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High
school
basketball |
Area
game results
[DEC.
28, 2001] High
school boys and girls holiday tournament results
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Boys
State
Farm Holiday Classic
At
Shirk Center
Olympia
10 30 47 62
Kewanee
15 23 28 45
Dillenburg
2-0-4; Elliott 6-1-13; Olson 6-0-14; Wise 4-1-9; Schultz 2-1-5;
Sherman 1-1-4; Kieser 2-2-6; Kendrick 1-0-2; Cheek 1-0-3; Hayes 1-0-2
Totals
26-6-62
Three-point
field goals: Olympia (4) -- Olson 2, Sherman.
![](../images/ads/America/CCCsmallad1.gif)
Mount
Pulaski
9 19 31 52
Quincy Notre Dame 19
37 52 67
N.
Tierney 1-2-4; Anderson 5-0-13; Blaum 4-1-9; Coers 4-0-8; Clements
4-4-12; Schilling 1-0-2; Deibert 1-0-2; Waymire 1-0-2
Totals
21-7-52
At
Bloomington
Peoria
Notre Dame
22 24 31 41
Lincoln
16 29 43 60
Farmer
6-1-17; Komnick 1-1-4; Schonauer 3-0-7; Schrader 3-2-9; Welch 1-0-2;
Young 7-5-19; Gallagher 1-0-2
Totals
22-9-60
Three-point
field goals: Lincoln (7) -- Farmer 4, Komnick, Schonauer, Schrader.
Macomb-Western
Tournament
At
Macomb
Hamilton
18 28 35 60
Illini Central
21 31 44 73
Miller
5-1-11; Tra. Scott 0-2-2; Williams 6-3-15; Grimsley 5-9-20; Clark
5-2-12; Gisler 4-1-13
Totals
25-18-73
Three-point
field goals: Illini Central (5) -- Giesler 4, Grimsley.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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Clinton
Tournament
At
Clinton
Hartsburg-Emden
14 36 46 72
Peru St. Bede
18 29 36 61
Ke.
Leesman 7-3-17; Anderson 4-4-13; Gleason 4-3-14; Ko. Leesman 4-0-8;
Jones 2-0-4; Wrage 3-1-7; Fletcher 2-1-5; Sherwood 0-4-4
Totals
26-17-72
Three-point
field goals: Hartsburg-Emden (4) -- Gleason 3, Anderson.
Girls State
Farm Holiday Classic At
Normal Camp
Point
7 19 26 33
Olympia 12
27 37 50
Wilcox
2-0-5; Floyd 8-5-22; Prager 4-0-8; Short 2-0-4; Brand 0-1-1; Canopy
2-0-4; Goebel 2-0-4; Litwiller 1-0-2
Totals
21-6-50
Three-point
field goals: Olympia (2) -- Wilcox, Floyd.
South
Fulton Holiday Tournament At
Astoria Illini
Central
10 23 32 49
Peoria Heights 10
20 26 39
Montgomery
4-2-10; Damm 7-5-21; Oney 1-1-4; Bitner 5-0-10; Hankins 0-1-1; Klassen
1-0-3
Totals
18-9-49
Three-point
field goals: Illini Central (4) -- Damm 2, Oney, Klassen.
Lady
Tiger Holiday Classic
At
Pickerington, Ohio
Lincoln
7 18 21 32
Pickerington 18
30 44 67
Dawson
0-1-1; Hoffert 1-0-2; Robbins 1-2-5; Washam 1-0-2; Freesmeir 1-0-2;
Ingram 1-2-4; Froschauer 1-0-3; Schonauer 1-0-3; Carey 1-2-5; Whalen
0-3-3; Verderber 1-0-2
Totals
9-10-32
Three-point
field goals: Lincoln (4) -- Robbins, Froschauer, Schonauer, Carey.
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![](../images/121501pics/hollytl.gif) Peace
Christmas
was different for most and very difficult for the
thousands who lost family and friends this year. There were children who, more than for presents under a tree,
were wishing that they could only see their mom and dad again. No
doubt Sept. 11th and the tragic attacks on the twin towers,
the Pentagon, and the story of those who died on the plane
that fell short of its goal due to heroics by brave
passengers, will forever affect our lives. Due to these
events, our nation is at war in an effort to stop such acts
from happening again.
