The Minute Maids of Bunker Hill won big tonight as they dominated Marissa 55-29.  They owned the offensive and defensive boards and never trailed  as they took a 13-10 lead into the 2nd quarter.  Brooklyn Hlafka hit for 14 as did Lovejoy. Paul was solid with 6-8 shooting and 12 points.  Ivestor added 9 and Golike 2 to round out the scoring.  59% shooting from the field and 78% shooting from the line helped in the win. They also only turned the ball over 7 times in the win and will be a real match for Routt on Thursday. The Meteors had trouble getting enough points to stay in touch for the game.  Wine finished with 14 points while Sloan added 8, Phelps 4, Metheney 3, but it wasn't enough.  The 18 turnovers didn't help the cause, but the biggest problem was the height of the Bunker Hill.  It will be interesting to see Bunker Hill match up with Routt in the title game on Thursday.  Routt won the earlier contest when the Minute Maids played without Paul.  It will be fun to see if she makes that much difference in the game.    

Routt got off to a slow start in the game and once again in the third quarter, but in between time they were sharp and posted a 66-23 win over Pawnee to set up their re-match with West Central in the championship game on Thursday. The Indians were over-matched this evening and couldn't keep up with the Rockets. Gleich and Karli Gary each hit 6 points and Crain 5 but 38% shooting with a low number of shots and on 1 for 2 in free throws didn't help.  Then when you add in 37 turnovers, it was just too much to overcome. Lonergan led the Rockets with 25 points as she hit 10 of 11 shots and 2-2 in free throws. Lindsey added 9 and Arendt 6,  while Brown, Zenge, Heimgartner and White all scored 5. Eilering put in 4 points as well as Routt improved to 23-6 on the season. They shot 47% from the field and 71% from the line and took good care of the ball with 11 turnovers. It is a shame that Routt or West Central will end their season tomorrow night, in the regionals, as they are two of the best teams in the area and deserve a better fate.   

In their first game at the state tournament, the Our Saviour Shamrocks knocked off a very good Effingham Sacred Heart team 43-27.  They led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter and 20-15 at half.  The Effingham team came back to take the lead in the third quarter and Jacksonville turned it up a couple of notches on the defensive end to take control.  They led 30-21 at the end of the third and pulled away in the 4th.  Hayes and Carie scored 10 each for the Sacred Heart Shamrocks while McWhorter, Roedl and Kasdorf each scored 2.  Effingham hit 12 of 33 shots and 3 of 6 free throws while turning the ball over 18 times.  They forced 20 turnovers on Our Saviour.  Our Saviour hit 14 of 24 from the field and 13 of 20 from the line, after starting out 2 of 6.  Birdsell led all scorers with 25 points as Jackson added 7 and Stremlau 5 in the victory.  Our Saviour is playing good, unselfish team ball and everyone is contributing.  In state play, they have been choosing their shots and hitting a high percentage of them. They cause match up problems for whoever they face.    

We got our first look at the 7 1-A Shamrocks of Our Saviour School and they were impressive in their 43-24 win over Griggsville-Perry in the Waverly Sectional Championship. The win put the Shamrocks in the Elite 8 and they will play at the state level on Saturday in Mt. Pulaski.  Kaleb Bradshaw played well for G-P with 10 points, but the Eagles only hit 6 of 21 shots and 7 of 13 from the free throw line.  They also turned the ball over 24 times against the taller Shamrocks. In spite of losing the game, Griggsville-Perry played hard and represented themselves well.  The ended their season with 17 wins and only 6 losses.  Our Saviour got 14 points from Birdsell and 10 from Jackson with Stremlau adding 9 as they pretty much dominated the paint and controlled the boards.  They shot 36% as a team and hit 70% of their free throws while only turning the ball over 3 times from the starting unit.  This is not a great shooting team but they work hard on the boards and get 2nd and sometimes 3rd chances to put the ball in the hole. They will cause a lot of match up problems for whoever they meet at the state level.  

The All-Tournament (10-person) team was named:  Lindsey Smith and Paige Luehmann from Granite City, Megan Plogger of Greenfield, Cassie Endicott-CM, Josie Klocke-Calhoun, King-West Central, Eilering and Lindsey-Routt Catholic and Karlee Gengenbacher & McLaughlin-QND.  Gengenbacher and King shared the MVP honor.

Routt took home the 5th place trophy with a 48-30 win over Jerseyville.  The Panthers had 8 players score in the game and no one had more than 6 points.  They shot 39% with 11 of 28 shots made.  They also turned the ball over 23 times and hit 4-4 from the free throw line.  The Rockets had 12 turnovers as they did a nice job in taking care of the ball.  They shot 40% with 17-42 shooting and hit 9 of 14 free throws in the win.  Eilering scored 12, Lonergan 11, White 8 and Lindsey 7 as they shared the ball.  They improved to 19-5, won 3 of 4 games and will face the Hardin-Calhoun Warriors at home on Monday. 

It was a close battle from the beginning to the end and Alton won the Consolation Championship as they defeated the Greenfield Tigers 37-36.  Greenfield has had turnover problems through the later part of the season and into the tournament.  They were haunted again today and turned it over 26 times in the one point loss while only forcing 12 on the Redbirds.  They hit 14 of 29 shots (48%) and 9 of 13 free throws (69%) and that wasn't good enough to overcome the turnovers.  Plogger knocked down 19 points and Bishop 11 in the loss.  Hampton scored 14 and Jaida Moore 10 in the Alton win as they hit 13 of 42 shots and 7 of 21 free throws.  It was a nice win for the #10 Redbirds as they improved to 7-17 on the season.      

The Quincy Notre Dame Raiders had a little tougher time at the beginning and were tied with Granite City 23-23.  They scored the next 6 points and led 29-23 at half time and extended it to 49-32 after 3 and won the game 60-40.  Lindsay Smith had a nice game with 17 points for the Warriors.  Granite City shot 39% from the field and hit 8-13 (62%) of their free throws. They had 19 turnovers and just couldn't stay with the Raiders for 4 quarters.  Karlee Gengenbacher was strong tonight with 22 points while Kassidy Gengenbacher added 16 and McLaughlin 11. They shot 62% from the field, 55% from the line and had 16 turnovers in the win.  It is the relentless pressure defense and the points off of turnovers that make the Raiders so tough to beat.  It will be interesting to see if West Central can stay with them in the championship game.

The Carrollton Hawks were good early and stayed with Alton through 2 quarters.  They were tied at 21 at half time and only trailed by 4 at the end of the third.  Then the bottom fell out and the Redbirds went on to win the game 52-36 and earned the right to play Greenfield for the consolation title on Saturday.  Amy Schnettgoeke made 7 of 17 shots to score 16 points and lead the Hawks.  Carrollton could only manage 27% (13-48) in field goals and 44% in free throws, even though they only turned the ball over 13 times.  Alton made 17 of 41 shots and 13 of 18 free throws in the win. They did turn the ball over 21 times but were able to get away with it.  Cynthia Moore scored 14, Jaida Moore 13, Brownlee 11 and Hampton 11 as the Redbirds spread the ball around offensively.    

Greenfield defeated Alton Marquette 40-32 and will play in the consolation championship on Saturday at 2:00. Bishop and Ploggere each scored 10 in the win while Kelly and Kelsey Pembrook had 5 each.  The Tigers shot 14-35 from the field and 11-12 from the line for 92%.  They did have 20 turnovers and continue working on that aspect of their game. Morrisey came off of the bench to score 10 for the Explorers and Dunn, who did not start, scored 8.  McFadden and Kylee Eavens each scored 5 in the loss.  They were only able to hit 23% (12-52) from the field and 37.5 (3-8) from the charity stripe in the game.  They had 15 turnovers as well as they fell to 5-21 on the year.    

QND played very good defense and turned the Eagles over 33 times tonight to post an easy 68-20 win to get themselves into the semi-final round. Endicott scored 8 points to lead Civic Memorial and played most of the game in foul trouble. The Eagles were 0-2 from the free throw line and hit 9 for 30 from the field.  They were out shot 54-30 from the field and were only able to turn the Raiders over 6 times in the game. QND shot 50% from the field and 6 for 13 from the line in the win. They had 10 players score for the 2nd game in a row and were led by Karlee Gengenbacher and Kassidy Gengenbacher with 15 points as Obert added 10.  This has been, by far, the most impressive team in the tournament and are going to be hard to stop.  Their next game is 6:30 on Thursday as they face Granite City. 

The Carrollton Hawks played a nice game tonight and dominated the Shells of Roxan 64-38.  Ordlock had 3 treys for Roxana, to lead the way, while Rexford, Donohoo and Liley each added 8 points in the loss. The Shells shot 50% from the free throw line and only 27% from the field as they fell to 3-17 on the year.  Nolan had her best game of the tournament with 16 points as Berry and Ann Schnettgoeke added 10 each.  The Hawks shot 38% from the field and 8 for 11 from the charity stripe.  They forced 16 turnovers on the Shells and had 19 of their own.  They will face a physically tough Alton team on Thursday at 5:00.  

