Sports News,  Sports Talk,  Schedules,  Announcements

Sports News Elsewhere  (fresh daily from the Web)

[JAN. 29, 2002]   

Girls

Illini Bluffs           19  35  44   62

Mount Pulaski      6   11  25   38

Maske 1-0-2, Sanderson 6-3-15, Faith 4-2 11, Rucks 2-1-5, Jason 1-0-2, Howe 1-1-3

Three-point field goals: Sanders 3, Faith, Howe

Warrensburg       8  26  37   54

Maroa                5  10  22   36

Streckfuss 7-1-17, Reynolds 2-0-4, Weber 4-3-11, Connel 3-0-11, Martin 1-0-2, Cluver 5-0-10, Perry 1-0-2, Littrell 0-1-1

[JAN. 29, 2002]   

Men

Lincoln Christian     32  41   73

Judson                    42  50   92

Clark 8-4-21, Raymer 4-0-11, Below 5-0-11, Turney 3-0-8, Okusami 3-0-6, Grooms 1-0-2, Searby 6-1-14

Three-point field goals: Raymer 3, Turney 2 Clark, Below, Searby

[JAN. 29, 2002]   

[Click here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]

[Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]

[JAN. 28, 2002]   

Boys

At Springfield

Lincoln               17  29  42   56

Springfield          11  22  34   44

Bunch 1-0-2, Farmer 7-4-20, Schonauer 0-3-3, Schrader 6-0-14, Young 7-3-17

Three-point field goals: Farmer 2, Schrader 2

Girls

At Lincoln

Lincoln                4  16  29   40

Springfield         10  17  27   41

Dawson 5-6-14, Robbins 1-1-3, Ingram 3-0-8, Froschauer 1-0-2, Moore 1-2-4, Carey 2-0-5, Whalen 1-0-2

At Stanford

Olympia               2  20  30   38

University High   10  20  33   40

Floyd 2-2-7, Prager 3-1-7, Gaither 3-6-15, Canopy 1-1-3, Goebel 2-1-5, Litwiller 0-1-1

Three-point field goals: Gaither 2, Floyd

[JAN. 28, 2002]   

Urbana     131

Lincoln       50

[JAN. 28, 2002]   

At Lincoln

Men

Maranatha              38  36   74

Lincoln Christian     26  29   55

Clark 2-5-15, Raymer 1-0-2, Below 5-2-13, Brodfuehrer 1-0-2, Turney 1-0-2, Okusami 0-2-2, Grooms 1-1-3, Searby 7-1-16

Three-point field goals: Clark 3, Below, Searby

Women

Maranatha             34  31   65

Lincoln Christian    27  22   49

Robbins 6-3-16, Urton 1-0-2, Szostek 1-0-2, Wright 5-1-12, Wertin 1-0-2, O’Malley 1-0-3, DeBore 0-1-1, Jewell 3-1-7, Davis 1-1-4

[JAN. 28, 2002]   

Men

At Lincoln

Parkland              42  31   73

Lincoln College    35  42   77

Roberson 2-0-4, Clark 2-3-9, Fowler 2-1-5, Turner 3-8-14, Sams 2-0-6, Major 6-4-18, Hollyfield 6-4-21

Three-point field goals: Hollyfield 5, Major 2, Clark 2

[JAN. 28, 2002]   NORMAL — Rice scored a career-high 17 points as Illinois State defeated the Drake Bulldogs 68-54 in Missouri Valley Conference action Saturday night at Redbird Arena.

Illinois State, 9-11 overall, 5-4 in the Missouri Valley Confererence, made six of its 12 3-point attempts in the game for 50 percent. The Redbirds also shot 88 percent (22-for-25) from the free-throw line on the night.

Shedrick Ford, with 15 points, was the second-leading scorer for the ’Birds, while Baboucarr Bojang collected his sixth double-double of the season with a 14-point, 10-rebound performance. Shawn Jeppson also found double digits in the scoring column, with 13 points, all of which came in the second half.

Drake, 8-11, 3-6, had only one player in double figures in scoring, with Luke McDonald collecting 11 points. The Bulldogs shot only 36 percent in the game, including 9-for-27 from the field in the second half for 33 percent.

[to top of second column in this article]

Midway through the first half, Illinois State capitalized on a Drake scoring drought that lasted nearly five minutes to take a five-point lead on the Bulldogs, 18-13. However, Drake went on to score the next seven points and take the lead 20-18 with 4:42 remaining in the half. Bojang scored six points at the free-throw line to lead the ’Birds on an 11-3 run to close out the half and head into the break with a 29-23 advantage.

