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Saturday, March 15 |
High school basketball
[MARCH
15, 2003] |
Class AA sectional
MacArthur 8 18 28
42
Lincoln 15
29 38 54
Lincoln -- Farmer 6-0-15, Komnick
1-0-2, Young 3-2-8, Gallagher 2-0-4, Bunch 6-2-14, Schrader 4-0-8,
Werner 1-0-3, Peters 0-0-0, Heidbreder 0-0-0. Totals: 23-4-54
Next game
Tuesday: 7:30 p.m. at Normal (Redbird Arena).
Lincoln vs. Peoria Central
|
Class A
state
tournament
Quarterfinals
Warrensburg 13
28 39 63
CPCI
16 29 40 50
Calmes 9-8-27, Traugher 2-0-5, Long 5-4-14,
Aughenbaugh 1-2-4, Binkley 2-2-8, Heinkel 0-0-0, Kronshagen 0-0-0,
Doyle 2-0-5, Littrel 0-0-0. Totals: 21-17-63.
Warrensburg is currently playing Hale Franciscan
Chicago in semifinals. If they lose, they play for
third place at 6 p.m. If they win, they play for the championship
at 8:15 p.m.
LDN will
update this later. There will be pictures later, also.
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Illinois blows away
Northwestern
By Greg
Taylor
[MARCH 15, 2003]
First, top-ranked Arizona loses to a
really bad UCLA team. Then, Marquette succumbs to a very average UAB.
North Carolina over Maryland? Florida losing to LSU? Then, in the
first game in Chicago on Friday, Ohio State knocks Big Ten No. 1
seed Wisconsin all the way back to the cheese state. What's next?
Would No. 13 Illinois have trouble with Cinderella-wanna-be
Northwestern? In a word? NO!
|
Behind a strong effort from Lincoln's
Brian Cook, Illinois led early and often and absolutely destroyed
the Mildcats 94-65 in a game that was not as close as the final
score would indicate. The hometown upstarts jumped out to an early
7-5 lead, but Illinois responded with a 25-6 run and cruised to a
47-21 halftime lead. Cook paced Illinois at the break with 12 points
and finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Illinois
placed three other players in double figures, as sophomore Roger
Powell hit for 14 and Dee Brown and Nick Smith each scored 10. Brown
also dished out nine assists in just 26 minutes of game action (Cook
played 27 minutes).
Illinois shot a sizzling 64.5 percent
from the field in the first frame, including five-of-10 from 3-point
land, and finished at 52 percent for the game. Coach Bill Self
started clearing the bench with about eight minutes to go, and even
Kyle Wilson, the freshman who left the team and the university for
about three weeks in February, saw game action and scored seven
points in seven minutes. The lead swelled to 40 at 79-39 before
Northwestern made up ground against the walk-ons. Even with the late
Northwestern charge, this game was the largest margin of victory in
Big Ten tourney history.
[to top of second column in this
article] |
Illinois continued its streak of never
losing in the Big Ten tourney on Thursday or Friday. Now for the bad
news: Each of the last two years Illinois has followed up impressive
Friday victories with disappointing Saturday defeats. I vote they
change this pattern starting today! Illinois now moves into a
rematch of the 2001 tourney semifinals against Indiana, a team they
destroyed 80-54 on Feb. 25.
Coach Self really summed things up
well, stating, "I thought we played really well from the beginning
-- now we just have to carry it over to tomorrow."
With Friday
evening's win over Northwestern, Illinois became the all-time leader
in wins in the conference tourney, with nine. With their victory
Friday, it is the opinion of the LDN that Illinois has locked up a
top-four seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. Common thought in the
press room after the game said Illinois could still play their way
into a three seed with a strong finish on Saturday and Sunday.
