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Redbird coach Jenny Yopp believes her
charges have to understand how close they are to success, push to
get there and get the on-court leadership they need.
"The margin of error becomes less and
less as time goes along," said Yopp, whose Redbirds are 5-13
overall, 3-6 in the Missouri Valley after home losses to Creighton
and Drake last week. "We have the talent. Our chemistry is great. We
feel we can accomplish things even though we know nobody in this
league will make it easy for us."
Taren O'Brien, after a sensational week
averaging 15.5 points per game on the road at Southern Illinois and
Evansville, struggled against Creighton and Drake. Several opposing
coaches have called the junior point guard the 'key' to Illinois
State, and Yopp doesn't disagree. O'Brien leads her team in scoring
and assists; she averages 14.6 points in Illinois State victories
and 9.1 in Redbird losses this season.
"Our team goes as Taren goes," said
Yopp. "I believe in her. Her teammates play with more confidence
when she plays well."
Northern Iowa is getting leadership
from Alex Cook, a sophomore who is the current Missouri Valley
Conference Player of the Week on the strength of her seven straight
double-double scoring-rebounding efforts.
[to top of second column in this
article] |
Coach Tony DiCecco, the dean of Valley
women's basketball coaches, thinks his team's three-game winning
streak has little bearing on Friday's contest. "In years past,
momentum has carried teams through," said DiCecco, whose team hasn't
lost since a 41-point pounding at Southwest Missouri State two weeks
ago. "But, this year, the league is so tough and so balanced that
you have to be ready to play every game."
DiCecco's team is looking forward to a
rematch with Missouri Valley Conference leader Indiana State on
Sunday -- the Sycamores won the meeting in Cedar Falls 90-88 -- but
values the Illinois State contest just as much.
"No question that's going to be a key
game," said DiCecco, whose team is 10-8 overall, 5-4 in the Valley.
"We have not played very well on the road this year, and we know
Illinois State is playing better. The chemistry is there (for ISU).
We definitely know the talent is there."
The Panthers won the first-round game
at West Gym, 69-55, in a game that boiled down to foul problems for
Illinois State and free throws for UNI, fueling a 29-6 first-half
run over an 11-minute period. Michelle Harakas matched her career
high scoring for the Redbirds with 15 in that game.
"I think
we're a better basketball team now than we were at that time," said
Yopp. "It's important for us to go out and play hard for 40 minutes
and play with confidence. I think this team will be ready to do
those things."
[Thomas Lamonica, Illinois State University] |
|
Redbirds finally back on track
By Jeff Mayfield
[FEB. 3, 2003]
Illinois
State's Redbirds, featuring Lincoln's
Gregg Alexander,
are finally back on track! The 'Birds thumped Bradley 89-74 behind
Alexander's first collegiate double-double. The sophomore sensation
hit for 21 points, including the first three 3-point bombs he
attempted, and then crashed the boards to haul down 10 big caroms.
Long known for his work on the glass, it comes in handy, as ISU's
big men have struggled so much the last couple of seasons. This huge
win, coupled with Wednesday night's victory over Northern Iowa,
gives the 'Birds their first two-game winning streak of the season
and also pulls them out of the Missouri Valley Conference basement!
|
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Illini go
1-1 on the week
The Illinois Fighting Illini almost
pulled off the big upset in East Lansing on Sunday afternoon, but
the Michigan State Spartans had other ideas. They outlasted the
Illini 68-65 as they held Lincoln's
Brian Cook to 13 points. But people will be talking about the amazing
comeback win the Illini had over Michigan last Wednesday night for
years to come. Cook's 26-point scoring outburst was one of the
greatest sports feats this unbiased reporter has ever seen. You
should've seen it! [Click
here for the LDN report.]
Lincoln
College smackin' down their foes
Lincoln College has now won 10 games in
a row, which takes their record to 15-6 and may help them crack the
national top 10 rankings! B.J. and his crew seem to be gelling at
just the right time. On Saturday they beat Lakeland, which always
has a good program, so maybe this is the year that the Lynx will
advance in the playoffs.