In the second half, Drake was able to cut the lead to two, 31-29, on an Andry Sola 3-pointer with just over 17 minutes remaining. However, Illinois State had an answer for any further attempts to cut into the Redbird lead. Clutch free-throw shooting by the ’Birds in the final two minutes sealed their third-straight conference victory.

The Redbirds continue their conference slate Wednesday, Jan. 30, with a home game against Northern Iowa at 7:05 p.m.

[Rob Huizenga, ISU athletics media relations]

[JAN. 28, 2002]   Kristy Larson poured in 14 points and freshman Katie Donovan snagged 12 rebounds, but the Southwest Missouri State Bears came from behind to upend the Illinois State women’s basketball team 59-55 Saturday afternoon at Redbird Arena.

Illinois State, 5-12 overall and 3-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play, led by 13 at the half after shooting 50 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. Cold shooting took over after the intermission as the Bears went to a zone defense, and the ’Birds made just 6-of-29 in the second half. The ’Birds also missed some key free-throw attempts down the stretch as SMS struggled to hold off Illinois State.

SMS, 9-7 overall, 6-2 in the Valley, placed three players in double figures. Anne Cavey and Jennifer Lingor led all scorers with 16 points apiece, followed by Erica Vicente with 11.

The ’Birds led 8-6 early before a Donovan free throw with 14:52 left started a 7-0 Redbird run featuring a layup by Taren O’Brien, plus a jumper and two free throws by Larson. ISU had a nine-point lead and stretched it to 13.

Larson’s 10 points and some smothering defense helped the Redbirds take a 33-20 halftime lead. ISU shot 50 percent and turned the ball over just five times, while the Bears made just 8-of-27 field goals for 30 percent and had seven turnovers.

"We knew that they were going to come right at us in the second half," O’Brien said. "I think we needed a little more intensity, and that made the difference. We didn’t pick up our intensity in the second half and did not match theirs."

[to top of second column in this article]

The ’Birds led 40-33 in last year’s game against SMS before the Bears put on a second-half sprint to win 81-69. SMS must have remembered that, because after ISU led 37-24 with 17:03 left, Carolyn Weirick keyed a 15-2 run over the next five minutes. Jenny Lingor’s third 3-pointer of the game tied the score at 39-39 with 12:21 left.

Illinois State responded quickly after a time out. O’Brien’s 3-pointer gave the Redbirds back the lead, but Lingor hit a free throw and then a 3-pointer to put SMS up 44-42 with 8:45 left in the game. Larson tied it with a turn-around jumper. SMS scored the next five points, though, on a jumper by Vicente and a 3-point play by Cavey.

Stacey White hit a 3-pointer at 5:05 to cut the SMS lead to 49-47, but Vicente’s back-door cut to the basket put the Bears back up four with 4:49 left. Donovan hit a free throw with 4:40 remaining to slice the lead to 51-48.

"Clearly the second half was different than the first half," Redbird coach Jenny Yopp said. "SMS fought very hard and is a very strong program. The changing defense they had was really a challenge for us. They gave us a hard punch that second half. We started settling for 3s and rushing shots and never really got into the flow. It’s tough to get into the flow in a zone if you’re pushing it."

Illinois State continues its homestand next week with games against Northern Iowa on Friday and Bradley the following Sunday. (Click here for pre-game notes.)

[Erica Fricke, assistant director of media relations, athletics media relations, ISU]

[JAN. 28, 2002]   

[Click here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]

[Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]

[JAN. 28, 2002]   MADISON, Wis. — Senior co-captain Christian Goy clocked the fastest 3,000-meter run in the nation for the 2001-02 indoor track season with a NCAA provisionally qualifying time of 8:02.46 at the Wisconsin Elite Invitational in Madison, Wis. It was the second-best time for the indoor 3,000-meter run in Illinois State history.

"Christian was just trying to go out there and compete," said Illinois State head track-and-field coach Jeff Pigg. "The field of runners in the 3,000 was loaded with talent, and for Christian and Rob (Breit) to go out there and run as well as they did, it tells you something about their ability."

Breit, a senior who competed in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in the fall of 2001, claimed a fourth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:19.

Some other highlights on the men’s side included a first-place finish for sophomore JaRod Tobler in the long jump with a mark of 24-1 (7.34 meters), a first-place finish for senior co-captain Alfie Gordillo in the 35-pound weight throw with an NCAA provisionally qualifying mark of 64-1 (19.53 meters) and an outstanding performance by freshman Gabe Cruz in the 800-meter, with a time of 1:53.62 for second place.