The West Central JV came into the Lady Hawk Tournament with 11 wins and 0 losses and put up a good fight in their 2 losses to varsity teams from Civic Memorial and Greenfield.  They led in both games, into the 4th quarter, before eventually losing and I suspect it was due primarily to just getting tired.  These were primarily freshmen and sophomores against more physically mature juniors and seniors and they got worn out. Tonight's score was 42-36 as Megan Plogger led the Tigers with 26 of the 42 points as the Cougars had no answer for her. Kelsey Pembrook and Bishop added 7 each as Greenfield shot 51% from the field and 64% from the line with 18 turnovers.  Lietz scored 17 for W. Central and Kaufmann 9 as the free throw shooting was not good as the Cougars hit only 3 of 11 in the second half when they needed to stay close. They hit 11 of 38 shots from the field and put a little scare into the Tiger program. Alton Marquette defeated East Alton-Wood River, in the second game of the night, (42-31) and will face Greenfield on Wednesday at 5:00 pm.      

Quincy Notre Dame is the #1 seed in the tournament and has won it all the last 2 years.  They got off to a solid start with a 99-38 win over Greenfield this evening. Some of the Greenfield fans felt like the Raiders poured it on and ran up the score but, I could see it from both sides of the court. It was the substitutes who played most of the 2nd half and are just part of a very good team. It would be difficult to ask them to not shoot, not run the offense and just kill the clock as they are asked to contribute anytime they are called on. As for the Tigers, no one wants to get beat that badly but sometimes it is just a mis-match and that is how I felt this evening.  Plogger played her normal good game of basketball and led Greenfield with 14 points as Kelsey Pembrook added 8 and Bishop 7 in the loss. The 39 turnovers for the Tigers was one of their biggest problems as they hit 70 per cent from the line and 41% from the field. The Raiders hit 41 of 66 shots and 14-24 free throws in the win.  The only negative side of the game for QND was their 18 turnovers.  Frericks was impressive with her 17 points and Karlee Gengenbacher hit 14 as well. Twelve of the Raiders scored in the game which shows you how much they substituted in the win. The Raiders will take on Civic Memorial in the next round.

West Central played three and one half quarters of good basketball today and won a 61-48 decision over the Alton Redbirds.  Hampton scored 14, Jaida Moore 13 and Cynthia Moore 10 in the Alton loss. They shot 39% from the field as they hit 18 for 46.  They hit 7 of 16 free throws and had 15 turnovers in the game.  The Cougars led by 21 points at the end of the 3rd quarter and lost their concentration about half way through the 4th.  While the game was not in danger, it just wasn't a strong finish for the #2 seed Cougars. King had 26 points as Schaad added 13 and Kirbach 11 and the Cougars improved to 16-5 on the year.  Kirbach is 4 points shy of 1,000 on her career and will be hoping to get them on Wednesday night.  West Central shot 63% from the field but had 24 turnovers and only hit 5 of 13 free throws in the win. It was a good game for them however and sets them for their game With Jerseyville on Wednesday at 6:30. 

Routt Catholic has been playing very good basketball since their 9 point loss to class 2A powerhouse Bloomington Central Catholic.  Today was more of the same as they got out early and dominated the East Alton-Wood River Oilers 61-25.  Kelsey Harrison did get double figures (11 points) for EAWRbut it was a lopsided game.  The Oilers hit 10 for 31 from the field and 5-8 in free throws with 21 turnovers. The Rockets had 10 players score in the game and were led by an unlikely player, Alex Worrell.  She scored 16 points in a short period of time and was 6 out of 7 from the field with 3 treys.  Eilering continued to play well and scored 12 points.  Lindsey only shot twice in the game and made both of them as she finished with 5 points. Routt hit 22 of 47 shots, 5 of 9 free throws and did a great job of taking care of the ball as they only committed 6 turnovers.  The Rockets will take on #5 Granite City on Tuesday evening.

The Triopia Trojans are a good young ball team but the Panthers of Jerseyville were a little too physical for them today.  The final was 53-30 and put the Trojans into a game with Alton who will try to push the them around inside. Huey led the Trojans today with 8 ponts and Washington played just a short time in the game but hit 3 for 3 from the field and blocked to shots as she continues to get better game by game.  Triopia hit 6-8 in free throws and 12-34 from the field as they had a hard time keeping up in the number of shots Jerseyville shot.  The Panthers were 23 of 50 and 5-9 in free throws with 17 turnovers.  The Trojans turned it over 27 times in the loss.  Samantha Parker played well as she hit 19 points for the Panthers and Shelby Smith added 14, prior to hurting her ankle.  Hopefully this talented senior will be ready for their next game as they take on a good West Central team.  The Panther-Cougar game will match up two very physical teams and will be fun to watch.  

Griggsville-Perry won the 5th place game as they defeated WHNG 38-34 as DeSpain was the leading scorer with 13. Bradshaw added 10, Whitaker 8, Hobson 5 and Moore 2. The Tornadoes were 16-49 (33%) from the field and hit 5 of 11 (45%) in free throws while giving the ball up 16 times. The Spartans had 20 turnovers and hit 12-36 (33%) from the field and 10-18 (55%) from the line. Price and Knox had 10 points each in the loss. It was a close throughout the ball game.

In the 3rd place game, the Saukees trailed through 3 quarters and eventually won 50-41 as they closed strongly. Willard had 5 points at half time and tossed in 16 more in the second half to lead the way.  Newingham had her best game of the tournament, with 16, and Lipcamon added 7 of her own. Pittsfield shot 43% from the field and 32% from the free throw line while turning the ball over 20 times. Twenty nine turnovers for the Panthers helped seal their doom as they hit 50% from the line and 53% from the field. Well rounded scoring is one of the strengths of Litchfield and it was true in this game as well.  Hull had 11, Going and Smith 10, Painter 8 and Thorpe 2 as the Panthers fell to 10-9. It was a rough game with 42 fouls called.

The Championship game turned out to be a surprise as it was an 18 point difference in the final score.  West Central was the #1 seed in the tournament and were coming off of a very nice win over Litchfield in the semi-final round.  Today they were only able to play one good quarter out of the four and got too deep in the hole to come back. After only trailing by 1 point at the end of the first quarter, they were out scored 19-8 in the 2nd quarter and lost 57-39 at the end. Schaad, filling in for the injured Tomi White, had a good game with 12 points and Kirbach hit double figures with 11.  King, who was averaging 22.6 points per tournament game, was held to just 9 points on 4-6 shooting from the field and 1-2 from the line.  The Cougars, as a team, shot 4-9 from the line and 16-32 from the field. Routt had 20 more shots from the field and hit 44% (23-52) of those.  They were 9-18 from the line but they only turned the ball over 9 times while forcing 18 turnovers on West Central.  Lonergan led the Rockets with 17 points as Eilering had another good game with 12.  Erika White played her most solid over all game of the tournament and contributed 9 points in the process. Lindsey added 8 and Zenge 5.  Brown also had her most consistent game of the week with 6 points and strong play in the paint.  Routt was the better team today and took home the championship trophy.  These two teams are in the same regional, so they are not done on the year and the regional game may prove to be the tie-breaker.

ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS:  Eilering & Lindsey- Routt, Kirbach & King - West Central, Bergerud - Virginia/AC, Loos - WFNB, Price - WHNG, Shelby Smith - Litchfield, Willard - Pittsfield and Whitaker - Griggsville-Perry.     

In a low scoring game, the host school White Hall North Greene fought WFNB right down to the wire and hung on for the 30-27 victory.  The offense for the Scotties was absent for most of the game for some reason and they just couldn't get over the hump.  Loos had 14 points in the game but no one else had more than 4 points. They shot 11-142 from the field and 4-15 from the free throw line even though they only had 13 turnovers in the game.  The Spartans did a little better as they shot 31% from the field, 66% from the line and had 18 turnovers in the win.  Price had 10 points as Sarah Randall and Elissa Elliott added 7 each. 

Beardstown won big tonight as they dropped Brussels 61-35 and will play Greenfield at 11:00 am for the consolation championship.  The Tigers put up 25 points in the 4th quarter to put the game away last night.  Harris tallied 16, Rawlins 14 and Schultz 11 in some well rounded scoring for Beardstown. Rose scored 11 to lead Brussels who fell to 4-13 with the loss. Beardstown improved to 7 wins and 11 losses. 

West Central came into the tournament as the #1 seed and had not played especially well until tonight's game.  Tonight they did a great job and got off to a fast start to lead 27-13 after the first quarter.  They lead 46-28 at half time and won  the game 69-51.  It was their most impressive game in about 5 outings. Litchfield had 3 players, Smith 14, Hull 12, Painter 12 points in double digits and Going added 9. The Panther defense was not real strong tonight and they had 23 turnovers which hurt their cause.  They did shoot 19-44 from the field and 10-15 from the line but just couldn't stop the Cougars.  King had 15 points in the first quarter and 25 total points in the game.  Howard played a very nice game with 16 and Kirbach contributed 11.  West Central had a 30-52 effort from the field (58%) and 5-12 from the line.  They had 25 turnovers in the game and got themselves in some early foul trouble but still played a solid game over all. With the win, the Cougars put themselves into the championship game, where they will face one of their big rivals, Routt Catholic. 