During
such a time as this, grief, anger, chaos, uncertainty and fear
darken the spirits of many. There is a message that continues
to be heralded with as much clarity and assurance as the first
day angels proclaimed it to shepherds abiding in the field.
"For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which
shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the
city of David,
a savior, which is Christ the Lord."
To
accompany this declaration, an angelic host appeared and sang,
"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good
will toward men." This is the heart of God for the world.
Peace, true peace through Jesus the Christ. Peace that heals
the hurting and causes wars to cease.
--Pastor
Joe Bennett |
A
Spiritual Message from LDN and the following Sponsors: |
Lincoln
IGA;
713 Pulaski;
732-2221 |
Coy's Car
Corner;
1909 N. Kickapoo:
732-1661 |
Harris-Hodnett
Agnc;
119 N. Sangamon; 732-4115
Gary Long, George Petro,
Barb Wibben, Sue Stewart |
American Legion
Post 263;
Lincoln, IL;
732-3743 |
Meier Acct. & Tax
Serv.;
519 Pulaski St.;
735-2030 |
Key
Printing;
1112 Keokuk;
732-9879 |
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College
basketball |
Illinois-Loyola-Chicago
basketball notes
[DEC.
28, 2001]
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
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a friend about
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High
school
basketball |
Area
game results
[DEC.
27, 2001] High
school boys and girls holiday tournament results
|
Boys
State
Farm Holiday Classic
At
IWU (Shirk Center)
Lincoln
19 38 53 70
Buffalo Grove
9 18 31 46
Farmer
3-0-8; Schonauer 6-0-17; Schrader 8-2-21; Welch 1-0-2; Young 4-1-9;
Gallagher 2-2-7; Heidbreder 1-2-4; Carnahan 1-0-2
Totals
26-7-70
Three-point
field goals: Lincoln (11) -- Schonauer 5, Schrader 3, Farmer 2,
Gallagher 1; Buffalo Grove (none).
At
Bloomington
Olympia
11 26 41 50
Mount Pulaski
20 31 43 67
Olympia
-- Dillenburg 8-1-23; Sheman 2-3-6; Kieser 3-0-6; Olson 1-0-2;
Thornton 3-0-7; Schultz 1-2-4; Slager 1-0-2
Totals
19-5-50
Mount
Pulaski -- Coers 2-8-12; N. Tierney 1-1-3; Blaum 5-2-12; Anderson
9-1-25; Schilling 1-0-2; B. Erlenbush 1-0-3; Clements 3-2-8; J.
Tierney 0-2-2
Totals
22-16-67
Three-point
field goals: Olympia (7) -- Dillenburg 6, Thornton. Mount Pulaski (7)
-- Anderson 6, B. Erlenbush
Macomb-Western
Tournament
At Macomb Illini
Central
19 32 50 67
Knoxville
11 18 24 31
Miller
4-0-8; Grimsley 7-0-17; Clark 6-2-14; Giesler 1-1-3; Tra. Scott
2-1-6; Williams 3-1-7; Cremeens 1-0-3; Heronymus 1-1-3; Swaar 0-1-1;
Dodson 1-1-3; Sickmeyer 1-0-2
Totals
27-8-67
Three-point
field goals: Illini Central (5) -- Grimsley 3, Tra. Scott, Cremeens.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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Girls State
Farm Holiday Classic At
Normal Alleman
9 19 27 38
Olympia
8 20 25 33
Floyd
4-0-8; Prager 2-0-5; Gaither 6-0-14; Goebel 2-0-4; Litwiller 1-0-2
Totals
15-0-33
Three-point
field goals: Olympia (3) -- Gaither 2, Prager.
South
Fulton Holiday Tournament At
Astoria Illini
Central
11 26 35 57
LaHarpe
17 25 38 60
Montgomery
4-5-14; Damm 7-2-23; Oney 2-4-9; Bitner 3-0-6; Klarren 2-0-5
Totals
18-11-57
Three-point
field goals: Illini Central (10) -- Damm 7, Montgomery, Oney,
Klarren.
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College |
Illini
news and notes
[DEC.