For the Redbird women, freshman Angie Drew finished second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.17 behind unattached runner Katrine Nielsen, a former ISU All-American. Junior Alia Hoyle won the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.77, while senior Keri Davis won in the 400-meter with a time of 59.38.

[to top of second column in this article]

Freshman Laura Kennedy had an impressive performance collecting a win in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:16.82. It was the best time in the event for the Illinois State women this season. Senior Nicole Blow earned a season-high mark in the triple jump with 38-4 (11.68 meters), which was good for a second-place finish.

"The team had a great meet today," said Pigg. "We lined up and did a great job in nearly every event. The kids have been working hard over the last couple of weeks, and sometimes after working so hard a team can come into a meet looking tired, but I thought our team looked impressive today."

The men competed against Illinois and Wisconsin in their meet, while the Illinois State women competed only against Wisconsin. Oregon did not compete as originally scheduled.

The Redbirds return home to host the Redbird All-Comers meet on Saturday, Feb. 2.

[ISU news release]

[JAN. 26, 2002]   

Boys

At Stanford

University High                   9  23  28    46
Olympia                             6  11  23    42

Olsen 3-2-8, Elliott 0-2-2, Wise 1-4-6, Dillensburg 5-1-12. Sherman 2-1-5, Cheek 3-0-9, Schultz 0-0-0, Slager 0-0-0, Kieser 0-0-0, Thornton 0-0-0.

Totals 14-10-42

At Hartsburg

Greenview                        16  26  31    40
Hartsburg-Emden             14  34  40    53

Westen 0-0-0, Ke. Leesman 1-0-2, Anderson 5-0-10, Gleason 2-4-9, Jones 2-1-5, Wrage 8-4-20, Fletcher 2-0-4, Ko. Leesman 1-1-3.

Totals 21-10-53

[JAN. 26, 2002]   ESPN has selected the Indiana at Illinois men’s basketball game to be televised on Feb. 26. Game time is 6 p.m. CST.

The Michigan State at Ohio State men’s basketball game will be televised by ESPN Plus at 8 p.m. EST on Feb. 26.

[University of Illinois sports news release]

[JAN. 25, 2002]   

Girls

At Stanford

Eisenhower                      18  28  41    47
Olympia                           23  38  48    58

Short 3-0-6, Gaither 8-5-24, Canopy 1-0-2, Goebel 0-1-1, Litwiller 4-1-9, Floyd 4-3-11, Prager 2-1-5.

Totals 22-11-58

At Mount Pulaski

Williamsville                     14  26  45    54
Mount Pulaski                    2  13  23    26

Maske 1-0-2, Sanders 3-0-6, Faith 1-0-3, Rucks 2-4-8, Reeley 0-0-0, Hudson 0-1-1, Jason 1-0-2, Howe 1-0-2, Cyrulik 0-0-0, Stoll 0-0-0, Gleason 1-0-2.

Totals 10-5-26

[JAN. 25, 2002]   NORMAL — Taren O’Brien scored a game-high 19 points, including 11 from the free-throw line, to lead the Illinois State women’s basketball team past Wichita State, 68-64, in conference action Thursday night at Redbird Arena.

O’Brien left the game around the 12-minute mark of the second period with a cut on her chin, but despite the injury she came back to lead the ’Birds to victory. Illinois State had three other players in double figures, with Stacey White chipping in 13, Katie Donovan with 11 and Steph Reichle contributing 10. ISU, 5-12, 3-5, out-rebounded the Shockers 38-36.

The Shockers, 8-9, 3-5, lost for the second time in two games, although Wichita State won the previous four meetings against ISU. The Redbirds attempted a season-high 37 free throws, hitting 24.

"We’re a beat-up team right now," said Wichita State head coach Darryl Smith. "We have been letting teams beat us all season long. The team just isn’t responding to my coaching."

Buckner had six points in the first six minutes to help Wichita State take a 14-8 lead, but Illinois State kicked into high gear, scoring on five of six possessions in a 10-0 run to take an 18-14 lead on White’s bank shot with 11:33 left. Jennifer Kaczka broke the string with two free throws with 11:14 left. Then, a Reichle 3-pointer, another by White and steal-and-layup plays by Taren O’Brien and Reichle put ISU up 28-16.

The Redbirds stretched the lead to 32-19 on a Kristi Larson back-door layup with 3:28 left in the half. Wichita cut that lead to 36-27 at the intermission. ISU shot 56 percent in the first half to WSU’s 31 percent and forced 13 Shocker turnovers.