 Greenfield played Triopia for the second time this year and beat them 42-30 to earn themselves the chance to play Beardstown for the Consolation Championship.  It is an 11:00 game on Saturday. Kelsey Pembrook (12) and Megan Plogger (11) led the Tigers while Kristen Bishop added 9 points.  The Trojans spread the ball around with no one scoring more than 8 points in the game.  Greenfield is 10-9 after the win and Triopia will take a 3-15 record into their Saturday game.  

Routt Catholic had beaten Pittsfield 43-24 at the Lady Tiger Tournament at Beardstown but, the Saukees felt they could play a much tougher game this time around.  While it was not a high scoring game, it was a very defensive, hard fought contest that the Rockets won 41-28.  The 13 point win was not easy as it was difficult for either team to get an easy inside shot. Willard, who was averaging 19 points per game in the tournament was shut out at half time and hit 5 of 6 shots in the second half for 11 point.  O'Brien had 3 treys for 9 points in the game and it was tight right down to the end as Pittsfield fought back from a 10 point half time deficit. The Saukees shot 44% from the field and 0-4 from the free throw line while turning the ball over 18 times.  They will play Litchfield for 3rd place.  Routt only shot 11-45 from the field and 19-32 from the free throw line. Eilering led the way with 16 points and Lindsey added 10.  No one else had more than 5 points in the game and the game was won on the defensive end. Routt will face West Central for the title and may play them 1 or 2 more times before the season ends.  They are both in the same regional for post season play as well so the championship game feels like it is for more than the honor of winning the 16th annual Lady Spartan Tournament.  

Triopia squeaked out a 43-40 win over Barry Western and will face Greenfield on Thursday at 8:00 as they try to get to the championship game of the consolation bracket.  Seven of the Trojans scored in the game as they were led by 14 from Washington.  Reither scored 7 and Huey 6 while Werries, Carls and Meyers scored 4 each.  Motley scored 15 for the Wildcats and Kaylee Irvin added 10. Platt scored 7 as Paxton and Ryan scored 3.  Barry had a last shot to tie it up but they came up short in the loss. 

Greenfield was too strong for the shorter Wolves from Pleasant Hill and a 44-12 battle, which will give them a shot at Triopia in the semi-finals of the consolation bracket.  Plogger led the Tigers with 12 points and Kelsey Pembrook added 8.  Bishop, Shade, Coates and Settles all scored 4 points as 8 players made the scoring column.  Getting off to a 15-0 first quarter score, Greenfield cruised in for the win. Black, Duggins and Law all scored for Pleasant Hill in the loss. 

Waverly-Franklin-New Berlin was 15-3 heading into their match up with Routt Catholic and they were hoping to post a big win and make it to the final four.  The Rockets are a veteran team with a deep roster and proved to be too much for the Scotties tonight as they posted a 54-27 win.  Nickell got off to a good start in the game and it looked like she would hold her own down in the paint but she ended up with 4 points in the game.  Loos led the way with 5 points as she hit 2 for 8 from the field and had to battle Lonergan all night long.  Nine of the Scotties scored in the game but they were out shot 43-27 in the game and 15 to 5 at the free throw line.  Toss in 28 turnovers to 16 and they were fighting an uphill battle for 4 quarters.  After being down only 11-8 in the first quarter, they fell behind 26-15 at the half and even further at 44-21 after 3 quarters.  Routt has some good athletes and will wear you out over 4 quarters if you don't take them out of their game.  The Rockets had 8 players in the scoring column themselves, with 3 in double digits.  It was Lindsey (12) and Eilering (12) leading the way and White added 11.  Lonergan played solid defense and tossed in 8 points of her own and Zenge contributed 6.  Arendt, Bystrey and Brown rounded out the scoring.  Routt hit 21 of 43 from the field (49%) and 10-15 from the free throw line.  While they turned it over 16 times (their average), they got the 12th win of the year that they were looking for.  It will be a fun re-match with Pittsfield on Thursday and we will see which of the teams made the right adjustments for the game. it should be a good battle as one of these teams will make it to the title game against either Litchfield or West Central on Saturday.  WFNB will face WHNG in the opener (5:00) on Thursday as well.  

Brussels defeated ISD 57-30 with 3 players in double figures. Stephens and Watkins scored 14 each and Rose added 10 as 8 of the Lady Raiders scored in the game. They will take on Beardstown in the next round.  Rainey scored 14 and Sweigart 8 to lead the Tigers in their loss.  ISd had 22 turnovers in the game  as they shot 26% from the field and 4-6 from the line.  Brussels finished the game with 38% shooting and 79% from the line with 19 turnovers. 

Griggsville-Perry led the first 2 quarters of the game and it looked like an upset was in the making, over the #1 seed West Central Cougars.  It was 21-18 at half time and then things fell apart for the Tornadoes and they fell behind 34-25 at the end of the third and lost it 53-45.  Whitaker was very strong on the boards and ended up with 16 points as she fouled out.  Moore played a very nice game with 15 points while DeSpain and Hobson each added 5.  The Tornadoes had 39 shots in the game and made 17 of them for 44%. They also did a nice job (14-21) from the line and only turned the ball over 17 times in the game.  They had their chances but just couldn't make the key shots.  West Central did not play well early but they kept hanging around and made a 3rd quarter run.  King was 9-19 from the field and finished with 27 points and at least 6 blocked shots. Kirbach and Howard scored 11 points each as they were 6-16 combined from long range. The cougars were 19-57 from the field and 9-16 from the free throw line. They had 14 turnovers and committed 20 fouls in the game.  It will be fun to watch them match up with Litchfield on Thursday as they are a little up and down in their game at this time. 

No one likes to play a JV team in a varsity tournament as it is sort of a "no win" situation but, the Beardstown Tigers did a nice job against North Green tonight and won the game 36-18.  Castleberry led the Spartans with 8 points as Elliott and Mullink each scored 4.  WHNG JV was 8 for 25 from the field, 0-2 from the free throw line and had 17 turnovers.  The Tigers hit 36% from the field  with 3-5 in free throws and had 14 turnovers in the win.  Harris led the way with 13 points and Rawling hit double digits with 10.  The Beardstown game with Brussels should be a evenly matched game on Thursday.  

White Hall North Greene got off to a quick start (20-2) and led at every quarter to post a 48-15 win over Barry Western. The Wildcats only had 3 players (Platt 6, Irvin 5, Motley 2)  score in the game and had 16 turnovers in the loss. They also shot 18.5 from the field and 8% (1-12) from the free throw line. Rachel Price (20 points) led the Spartans while Hannah Randall scored 9 as 8 players hit the scoring column. They only had 7 turnovers in the game while shooting 33% from the field and 85% from the free throw line.  North Greene will face Pittsfield in the next round and Western will take on Triopia.

It was a mis-match on paper and another one on the court as the Litchfield Panthers dominated the ISD Tigers and dropped them 57-15.  Bernal was the leading scorer for the Tigers with 5 points.  Eight of the ten Panthers scored and were led by Going (12) and Shelby Smith (11). Litchfield and Virginia/AC met last season and the Birds nearly picked up the upset win.  The Panthers are the #4 seed in this year's tournament and looking to get to the semi-finals, then win and take a shot at the championship. 

Most of the Saukee games, at the Lady Tiger Classic, were good ones but, they were beaten handily by the Routt Rockets and would love another shot at them.  They will have to get past White Hall North Greene first and that will not be an easy task.  Pittsfield overpowered Triopia today 42-18 and looked good doing it.  The Trojans got 12 points from Huey while Reither scored 4 and Washington 2 as the Triopia offense had difficulty getting any points in the paint except on fast breaks and an occasional put back.  The 29 Trojan turnovers were also a factor.  Willard hit 19 points as Brittany Miller knocked down 7 and Newingham 6 in the win. The Saukees took care of the ball and hit 7-8 from the charity stripe.  Pittsfield was able to put up 59 shots in the game as their "bigs" owned the paint today.

Griggsville-Perry finished strong in Beardstown and were hoping to bring that with them to White Hall.  They had a good day and defeated the White Hall North Greene JV 43 12 and will take on the #1 seed, West Central Cougars, on Monday.  Brittany Castleberry scored 7 of the Lady Spartans 12 game points.  Bradshaw led the Tornadoes with 13, while DeSpain added 10 and Whitaker 8.  Griggsville-Perry has a lot of the right ingredients to have a great season and only need some consistency.  Their next game will be a real test for them to see where they stand with area teams. 