27, 2001] The
Christmas holiday is finished, New Year’s Day is just around the
corner, and all is well in Illini Land! The football team is ranked
#7 in the country, just completed a 10 win regular season for the
first time in eighteen years, won an outright conference title, and
is getting ready to play in one of the top four bowl games on New
Year’s Day. The men’s basketball team is also starting to show
signs of progress in their quest to repeat as Big Ten conference
champions. The hoopsters are also ranked #7 in the country, have
already claimed 10 wins in 12 games, and just beat their border war
rival Missouri in one of the great rivalry games in all of college
basketball. LDN wanted to catch you up on what was happening in both
camps as 2002 approaches:
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Illinois football:
-
The team arrived in New Orleans for Sugar
Bowl preparation on Christmas Eve night. The Illini practiced
early Christmas morning and celebrated the holiday together.
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Illinois has a chance to win eleven games
in a season for the first time ever!
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Illinois appears to be healthy, as both RB
Antonio Harris and LB Jerry Shumacher are healthy again and
planning on starting in the Sugar Bowl.
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Illinois is receiving commitments from some
very good high school seniors, including New Jersey RB Ibrahim
Halsey (one of the top five RB’s in the nation) and LB Brandon
Archer of St. Paul, MN.
-
Illinois’ opponent, LSU, will be playing
on January 1 just 40 miles from their campus in Shreveport and
should have quite a home crowd advantage.
-
Illinois has announced plans for a football
version of the Busch Braggin’ Rights game to be held in St.
Louis the next two seasons. The Illini will line up against
Missouri at the TWA dome, home of the St. Louis Rams, on
Saturday, Aug. 31.
-
Illinois last played the Tigers during the
1994 season, defeating them in Champaign with the score 42-0.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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![](../images/ads/Tourism%20Bureau/tourism2.gif)
Illinois
men's basketball:
-
Illinois plays Loyola of Chicago Saturday
at 7 p.m. in Champaign. The game can be seen on WCIA-TV, channel
3.
-
Illinois will open conference play on
Wednesday night Jan. 2 at the Assembly Hall against Minnesota.
The game will also be seen on channel 3, WCIA.
-
Illinois has a very favorable start to the
Big Ten season. After the Minnesota game, Illinois plays two
straight road games against Wisconsin and then Purdue, two teams
who are really struggling early this year. Illinois then plays
three straight home games against Michigan (the worst team in
the conference this season), Iowa and then Wisconsin.
-
The Iowa game will be played on Tuesday
night Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. and will be televised nationally on
ESPN.
-
Illinois will only play Iowa, Penn State,
Northwestern and Ohio State one time this conference season. The
Illini will play the Hawks and the Nittany Lions in Champaign
and the Wildcats and Buckeyes on the road.
-
Illinois forward Lucas Johnson appears on
target for a Feb. 1 return from his torn ACL injury.
Look
for more Illini news and notes in the days ahead. And look for
live reports from New Orleans as Illinois prepares for the Sugar
Bowl on Jan. 1!
[Greg
Taylor]
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College
basketball |
Illinois
State falls to Kent State, 61-48
[DEC.
26, 2001]
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Andrew
Mitchell scored 12 of his game-high 17 points in the second half as
Kent State defeated Illinois State 61-48 at Redbird Arena. Shawn
Jeppson led the ‘Birds in scoring with 12 points.
The
Redbirds, 4-7, managed only 18 points in the first half, the total
tied the record for least points in a half for Illinois State at
Redbird Arena. The other 18-point half performance occurred on
January 23, 1993 against Bradley, when Illinois State was outscored
24-18 in the first frame. The ‘Birds were unable to generate any
points in the final 6:38 of the first half.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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Kent
State, 5-4, had two other players find double figures with Trevor
Huffman scoring 13 and Demetric Shaw chipping in 10. The Golden
Flashes were led on the boards by Antonio Gates with 11.
Baboucarr
Bojang was the only other Redbird to reach double figures with 11
points. Andy Strandmark had another great performance off the bench
for Illinois State leading the team in rebounding with seven.
The
Redbirds host Creighton to open their conference schedule on January
2, 2002.
[Todd
Kober, ISU director of media relations]
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Redbirds
battle back, then hold off Western Illinois
[DEC.
26, 2001] For
the second time in three days, Stacey White got a key rebound and
made two free throws to give Illinois State a three-point lead and
ice a victory, this time a 53-50 win over Western Illinois on
Saturday at Redbird Arena.
