LC swimmers break records,

take second in nationals

[MARCH 13, 2001]  Lincoln College finished second in the NJCAA national swimming and diving competition at Palo Alto Community College in San Antonio, Texas, this past weekend. The Lynx swimmers broke five records in the nationals and finished behind Indian River Community College for the third straight year. Indian River has won the national title in the men's division for 27 straight years.

Despite having only five swimmers in the women's division, Lincoln College placed fifth in the final team standings. Indian River again won the national title, for the 20th straight year.

Coach Dan Hemenway had several swimmers earn All-American honors.  The top four finishers in each event are declared All-Americans, while those placing 12th or higher are considered as honorable mention All-Americans.

Record-breakers for the Lynx included Alex Blanch and Matt Ryther in individual events. Blach broke a 17-year-old record in the 200-yard fly with a time of 1:53.60. Ryther also broke a 17-year-old record in the 400 IM with a time of 4:10.77. Blach finished second in the tourney and Ryther was third.

In addition the Lynx had three relay teams establish new Lincoln College records.  The 200 and 400 medley relay teams of Zach Welch, Alex Blanch, Ramior Palmar and Jason Demyen-Jones set new Lynx records. The 200 medley team placed second in the nationals with a time of 1:36.89. The 400 medley team had a time of 3:30.98, good for second place. The 200 free relay team comprised of Herman Wilcher, Sexton, Blanch and Demyen-Jones finished second with a new Lynx record of 1:28.70.

Top-five finishers for men swimmers from LC

200-yard free relay — 2. Wilcher, Sexton, Blanch, Demyen-Jones, 1:28.70.

200 IM — 4. Welch, 1:56.47; 5. Palmer, 1:57.55.

50 free — 2. Demyen-Jones, :21.33; 4. Blanch, :21.38.

400 medley relay — 2. Welch, Palmar, Blanch, Demyen-Jones, 3:30.98.

3-meter diving — 4. Justin Thompson, 857.10.

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200 medley relay — 2. Welch, Palmar, Blanch, Demyen-Jones, 1:36.89.

400 IM — 3. Ryther, 4:10.77; 4. Keith Tobin, 4:14.96.

100 fly — 2. Blanch, :51.16; 3. Demeyn-Jones, :51.84.

100 breast — 2. Palmer, :58.48; 5. Welch, :59.42.

800 free relay — 3. Tobin, Nick Colberg, Federico Gentry, Ryther, 7:13.95.

1-meter diving — 3. Thompson, 927.30.

1,650 free — 3. Gentry, 17:12.84; 4. Colberg, 17:18.47.

200 back — 4. Doug Zimmer, 2:03.73.

100 free — 5. Demyen-Jones, :46.79.

200 breast — 2. Palmer, 2:08.38; 4. Welch, 2:11.21; 5. Doug Gerofalo, 2:11.77.

200 fly — 2. Blanch, 1:53.60; 4. Ryther, 1:58.00.

400 free relay — 2. Wilcher, Sexton, Blanch, Demyen-Jones, 3:10.59.

Women's top-five finishers from LC

200 free relay — 4. Lindsey Luhtala, Bonnie DiFoggio, Liz Wilson, Kristen Jones, 1:49.71.

200 IM — 5. Jones, 2:28.77.

400 medley relay — 5. Jones, Emily Sansale, Wilson, DiFoggio, 4:39.75.

200 medley relay — 5. DiFoggio, Sansale, Wilson, Luhtala, 2:09.43.

400 IM — 5. Sansale, 5:18.39.

100 fly — 4. Wilson, 1:11.26.

100 back — 5. Jones, 1:04.59.

800 free relay — 2. Luhtala, Wilson, Sansale, Jones, 9:04.17

400 free relay — 4. Luhtala, DiFoggio, Sansale, Jones, 4:06.15.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

Lincoln College vs. Danville

[MARCH 13, 2001]  Danville ended the Lincoln College men's basketball season by winning the Region 24 championship 84-74 Monday night at the Danville gymnasium. The Lynx concluded a very successful season with a 26-7 record for coach B. J. McCullum. Danville advances to the National Junior College Tournament as a result of their victory.

Danville won the game at the free-throw line by connecting on 25-of-31 charity tosses. The Lynx got to the free-throw line almost as many times as the hosts but were able to covert only 14-of-27. Both teams made 27 field goals, Lincoln hitting six 3-pointers and Danville connecting for five. The hosts also had a huge rebounding edge in the contest, with 49 boards compared to 29 for the Lynx.  