[to top of second column in this article]

ISU had a 47-37 lead on Reichle’s two free throws with 13:39 left in the game. Kaczka responded with a layup, and Raeven King scored at 12:42 while being defended by O’Brien, who had to leave at that point with the cut on her chin.

O’Brien returned with 8:28 left, but Tisharria Huggins reduced the Redbird lead to 50-48 nine seconds later with a 3-pointer from the corner. Two Reichle free throws and an old-fashioned 3-point play by White put ISU back up by seven with 7:15 left. WSU trimmed it back to two on two Carlisa Dixon free throws with 6:13 left.

The Redbirds continued to get stops on the defensive end, holding the Shockers to only one field goal from the 7:02 mark to inside two minutes left, when ISU led 63-56 on two free throws by Donovan.

The fouls continued to come from the Shockers, and ISU went to the line six times before the end of the game, connecting on five. It was enough to seal the win, as a free throw by Reichle at the :01.4-second mark secured the victory.

"Obviously Wichita State is a very physical and strong team," head coach Jenny Yopp said. "Most of the girls were a little more experienced and understood their size, so we knew how to play against them.

"Right now we are a little bloody and bruised, but basketball is a very physical sport," Yopp continued. "You never knew what was going to happen in this game so we just played every moment to the best of our ability, even when Taren was off the court."

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

[JAN. 25, 2002]   

[Click here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]

[Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]

[JAN. 25, 2002]   

[Click here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]

[Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]

[JAN. 25, 2002]   NORMAL — The Illinois State Athletics Department has announced that a bus trip has been scheduled for the men’s basketball game at Indiana State on Saturday, Feb. 9.

Fans interested in going to the game can ride on the bus, which leaves from the G-82 parking lot at 11:30 a.m. that day. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:05 p.m. (CST).

To make reservations, patrons can call The Redbird Club office at (309) 438-3803 or e-mail redbirdclub@ilstu.edu. Cost of the event is $25, and that includes a game ticket as well as reserved seat on the bus.

The bus will not be stopping on the trip to or from Terre Haute, so everyone needs to bring food and beverages (no glass).

Reservations will be taken until Feb. 5.

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

[JAN. 25, 2002]   

[Click here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]

[Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]

[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.

[to top of second column in this article]

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]   

[Click here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]

[Click here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]

[JAN. 28, 2002]   (By the way…this was written before Saturday’s game.)

...on this year’s Illini basketball team.

Yes, they have been ranked in the top 10 all season long, but if you knew who was voting on that you’d be even more unimpressed than you may be now.

At times Illinois has rocked the house. At other times they have been the ones getting rocked. I think the Missouri game still sticks out in my mind as the game that displayed the kind of mindset that I’d like to see game-in and game-out. They came out on the court and hit Missouri right in the mouth the first trip down the floor. They were basically saying that you’re not going to beat us tonight. The only thing that is in doubt is how bad the beating will be.

That’s the way the old UNLV teams were in 1990 and 1991. What I loved about those teams is that it never mattered whom they played. They just blew them out and waited for the next victim. Illinois will have to consistently embrace that kind of an attitude if they want to get back into the Big Ten race and if they want to make a deep playoff run.

Getting Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalija back will help, but it’s not like adding Jordan and Malone! While it does make us deeper and gives us many more options, chemistry is volatile and a very delicate thing. Hopefully, coach Bill Self has been able to sell our guys on the fact that everybody’s playing a role and that the only thing that really matters is getting the W.

Currently the Illini are in the throes of a brutal back-to-back road set with Indiana and Ohio State. If both games are lost, all of this discussion will be moot. If you sweep them, you may well be on your way to another title. A split is a must to keep your conference hopes alive. Whatever happens, it should be interesting.

We’re glad to see our suggestion being employed. We’ve stated on more than one occasion that the way to help Brian Cook be more productive is to give him more touches, especially early on in games. That tends to keep him out of foul trouble, helps him to play better defense and inspires him to dominate the boards. Since Illinois has involved him more in this manner, the Illini are 3-0. Whether that will continue and whether the Illini’s newfound roster strength will equate to quality road wins is anybody’s guess. For our money, the jury is still out…

(By the way… this was written after the game...)

For those of you who thought the addition of Johnson and Krupalija would cure all ills… guess what? It didn’t. We now await the Tuesday night results to see what direction this thing is going to go.

The ISU Redbirds, led by Lincoln freshman sensation Gregg Alexander, are on a bit of a roll themselves lately. Gregg had a monster game Wednesday night against Bradley in Peoria. Alexander led the Birds in scoring with 16 tallies,  including a 4-of-7 night from downtown.