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Western
Illinois 6-4, was led by Becky Tyo with 20 points and Tugba
Palazoglu added 15, but she missed a jumper to take the lead with
four seconds left under heavy pressure from Steph Reichle, and White
got the rebound, got fouled and made the last two free throws with
0.00.9. Taren O'Brien led the Redbirds with 18 points. White added
12.
The
win was just what the doctor ordered for the Redbirds, according to
coach Jenny Yopp, right down to the final seconds.
"That's
two games in a row where we have improved our defensive
effort," said Yopp. "Steph played smart defense and got a
hard contest [on Palazoglu's shot], then we got a great box out and
Stacey White secured the rebound."
"My
teammates all blocked out and I knew all I had to do was secure the
rebound and I would get fouled," said White, whose similar play
netted two free throws with 18 seconds left against NIU, giving ISU
a three-point lead before Reichle blocked a last-ditch three-pointer
for
the win on Thursday.
ISU
has bounced back with two wins in a row after an 0-7 start, and
O'Brien believes her team hung in there.
"We
were never down on ourselves, even when we were 0-7," said
O'Brien. "Now, we've got some momentum going into the
conference. We're confident.'
Illinois
State 2-7, allowed WIU to hit 11 of its first 18 field goals, but
allowed just 5 of 29 after that. The Redbird defense was stifling
right to the end.
"We
lost our composure and lost our poise," said WIU coach Leslie
Crane. "You have to be able to shoot the ball and we had too
many people taking forced shots. We've been shooting 45 or 46
percent from the field because we wouldn't take our time."
[to top of second column in this
article]
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Palazoglu
scored five points during an 11-0 WIU run which put Western ahead
15-4 with 12:43 left in the first half.
The
Westerwinds had a 28-23 lead thanks to Palzoglu's 12 points. She
made her first five shots including a pair of three-pointers. WIU
made 11 of its first 18 field goals in the half and ISU was 7-24 for
the first 20 minutes. But the ‘Birds forced 12 Westerwind
turnovers and made 9 of 13 free throws to stay within five.
In
the second half, WIU led by as many as six before O'Brien
three-pointer and a Chris Kutchinski jumper cut the lead to 35-34.
Tyo muscled in an answer with 12:20 left to put the 'Winds ahead
37-34.
With
11:21 left, Katie Donovan picked up an offensive rebound and was
fouled on the put-back by Somer Easterwood, who also earned a
technical foul. White made the two technicals and Donovan's second
foul shot put the 'Birds ahead 38-37.
The
teams were tied 44-44 from 8:21 to 5:14 left when White beat the
shot clock with an off-balance one-hander from 15 feet. O'Brien
added a pair of free throws with 4:36 left to give ISU its biggest
lead at 4:36. Tyo cut that lead in half with a 15-footer at 4:10
left.
Reichle
made a free throw with 3:14 left to put ISU up 49-46. Tyo's ninth
and 10th free throws without a miss brought WIU within 49-48 with
1:34 left. O'Brien hit two for ISU with 1:21 left.
Jessica
Cook made two free throws with 28.9 seconds left to trim the lead to
51-50. ISU was attempting to run out the clock when Erica Zielinski
forced a held ball with 9.2 seconds left, and it was WIU's ball.
Palazoglu missed a 12-footer under pressure and White got the
rebound and was fouled with 0.9 seconds left and made the deciding
free throws.
[Nate
Bargar, ISU]
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Big
time game has big time atmosphere
Illini
rock the house and the Tigers 72-61
[DEC.
24, 2001] Some
games are just another game on the schedule. Other games are hyped
up so much that it seems like every game is a big game. However, if
you don’t think the annual Braggin’ Rights contest is a battle
of significant proportions, then you’ve never been to one before!
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I’ve been going to
them since the inaugural game, when my buddies and I would cruise
the old arena parking lot. We would hope that some rich alum would
take pity on us and give us a deal we couldn’t refuse. Those early
days are rooted firmly in my memory, and these most recent ones
won’t take much of a backseat.
You could feel the
electricity in the air as we passed the Gateway to the West entering
the city early Saturday evening. It was a struggle even to park.
I’m told that the reason there were so many people there was
because of all the good shopping opportunities. Is that still going
on? Sorry, I put my game face on back in Lincoln!