Basketball is often times a matter of match up and today was not a good one for the Pleasant Hill Wolves.  They have a 6 person roster and the tallest player is only 5' 5" tall.  They were facing the Scotties of Waverly-Franklin-New Berlin who have a 6' 3" post and a 6' 2" freshman who comes off of the bench.  The end result was a 64-16 win for the Scotties as they took care of business on both ends of the floor.  While the Wolves hit 29% from the field and from the free throw line, WFNB hit 46% from the field and 66% from the line. It was a 42-10 half time lead for the Scotties and they cruised to the win.  Ten of the Scotty roster scored in the game and were led by 16 from Nickell and 11 from Loos.  WFNB forced 22 turnovers and only had 11 of their own. Edwards, McKinnon and Law were the only P. Hill players to score. The Scotties will get a big test on Tuesday when they face Routt who has tall, talented upper classmen on their roster.  It will be a fun game to watch and a game WFNB needs to take a good look at themselves and their potential. 

West Central is the #1 seed in the 16th annual Lady Spartan Tournament and dumped Beardstown 65-31 as three players hit double figures.  White has an injured knee and was not able to play for the Cougars and hopefully she will be back.  Rawlins scored 11, Riddle 8 and Harris 8, for the Tigers, but it wasn't enough.  Beardstown will take on the White Hall North Greene JV in the next round and are hoping their experience will aide them in picking up a win.  Kirbach had a 15 point day while King scored 14 and Howard added 12 as West Central spread the ball around. The Cougars have been a little up and down this season and are working on a little better team work and consistency as they have some tough games ahead.  Griggsville-Perry will give them some trouble and they have the potential of facing Litchfield and/or Routt, so it is time to step it up a notch.  

Routt came into the Lady Spartan as the #2 seed and had to face the Greenfield Tigers for the second time this season.  They won the first round by about 40 points and it looked like the had a hard time getting it into gear today.  When they did, they won a relatively easy game, 53-17 and are set to take on the tall WFNB team on Tuesday night.  Megan Plogger scored 6 points to lead Greenfield but, they just did not have enough fire power to stay with the Rockets. They had 32 turnovers in the game and only got to the free throw line twice, where they missed both shots.  Routt put 10 players in the scoring column with Heimgartner leading the way with 11 points. Lonergan, White and Lindsey all scored 8 points as the Rockets did a nice job of distributing the ball.  While Routt turned the ball over 14 times, they shot 4-9 from the free throw line and hit 21-48 (44%) from the field.  Routt has the height, the speed and the shooting to be a very dangerous team and all they need to do is play with intensity for four quarters to make a solid run. WFNB will be the tallest team the Rockets have faced this season and will use their team speed to try to take the Scotties out of their game.  It should be a fun game to see.            

2009 All Tournament Team:  Carter Wear-Illini West, Alex Scott & Danielle Darr-Piasa, Marley Hall & Jackie Bunn-West Hancock, Macey Brown-Havana, Katie Lindsey-Routt, Rachel Stobaugh-Farmington, Mallory Moser-Canton, Tiffany King -West Central, Kelsey Owens-Pleasant Plains, Marla Willard -Pittsfield. TERRY KENNEDY OUTSTANDING PLAYER AWARD-Carter Wear

The West Hancock-Pleasant Plains game, for 3rd & 4th place was a very entertaining game as the Cardinals won 38-37. It was the third time in the tournament that Yakel had a chance to win the game or send the game to overtime, from the free throw line. She came through each time.  She was 5-9 from the line and hit 15 points, including the game winning free throw with 1.9 on the clock.  Owens scored 8 and Johnson played a good game with 7 points.  Plains shot 47% from the field and turned it over 17 times.  Hall led West Hancock with 12 points while Shoup played her best game of the tournament as she scored 9.  The Titans hit 9 of 19 free throws and had 16 turnovers.  This Titan team was not the high scoring team they have been in the past.

The Canton/Havana game was close for most of the game, before the Ducks finished it off with the 55-49 win, in overtime.  Martin scored 16, Wilson 12 , Moser 10 and Joachim 9 as Canton played in their first Lady Tiger Classic and ended up in 6th place. They made 9 of 22 from the charity stripe and had 29 turnovers.  Friedrich led Havana with 16 and they got 15 from Ellsworth and Brown.  It wasn't a particularly good day at the free throw line (15-24) as Havana normally normally hits a high percentage. This is a typically quick Duck team that will pressure you defensively and they were just a little better than the Lady Giants today.

Routt beat Pittsfield, to the surprise of many fans, 43-24 and won the consolation championship.  The margin of victory was the surprise as the Saukees have been playing good ball and the Rockets had them down 24-7 at half time.  Willard had a hard time getting into her offensive flow and finished the game with 10 points. O'Brien finished her game with 7 points and no one shot free throws besides Willard (4-6). It was pretty much of a one-sided game. Lonergan had another good game with 13 points and Eilering scored in double digits as well (10).  White played a good game also and scored 8 as she is beginning to shoot a little more as the season rolls on.  Routt hit 9 of 17 free throws but, their turnovers were pretty high (22) again. With the exception of their opening game, the Rockets played a good tournament.

In the opening game of the Championship day, Farmington and Griggsville played a very tight game and got the fans in the right mood.  The final was 45-44 in favor of Griggsville, who got a nice game from Whitaker (19).  Moore and DeSpain scored 8 each and the Tornadoes shot 62.5 from the line.  Stobaugh scored 20 and Abel 18 as this talented duo played another solid game. They are both 6 foot and are juniors so, be wary next season.  The Farmers turned the ball over 19 times and hit 10 of 17 free throws.  There are no seniors on the Farmington squad and you can't help but feel they will be a real force either later this season or certainly next year.       

Piasa Southwestern was the only one of the top 4 teams seeded teams to get to the final four.  They had to play a good Titan team, from West Hancock, in the semi-finals and needed to find a solution for all state player,  Marley Hall. One of the goals for Coach Wooley was to keep the score relatively low and slow the game due to his short bench. His team responded very well as the Birds won the 28-20 game and held Hall to just 6 points. Twenty points for the Titans is a low number but, they only hit 2 free throws in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters and no field goals.  Bowman led the Birds with 12 points as they played very good defense, controlled the pace of the game and made it to the Championship game where they will take on Illini West. 

Routt Caholic played loose ball in their opener, turned the ball over 40 times and lost a 68-65, overtime, decision to Illini West.  They came back with a good game in round two on their way toward the consolation championship game. It was a very good 2nd quarter against the Lewistown Indians that propelled them to a 61-52 win.  The Indians got 12 points from Bainter and LeGrande and 8 from Bull and Monn as 7 players scored in the game. They also hit 70% from the free throw line and out scored the Rockets in the 4th quarter but they had dug too big of a hole earlier and couldn't get all the way back.  Four of the Rockets, (White 12, Eilering 11, Lonergan 10, Lindsey 10) scored in double digits and they shot 64% from the line to take the win.  It was a good team effort as they scored 28 points in the 2nd quarter.  

Pittsfield's Willard knocked down 25 points as the Saukees dropped Liberty 51-32 in the consolation round of the Lady Tiger Tournament.  O'Brien added 8 and Miller 7 in the win and, while there weren't a lot of free throws shot, Pittsfield made 4 of their 5 attempts.  Flesner scored 10 for the Eagles and they only shot 3 free throws themselves as they made 2.  Pittsfield hit 48% from the field and turned the ball over 14 times while Liberty shot 45% and had 18 turnovers.    

Piasa Southwestern had some difficulty in dispatching Illini Bluffs but, they got the job done as they posted the 42-38 win.  Flynn led the Tigers with 12 points, while McClintock added 8 and Kenzie Wall 7.  Illini Bluffs shot 41% from the field and hit 9 of 16 free throws (56%) and turned the ball over 18 times.  The Birds hit 16 of 48 shots from the field, 4 of 9 in free throws and had 15 turnovers as they played their usual, sound and fundamental game. Darr was sharp with 18 points and Scott hit 9 points as 6 of the Birds hit the scoring column.  With the win, Southwestern improved to 12-0 on the season.

Pleasant Plains and West Central had an expected close ball game with the Cardinals winning 42-41 on a yakel free throw with 1.9 seconds on the clock.  White had 14 and Schaad 10 to lead the Cougars.  King scored 7 in the first half but was held to just 1 point in the second half.  West Central was 15-39 from the field, 8-13 from the free throw line and had 15 turnovers in the loss.  The Cardinals got 18 points from Owens and 10 from Yakel but, Jenkins was not able to play due to an injury in the previous game.  Plains hit 48% from the field, 68% at the charity stripe and had 16 turnovers as they moved to the semi-final round of the championship bracket. 

It was a close game for a while, before West Hancock broke it open to win a 51-32 contest over Canton.  The Lady Giants turned the ball over 19 times as they hit 14-18 (77%) in free throws and only 23% from the field. Moser scored 12 and Martin 8 to lead Canton.  Hall had 22 points and several good passes to lead the Titans to the win.  Bunn hit double digits with 10 and 6 of the Titans scored in the game.  West Hancock shot 47 times in the game and knocked down 19 (40%) of their shots while hitting 10 of 14 free throws.  Their bad number was 20 turnovers in the win. 

