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[JAN. 24, 2002]   

At Danville

Lincoln College       31  36   67

Danville Area          25  32   57

Roberson 1-0-2, Clark 1-1-4, Turner 8-3-21, Sams 5-2-12, Major 7-0-15, Hollyfield 6-0-13

Three-point field goals: Roberson, Clark 2, Hollyfield

[JAN. 24, 2002]   Gregg Alexander of Lincoln scored a game-high 16 points, including 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, leading the Illinois State men’s basketball team to a 58-55 win in Missouri Valley Conference action Wednesday night at Carver Arena in Peoria.

With the win, Illinois State (8-11, 4-4) notches its first conference road victory of the year and first win at Carver Arena since Jan. 21, 1998, when the ’Birds held on for a 57-54 victory. Bradley drops to 5-12, 2-6 on the year.

Alexander led all scorers, while Shedrick Ford added 14 points for Illinois State. Reggie Hall totaled 15 points on the evening, followed by Danny Granger, who had 11.

James Gillingham got Bradley on the board first with a layup after grabbing the offensive board on his own jumper to start the game. Leading by two at the 14-minute mark, Joah Tucker hit a turnaround jumper to boost the lead to 11-7 before the Redbirds tied it up off a Ford basket and layup by Andy Strandmark from Ford.

With Illinois State down by three, 22-19, after a 3-point shot by Phillip Gilbert at the 5:45 mark, Alexander hit his second 3-pointer of the half to even up the score.

Bradley answered back when a trey by Gillingham pulled BU up 28-23. But a quick return jumper by Alexander and a steal with a fast-break layup by the freshman closed the lead to just two at the half, 28-26.

Shawn Jeppson went long from behind the arc at the 11-minute mark of the second to bring ISU back up to a 37 tie with the Braves. Trying to take the lead two minutes later, Ford got fouled and went to the line. His two consecutive free throws gave ISU a two-point lead with just under eight minutes remaining in the game.

[to top of second column in this article]

With the score tied at 41 two minutes later, two consecutive 3s from Jeppson and Marcello Robinson kept the score even. But Alexander stayed hot behind the line, hitting his fourth 3 of the night before Vince Greene rolled in for a layup, lifting the ’Birds by five.

Still ahead by three points with 2½ minutes left, Ford hit a crucial jumper on the line as the shot clock sounded to give ISU another five-point cushion. A foul by Ford a minute later put Danny Granger at the line, where he hit both attempts and pulled BU to within three.

But Baboucarr Bojang sealed the lead after an easy layup and two free throws, giving Illinois State a seven-point lead, its biggest of the game, en route to the victory.

Robinson hit a 3 to pull Bradley to within that many with 26 seconds remaining, which proved crucial after Randy Rice missed an ISU free throw. With possession and 16 seconds left, Bradley’s Tucker threw up a mercy trey, but Andy Strandmark grabbed the rebound as time expired.

Both teams shot 47 percent for the game, while Illinois State was 11-13 at the foul line. The Redbirds did not miss a free throw until the last 33 seconds in the game.

The Redbirds return to Missouri Valley Conference action Saturday, when Drake comes to Redbird Arena for a 7:05 p.m. tipoff.

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

[JAN. 24, 2002]   Illinois coach Bill Self said all the right things on Monday, stating his Fighting Illini squad would not be out for revenge in Wednesday’s game against the Badgers. It was Wisconsin, you may remember, that handed Illinois their first conference loss, way back on Jan. 5 in Madison, 72-66. Self assured the media that Illinois was playing for a much higher and more noble goal: their second consecutive conference title. However, it definitely appeared as if Illinois was out for blood at Assembly Hall Wednesday.

Illinois jumped out to a quick 8-4 lead, led by two early baskets by Robert Archibald and a fierce defensive intensity, and never looked back in blowing out Wisconsin 80-48.

Illinois had three players in double figures: Cory Bradford had 16 points, Robert Archibald had 14 points and Lincoln’s Brian Cook finished with 12, as Illinois improved to 4-2 in the conference and 15-4 overall. Illinois will return to action Saturday at Indiana.

Illinois senior Lucas Johnson made his season debut around the 13:00 mark of the first half to a rousing standing ovation, and it did not take him long to make an impact. After helping Illinois to a defensive stop, he quickly asserted himself on Illinois’ first offensive possession with him in the game. As Sean Harrington nailed a 3-pointer on a nice feed from Archibald, Johnson and Badger Charlie Wills became tangled and both crashed to the floor. As the TV timeout began, Wills was seen pleading with Big Ten officials to do something about Johnson and his all-out, take-no-prisoners mentality. It is this stat-less quality which has been missing for the Illini and cannot be underestimated. Illinois senior Damir Krupalija also returned to action on Wednesday.

Wisconsin used a 5-0 run around the six-minute mark of the first half to get the Illinois lead back to single digits at 25-17. Self burned a quick 20-second timeout, but Illinois was not able to extend their lead, at least for a while. However, at the four-minute TV timeout, Self exploded on a pair of stripes at a no-call as Cook attempted to take a charge. His team would take the court after the timeout with his passion and enthusiasm and end the half on a 16-2 run, resulting in a 46-23 halftime lead. The run was highlighted by three Cory Bradford 3-point baskets and a Bradford steal and layup. In fact, many in media row were heard asking if the Bradford of two years ago was back. I know most Illini fans hope so.