Marlon Brooks led Lincoln College in scoring with 22 points while Creston Coleman and Jay Bates added 16 and 15 respectively. Danville placed four players in double figures, led by Pat Pachciarz with 20.

Danville led 33-27 at halftime despite shooting only 38 percent. Lincoln was limited to 36 percent shooting in the first half. Danville connected on nearly 54 percent of its shots the second half and added 21-of-24 free throws. Lincoln also shot much better from the floor the second half with 49 percent, but hit just 5-of-10 foul shots.

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Lincoln College (74) — Gene Reed 0-0-0-0-0; Creston Coleman 7-12-1-4-16; Jay Bates 6-10-3-7-15; Ryan Brinker 1-2-1-2-3; Marlon Brooks 7-22-3-3-22; Andrew Kehr 0-0-0-0-0; Michael Sams 2-4-0-0-4; Brian Moffitt 3-7-0-0-6; Eric Crockrell 1-4-6-11-8.  Totals: 27-61-14-27-74.  Three-point goals: Coleman, Brooks 5.

Danville (84) — Oscar Sanders 4-13-2-3-11; Pat Pachciarz 5-10-7-8-20; Sherman Foster 1-9-9-10-11; Virgil Akers 7-12-3-4-17; Eric Durrett 3-6-0-0-7; Sheddric Crawford 4-6-1-2-9; Ryan Petty 1-2-0-0-2; Eric Sowder 2-2-3-4-7.  Totals: 27-60-25-31-84. Three-point goals: Sanders, Pachciarz 3, Durrett.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

Area wrestlers compete at junior high state meet

[MARCH 13, 2001]  Two local junior high wrestling teams competed in the state meet at DeKalb: Olympia and Lincoln. At least 69 teams participated in the meet. Olympia came in 27^th with 38 points. Lincoln was 66^th with 6 points.

Olympia’s Chris Alexander was the champion of the 85-pound weight bracket.

[LDN]

Hartsburg-Emden, Mount Pulaski advance to Elite Eight in 7A volleyball

[MARCH 12, 2001]  Saturday evening the Hartsburg-Emden seventh-grade volleyball team defeated Peoria Limestone Walters in two games, 15-8, 15-12. The victory was a team effort, with Nicole Buse and Abby Olson contributing seven points each and Chelsey Rankin and Jillyn Cross each adding six. Olson had eight kills in the match and Rankin had five.

Vienna Purdue, Annie Sanders, Megan Backs and Abby Olson combined for a total of eight blocks in the match, and Sanders also lent a significant hand in the match with seven assists.

The Lady Stags advance to Elite Eight play, taking on Stewardson-Strasburg Tuesday, March 13, at 6 p.m. in Pawnee.

Mount Pulaski's seventh graders also advanced in tournament play, defeating Cornell in two games, 15-8, 15-6. The Honeybears take on Media Southern at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pawnee.

[Cherie Rankin]

LC vs. Illinois Central

[MARCH 12, 2001]  Lincoln College advanced in the Region 24 men's basketball tournament at Danville Sunday afternoon by downing Illinois Central College of Peoria 61-47.   The Lynx play next against the winner of the Danville-John Wood contest.

Lincoln College rode the scoring of Creston Coleman (19 points), Marlon Brooks (18) and Jay Bates (12) to the victory.   The three-guard tandem scored 49 of the Lynx' 61 points.   Lincoln College held a 27-20 halftime lead despite shooting only 32 percent.   The Lynx limited ICC to 26 percent shooting in the first half. Lincoln College picked up the shooting in the second half by making 10 of 25 (40 percent). The best Illinois Central could do was 29 percent (9 of 31) in the second 20 minutes of play.

In addition to leading the Lynx in scoring, Coleman grabbed a team-high 19 rebounds, 17 on the defensive end, to lead the Lynx to a 46-41 advantage in the game. Lincoln forced ICC into 16 turnovers, which contributed to 11 points. Lincoln was guilty of 14 turnovers.    The Lynx could have widened the margin with better free-throw shooting, making just 19-of-30 attempts for 63 percent.