Oh, what we would have given to have had him healthy for our state quarterfinal game on that same floor! We’re not saying that we would’ve won the state championship, but we are saying that we would’ve advanced to that game. Then, anything could’ve happened. I know that most of you loyal fans don’t like to play the "what if" game…

We’re just saying that we hate injuries, for either team. We want to play our best against your best, and may the best team win.

ISU has climbed all the way back to .500 in the Valley at 4-4 and will now make a run at .500 for the season. Not bad when you consider that their best player, who just happened to be the nation’s highest returning scorer this year (Tarise Bryson), got hurt on opening night. That left many to feel that ISU would be lucky to win 10 games.

We’d like to see their roll continue all the way to an NIT bid. What a testament that would be to the moxie of this Redbird ball club! A lot of work will have to be done to get that far, but it is a goal that could be reached. Stay tuned.

As a matter of fact, the train does continue to roll along. ISU hammered Drake 68-54 Saturday night for their third win in a row. That makes ISU 9-11 on the year but does take them to 5-4 in league play.

[to top of second column in this article]

Alexander needed to put in only five points but did pull down eight rebounds. One of our favorite reporters, Bryan Bloodworth of the Pantagraph, named Alexander the captain of the Valley’s all-freshmen squad at the halfway point. Bloodworth added what we’ve been saying all along, "Where would the Redbirds have been this season without his all-around consistent play?"

My reporters tell me that a crowd actually developed Saturday night to the tune of 8,010 (I didn’t think there was all that much to do in central Illinois even on an Indian summer day), and that they actually made some noise. Maybe some of them might actually wander down to Roy S. Anderson one of these days…

The Lady Redbirds won a thriller Thursday night,  68-64, over Wichita State. Lincoln’s Steph Reichle scored 10 points, pulled down nine rebounds and hit a big foul shot in the closing seconds of the game. ISU has already matched their win total from all of last season and is on their way back to .500 as well.

...were probably not as sharp as coach Neil Alexander would have liked them to be in Tuesday night’s win over Jacksonville at the PCCC. However, since the rivalry with them has escalated in the last few years, any win over them is a good win in our book.

Next up for the Railers will be a difficult road test at Springfield High School. I’m sure the Senators will play a lot better than they did in Roy S. earlier this season. Springfield did not shoot that well from the perimeter, and Lincoln pulled away from them in the second half.

A host of Railers have been playing well of late, including Derek Schrader, Cory Farmer, Adam Schonauer and Eric Young. Josh Gallagher has made some valuable contributions as well.

Speaking of Farmer and Young… What about the efforts they turned in Saturday night at Springfield! Yes, I know that the Senators are not what they’ve been in the past. And yes, I know that the Railers beat them in Lincoln. But, it is still difficult to win in Springfield, even when we’ve had our best teams! So, don’t just sneeze at Lincoln’s 56-44 conquest over SHS. Congratulate Cory Farmer and Eric Young on 20- and 17-point performances, respectively.

Also, where are all the people downtown who said Lincoln would be lucky to be a .500 team this year? We’ve asked several people if we could use their names for a quote, and so far we’ve had no takers. Just what we imagined. The Railers are now 14-5, on their way to yet another 20-win season and may well upset a few powerhouses along the way. There are a lot of towns in the state of Illinois that would love to have such a mediocre basketball team and program.

To the Railers: We’d love to see you guys SHOCK all of the doubters and give us another trip to Peoria!

•  The Lincoln High School swimming team. They display their craft in virtual obscurity. They have to practice at night and at other weird times just to get in the pool, and they still overcome additional obstacles to compete at a pretty high level. Thanks also to the team for sending us the results!

•  We’re also giving a nod to Illini Central for their exhilarating upset over the Class A No. 1 team in the state, Pleasant Plains. IC won 62-52 Friday night, and that makes Coach Jay Genseal’s squad 15-5 and 6-0 on the year while PP slipped to 19-2 and 5-1 in the league. Nice going, IC and coach Genseal!

The Lincoln High School wrestlers swept the quadrangular with Southeast, Springfield and Peoria Manual. That leaves Lincoln with a 19-5 record, which is what we believe to be their best in last few years. It also should sew up a second-place finish in the CS8 for second-year coach Brad Gardner’s grapplers. LCHS seniors Chase Neitzel, Dan Sparks, Ryan Sullivan, Maurice Agaid, Michael Martin, Wes Allen, Andy Frost and Jeff Barringer all won their bouts. The LDN wishes the entire squad good luck in the postseason.

[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]

Back to top