I felt good about
this one from the get-go. I don’t know why. I told my friends to
just shoot me the next time I feel this good going into any Illini
contest. I mean, I know so many people that pull for the Cubs,
Illinois, da Bears, the Bulls and for chicken little. I admit that
for the last two years it has really gotten to me. I’ve been
waiting for the sky to fall. But the battle on the Mississippi was
different. While everyone and his uncle, aunt and dog have been
diving off of the Illini bandwagon in recent weeks, I still feel
good about being the designated driver!
While I never
believed the hype surrounding this year’s quintet (and I’ve
stated so several times right here), I knew we would get better. I
even began to see it on opening night versus Gonzaga. While we
won’t be as talented as we were last year, we’re getting better
every day and with every game. The good news is that we can play a
lot better than we’ve shown so far.
I also reflected on
my days as a coach. It reminded me of a player that we recruited
from Louisville, Kentucky by the name of Alery Johnson. Alery used
to laugh at me when I got all worked up in practice. I would have
the game plan out and would want flawless execution. He would laugh
and say, “Don’t worry coach, it’s all under control.” Word!
And when the spotlight was on, Al would deliver, usually in these
big contests more than any other. I learned from him how much pride
that players can have and that there is something down deep inside
that can be mustered, at least sometimes.
[to top of second column in this
article]
|
So,
going into this game, I just had that feeling that we would call on
that intestinal fortitude for this game. Maybe I was just hoping
that our own Brian Cook would step up with teammate Frank Williams
and send those Whinnie the Pooh tiggers back to Columbia. I wanted
us to come out and play smash-mouth, not trash-mouth basketball. And
that’s exactly what we did. Missouri was content to go with
fool’s gold, while Illinois steadily left the Tigers in their
wake.
I don’t think it
was as close as the score indicated, although there were some
strange things that happened that seemed to keep Mizzou close. Not
the least of which was when some drunken fan tackled the Chief
during his halftime tribal dance. But I’m not going to go
there…at least not today. It’s Christmastime for crying out
loud! Let’s be festive. I was planted smack dab in the middle of
the Illini pep band, the Illinets and the cheerleaders. It was a
Final Four environment. Maybe it will make our Illini hungry for
more of the same kind of experiences. I’m just saying let’s be
happy. We won the Braggin’ Rights again! Is there a better way to
go into the big time holidays, than to capture a big time win in a
big time atmosphere? We don’t think so!!! CONGRATULATIONS,
Illini…we salute you! How ‘bout another Big Ten
Championship to go along with all this other big time stuff?
Merry Christmas
everybody from everyone here at the LDN sports desk!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
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High
school basketball |
Area
game results
[DEC.
22, 2001]
|
Boys
At Mount Pulaski
Mount
Pulaski
10 32 46 59
Meridian
16 30 48 66
Wilson
0-2-2; Tierney 3-1-7; Schilling 4-0-9; Olson 5-2-14; Blaum 1-0-2;
Anderson 9-0-23; Diebert 1-0-2.
Totals
23-5-59
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At Decatur
Hartsburg-Emden
14 25 40 57
Decatur St. Teresa 17
41 57 73
Ke.
Leesman 6-1-13; Fletcher 1-0-2; Wrage 3-0-6; Anderson 2-0-4; Gleason
3-0-9; Ko. Leesman 4-0-8; Jones 3-0-6; Olson 1-5-7; Hoerbert 1-0-2.
Totals
24-6-57
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College
basketball |
Redbirds
shoot for back-to-back wins
[DEC.
22, 2001] Normal,
Ill. -- On the heels of a 55-52 win over Northern Illinois, Illinois
State hopes to continue its women's basketball success with a
victory over Western Illinois. The 2:05 p.m. start at Redbird Arena
will challenge the Redbirds---WIU
has won three in a row in impressive
fashion.
|
The
Westerwinds have out-scored their last three opponents by an average
of 36 points per game. WIU is 6-4, with two of those losses at
the hands of Missouri Valley Conference members Bradley (79-77 in
the season opener) and Creighton
(70-60, the loss before the current win
streak began).
Becky
Tyo's 13.4 points per game leads a balanced attack which features
four players averaging in double figures scoring. Tiffany Cornelius
averages nearly eight rebounds per game. The win streak includes
a 73-54 win over Youngstown State, an 83-25 win over Monmouth
(Ill.) and a 75-45 win at Butler. The Westerwind defense has limited
opponents to just 33 percent field goal shooting and has forced
76 turnovers in the three games.