[to top of second column in this article]

Lincoln College (61) — Michael Whrle 0-0-2-2-2; Gene Reed 0-1-0-0-0; Creston Coleman 6-10-5-6-19; Jay Bates 4-11-4-9-12; Ryan Brinker 0-0-0-0-0; Marlon Brooks 6-16-4-6-18; Michael Sams 0-7-0-2-0; Brian Moffitt 0-4-2-2-2; Eric Crockrell 3-4-2-3-8. Totals: 19-53-19-30-61.  Three-point goals: Coleman 2, Brooks 2.

Illinois Central (47) — Don Slach 1-8-0-0-3; Dane Ainsworth 1-4-2-6-4; Geoffrey Richard 2-10-2-3-7; Grant Uftring 2-5-3-4-8; Joe Elam 3-9-2-2-9; Chris Taylor 0-3-1-2-1; David Roos 4-11-1-2-9; Zach Scheirer 3-8-0-0-6.   Totals: 16-58-11-19-47.  Three- point goals: Slach, Richard, Uftring, Elam.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

LC vs. Parkland

[MARCH 12, 2001]  Lincoln College rolled to an impressive 90-70 victory over Parkland College in the Region 24 basketball tournament Saturday afternoon at Danville. Lincoln College, 25-6, moves on to the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. Sunday against the winner of the Illinois Central-Spoon River game.  

Lincoln completely dominated the first half, limiting Parkland to 19 points and 25 percent field goal shooting (7 of 28).  The Lynx shot 44 percent (15 of 34) during the same time span, giving them a 42-19 lead at halftime.   Parkland outscored the Lynx by three points in the second half; however, it was not nearly enough, as the Lynx put the game out of reach in the first 20 minutes.

Lincoln College had four players in double figures, led by the 28 points from Jay Bates.  Fellow running mate Marlon Brooks added 24 points while Michael Sams and Brian Moffitt both added 10 for the Lynx. Greg Morgan led Parkland with 20 points. Eric Crockrell scored only seven points for the Lynx but pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds as the winners had a slim 45-42 edge on the boards.

Lincoln College finished the game shooting 46 percent while Parkland warmed up in the second half and finished at 39 percent. The Lynx forced Parkland into 21 turnovers, and those turnovers led to 21 Lincoln points. The Lynx, meanwhile, had just 11 turnovers in the contest.

[to top of second column in this article]

Lincoln College (90) — Michael Whrle 0-0-3-4-3; Terry Reed 0-0-0-0-0; Gene Reed 0-3-0-0-0; Creston Coleman 2-7-2-6-6; Jay Bates 9-18-10-10-28; Ryan Brinker 1-1-0-0-2; Marlon Brooks 10-15-3-6-24; Andrew Kehr 0-2-0-2-0; Michael Sams 5-11-0-0-10; Brian Moffitt 5-11-0-0-10; Eric Crockrell 2-6-3-4-7.  Totals: 34-74-21-32-90. Three-point goals: Brooks.

Parkland (70) — Dustine Biermann 2-11-0-0-5; Ronell Jacobs 1-5-0-0-3; Mike Smellio 5-14-4-6-16; Mitch Allen 2-6-2-3-8; Erik VanDerstuy 1-2-0-0-2; Eric Steers 2-3-2-2-7; Greg Morgan 9-15-2-5-20; Aaron Barnett 2-3-2-2-6; Fred Long 1-5-1-2-3.  Totals: 25-64-13-20-70. Three-point goals: Bierman, Jacobs, Smellio 2, Allen 2, Steers.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

Area boys high school basketball results

[MARCH 10, 2001]  The team that eliminated the Lincoln Railers, the Mount Zion Braves, had a monumental upset win over the No. 1- seeded Lanphier Lions, 67-60, last night at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. That sets up a supersectional showdown with Peoria Richwoods on Tuesday at Redbird Arena in Normal.

Class A state results

At Peoria (Carver Arena)

Pinckneyville 71
Prairie Central 44

Westmont 67
Columbia 65

Pana 66
Farmington 62

Bureau Valley 65
Macomb 51

Class AA sectionals
At Peoria

Peoria Richwoods 49
Normal West 40

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Class AA supersectionals Tuesday

At Carbondale

Belleville East vs. Alton

At Redbird Arena, Peoria
Richwoods vs. Mount Zion

At Chicago St. Xavier
New Lenox Lincoln-Way vs. Thornwood

At Evanston

Schaumburg vs. Zion-Benton

At DeKalb
Aurora West vs. St. Charles

At Moline
Cary-Grove vs. Moline

At Hinsdale Central
Chicago St. Patrick vs. Lyons

[LDN]

Area high school basketball
athletes receive recognition

[MARCH 10, 2001] 

Two area girls received recognition for their basketball talents as they were named to the 23rd annual Champaign News Gazette all-state girls basketball team. Olympia junior Tricia Gaither earned special mention, and Lincoln senior Allison Humbert was given honorable mention.