[Greg
Taylor] |
|
Big Ten tournament
Friday notes
By Greg
Taylor
[MARCH. 15, 2003] |
Day Two games
No. 8
Ohio State 58
No. 1 Wisconsin 50
Big Ten regular-season champion
Wisconsin exited the Big Ten tournament quickly for the second year
in a row, losing to No. 8 seed Ohio State by eight in the first game
of the day. Last season, it was the eighth-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes that
surprised the Badgers. This year, it was an Ohio State team that is
fighting for their postseason lives. Wisconsin started fast, leading
11-5 early, but could not sustain a lead into halftime, trailing the
Buckeyes 30-25 at the break. Ohio State's Sean Connolly was
three-of-three from 3-point land in the first half to pace the
Bucks.
Wisconsin came out of the locker room
on fire in the second half, quickly grabbing a five-point lead, but
again could not sustain the momentum. Ohio State controlled the last
12 minutes of the game, never trailing.
For the game, Connolly led Ohio State
with 21 points, while LDN favorite Brent Darby scored 16. Wisconsin
had three players in double figures: Kirk Penney made 14, Alando
Tucker had 13, and Freddie Owens scored ten.
Ohio State moves into the first game of
the semifinal session on Saturday (12:40 p.m. tip) and will face
Michigan State. The teams played twice in the regular season, with
Michigan State winning both games by double figures. The game can be
seen on CBS.
No. 5
Michigan State 54
No. 4 Purdue 42
In the second game of the day, Michigan
State defeated Purdue in a game that featured strong defense, poor
shooting and the typical Gene Keady act. Michigan State just shut
down Purdue in the first half, holding the Boilers to a season-low
12 points as Purdue shot just 20 percent from the field. The bad
news, however, for the Izzoners, is State shot just 32 percent in
the opening frame and led by only 12, at 24-12. Purdue's
do-everything senior Willie Deane led the Boilers with seven points,
while Alan Anderson and Maurice Ager each chipped in six points for
the Spartans. Making matters worse, Keady picked up a technical foul
for riding reference Artie McDonald one too many times. No
confirmation on exactly what was said, but I'm sure the two won't be
exchanging Christmas cards this year.
[to top of second column in this article] |
The second half started with a
different Purdue team, as they sprinted out of the gate and went on
a 19-10 run to pull within three. The Boiler fans were going crazy,
but their excitement would be short-lived. State promptly went on a
14-2 run and never looked back on their way to victory. The win is a
good omen for Spartan fans, as State's history at this tourney is
either all or nothing: two years of tourney titles and three years
of first-round exits.
No. 6
Indiana 63
No 3 Michigan 56
In the final game of the Friday session
of the Big Ten tourney, Indiana rallied and defeated Michigan 63-56.
Michigan, however, jumped out early on the Hoosiers, leading by as
many as eight in the first half, before Indiana rallied to tie the
game at 24 late in the half. Michigan closed the half on a 6-1
charge to lead 30-25 at the break. Michigan's senior LaVell
Blanchard scored 14 points in the first half to pace the Wolverines,
while senior guard Tom Coverdale led Indiana with 10.
Michigan extended the lead back to
eight about midway through the second frame before the Hoosiers
rallied behind super sub A.J. Moye. The Hoosiers outscored the
Wolverines by 15 in the second half as Moye finished with 18 points
and Tom Coverdale and Jeff Newton each scored 15. Blanchard led
Michigan with 21 points as Michigan closed their season in defeat.
Indiana moves into the second Saturday
semifinal, against Illinois at 3:05 p.m.
Saturday's Big Ten
tourney schedule
Game 1: No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 8
Ohio State, 12:40 p.m., CBS
Game 2: No. 2 Illinois vs. No. 3
Michigan, 3 p.m., CBS
Sunday's
Big Ten tourney game
2:30 p.m. on
CBS -- MSU or OSU vs. Illinois or Michigan, 2:30 p.m.
