivided support for the home team, that’s what really helps create what has become known as "the home court advantage." Saturday night’s game felt like a road game to me in more ways than one. Don’t worry… I’m not going to go where you thought I was going to go…

the chance encounter I had with one of the Fighting Illini brain trust late Saturday afternoon. I had to make an emergency run to the Bloomington airport, as one of LCC’s deans was called back from Washington, D.C. on a family emergency. While I was detained at the airport I ran into Jeff Guin. Jeff is the administrative assistant for the Illini basketball team.

Jeff said that both Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalija have been practicing and looking good. He said there is a good likelihood that they could both see some action Wednesday night when Illinois hosts Wisconsin. He said that the morale of the troops is pretty strong after victories over Michigan and Iowa. He agreed with my assessment that a 12-4 record could well win the Big Ten title this year; assuming that some people start drilling Ohio State and Indiana — how ’bout Illinois, for example? Jeff was complimentary of Brian Cook and the program here in Lincoln. I hope to gain more insights from him in future meetings.

The weekend wasn’t a complete waste, as a few of our favorites did fare well the last few days. Take Lincoln College for example. The Lynx improved their record to 12-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play as they crushed Lincolnland 79-53. LC is headed for another 20-win season.

The ISU men took a hard-fought cliffhanger over my alma mater, the SMS Bears. Lincoln’s Gregg Alexander hit a crucial 3-pointer that finally gave the Redbirds the lead, and he finished with 11 points.

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were the local junior high teams (actually those games were on Thursday). Our family had already made plans to go to the LJHS gym, where we saw the seventh-graders upend a previously undefeated squad from Maroa. Maroa turned the tables and took out the eighth-graders in the nightcap.

But probably the game of the night was the championship of the county tournament over in Middletown. That’s where Carroll Catholic and Mount Pulaski met in a rematch. Mount Pulaski had given Carroll its lone loss this season, and Carroll determined that turnabouts are fair play, as they took home the championship trophy. If these two teams played each other 10 times, they might split them all. This year’s postseason could really be exciting. West Lincoln-Broadwell and Hartem also played well in the tournament.

Also, a big thanks to a couple of our local readers who proposed their own "team of the week" recently. At this address we have always admired the work of coach Bret Farmer, and we’ve stated so on more than one occasion. But, we still like the idea of you fans proposing some of your teams and awards. That’s what the LDN is all about. It is interactive news reporting. With that being said, we hope that more fans will either e-mail us or send a letter to the editor nominating their own teams and individuals for the proper accolades. We certainly congratulate the seventh-graders at West Lincoln-Broadwell, and coach Farmer and coach Eric Reichert and can’t argue with their selection as one of the teams of the week.

would have to be the Mount Pulaski eighth-grade boys team. How do they do it over there? Their junior high teams are always good. The high school team seems to be doing pretty good as well. I would also have to give some kudos to the Lincoln College Lynx. They seem to really be in the groove this season. I will also say good luck to the LJHS seventh-graders under Tom Ackman and the eighth-graders under Derrick Reiley as your teams enter postseason play. Also, good luck to all area teams in the playoffs.

Call 732-7443 or fax us at 732-9630 with the stats and results of your games and maybe some coach’s quotes. Even though our staff is small (we probably get to only one-tenth of all the sporting events in this county — even less now that I’m chasing a 1-year-old learning to walk), they are very mighty! And they will make EVERY attempt at posting your "stuff"!

Keep being classy on the court, on the field and in the classroom. People may not remember if you won or lost, but they will remember if you handled yourself accordingly. Have a great week, everybody!

[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]

[JAN. 7, 2002]  NORMAL — Residents of Lincoln will have the opportunity to support a native son, Gregg Alexander, and daughter, Steph Reichle, as the Illinois State Athletics Department will sponsor Lincoln Day at Redbird Arena on Jan. 12 and 26.

On Jan. 12, the Redbird men’s basketball team will host defending league champion Indiana State in Missouri Valley Conference action. Tip-off is slated for 4:05 p.m. The women’s team faces conference champion and NCAA Final Four participant Southwest Missouri State on Jan. 26 at 2:05 p.m.

Tickets are $6 for the men’s game, $3 for the women’s and are available in Lincoln at these local businesses: CEFCU, Kroger, Woods and Bates, Jim Xamis Ford, Woody Jones Insurance and Coy’s Car Corner. They can also be purchased by calling the Redbird Arena ticket office at (309) 438-8000.

[Todd Kober, ISU director of media relations]

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