The Illinois Basketball Association Class A all-state team was announced Friday. Illini Central High School senior Evan Arnold was named to the first team.

Tomahawk Conference all-stars

First team: Evan Arnold (Illini Central), Clayton Brown (Mount Pulaski), Anthony Fletcher (Illini Central); second team: Justin Anderson (Mount Pulaski), Brandon Grimsley (Illini Central); honorable mention: Kyle Miller (Illini Central), Kent Leesman (Hartsburg-Emden), Korey Davis (Mount Pulaski), John Deters (Illini Central).

Sangamo Conference all-stars

First team: Evan Arnold ( Illini Central), Anthony Fletcher (Illini Central); second team: Clayton Brown (Mount Pulaski); third team: Brandon Grimsley (Illini Central); honorable mention: Kyle Miller (Illini Central), Justin Anderson (Mount Pulaski).

[LDN]

[MARCH 10, 2001]  Illinois' record in tournament games is now 7-3, the most wins by any Big Ten team.

A win today over Indiana would certainly secure no worse than No. 2 seed for the Illini on the NCAA’s dance card.

The Big Ten’s record in NCAA tournament play since the inception of the Big Ten tournament is a healthy .673!

The Big Ten’s NCAA record for the three years prior to the Big Ten tournament was an abysmal .370!

The LDN is STILL not convinced that the Big Ten tournament is all that great an idea. For the NCAA, it IS ALL about the money! One example: Whether you sit in the front row at center court or in the nosebleeds, it still costs the fan $40 a session and $200 to attend the entire tournament. One Logan County resident went to the ticket window and paid $40 a seat for two SRO one-session tickets. It’s a world gone mad!

Over 15,000 of the 24,0000-plus fans in the United Center last night became Penn State fans as the Lions upset the highly touted Spartans. PSU’s win marked their biggest upset over the highest-ranked (No. 3 in the country) team in their history.

If you would’ve seen the first half of the Iowa-Ohio State game, you would’ve bet your house that the Buckeyes would win the game going away. That’s why we don’t recommend gambling. The teams apparently switched uniforms at halftime and the Hawkeyes came away with an improbable win.

Iowa’s win sets up a No. 6-No. 7 game versus those pesky Nittany Lions. LDN reporters were able to speak with league scoring champion Joe Crispin last night after their upset over Michigan State. Joe didn’t seem to care which team they played, he was just glad to still be playing.

[to top of second column in this article]

Crispin did mention two other facts:

(1) He felt their upset win over the Spartans guaranteed their admission to the Big Dance.

(2) He gave the glory to God by quoting from Isaiah 40 when asked how they came back after a tough game the night before!

The LDN was also able to speak with former Iowa legend Jess Settles prior to Iowa’s game. Jess says that his back is STILL killing him after the nasty spill he took in the Assembly Hall. Jess has two cousins that recently attended and played both basketball and baseball at Lincoln Christian College, Nathan Gorsch and Sam Reighard.

LDN reporters also took in the incredible Illinois Wesleyan-Elmhurst game last night. The Titans survived all the interesting stuff that went on and held on for a 3-point victory. The win moves them one game away from yet another trip to the NCAA III Finals. Lincoln’s Adam Osborn came up huge for IWU. Former area player Joel Searby, a Normal U-High graduate, is the star sixth-man for Elmhurst.

The Illini try to keep their dream season alive today with a 1:30 date with Indiana. The Hoosiers have won four in a row and have done so convincingly. Illinois will strive to avoid the upset to get back to Sunday’s championship.

The Penn State-Iowa game will begin 30 minutes after the Illini game is finished. The LDN believes that both contests will be aired on CBS.

The LDN was able to speak with Illini assistant coaches Rob Judson and Billy Gillespie during the Iowa-OSU game. While they were confident, they were leaving nothing to chance, scouting every game that they could. Judson keeps telling us, "Just keep your fingers crossed." Well, it’s gotten us this far, let’s keep going with it!