LCC teams
split weekend tourney
Lincoln Christian College's hoops teams
split their respective games this past weekend. The girls punished
Central Bible on Friday before losing a squeaker to Faith Baptist on
Saturday. Two former Lady Railers, Steph Urton and Brittany Robbins,
continue to shine for the Angels!
The men played extremely well on Friday
but faded and lost to Faith Baptist. On Saturday they won what was
in some ways an improbable game. On the verge of being blown out
twice in the first half, they somehow managed to stay within five at
the intermission. And by the time Tim Schultz had garnered 23 points
and 15 rebounds, and John Holderby and Dan Black had added 16 and 14
respectively, and Jim Turney had thrown in his 10-point
contribution, the Preachers had danced out of their spiffy new
Laughlin Center with a hard-fought 77-71 win over longtime rival
Cincinnati Bible College! The Preachers truly won one for Marion
"Doc" Henderson, who was the first person ever enshrined in the
newly created LCC Athletic Hall of Fame. Apparently the aura of that
pre-game ceremony lifted the Preachers to victory. Coach Randy Kirk
and his current group of cagers are to be commended for fighting
through a multitude of obstacles this season. That should make THIS
win all the sweeter!
Sports
shorts
We're less than two weeks away from
pitchers and catchers reporting. IF anyone is going that way and
there is development work in the plans…
Junior high hoops should be heating up
in the area as we enter the postseason…
[to top of second column in this article] |
The Lincoln Railers must feel like
they've been lost in space, as I don't think they've played a home
game in a month. IF memory serves, the last one was on about Jan. 3…
Speaking of the Railers, they had had a
nice double this week too! They took out one of my favorite
opponents, Jacksonville, and then disposed of Springfield on
Saturday night.
Coach Alexander, according to my notes,
is just three wins away from becoming the all-time winningest coach
in Railer basketball history. After three more wins he'll have more
than guys like Duncan Reid, Loren Wallace and even ol' Roy S.
himself. This is an amazing record and one that has the potential of
never being broken again!
The Lady Railers have a tough stretch
in their next few outings. They will be playing the top four teams
in the conference! Hopefully that will get them ready for postseason
play as well.
How 'bout that Illinois Wesleyan team?
Coach Scott Trost's quintet struggled in his first year, hovering
around or below the .500 mark. With their big win over North Park on
Saturday, which proved to be their 12th win in a row, they jet their
record to 15-2 and 6-0 in league play. I mention it here because
rumor has it that they are interested in some Railer players, most
notably Cory Farmer!
IF you want to see some true amateurs
having some fun, go out to the Rec Center on a Saturday morning and
catch the Junior Railer program. My son and I have been going out,
and he loves it. He keeps demanding the ball and tells me that no
one will pass it to him… the story of my career!!!
The LDN throws out OUR CONGRATULATIONS
to Marion "Doc" Henderson for being the
first inductee ever to LCC's Athletic Hall of Fame. We'd like to
see Lynn Laughlin as inductee number two? What do you think???
NASCAR fans take note… IF you're into
NASCAR, and we know that dozens of you are, then you need to catch
this week's edition of "FANdamonium."
During the middle segment of our show, Greg and I will step aside
and bring some people to the mikes who really know their stuff.
There'll be Chevy guys and Ford guys, and you callers will have to
settle the disputes. See you tonight at 6 on LDN, Channel 5 and FIX
96.3!
Have a GREAT
week, EVERYONE!!!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
 |
|
Softball pitching
clinic in Bloomington
[JAN. 31, 2003]
The
Bloomington Hearts' annual softball pitching clinic will be
Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Shirk Center at Illinois Wesleyan
University. Former Illinois State all-American and current Hearts
pitcher Nicole Kurth will lead the clinic. Other instructors will
include pitchers from the Hearts, IWU and Illinois State University
who are very experienced in both playing the game and teaching.
There will be two sessions, so
attendees can sign up for 9:30 a.m. until noon or for 1:30 to 4 p.m.
The cost is $30 per session, and that includes a heavy-duty T-shirt.
For groups of three or more, the cost is $25 per student. The
sessions will be limited in number to allow maximum individual
instruction.
To register
by telephone or for information, call (309) 828-2686 or (309)
662-5861.
[News release] |