All
of that has Redbird coach Jenny Yopp concerned.
"Western
plays a tough, hard-nosed, physical style of basketball with strong
depth and scoring balance," said Yopp. "All five positions
on the court are scoring
threats. But Tyo and Cornelius are the 'X' factors;
we have to contain them on the boards."
A
year ago, the Westerwinds beat the Redbirds for only the second
time in 40 games in the series,
74-64 at Western Hall.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
WIU's
only loss in 17 games in Normal came Jan. 31, 1979, a 73-71 Westerwind
victory at Horton Field House. ISU has beaten the Westerwinds
12 times in a row at home since then.
But
that history won't matter on Saturday.
"Western
has a lot of momentum and confidence coming in here," said Yopp.
"We got a big win for our program (Thursday), and its tough
with a young team preparing with
just one day between games, but we will
have to be prepared for an all-out performance. We're certainly
excited about beating Northern
Illinois, but we will have to focus quickly
on Western Illinois."
Lone
senior Kristi Larson's 16 points led the 'Birds against NIU. The
6-foot-4 senior, who has battled
injuries most of her career, has impressed
Yopp with her intelligence and experience on the court.
"The
big thing with Kristi has been her execution," said Yopp.
"She is so smart and
understands the game so much better than she ever has.
Her experience benefits our team."
WIU
is the Redbirds' last non-conference game of the season. League
play for Illinois State begins
Dec. 29 at Indiana State.
[Thomas
A. Lamonica, ISU]
|
|
Pre-game
notes: ISU vs. Kent State
[DEC.
22, 2001]
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
|
|
Pre-game
notes: Illinois
vs. Missouri
[DEC.
22, 2001]
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
|
|
Junior
high
basketball |
Carroll
Catholic vs. Springfield St. Agnes
[DEC.
21, 2001] At
Carroll Catholic
|
Seventh grade
Carroll Catholic
44
Springfield St. Agnes
46
Justin
Ritchhart, 8 reb, 7 steals, 16 pts; Josh Baker, 11 pts; Zac O'Donoghue,
6 pts; Pat Washam, 8 reb.
|
Eighth grade
Carroll Catholic
47
Springfield St. Agnes
37
Derrick
Schonauer, 6 reb, 18 pts; Matt Schick, 11 pts; Joff Oller, 9 reb, 4
steals, 4 blocks, 10 pts.
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|
College
basketball |
Redbirds
fight for win over Northern Illinois
[DEC.
21, 2001] NORMAL
— Kristi Larson scored 16 points and Katie Donovan had 11 points
and 12 rebounds — her third double-double of the season — as the
Illinois State women’s basketball team fought off Northern
Illinois 55-52 Thursday night at Redbird Arena. It was the home team’s
first victory of the season.
|
Larson
led the Redbirds (1-7) by shooting 6-of-14 on the night while Steph
Reichle of Lincoln and Taren O’Brien had nine apiece. Jennifer
Youngblood led the Huskies (5-4) with 19 points, followed by Kim
Boeding and Stephanie Smith with eight each.
But
the game came down to Stacey White’s rebound of a missed ISU free
throw with 18 seconds left. She captured the miss by Larson, got
fouled and made both free throws.
"I
had been watching the block-out by Jessica Shattuck and noticed she
just went to the rim. I just tried to hold her off there and hope it
came off the rim," said Stacey White. "I had to secure the
ball. I wanted them to foul me because I had confidence in my free
throws."
Early
NIU sharpshooting put the Huskies ahead 25-19 on Stephanie Smith’s
3-pointer, giving NIU 11 of its first 16 field goals. But the Redbird
defense slammed the door at that point, holding NIU to just 1-of-14
the rest of the half and pressuring the Huskies into seven turnovers
in the last eight minutes.
Larson
scored 13 first-half points and O’Brien had six assists with no
turnovers as ISU led 34-27 at intermission, their first halftime lead
of the season. Katie Donovan and Steph Reichle had seven first-half
points apiece.
"We
forced some turnovers and fast-break points in the first half, and we
kept running plays for Kristi," said Donovan.
"We
worked hard in this mini-preseason," said Larson, whose team was
playing its first game in two weeks. "We stayed patient and ran
our offense and looked at all of our options. I’m confident because
we have plenty of options."