Lots of Lincoln residents were in attendance for the Illini’s outstanding drubbing of the Purdue Boilermakers. The LDN won’t mention ANY names, in case some of those spotted were playing hooky from work or school!

[Jeff Mayfield]

[MARCH 10, 2001]  Big Ten MVP Frank Williams led a balanced attack on Friday against rival Purdue in the quarterfinal round of the fourth annual Big Ten tourney, with Illinois winning the game 83-66. Williams scored 13 points, handed out 11 assists and had no turnovers as he showed a national television audience why he was voted best player in the league. Speculation continues to grow about a possible move to the NBA for the sophomore from Peoria, in spite of repeated denials by Williams.

Former Lincoln College standout Marcus Griffen scored 14 points and grabbed 9 rebounds and Lincoln's Brain Cook scored 10 points and also grabbed 9 boards.  Reserve Sean Harrington scored all 13 of his points in the first half and guard Cory Bradford continued to excel in the house that Michael built, scoring 13 points and connecting on three baskets from beyond the arc in the first half to give Illinois a comfortable halftime cushion.

Illinois continues its recent streak of success in the United Center, winning their ninth game in the last three seasons, including victories against Arizona, Kansas and two against Indiana.  Illinois has played in at least two games in every Big Ten tournament and has played in the championship game each of the last two seasons, both times losing to conference champion Michigan St.

After the game, Illini coach Bill Self called the Illini effort "the best we have had on the offensive end of the court in a long time".  The victory moves Illinois into a semi-final game on Saturday against the other Big Ten team from the Hoosier state, Indiana University.  The Hoosiers turned back Wisconsin 64-52 in the first game played on Friday in Chicago.  Other winners on the second day of the tournament included # 7 seed Penn St., a 65-63 upset winner against co-Big Ten conference champion Michigan St., and Iowa upset  #3 seeded Ohio St. 75 - 66 during Friday's final game.

[to top of second column in this article]

The Illini also dominated the boards, outrebounding the Boilermakers 40-28.  Illinois' four inside players were able to get almost every rebound they attempted and clearly overpowered Purdue.

The Illini received great support from their four primary bench players, with particularly strong efforts from Harrington and junior Damir Krupalija.  Harrington helped pace Illinois from the outside early in the game, hitting all three of 3-point basket attempts.  Krupalija played what may have been his strongest effort on the season, scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds in just sixteen minutes of action.  All the told, the Illini bench contributed 28 points and 17 rebounds.

Illinois continues its fight for their first ever conference tournament title and also is looking for their first #1 seed in the NCAA tourney since the magical final four season of 1988-89.  

[Greg Taylor]

Softball sign-ups for girls

[MARCH 10, 2001]  Softball sign-ups for girls will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 17, 24 and 31 at the Rec Center (same time and place as the Pony baseball sign-ups). The Girl's Softball League, run by the Lincoln Park District, is for girls in grades three through nine.

For additional information about the sign-ups, call the Rec Center, 732-8770, or check the Lincoln Baseball Association website: http://www.geocities.com/lincolnbaseball.

Pony baseball sign-ups

[MARCH 8, 2001]  The Lincoln Baseball Association will have their Pony sign-ups over the next few Saturdays for the upcoming summer baseball season. Pony baseball covers ages 7 to 14. 

Sign-ups will be at the Lincoln Rec Center on March 17, 24 and 31 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. An LBA board member will be present on each of the sign-up Saturdays to answer any questions about the upcoming season.

Pony baseball is of a recreational nature and is for all of Lincoln's youth. Come on out and enjoy America's pastime the way it's supposed to be.

The baseball league now has a website to provide information, schedules, standings and game-of-the-week recaps. The site is at http://www.geocities.com/lincolnbaseball.

[LBA news release]

Lady Lynx end basketball season with close game

[MARCH 8, 2001]  Lincoln College lost its opening-round game in the Region 24 basketball tournament to John Wood, 49-45, Wednesday night at the Lincoln College gym. The loss concludes the Lady Lynx season with a 20-11 won-lost record.

Coach Carol Wilson had her club on top by a slim two points, 25-23, at halftime; however, numerous second-half turnovers ended the Lynx season. Lincoln held a 36-30 lead in the second half but went scoreless due to turnovers for nearly seven minutes. John Wood held a 42-36 lead before the Lady Lynx were able to get back in the scoring column. Every time Lincoln got within two points, John Wood forced a turnover or a bad shot, and the Lynx were never able to regain the lead.