Lewistown looked pretty good as they posted a 40-30 win over the Macomb Bombers, which earned them the right to take on Routt Catholic in the next round. Bainter finished strongly in the game with 11 points as 7 of the Indians scored in a well balanced offensive attack.  They were able to hit 14 of 42 shots and 11 of 15 in free throws but they had a high (29) number of turnovers. Macomb turned it over 23 times, hit 40% in free throws and only 25% from the field as they fell to 2-14.  Claudon had 7 points to lead the Bombers. 

Liberty and Griggsville-Perry played a very entertaining game as the Eagles won it 41-40.  Cramsey scored 14 and Neisen 12 to lead the way while Flesner added 9 and Harris 6.  They were 50% from the line and 39% (15-38) from the field.  They did a nice job of taking care of the ball and ended the game with only 13 turnovers. Whitaker had 13 and DeSpain 12 for the Lady Tornadoes as Hobson added 8 and Bradshaw 7.  They wre 5-11 (45%) from the line and 37% (17-46) from the field as they fell to 8-7 on the year. Griggsville-Perry also did a nice job of taking care of the ball with just 14 turnovers in the loss. 

Mendon Unity was too strong for Triopia and beat the Trojans 49-32 behind 16 points from Rush.  Seven of the Mustangs scoed in the game as they hit 42% from the field.  They did turn it over 18 times but hit 50% of their free throws on the way to their 5th win of the season.  Triopia-Meredosia only hit 36% from the field and 38% from the free throw line while they turned it over 22 times.  Meyers and Reither had 9 points each while Huey added 7 in the loss.  With the loss, Triopia will face Rushville in their final game of the Lady Tiger Tournament at 10:00 tomorrow.          

West Central was a heavy favorite to knock off Macomb and did so 44-22.  The Bombers did not have anyone score more than 6 points in the game.  They hit 8 for 10 from the free throw line but only hit 7 of 26 from the field and they turned the ball over 30 times.  King scored 21 for the Cougars and Schaad added 9 to lead the offense.  West Central shot 43% from the field and was 7 for 14 or 50% from the free thorw line in the game. With the win, the 4th ranked Cougars will take on a good Pleasant Plains at 4:00 Monday in the next round. 

It was a disappointing loss for Routt Catholic as they dropped an overtime game 68-65 to Illini West today. Forty plus turnovers was the main culprit but, the Rockets made some poor choices late in the game and let the Chargers back into it. Ill advised fouls was another of the reasons for the loss and the Rockets were 26 for 42 in free throws.  Illini West shot 16 for 27 from the free throw line also and turned the ball over 30 times, so it was not a well played game by either of the teams. It was 58-58 at the end of regulation and Illini West out scored the Rockets 10-7 in overtime to post the win.  Eilering had 16 before she fouled out and Lonergan added 14 points. Erika White added 10 points in the loss as Routt fell to 8-3 on the year. The Rockets will face a couple of 6 foot post players on Monday as they take on the Farmers of Farmington, in the consolation bracket.  Wear led the Chargers with 30 points, while Brodie and Campbell each scored 8. It wasn't a fun game to watch but, you have to give the Chargers their credit as they did what they needed to in the overtime period. 

Pleasant Plains and Lewistown played a physically tough game and the Cardinals prevailed 58-43 to move on to their match up with West Central in the next round. That may very well prove to be another physical battle.  Bainter had a great second half and ended up with 17 points in the game to lead the Indians. LeGrande and Bull each added 6 points and the Lewistown squad only hit 15 of 33 from the free throw line while turning the ball over 28 times. Plains got a solid start from Sitt (7 points in the first quarter) and had Owens(16), Yakel (15) and Jenkins (12) in double digits.  They hit 18 of 31 free throws and turned the ball over 17 times in the win.  They shot 20-49 (40%) from the field as well. 

Stobaugh (17) and Abel (13) controlled the paint in their opening game against Brown County as they won 47-23.  They also shot 11/21 from the free throw line and turned the ball over 22 times in the win. Brown County shot 4 for 6 from the line and had only 15 turnovers but they were just too short to deal with the taller Farmers.  Kerly had 8 points to lead 7 Hornets in the scoring column.  It was offensive boards and second chances for the Farmers that made all the difference in the game. The game between Brown County and Rushville, on Monday, ought to be a good one to watch.  These are two evenly matched teams. 

Macomb and Rushville opened up play in the High School Gym for the 28th annual Lady Tiger Classic and the Rockets finished strongly in the game as they out scored the Bombers 16 to 8 in the 4th quarter but, they had dug themselves too deep of a hold to get out of and lost 42-34. Wise led the Rockets with 12 points as they hit 12-23 from the free throw line and turned the ball over 29 times. As for the Bombers, they hit 10 of 18 from the charity stripe and 16-56 from the field.  Carle had 14 points to lead the way as 8 players scored in the game. It was only the 2nd win of the 2009 season for Macomb as they had defeated Rushville in the first game of the season at the Macomb tournament.  Next up for Macomb will be the tough Lewistown team at 1:00 on Monday.        

West Central knew that Bloomington Central Catholic would be a very tough team for them to face today but, I don't think they would get dominated 84-38.  The Saints are a fast ball club that goes deep with talent.  They are led in scoring by Reinhart who was averaging nearly 21 a game coming in today's action.  She hit 26 today with 10-15 from the field, along with 5-6 from the free throw line and also knocked down 1 trey as she showed her range.  Allie Norton also played well as she ran the point and scored 18 points including 4 treys.  Beoletto had 16 points in the game  as she shot 8-11 from the field.  Carly Norton also added 9 points to the offense with 3 shot from beyond the arc.  Six for nine free throw shooting was impressive and 33-64 from the field (52%) was just too much for the Cougars to deal with. Eight Saints scored in the game and they only had 7 turnovers in 32 minutes of action.   They were undefeated in regular season play last season and are 8-0 this year so far.  The Cougars turned the ball over 25 times against the Saints press and only shot 25% from the free throw line. They did a nice job from the field as they hit 17 of 35 shots for 48%.  West Central had 6 players score in the game as they fell to 6-2 on the year.  Schaad did a nice job with 8 points and Kaufmann scored 5.  Kirbach was 1-4 from long range for her 3 points and White was 1-4 from the field.  The good news was the 18 points that Tiffany King scored as it put her at the 1,000 point mark and she is still a junior with most of the season left.  Another bit of good news is that the Cougars don't have to play the Saints anymore this year.  We will see the Saints again however as they will host the Lady Rockets of Routt on January 2nd at Bloomington.        

It was day one of Elite 8 play for the 7-1A girl's basketball tournament at Chiddix Junior High in Normal.  Carrollton was making their first appearance and were a little anxious at the beginning. They were taking on the 24-0 O'Dell Rams and had to go to an extra period to get the job done.  The game was tied at 25, at the end of regulation, and the Hawks out scored the Rams 6-2 in the overtime period.  The Rams had 25 turnovers in the loss as they shot 4 for 22 from the field and their 17-24 effort from the free throw line kept them in the game. Harfst scored 11 and Pagel 8 while Farris, Grieff and Fox scored 2 each.  Carrollton had a 7 point lead after 3 periods and lost their concentration in the 4th when O'Dell made their move. The Hawks had 7 players score in the game:  Williams 8, Mountain 7, Struble 6, Ruyle 5, Pohlman 2, Weber 2 and Lake 1.  The shot 33 % (13-40) from the field and not very well (5-18) from the line.  They also had 21 turnovers in the game so, they were pushed in this win. The good news was their determination in overtime that got the win.  They were focused, scored quickly and played solid defense for the 3 minute period and were rewarded with the quarter-final win.  The officiating was tight but, it was fair and went both ways. There were 34 fouls called in the game.   

West Central and Lincolnwood played three quarters of close basketball, then the Lancer offense couldn't score more than 3 free throws in the 4th quarter and lost 54-38.  The Lancers led 18-15 after one and the Cougars led 30-27 at half time. Then it was a 36-35 lead for West Central after 3 and pulled away in the 4th.  Weitekamp had a nice night with 17 points and Convery added 12. They were 12-19 from the free throw line and turned the ball over only 12 times in the game. For the winners, Crockett led the way with 13 points as Ryan Jefferson scored 12 and Josh Peak had his 2nd double digit (11) game in a row. Jacob Peak had early foul trouble and finished the game with 8 points while Gutherie did a very nice job of running the point and hit 2 treys as well.  The Cougars hit 11 of 15 free throw shots and turned the ball over 14 times, so they are off to a nice 2-0 start on the year and have New Berlin left on Friday to finish pool play. 

In the opening game of the night, Routt and Rushville - Industry put their 0-2 records on the line and played a tight game.  Routt ended up winning 39-38 as they hung on in the 4th quarter.  Rushville had two chances to pull of the win, but couldn't get the shot to fall. Woodside had 4 treys for 12 points and Briney scored 10 in the loss.  Rushville hit 8 of 13 from the charity stripe and turned the ball over 17 times. Routt played another good game and was finally rewarded with the win.  Spaulding hit 2 treys to start the game and had 12 points over all.  Dietrich was impressive with his 6-6 from the free throw line and 8 points total.  All 7 of the Routt players scored but none of the points were bigger than the 5 points scored by Tyler Blair.  He hit a 3 when the Rockets need it, in the 4th quarter, and then tossed in 2 free throws as time was winding down.   It was a nice team win and the 6 for 7 free throw effort was instrumental in the win.  The 19 turnovers hurt some, but the win was well worth it.  While Routt will get their full team back next week, these players have gained a lot of valuable experience that will bode well as the season rolls on.     

