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Saturday, March 29

Lions Club Heart of Illinois All-Star Basketball Classic

[MARCH 29, 2003]  Last night's benefit game marked the 16th year for this event and provided an opportunity to spotlight the area's top senior high school basketball players while raising funds for charitable causes. Portions of the proceeds from this game have in the past gone to the Lincoln Boy Scouts, DCFS Children's Furniture Fund, Habitat for Humanity, Lincoln Youth Football and other assorted charities. The South took last night with a 112-87 victory.

All of last night's players have concluded their eligibility for high school basketball and were required to sign a statement acknowledging their understanding that this is the only all-star basketball game in which they may play and remain eligible for spring sports during this school year.

Last night's all-stars were selected in voting conducted by area varsity coaches, after being nominated by their high school coaches.

The schools eligible to have players selected for the North were Bartonville Limestone, Bloomington Central Catholic, Canton, Chillicothe IVC, Clinton, DeLand-Weldon, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Delavan, Downs Tri-Valley, Dunlap, East Peoria, El Paso, Eureka, Farmer City Blue Ridge, Glasford-Illini Bluffs, Greenview, Hartsburg-Emden, Havana, Heyworth, Illini Central, Kincaid South Fork, Leroy, Lewistown, Lexington, Lincoln, Lovington, Metamora, Midwest Central, Morton, Mount Pulaski, Normal U-High, Olympia, Peoria Heights, Peoria Christian, Tremont and Washington.

The South schools are Argenta-Oreana, Athens, Auburn, Buffalo Tri-City, Central A & M, Cerro Gordo, Chatham Glenwood, Decatur St. Teresa, Divernon, Edinburg, Girard, Meridian, Maroa-Forsyth, Monticello, Mount Zion, Niantic-Harristown, Pawnee, Petersburg PORTA, Riverton, Rochester, Springfield Calvary, Springfield Ursuline, Springfield Lutheran, Taylorville, Virden, Williamsville and Warrensburg-Latham. 


[photos by Bob Frank]


 

[News release]


Articles from the past week

Friday:

Thursday:

  • High school baseball

Wednesday:

  • High school baseball

  • High school softball

  • Lincoln College baseball vs. Lewis & Clark

  • 2003 State Farm Holiday Classic teams lined up

Tuesday:

  • ISU football prospectus

Monday:

Saturday:

  • High school sports

Cook's Illini career is over

By Jeff Mayfield

[MARCH 24, 2003]  Of all the scripts Lincoln's Brian Cook has authored through the years, none were even close to what actually materialized Saturday in the stinkin' RCA Dome. Who ever heard of a team nailing 11 3-point shots in a first half? Much less the team being a basketball team from Notre Dame! I've heard the phrase "luck of the Irish," but that was ridiculous! But give ND some credit; they came out and played the game of their lives, when Illinois wouldn't have hit water if they had fallen out of a boat.

Too bad it was at the expense of one of our favorite sons, Brian Cook. When Cook's shots failed to drop he tried to will his team to victory. Especially judging by a career-high 16 rebounds.

And while the SCORE, especially most of their nut-case callers, and several other distraught fans throughout Illini nation want to blame this loss on one scapegoat, believe me, there's plenty of blame to go around for the entire team. I will say that you're not going to beat many people when they convert 13 treys. In fact, why don't I just go to the summation right now: Notre Dame hit their shots, Illinois didn't… end of story!

Stray arrows (boy, does that sum up the game or what?)

--Cook became the third highest point scorer in Illini history with his 19 versus the Irish. He finishes with 1,748 points.

--He's also fifth all-time on rebounds with 815 and fourth in blocked shots with 136.

--He and his teammates went 51-2 in the Hall during his four years -- an all-time record and the best home record in the country over that four-year span.

--He and his mates were one win away from advancing to the Sweet Sixteen for an unprecedented third straight time.

--I still think he will be a top 15 pick in the NBA draft and maybe even a lottery pick.

 

[to top of second column in this article]


[photo by Tom Seggelke]

--The Big Ten still has two teams alive in the final 16. Not bad for a weak, soft conference in supposedly a down year!

--Bracket busters… I've still got three Final Four teams left, but I'm not winning any bracketology awards.

Congratulations to:

--The Lincoln Railers for having the most wins in the state of Illinois! Did you notice that Peoria Central and Thornwood just happened to be two of the teams that were able to upset Lincoln this year?

--The Lincoln College Lynx for finishing seventh at the national juco tournament in Danville with a thrilling 95-73 victory over Bevill State Community College from Louisiana. The Lynx lost a heartbreaker by two on opening night or, who knows, Lincoln might have won it all!

--Hartsburg-Emden, the 7A state volleyball champions!

--In 8A action, Hartem and Mount Pulaski have advanced to the Final Four round!

If you're going to disappoint me, disappoint me when the weather's like this and we can all enjoy being outside… Are there even any basketball games left???

We'll sort it all out on "FANdamonium" tonight at 6 on the LDN live link, CITV Channel 5 and FIX 96.3 FM radio.

Have a great week, everybody!!!

[Jeff Mayfield]



Announcements

Lincoln PONY sign-ups run through March 29

[MARCH 6, 2003]  The Lincoln PONY Association will have its annual spring sign-up this year beginning March 9 and running until March 29. Sign-up sheets can be obtained at the front desk of the Lincoln Rec Center. On Saturday, March 29, representatives of Lincoln PONY will be on hand to assist with signups.

Lincoln PONY ball is for both boys baseball and girls softball, ages 8 through 14.

Additional information can be obtained at the Lincoln PONY website and at http://www.pony.org/.

 

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