Christine Lott and Jenny Story each tallied 11 points to lead the Lady Lynx.  John Wood won the game at the foul line by connecting on 16 of 19 charity tosses.   Lincoln was able to make just five of 11 from the foul line.

Lincoln College (45) — Dawson 1-0-2; Sheley 1-0-2; Lott 4-3-11; Bausley 0-0-0; Story 5-1-11; Seiner 0-0-0; Beebe 3-0-6; Thomas 4-0-8; McLaughlin 0-0-0; Humphrey 0-0-0; Dullard 2-1-5; Massenburg 0-0-0.  Totals: 20-5-45.

John Wood (49) — Quigle 4-3-12; Fonseca 0-3-3; Hustedde 1-2-4; McEwen 4-4-12; Feldkamp 1-0-2; Stephens 3-2-9; Getz 2-2-7.  Totals: 15-16-49.  Three-point goals: Quigle, Stephens, Getz.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

Olympia wrestlers in Illinois/Indiana Classic Duals

[MARCH 8, 2001] 

A few wrestlers from Olympia won their weight divisions in the Illinois/Indiana Classic Duals this past Sunday afternoon. Josh Collins won the 125-pound division, and Justin Collins was scheduled for an exhibition match in the 130-pound weight division. Carlos Sanchez won the 140-pound division.

[LDN]

Railers' valiant effort comes up short

[MARCH 7, 2001]  No one expected the Lincoln Railers to even be in the game last night at the PCCC, but not only were they in the game, they came a couple of shots away from an electrifying upset of the Mount Zion Braves.

After trailing by four at halftime, Lincoln pulled to within one point, at 34-33, after six minutes of the third period had expired. That was as close as they would get, finally falling 51-42.

However, they did close out another amazing campaign, at 20-9, for yet another 20-win season.

Gregg Alexander continued his sensational postseason play by firing in 31 points. He finished his Railer career as Lincoln's all-time leading scorer, with an astounding 2,085 points.

In the end it was too much Neil Plank. He literally put the Braves on his back and refused to let his team lose to a gritty bunch of Railers. He led Mount Zion with 20 points and proved to be the difference in the ball game.

No need for the Railers to hang their heads as they finished off another very successful season. The Lincoln Railers are now in first place in all-time Central State Eight conference wins.

Good luck to all of our outstanding seniors and thanks for the memories!

[Jeff Mayfield]

photos by Jeff Mayfield

Boys high school basketball

[MARCH 7, 2001] 

Class AA sectional

Lincoln vs. Mount Zion

The Railsplitters put in a spectacular game against the state-ranked Mount Zion Braves at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield Tuesday night. Playing their best, the Railers started off strong, leading the Braves by five points, 15-10, at the end of the first quarter. The Braves played a great middle game, taking the lead in the second quarter and holding it through the third quarter into the fourth for a final 51-42 win.

Quarter scores (Lincoln first): 15-10, 23-27, 33-37, 42-51.

Senior Greg Alexander dropped five 3-point field goals in the hoop for the Railers, while junior Adam Schonauer added one also.

Lincoln stats: Ashley 2-0-4, Schonauer 1-0-3, Alexander 8-10-31, Tungate 0-2-2, Schrader 1-0-2, Farmer, Komnick, and Welch; totaling 12 field goals, 12 free throws, for 42 points.

Class A supersectional

Illini Central vs. Prairie Central

For the second year running, Prairie Central Hawks narrowly beat Illinois Central Cougars in the Class A supersectionals. The two super teams with super players battled it out to the last minute.

Quarter scores (Illini Central first): 11-13, 22-25, 34-45, 55-58.

IC team scores: Arnold 14, Deters 2, Miller 9, Fletcher 9, Grimsley 12 and Hankins 9 points.

[LDN]

Thomas looks at promising season

[MARCH 7, 2001]  Tony Thomas begins his eighth season as head baseball coach at Lincoln College and believes this may be one of his better squads. "We have more potential than any team I have had in seven years. Now we need to perform. I like our pitching depth and our defense," said Thomas.

"Our pitching could go 10 deep this season. Usually, I struggle to find four or five pitchers. Our leading candidates are Jaren McLane and Jason Rockhold. They should be our number one and two pitchers.  We have numerous other pitchers vying for the other starting spots. I would like to have four true starters, with two others as spot starters. We have enough depth that none of the starters are going to be required to go the distance in any game. We should be able to bring in some quality relief pitchers to close out the games," claimed Thomas.