Girard improved to 2-0 on the year as they knocked off the Rushville-Industry Rockets 68-29.  The Big Red were just too tall and jumped too well for the Rockets to stay with them. Rushville used a lot of players tonight and 7 of them scored. Harris was the top scorer with 8 points as Briney and McAvoy added 5.  They were 6-13 from the charity stripe and their big trouble was the 28 turnovers.  Rushville-Industry is 0-2 on the early season and will face the 0-2 Routt Rockets tomorrow at 5:00.  Girard had 9 players score in the game and had a game high 22 from Burton. Sutton had 14 points and Buck put in 10.  Their ability to jump, rebound and block shots was evident and the Big Red are going to be a force to be dealt with as this tournament goes on. Girard ended up with 16 turnovers in the game and shot 8 for 16 from the free throw line.  They are one of four very good teams in the tournament and should make a nice run. 

West Central opened their season with a very impressive 79-28 win over Springfield Lutheran. The Cougars had 9 players score and 4 of those had double figures. Josh Peak led the scoring with 19, as Crockett scored 11, Gutherie 10 and Jacob Peak 10.  The defense was good and they only had 9 turnovers on the night.  Hitting 17 of 24 free throws (71%) and rebounding well was helpful. Shipley and Boehs will be back next week (injured) and Parker Day will miss a little more time.  The Cougars will take on Raymond Lincolnwood tomorrow night.  Lutheran had a hard time getting inside the paint, in their loss, and turned the ball over 28 times.  They did shoot 75% from the free throw line but the depth and speed of the Cougars was too much. Hunter Ansell and Lueschen led the Crusaders with 8 and 7 points respectively.  Lutheran will face the host Pretzels in the next round as they both look for their first win.  

The Indians of Payson-Seymour were strong in game #1 verses the Big Red of Girard and beat them 25-8.  It looked like a mismatch but the Big Red hung in in the second game and won it 25-23.  They looked like they ran out of steam in game #3 and lost it to the Indians 25-11.  Grayce Edward had 18 assists, 2 blocks and 5 service points in the loss, while Katie Ryan was equally good with 2 points, 9 kills, 4 blocks and 2 assists. Roller had 5 kills and Branson 3 as the Girard team finished their 2009 season with 26 wins and 11 losses and a regional championship.  As for the Indians, they are not done yet.  They earned the right to place A-C Central on Thursday for the sectional crown. Stephanie Harris had 16 kills, 2 points, and 3 blocks tonight. Flesner had 12 points, 9 kills and a block and Constance Smith scored 17 points. Catherine Richards helped with 4 kills, 4 blocks and a point as Speckhart had 8 service points and 6 kills.  Erin Smith rounded out the night with 5 points and 29 assists. Payson only had 2 service errors in the 3 game win.  They lost some of their concentration in the 2nd game and will not want to do that on Thursday night verses the Knights.  This is a tall and athletic Indian team and it should be a great championship game with A-C/Virginia. We will have a pre-game around 6:40 and play some volleyball about 7:00 so get to the game if you can and bring a radio as we are planning on having some fun while we crown a sectional championship as one of the teams will earn their way into the Abington Super Sectionals.    

Triopia played well enough to win on several occasions this evening but in the end the Cougars had too much fire power and won 25-16, 25-13.  It feels like the Trojans aren't quite sure yet how good they can be and a solid team, like West Central, will take advantage and post the win.  Reither played well with 5 points and 4 assists and Clayton added 5 points plus a blocked shot.  Meghan Carls steppe4d up with 3 kills but, the strong performance by Triopia last night wasn't there on a consistent level tonight.  I think the Cougars are a more consistent team in the overall picture and are also physically stronger and tonight's score added some validity to that theory.  West Central will finish somewhere near the top of the WIVC this season and Triopia could very well end up in the top third if they play to their capability. 

In the final match of the day, Griggsville-Perry withstood a very good challenge by Triopia-Meredosia to win 27-25, 25-23.  While the Trojans did not win, they looked awfully good and well organized.  Hobson had 9 points and 2 kills for the Tornadoes.  Freeman served 6 points and had 9 assists. Whitake added 1 point, 4 kills and 2 blocks while Emerick finished with 2 points, 5 kills and 1 block.  Despain served 5 ponts with 2 kills and Moore added 4 points and Bradshaw 2 kills.  Rachel Carls had 6 points, 1 kill and 2 assists, Reither 1 point and 6 assists, Katie Clayton 1 point, 2 kills, 4 blocks and 1 assist, Sayre 9 points and 1 kill, while Joehl had a point and 3 kills.  Meghan Carls also had a solid game with 4 points, 3 kills and 4 blocks.  This is a much improved team over last season.    

West Central did a pretty good job in getting past Pleasant Hill 25-10, 25-16 as Anslyn led the way with 11 points. Lietz had 4 points and 6 assists.  Todd had 3 points and 3 kills and Tommi White had 4 kills, 1 point and 1 assists. Each team had 3 service errors and Clowers led the Wolves with 4 points. Pleasant Hill just didn't have the net play to stay with the Cougars all night long. 

Franklin played Griggsville-Perry tough and ended up losing 28-26, 25-19 in the most even match of the opening night of volleyball.  Barnard had 8 points, Brown 7, Crow 6 and Turner 4 as the Flashes put up a good fight.  Turner added 5 assists while Crow and Groom had 2 kills each. Emerick played a typical strong game with 9 points and 7 kills.  Freeman had 4 points and a game high 14 assists. Whitaker did her part with 5 kills as Despain added 8 points and Bradshaw 3 kills.  Hobson counted 2 points and 2 kills as a lot of the Tornadoes helped out with the win. The two or three teams at the top of the MCHS tournament are evenly matched.   

In game #2, Salem scored 1 in the first, 5 in the second and 5 in the 4th to take the big lead and basically cruise in for the win.  Tri-County didn't give up and made it an interesting game but they had dug too big of a hole in the early part of the game. Strohecker, Likes and Barnett all had 2 hits in the 8 hit attack but, Tri-County committed 8 errors in the game and that is not going to beat a good team. Barnett took the loss while Little, Slagel and Martin all pitched some.  Salem had 18 hits, 14 runs, 2 errors and they left 8 runners on base. Hensley, Martin and McDaniel all had 3 hits and Wood not only had 3 hits but also hit a solo shot home run. Brittin got the win and also had 2 hits in the victory. It was a nice offensive performance by Salem as they played a little more consistent through two games.  Once Salem got into the 2nd game, they relaxed and hit the ball well.  Beating Strohecker was a big boost to them.  They will be a solid representative from the area as they head for Moline.   

Robinson had a tough day against Champaign Western and were beaten 10-0 in a shortened game. Yon, Keeler and Stevens pitched for Robinson but, they couldn't slow down Champaign so, Western will play in the title game on Monday evening. The Robinson batters could only muster 4 hits in the game as they committed 1 error and left 7 runners on base in the loss. Anthony Martin pitched a nice game for Champaign as he went 5 innings, 22 batter, 0 runs, 4 hits, 3 walks and 6 strike outs.  Alexander and Martin were 3-4 each and Paul added a 2-3 day. Alexander, Paul and Nelson all hit home runs in the game as Western finished with 13 hits, 10 runs, 1 error and 4 runners left on base. Champaign scored in every inning as they put the pressure on Robinson over the entire game.  Champaign will have to hit better against Johnson tomorrow to have a chance.

In the 9-10 baseball championship, in Rushville, it was all Macomb as they unceremoniously dumped the host team 14-4 and will head to Springfield on the 24th for the sectional round. Rushville didn't play their typical solid defensive game and were out hit 14-5 in the loss. Rushville made a nice run through the loser bracket and looked tired in their attempt to defeat Macomb tonight. They made a lot of psychological mistakes and had some miscommunication in the game and it hurt them over all.  Jordan Kunkel had some problems with his control early and Macomb made him pay for it as he gave up 9 runs in 2 2/3 innings. Kettering, who has had a nice tournament, came in and allowed 5 runs in 1 1/3 innings. The Macomb team hit the ball well and deserved the title.  Gundy was 3-4 and Elting 3-3 in the win.  Vyhanek pitched for the win and helped himself with a 2-3 night from the plate. Macomb had 14 hits, 14 runs, 0 errors and they left 8 on base. They will play in the Springfield Sectional and represent Dist. 17 on the 24th. Elting scored 4 runs in the win and Gundy added 3 while Augusta scored 2.  Vyhanek was not overpowering but he threw strikes and his defense was good enough to hold Rushville in check.  Macomb went 4-0 in the tournament and made very few mistakes.  