[Greg
Taylor]
|
|
Articles from the past week |
Friday:
- Big Ten tournament Thursday notes
Thursday:
Wednesday:
Tuesday:
-
Cook selected as
Big Ten's Player of the Year -
Submit your vote for Cook for Senior CLASS Award -
High school basketball -
Cook named Big Ten Player of the Year by coaches and media -
Brian Cook named as a finalist for Wooden Award -
ZLS state
basketball -
Lincoln College splits softball games in Florida -
Lincoln College baseball team plays Alabama Southern -
Yopp believes her team is relaxed, businesslike
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Monday:
Saturday:
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The Big Ten is at it again
By the LDN staff
[MARCH 15, 2003]
Once again
it's that time of the year again that leaves fans and Big Ten
administrators salivating. And what time might that be, you ask?
It's Big Ten tourney time, of course. We'll bet it still
makes Bobby Knight spittin' mad every time he thinks about it. As
for us, we don't care one way or the other. |
We do wonder what became of the
importance of the regular season. It used to mean something. Now
these weaker, lower seeds can go put together one lousy weekend of
just better than mediocre play and punch their ticket to the Dance.
If that's not absurd, we don't know what is! Isn't the season
something like five to six months long? And isn't the Big Ten season
16 games long? And you're going to tell us that some mangy team that
strings three games together is going to take home the league's NCAA
invitation? Is there anything more ridiculous in America…?
Well, maybe health insurance… but we're just asking.
The money that flows through this
carnival is staggering. We'll be honest, the games are fun. And it
is interesting to see all 11 teams in one place. But we truly come
for the friendship and the fellowship. Our fun and joy is NOT
dependent on our team winning the tournament, although
probably none of us would object if that happened. It's just fun to
be here.
To give you a taste of the action… the
United Center is subdivided into supposedly 11 equal areas, with
each of the schools getting a piece of the pie for the ticket
allocation. But don't think for a minute that that means that any
average citizen can go right in and get a good seat. Heck NO. Any
average citizen with a boatload of money might struggle getting a
decent seat in the lower bowl. It's tough enough to get a seat
in the outer reaches!
[to top of second column in this
article] |
It is kind of a kick to see all the
mascots and all the bands and student groups; and you should see the
halftime shows. You'll soon be seeing some of the acts at an
upcoming Super Bowl. However you slice it, not many can come up with
the money for tickets, especially when they force you to buy them
for the whole weekend up front!
But that's OK to the Big Ten. They know
they're going to make a lot of money, get some pretty good TV
exposure and crown their pimped weekend king for the road to the
Final Four! What do they care if they inconvenience their own
conference schools as they're making their NCAA plans?
And what IF one of your league's best
players from one of your league's best teams gets injured in one of
these really important games? Or worse, what IF it happens in
practice or at a shoot-around? Talk about costing a school and your
league some dough?
But rest assured that will all get
sacrificed on the altar of the almighty dollar because of the
millions the league tourney generates! How do we know this? Because
a leopard can never change its spots! The Big Ten and the NCAA has
been doing stuff like this since we were knee-high to a grasshopper,
and they will still be doing it when the cows finally come home.
Sadly, we'll probably be right there to witness it.
But we live
on the prairie… What in the heck else do we have to do? That's our
excuse. What's the Big Ten's and the NCAA's?
[LDN] |
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Announcements
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Lincoln game ticket information
[MARCH 15, 2003]
Lincoln will play
Tuesday, March 18, at Redbird Arena in Normal at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will
be sold as follows:
|
Varsity players and
managers, varsity cheerleaders and sponsor may purchase tickets for
their immediate families on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the ticket
booth.
Monday morning (March
17) LCHS Board of Education, administrators, scorekeepers, timers,
freshman-sophomore players, junior varsity cheerleaders, pep band and
pom squad may
purchase their tickets in the main office.
LCHS students may
purchase tickets during their lunch hours or after school on Monday
in the main office.
|
Season
ticket holders may
purchase their tickets on Monday, March 17, from 6 to 7 p.m.
The
general public may purchase tickets from 7 to 7:30 p.m. in the
main office.
Tickets may be purchased on
Tuesday morning until 10:30 in the main office.
[Pat Zurkammer,
ticket manager;
732-4131, Ext. 226]
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