The head coach continued, "Defensively we have the players to get the job done.  We have been preaching that if they make the routine plays, we can be a good defensive team. Our starting infield is made up of sophomores: Gary Ryan at third, Brad Bone at short, Chris Ackman at second, Erik Rich at first and Robert Sherren at the catching spot. We also have a sophomore, Chad Blackburn, in right field. Our center fielder, Charlie Hulett, and our left fielder, Jake Van Dyke, are both freshman. We have several good left-handed bats available, so some of our lineups may vary, depending on the pitcher on the mound against us."

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"Ryan is our leading hitter from last year, with a .345 average, and Bone just missed the .300 mark last season. We are looking for leadership both offensively and defensively from Bone," said Thomas.  "If our leadoff hitter, Charlie Hulett, can get on base, we should be able to score some runs with the offensive potential we have available. Hulett has good speed and can go get the ball in center field. We usually have one or two players who surprise us, and hopefully, we will have even more this year.  Depth should be a big plus for us this season. Several of the freshmen have the potential to contribute early and often."

Lincoln College opened its season March 3 with losses to Shawnee and Mineral Area, but coach Thomas said, "We were in both of those games, and we could have won one or both; however, that didn't happen. Usually we get blown out in the early games because we haven't been outside, but I was pleased with the way we played. It looks promising."

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

March 8 — At St. Charles (2), 1 p.m.

March 10-18 — Spring break games in Jackson, Tenn.

March 22 — Lincoln Christian (2), 1 p.m.

March 27 — At Spoon River (2), 3 p.m.

March 29 — Danville (2), 1 p.m.

March 31 — Lake Land (2), noon

April 1 — At Lewis and Clark (2), 1 p.m.

April 3 — At Illinois Central (2), 2 p.m.

April 5 — Lincoln Land, 3 p.m.

April 6 — At Quincy JV (2), 6 p.m.

April 7 — At John Wood (2), 1 p.m.

April 8 — John Wood, 1:30 p.m.

April 10 — Lewis and Clark (2), 2 p.m.

April 12 — At Illinois Central (2), 2 p.m.

April 13 — St. Charles (2), 1 p.m.

April 14 — At Parkland (2), noon

April 17 — At Lake Land, 3 p.m.

April 19 — Parkland, 3 p.m.

April 20 — At Danville, 3 p.m.

April 21 — Springfield (2), noon

April 24 — At Springfield (2), 1 p.m.

April 26 — Spoon River (2), 2 p.m.

April 29 — At Lincoln Land (2), 1 p.m.

April 30 — Millikin JV (2), 2 p.m.

May 1 — At Illinois Wesleyan, 6 p.m.

May 4-6 — Region 24 tourney

[to top of second column in this section]

Lincoln College baseball roster

Railers need your support

[MARCH 6, 2001]  In order to give the Lincoln Railers boys basketball team every chance in the world to upset the highly touted Mount Zion Braves, I'm encouraging EVERYBODY in Lincoln to drop what you're doing tonight and go to the PCCC in Springfield. If you get there by 6 p.m. you will see the under-card game between Danville (24-5) and state-ranked Lanphier (26-2). The showcase game featuring our own Railers will probably get under way at around 7:45 p.m.

No one in the media seems to think that Lincoln has a prayer. I guess they wish that the Railers would just mail in the results. As a reporter I just love these kinds of games. No one thinks that the Railsplitters can win. I guarantee you that the Railers will show up and that they will be on time. I'll go a step farther...if they can keep the taller, stronger Braves off the boards a little, limit them to one shot per possession, not give up any easy shots and contest every attempt all night, and execute their offensive sets, which is something they've been known for, for the last several years, they could move on to Friday night's sectional championship.

This is one media hound who believes. The LDN wants you to believe, too. So, if you do, I'm going to ask you to do a couple of things. One, I'm asking everyone to wear GREEN for tonight's game. I think we should paint the PCCC green and let all three of those other teams know that we are LINCOLN and that we're darn proud of that! And number two, no matter how the game goes, whether we're up or down, let's cheer wildly for our guys; and let's continue to display the good sportsmanship that proves we are gracious and winners both on and off the court.

Go get 'em, Railers!