In game #2, it was pretty much Robinson as they got a strong pitchers performance out of Logan Johnson and got the timely hits to post the 9-1 win over Taylorville Red Bland. Johnson struck out 13 while only walking 1 and giving up the 1 earned run late in the game. He also only allowed 2 hits, so it was difficult for Taylorville to score. Johnson and Yon had 2 hits each in the win and Keeler walked 3 times while scoring twice.  Robinson had 7 hits, 9 runs, 3 errors and they left 10 runners on base. Taylorville's Logan Craig had an interesting performance as he walked 6 and struck out 7.  He also had 5 wild pitches and the inconsistency hurt him in the long run. His fast ball was excellent when he could control it.  Pyle stood out with his speed as he had 1 hit and drove in the only run.  The match up between Beardstown and Taylorville tomorrow will be anybody's game as they both have some good moments but are capable of giving up some runs at any given time. It will be an elimination game and the winner will take on the loser of the Robinson-Champaign Western at 2:00 on Sunday.   

In game #2, it was a close game until the end and Macomb scored a couple of insurance runs in the 6th to lock it away. Their 4-3 lead was pretty slim until Calhoun made 3 errors in the 6th and that pretty much sealed their doom.  Gundy had 2 of the 5 hits for Macomb and he also picked up the win, with some serious help from Nick Elting in relief.  They also stayed relatively error free (2) while Calhoun had 5 errors in the loss and will try to re-group to take on Rushville tomorrow.  Klocke had 2 of the 3 Calhoun hits in the game. Calhoun had the bases loaded in the 2nd and again in the 4th and came away with no runs as they just couldn't get the big hit. They scored 3 unearned runs in the game and that puts them in the semi-final round with a tough game with Rushville on tap.  I think the Rushville/Calhoun elimination game will be a good one that will set up another exciting game with Macomb for the championship on Saturday night.   

Game two was one of the best of the tournament so far as Brown County and Beardstown played.  Alec Taylor was the winning pitcher as he went 6 innings with 1 hit, 1 run, 3 walks and 9 strike outs.  He also had a single and two triples with a run scored and an RBI. Wrobleski had 2 hits, 2 RBI's and he scored a run. Lamb and Hymes had the other two hits for Beardstown as they pushed across 3 big runs in the bottom of the 5th to lock the game away. Joe Hendricker was the losing pitcher but did a nice job as he went 4 2/3 innings and he didn't walk anyone while striking out 8.  He also made an outstanding defensive play when he fielded a ball with his bare hand and threw out the runner.  He also had the only hit of the game and scored the only run.  Drake picked up the RBI.  Hendricker allowed 5 runs with 3 of them being earned and the other two unearned as Brown County made 3 errors in the game. This was an exciting 2-1 game until late and it was a shame that one of the teams had to lose. Tomorrow's game will test the pitching staff of both of these clubs. 

In a special note, Pike County defeated Beardstown 19-2 and Calhoun dropped Southwestern 10-0 in softball action. The two undefeated teams are tonight's winner and that should make for a nice game when it happens. 

In the opening game, Pike County got past Rushville 10-5. It looked like Pike County would close it out in a 10 run shortened game, but Rushville fought back to make it a respectable game at 10-5.  Bailey Powers won the game as she went 2 innings and got some help from Miller and Hively. Curry recorded the loss for Rushville while Hannah Etter and Rittenhouse each pitched in the game. Rushville had 4 hits with 5 runs, 0 errors and 5 runners left on base.  Pike County only had 1 hit to go with their 10 runs as they had the benefit of 15 walks and 1 hit batsman.  Sargent had the long single with 2 RBIs.  Hannah Etter had 3 of the 4 hits for Rushville and Ward had the other one.  Etter also scored 1 run and drove in 3 as she had a nice offensive day.  Round two, in the winners bracket,  will be played this evening at Rushville. 

In game #1, it was an exciting game that changed lead 2-3 times before Macomb put 3 big runs on the board in the 5th inning to basically put the game away.  Tri-County lead 1-0 and 3-2 in the game but just couldn't hang on to the lead. They finished with 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 errors and left 9 runners on base as they couldn't come up with the big hit. Smith scored twice and Cloninger once in the loss. Duesterhous went the distance as he gave up 9 hits and 7 runs.  Gundy was 4-4 with a single, double and 2 triples, a run scored and 2 RBI's. Medina had 2 hits also as he scored once and drove in a run. Macomb had 9 hits 7 runs, 2 errors and they left 7 runners on base.  Nick Elting came in to record the win, after Gundy started the game and left on the 75 pitch count. Augusta also tossed 1/3 of an inning to finish it off. Gundy and Elting each struck out 5 batters while Gundy walked 5. Macomb will square off against Beardstown at 6:00 tomorrow in their 2nd round. This was a fun game to watch as they fought back and forth.    

Pike County fought their way back to the title game at Mt. Sterling and will take on Beardstown for the title at 7:00 tomorrow evening.  They defeated Rushville 8-1 and will face the team who gave them their only loss in the 11-12 year old baseball tournament to this point. The score of their first meeting was 6-4.  Rushville played their 5th game of the tournament and ran out of gas in tonight's game.  They could only muster 6 hits and 1 run and couldn't deliver the big hit in the loss. Brough had a great game with 3 hits and an RBI. Ambrosius, Harris and Breedlove had the other 3 hits.  Hively and Hobson kept the Rushville in check with their pitching as they struck out 10 and didn't walk anyone.  Earhardt had 3 more hits as he continues to play well from the lead off spot. Hively had 3 hits also, along with picking up the win. Pike Co. scored 8 runs on 10 hits, had 1 error and left 10 runners on base.  Hannant made some nice plays at first base and ended up with a 2-2 night with 3 runs scored.  Pitching will play a big role in the game on Saturday night, along with staying away from the errors.  These are two pretty well matched teams, so either Beardstown or Pike County will represent District 17 in the sectional play at Beardstown.  At this time it is hard to say who that will be.  The advantage is in the corner of Beardstown but, the games will have to be won on the field.   

In the 2nd game, in the championship bracket, Beardstown and Pike County fought to a 6-4 game with Beardstown coming out on top.  Vermillion and Coil had 2 hits each to lead the way. Robertson had a 2 run home run and Coil a solo shot in the win. Nine hits, 6 runs, 2 errors and 4 runners left on base was good enough for the win. Rick Dour went the distance in the game as he threw 75 pitches while giving up 4 rusn on 3 hits. He walked 1 and struck out 7 as he hit a batter and threw 2 wild pitches. Pike County had 3 of their 4 hits in the 4th inning but, they gave up 5 in the Beardstown 2nd and got in a hold they couldn't climb out of. Beardstown will play in the championship game on Saturday night and Pike County will have to get past Rushville at 8:00 Friday night to get to the title game.  These are 3 pretty evenly matched teams and the winner will have earned the spot. The winner will move on to the Beardstown Sectional starting next Friday.  

At Rushville, it was Beardstown getting out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first over Brown County and it looked like they may run away with the game.  It didn't work that way and the final score was 4-1 as the Lady Hornets hung tough to the end. Beardstown had 9 hits, 4 runs, 4 errors and they left 10 runners on base. Kirchner led the way with 2 hits and 2 RBI's.  Maddie Fox had 2 hits also with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI.  Rawlin and Seaman scored the other 2 runs as Blair threw a 6 hitter to pick up the win. She struck out 8 while walking 3.  Rohrer did a nice job of pitching for Brown County and pitched out of 3 jams in the game to keep it close. Kitchell had 2 hits for the Hornets.  Brown County and Rushville will play at 6:00 tomorrow night and the winner will take on Beardstown in the title game at 5:30 on Friday.  

Logan Ambrosius and Brady Robinson had a good pitching match up for Rushville and Beardstown.  The game was tied 2-2 at the bottom of the 6th and they had to play one extra inning before Beardstown came away with a 7-3 decision. Gus Vermillion recorded the win, in relief, and Will Brough suffered the loss. Beardstown finished with 10 hits, 7 runs (5 in the 7th inning) with 0 errors and they left 9 runners on base. Dour and Alex Schultz led the way with 2 hits each. Rushville made 7 errors in the game and left 8 runners on base, so they had their chances.  They had the winning run on 3rd base with only 1 out in the bottom of the 6th and couldn't score. Brough, Ryan Ward and Boyd had 2 hits each and Brough drove one over the center field fence in the bottom of the 7th, but it was too little-too late. Rushville had to score 1 run in the bottom of the 6th to tie the game and it looked like they may have momentum on their side;  then they made 4 errors in the top of the 7th and the game got away from them.  With the loss, Rushville, like Tri-County has a tough road ahead of them to get to the title game.  It all starts tomorrow night and Carthage will have different plans.  