Illinois shot an amazing 68 percent from the field in the first half and was led in scoring by Bradford, who had 16 points, and Cook, who had 10 at the intermission. Illinois also made 8-of-12 3-point shots in the first 20 minutes, led by Bradford’s four and two apiece from Cook and Harrington. Illinois had an incredible 14 assists in the first half on 17 made baskets to blow away the Badgers.

Illinois came out in the second half with a great deal of passion, beginning where they left off at the half. Wisconsin did not score their first basket of the second half until the 14:19 mark of the second half, and Illinois was able to extend their 23-point halftime lead, holding a 30-point advantage for most of the second half.

This year’s edition of the Wisconsin basketball team is nothing like the defensive-minded teams of Dick Bennett and Brad Soderberg. Wisconsin gave Illinois all kinds of fits last season, leading for 39 minutes in Champaign before Illinois won 68-67 on a last- second shot by Marcus Griffen. On Wednesday, Wisconsin couldn’t have guarded the Chester-East seventh-graders, as Illinois scored at will from both the inside and the outside. Illinois destroyed the Badgers on this night, looking like the conference title contender many experts predicted at the beginning of the season.

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Illinois football star Walter Young made his basketball debut at the four-minute mark of the game to a standing ovation and quickly showed fans why Self is excited about his presence in the program. Taking a feed from Blandon Ferguson, Young went up and attempted a two-handed dunk, which he missed. However, he showed athleticism on the play that only Illini Luther Head can match. A 6-foot-5 lefty power forward, Young gave this writer visions of Kenny Battle (all right, maybe not quite that talented) and showed why he may be able to contribute seriously to the success of this year’s team.

One key concern with the return of Johnson and Krupalija along with the emergence of freshmen Nick Smith and Luther Head is how team chemistry will be affected. While this may and probably will help the Illini in the long run, the bottom line of these developments is reduced minutes of playing time for most Illini players, especially big men Cook, Archibald and Smith. However, on Wednesday all was good in Champaign as Illinois looked like a team poised to make a long postseason run.

Now, Illinois must prove they can win a road game on Saturday at Indiana, one of the toughest places in the Big Ten to play.

•  All-American Frank Williams scored a season-low two points Wednesday.

•  Illinois took advantage of three straight home conference games, beating Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin by an average of 22 points.

•  Illinois will now hit the road for tough games at Indiana on Saturday and at Ohio State next Tuesday.

•  Illinois is 3-1 in their last four games played at Indiana, winning in 1997, 1998 (in the Knight-Ted Valentine fiasco) and in 2001. Overall, the Illini have won seven of their last 10 games played against Indiana, including three games in the Big Ten conference tournament (winning in ’99 and ’00 and losing last season in the semifinals).

•  Both games will be nationally televised, Saturday by CBS at noon and Tuesday by ESPN at 6 p.m.

•  Lincoln junior Brian Cook did not start the game for the Illini on Wednesday night, the first time this season Self has brought him off the bench.

•  Brett Melton has applied for a medical redshirt, meaning his season is finished.

•  Illinois’ next home game will be Sunday, Feb. 3, against Michigan State. Game time is noon, and the game will be televised nationally by CBS.

•  Illinois is back in the top ten of both major polls, checking in at No. 9 in the A.P. poll and No. 8 in the ESPN-USA Today coaches poll.

[Greg Taylor]

[JAN. 23, 2002]   

Boys

Normal West        5  22  36  41

Olympia                4  10  12  20

Dillenburg 3-2-8, Wise 0-2-2, Elliott 4-0-8, Olson 1-0-2

Lincoln                 12  20  37   55

Jacksonville          10  26  34   43

Farmer 8-3-23, Gallagher 0-3-3, Schonauer 2-0-5, Welch 2-0-4, Young 4-3-11

Three-point field goals: Farmer 4, Schonauer, Schrander

Mount Pulaski        11  26  38   62

Midwest Central    12  22   40   48

Coers 4-3-13, Tiemey 1-0-2, Clements 2-4-8, Olson 5-3-13, Blaum 0-1-1, Anderson 6-6-21, Deibert 1-0-2, Erlenbush 1-0-2

Three-point field goals: Anderson 3, Coers 2

[to top of second column in this section]

Girls

Lincoln                     6  16  31  39

Normal Community  7  17  27  40

Busch 1-4-6, Froschauer 2-1-5, Dawson 3-7-13, Ingram 0-1-1, Moore 0-1-1, Carney 4-5-13

Athens                     6  12  23   36

Mount Pulaski        11  18  29   43

Maske 1-0-3, Howe 3-2-8, Faith 2-0-5, Jason 2-0-4, Rucks 6-3-15, Sanders 3-2-8

Three-point field goals: Maske, Faith

[JAN. 23, 2002]   

Lincoln         50
Southeast     42

[JAN. 23, 2002]   

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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.

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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.

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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. 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.

[to top of second column in this article]

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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