[Jeff Mayfield]

Season honors for Brian Cook

[MARCH 6, 2001]  The Big Ten has announced that Lincoln's Brian Cook has made the media's All-Big Ten second team for this season and the coaches’ third team. For a while, many were touting Cook for the Player of the Year award, but that rightly went to the Illini's Frank Williams. Cook struggled for just two to three games and has really avoided the sophomore slump all year. During the middle of the season, when the Illini were a little lackluster, Cook put the team on his back and helped carry them to the Big Ten title. On behalf of the LDN, Lincoln and the surrounding area, we salute you, Brian Cook. And as always, go Illini!

[Jeff Mayfield]

LCHS ticket sales

Lincoln vs. winner of the Mount Zion-Quincy game

[MARCH 5, 2001]  Lincoln will play the winner of the Mount Zion-Quincy game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, at the Prairie Capitol Convention Center.

Tickets will go on sale from 6:30 to 7:30 Monday night, March 5, at the LCHS ticket booth and from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday at the main office.

All tickets are $5 (general admission).

The lottery will not be needed.

[Pat Zurkammer, ticket manager]

Lincoln College vs. John Wood

[MARCH 5, 2001]  John Wood hosted Lincoln College's basketball teams for two games. Both games were so close they went into overtime.

Lady Lynx

The Lady Lynx played a tight game.  In the first half, Lincoln led 34-19.  During the second half, John Wood’s ladies’ team made a comeback to tie the game 66-66.  In overtime, John Wood made eight points, and Lincoln made only seven.  The final score was 74-73.

Beebe, without question, was Lincoln College’s star female player.  She made 31 points, including all seven of the Lady Lynx overtime points.  Beebe shot nine field goals and 13 free throws.  Behind Beebe were Dawson, with 12 points, and Dullard and Thomas, each with 10 points.  Dawson made four field goals and four free throws.  Dullard scored four field goals and two free throws.  Thomas made the team’s only 3-pointer, plus three field goals and one free throw.  Lott helped the Lynx with six points, and Story and McLaughlin each earned two points for their team.  Altogether, the ladies made one 3-pointer, 25 field goals, 20 free throws and 73 points. 

John Wood’s women scored three 3-pointers, 23 field goals, 19 free throws and 74 points.

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Lynx

The Lynx were three points ahead of John Wood at the end of the first half.  John Wood was three points ahead of Lincoln at the end of the second half.  In the first overtime, each team made eight points.  In the second overtime, Lincoln earned five more points than John Wood: 16-11.  The final score of the game was 89-84.

Three of Lincoln’s players really stood out:  Michael Sams, Marlon Brooks and Creston Coleman.  Sams scored eight field goals and three free throws, or 19 points.  Brooks shot three 3-pointers, three field goals and three free throws to equal 18 points.  Coleman earned 17 points with one 3-pointer, four field goals and six free throws.  Jay Bates and Brian Moffitt were also great assets to the team.  Bates made five field goals and three free throws, or 13 points.  Moffitt made 12 points with four field goals and four free throws.  Eric Crockrell scored eight points with four field goals.  Gene Reed made two points for Lincoln’s Lynx.  As a team, Lincoln shot four 3-pointers, 28 field goals, 21 free throws, and scored 89 points.

John Wood’s men’s team made their 84 points with 11 3-pointers, 21 field goals and nine free throws.

Lincoln College finished off the regular season 24-6 overall and 12-2 in the CCCI.  Their next match is on Saturday, March 10, in the second round of the Region 24 tournament in Danville, when the Lynx will play the winner of the Parkland/Rend Lake game. 

[LDN]

Olympia and Lincoln junior high
wrestlers compete in tournament

[MARCH 5, 2001]  Eleven junior high wrestling teams competed in the IESA Sectional in Stanford this weekend.  Olympia finished in sixth place with 60.5 points.  Lincoln came in 10th with 33 points.

The events in which Olympia or Lincoln placed in the top three were as follows:

80 pounds — Olympia:  Benny Vorass won by technical fall over Aaron Smith of Prairie Central, 2:30.

85 — Olympia:  Chris Alexander decisione Tim Robberstad of Mahomet-Seymour, 6-2.

95 — 3^rd place:  Clint Horner of Olympia

100 — 3^rd place:  Josh Rodgers of Lincoln

167 — Bloomington:  Erik Miller pinned Kevin Carroll of Lincoln, 2:10.

[LDN]

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