[to top of second column in
this article]
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O’Brien’s
3-pointer to open the second half and Donovan’s bank shot pushed the
Redbird lead to 39-27 two minutes into the second half. The Redbirds
maintained at least a nine-point lead until Jennifer Youngblood’s
rebound basket sliced the lead to 48-41 with
9:37
left, part of a 13-3 NIU run that cut the ISU lead to 51-49 on Kristan
Knake’s 3-point play with 4:31 left.
Reichle
answered with a 12-foot jumper to put the ’Birds back up by four.
Youngblood cut that to 53-51 with a jumper with 1:51 left. Monique
Davis chopped the lead to 53-52 with a free throw with 1:51 left
before NIU had three chances to take the lead, but the visitors couldn’t
convert against the Redbird defense.
Larson
went to the free-throw line with 0:20.9 left and missed, but White got
the rebound and was fouled two seconds later. White made the pair to
put ISU ahead 55-52, which secured the win.
"This
was a sweet victory because of way we were tested in the end and kept
our composure," Illinois State head coach Jenny Yopp said.
"This team just keeps improving and handling the pressure well.
Northern Illinois put us in a sticky situation, and I think this team
proved that its focus was on winning the game.
"We
kept it together, and I can’t attribute that to one player,"
Yopp continued. "So many of these girls have matured, and White
showed that with her huge rebound and free throws that saved the game.
These girls found a way to get it done, and I couldn’t be more proud
of this team right now."
The
Redbirds play Western Illinois at 2 p.m. Saturday in Redbird Arena.
[Erica
Fricke, ISU assistant director
of media relations for athletics]
|
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Redbird
ticket office announces holiday hours
[DEC.
21, 2001] NORMAL
— The Illinois State Athletic Department has released the hours of
operation for the Redbird Arena ticket office during the holiday
season.
|
The
office will be closed on Dec. 24 and 25, as well as on Dec. 31 and Jan
1. Otherwise the ticket office will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday through Friday, except for Dec. 26-28 and on game days.
On
Dec. 26-28, the office will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On dates
when the men’s or women’s basketball teams have home games, the
office will open at 8 a.m. and remain open until the completion of the
game.
For
further information please contact the Redbird Arena ticket office at
(309) 438-8000.
[Todd
Kober, ISU director of media relations]
|
|
Game
reports online from Redbirds and Fighting Illini
From
ISU
From
the University of Illinois
|
|
|
Mayfield’s
Mutterings…
|
By Jeff Mayfield
[DEC.
20, 2001]
|
Athlete(s) of the week
This
week’s athlete of the week was a difficult choice.
I
could have gone with Nathan Neal. In Zion Lutheran School’s thrilling 46-41
victory over Springfield-Our Savior’s Lutheran School (seventh- and
eighth-grade boys basketball), Neal poured in a career-high 15 points that
included three 3-pointers from way downtown — bang!
But
then some of the stats people out at Lutheran informed me that Kraig Sullivan
threw in 16 points! So, I considered making them my "co-athletes of the
week"!
But
then, some other fan pointed to the line that Chas Johnson turned in. He added
five points, nine rebounds, two assists, five steals and two blocked shots — a
fairly nice evening for any junior high player. So, then I contemplated making
the three amigos my "tri-athletes of the week."
Payne
pointed out to me that he really enjoyed the fifth- and sixth-grade players and
game as well, and he suggested, as only a baby could, that the nod should go to
Peter Ayars. By then, I was completely rattled because I don’t know if I’ve
ever even heard about that many players sharing an award of this magnitude. But
Payne hit me with his bottle and said why not? Why not the whole team, Dada?
So,
this week’s athlete(s) of the week (maybe we should consider adding a team of
the week) is the entire group of players from Zion Lutheran School along with
coaches Daron Whittaker, Brad Neal and Steve Schumacher.
Your
sportsmanship was even better than your games, and your games were excellent.
Keep up the good work, fellas, and keep shining your light!
Winter baseball?
Local
fans are buzzing about the recent signings and deals that both the Cubs and
Cards have made in the past few days. Here’s the rub on some of the number
crunching:
The
Cubs signed Moises Alou. Alou will, incredibly, be joining his sixth team. Last
year, in a Houston Astros uniform, he batted .331 with 27 home runs, 108 RBIs,
and he struck out 57 times. He is a career .306 hitter with 202 HRs and 834
RBIs. And despite what Texas fan Bobby Straface says about him, his .991
fielding percentage shows that he’s a pretty decent defensive player as well.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
The
Cardinals have added closer Jason Isringhausen. Jason went 4-3 last year for the
Oakland A’s. He had a 2.65 ERA and delivered 34 saves in 43 chances.
Amazingly, he did not hit a batter all season. He owns a lifetime 28-29 record
with a 4.13 ERA and 76 saves.
Remember
that he was converted into a closer after what was feared as a career-ending
surgery. His comeback has been a pretty neat story.
Another
exciting thing about him is that he is a .200 hitter, which is not bad for a
pitcher and means that manager Tony LaRussa will not always have to use the
double-switch when he goes to the bullpen! Hopefully, this will allow the
Cardinals to stop going with the closer-by-committee plan and use other pitchers
in middle relief and setup roles that are better suited for them.
St.
Louis also got what their fans hope is the coup of all signings, the addition of
first baseman Tino Martinez. Tino has been a part of all those Yankee world
championships. Hopefully he’s hungry for some rings on his other hand. Tino
continued his production by hitting .280 this past season. He belted 34 HRs and
had 113 RBIs with 89 runs scored.
I
scouted him personally with local scout Lynn Laughlin and former LCC great Curt
Swan. They thought we should add him sooner than the Redbirds did!
Tino
is a lifetime .274 hitter with 263 HRs and 1,002 RBIs. He is also a stellar
defensive player who has won several awards and been on numerous All-Star teams.
In fact, last season, with over 1,000 chances, he made only five errors, for a
.996 fielding percentage. That was the fewest errors he had made since he became
a starter, going back to his days with the Seattle Mariners.
The best thing
about Tino is his clubhouse manner. He is a crafty, wily veteran who will really
be a good influence on the younger players. He just may be the missing piece
that could launch St. Louis to another championship!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
|
|
Tuesday
morning morsels
By Jeff Mayfield
[DEC.
18, 2001] Tonight’s
game between Illinois and Illinois State pits two former Railers going toe to
toe, Brian Cook versus Gregg Alexander. While I’m not saying that this is the
first time it has ever happened, if some of you loyal readers know of other past
matchups, please e-mail them to us at ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com.
It may provide some fodder for a great feature or at least provide us with some
great memories.
|
Game
time is 7 p.m., and it marks the first time in 19 years that these teams have
played each other. We believe that ISU will have to shoot a high percentage and
limit their turnovers to offset the Illini’s strength and height advantage in
this contest. We’re hoping for an exciting contest, and the word on the street
is that a few hundred Lincolnites have tickets for this battle. We’re torn on
this one... so we just say good luck to everybody!
Want
on the Bears bandwagon yet? They have been simply amazing. And how they could
even think of letting a 10-3 coach go is beyond me. Back in my day if you won
games, you could coach indefinitely. Nowadays, it’s a week-to-week
proposition! Home-field advantage, in my mind, will be the determining factor as
to how far Chicago goes in the playoffs! And speaking of the NFL... in this very
column last week, we suggested that the Lions would break through soon. How
about Sunday?
We
also suggested that this past weekend the Railers would learn a lot about
themselves... and they did. They learned what intensity, hard work and teamwork
can do for you when you start putting things together. They smoked Springfield,
as SHS was content to chuck up shots from all over the place. Kankakee displayed
great quickness, but Lincoln probably played their best game of the season
against them. LCHS patiently worked the ball, feeding Erik Young in the post and
getting balanced scoring from the rest of the troops in both contests.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
Lanphier
and Southeast still loom as the teams to beat in the CS8, but don’t be
surprised if the Railers pull off some upsets along the way.
In
the upcoming holiday tourney it looks like Lincoln got a pretty tough draw, at
least by looking at the state’s power rankings. If the Railers can get through
the first two rounds that could set up a rematch with a very good Thornwood
team. Obviously, they are without Eddy Curry, who is now in the pros. If you
recall, Lincoln had some chances to upend them last year. We have a funny
feeling that the Railers are really going to fare well in this year’s
tournament...
Other than
that, it’s pretty quiet in the sports world today. I do want to wish my
favorite ballplayer, Payne Montgomery, congratulations on his first birthday. In
my mind, YOU’ll always be a CHAMP, big guy!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
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