In the opening game of the 2009 11-12 year old baseball division, Rushville got to a hot start with 4 hits and 5 runs in the opening inning against Macomb, then held on for the 7-6 win and a shot at Beardstown tomorrow night.  In their pool play, Beardstown scored in the last inning and came away with a 4-3 victory.  It should be a great re-match.  Rushville as out hit in their win tonight but, once again, they played with one error and stayed cool under the late rally that Macomb put on.  You have to give Macomb credit as they trailed 7-0 after 2 innings and it felt like they were going to be closed out via the 10 run rule.  Alec Drake came in and threw 4 2/3 innings to keep things in check.  Macomb scored 3 in the 5th and 3 more in the 6th and had the tying and lead runners on base.  Macomb finished with 14 hits, 6 runs, 2 errors and they left 10 more runners on base as they just couldn't get the big hit at the right time.  Dalton Jones is the winning pitcher and Jacob Billeter took the loss.  Wheat had a very nice night at the plate with 3 hits out of 4 while Jake Dyer added 2 hits. Rushville got the big blow off of the bat of Beck Harris who hit a 3 run blast over the left-center field fence in the first. Brough led Rushville with 2 hits in the game and 5 other players had 1 each.  Harris drove in 4 of the 7 runs while Brough, Jones and Malone each recorded an RBI. Jones went 2 1/3 innings and Colton Boyd came in to toss 2 2/3 innings and only gave up 1 earned run.  Rushville made a throwing error that cost them 2 runs and other than that played a good game.  Rushville only left 3 runners on, so they did a nice job of getting their runners home. Rushville will play Beardstown at 6:00 tomorrow night.  Beardstown won their pool play game 3-2 so we can expect more of the same close play tomorrow.  These look like a good group of 11-12 year olds and it will be a great fight to see who is crowned the champion on Saturday night.   

It was a marathon of a game but Routt came out on top in the 12-9 game with Warrensburg-Latham.  Routt trailed 1-0, led 3-0, were tied 3-3, led 7-3 (in the bottom of the 7th), were tied 7-7, led 12-7 and won 12-9.  It was an entertaining game but, it was a long game.  Phil Wheeler came into the game with a 9-0 mark and went the distance throwing, unofficially, 152 pitches.  He looked like he wore out in the end and the Rockets hit him hard in the 9th when they scored 5 runs.  The Cardinals had 13 hits in the game as 8 of their 9 starters recorded at least one. Neibuhr, Grimm, Thomas, Wheeler and Taylor all had 2 hits. Taylor hit a 3 run home run to tie the game in the bottom of the 7th and Wheeler hit a 2 run home run in the 9th to close the gap. The 4 errors and 11 runners left on base helped doom the Cardinals in the end. Routt made only 3 errors and left 5 on base as they won by 3.  Wheeler struck out 9 (but no one after the 6th) and he walked 3 (2 intentionally) and hit 3 batters.  He gave up 1 home run (Heineman) and a triple (Cosgriff) and only allowed 8 hits overall.  Heineman and Yording had 2 each and the squeeze played worked 2 out of 3 times for the Rockets as they continually put the pressure on with runners on base. The double steal worked 3 times in the game also.  Routt used 3 pitchers today as Cosgriff went 4 2/3 innings, Whalen 3 2/3 and Gross finished the game with 2/3 of an inning.  Whalen recorded the win and Gross the save. Gross will likely get the start against Virginia/A-C and Sweatman will probably get the ball for the Redbirds. It will be a match up of the #1 and #2 teams in the WIVC north division and should be a good game.  These are 2 evenly matched teams and a slight advantage goes to the Birds with their home field advantage.  The winner will play in the Super Sectional, at Lincolnland College, on Tuesday as the weather has set the Carlinville sectional back one day. 

Routt Sectional Softball @ MacMurray College:  Griggsville-Perry vs Hartsburg-Emden  4/27 @ 4:30.  Liberty vs Warrensburg-Latham, 4/28 @ 4:30 

At Winchester, we got the sort of game we expected as the 22-0 Virginia/A-C Redbirds took on the 24-7 Griggsville-Perry Tornadoes. It took 8 innings to finally decide a winner as these are two closely matched teams. Virginia finished with 6 hits, 3 runs (1 earned) and they left 9 runners on base.  Jokisch went the distance as she walked 5 and struck out 4.Bergerud and Parks each had 2 hits in the game while Allen and Birdsell had the other two.  While the Tornadles made 5 errors n the game, the Redbirds just couldn't get the key hit to pull off the win.  Emerick went 7 strong innings as she walked only 2 and struck out 13 batters. Some late errors nearly cost Griggsville-Perry the game but they held on and scored 2 runs on 3 hits in the 8th to secure the regional title. They finished with 9 hits, 5 runs (4 earned) and they also left 9 runners on base. Their 2 errors on 1 play in the 7th cost them a run or they may have gotten away with a 3-2 win.  Aggressive base running by Parks caused the errors and also tied the game at 3.  McKayla Whitaker had 4 hits in the game while Hobson had the game winning hit when she drove in 2 runs with the bases loaded and 2 outs.  Despain, Moore, Sargent and Bradshaw also had a hit each.  It was what we expected and we knew a very good team would be eliminated today.  The Tornadoes will take their 25-7 record into next Wednesday's game with the winner of the Lewistown regional at 4:30. The game will be played at MacMurray College in Jacksonville.    

In the second game, it wasn't quite so dramatic.  Triopia won 10-2 with a run in the 1st, 2 in the 3rd, 2 in the 4th, 3 in the 5th and 2 more in the 7th.  Phelps went the distance as he allowed only 3 hits and 2 unearned runs as he struck out 9 and walked 2.  Zeke Meehan, McCormick and Vaughn all had hits for the Rebels as they scored 1 run on a balk and one on an error. Astoria-South Fulton finished with 2 runs, 3 hits, 4 errors and 5 runners left on base.  They ended the season with 10 wins and 18 losses.  The Trojans had 12 hits, 10 runs (7 earned) with 4 errors and 8 runners left on base. Parrish and Phelps had 2 hit each while Kleinschmidt, Brockhouse, Portwood, Likes, Clayton, Wise, Fricke and Knappp all recorded a hit.  Triopia is 18-7-1 and will face Virginia/A-C for the title Saturday.  They beat the Redbirds in Virginia and lost to them at home in their previous meetings.  It will be a close game that will be hard fought between these two rivals and it should be fun to watch.  The winner will move to the Virginia sectional next Wednesday.

In game 2, the Trojans shut out the Warrirrs on 4 hits. Smith had 2 of those and Wendling suffered the loss. Triopia had 7 hits, 10 runs, 0 errors and they left 6 runners on base. Portwood hit a home run while Brockhouse and Phelps each had 2 hits in the game. The winning pitcher was Portwood who went 4 innings and Clayton threw the 5th.  The Trojans scored 1 in the 2nd, 5 in the 4th and 4 more in the 6th to lock it away.  There was a nice crowd on a wet day as they got the 2 games in. Josh Marr is the head coach for Athens and Rich Thompson is the head coach for Triopia.     

In the 2nd game, it was a tussle down to the end. Routt led 4-0, then 4-2 and finally trailed 5-4 heading into the bottom of the 7th. They got 2 runs on 2 hits, 2 walks and 1 error and the winning run came as the result of what was going to be a suicide squeeze as Yording laid the ball down as Denney crossed the plate with the deciding run. West Central made an error on a tailor made double play ball that allowed the Rockets to make their move and pick up their 11th win against only 1 loss. West Central did a nice job to fight their way back into the game and put themselves in a position to win. They had 9 hits and 5 runs with 12 left on base.  They made 4 more errors in the loss however and that seems to haunt them in big games. Lomolino pitched a pretty good game.  His control was pretty good with 1 walk in the 5th and then the 2 big walks (1 intentional) in the 7th. He struck out 4 in the loss.  Gross threw 139 pitches as he went 6 2/3 innings, but Cosgriff came in to face 1 batter and then picked up the win. Gross walked 5, struck out 7, had 1 balk, hit 2 batters and tallied 3 wild pitches. Nash, Boehs and Lomolino had 2 hits each in the loss.  Yording was a perfect 4-4 with the winning RBI in the game. Heineman and Whalen each had 2 hits.  The Lady Cougars defeated the Routt Lady Rockets 6-0 and 16-1 in their double header. Routt baseball did what they have done on a regular basis this season and made the right play at the right time with some good fundamental execution.    

The second game was a 6-1 win for Virginia as they improved to 10-0 on the year. Facing the 2-6 Redskins, you would have thought they could have gotten away to pick up a little easier win, but it was a tough game. Petefish pitched 5 innings to pick up the win and Jokisch came in to finish it.  Nokomis could only manage 6 hits and the one run while they made 5 errors and left 9 runners on base. Alexander and Nash had 2 hits each in the loss.   This Nokomis team is a pretty good squad but they let too many balls fall that should be caught. They basically give away runs or scoring opportunity on plays where they basically need to communicate a little better.  You don't want to over simplify it, but just talking a little more on who is going to make the play will go a long way toward picking up some more wins. I like this team and it is hard to believe they have only won 2 games on the season. Virginia had 8 hits, 6 runs, 1 error and they left 7 runners on base.  Parks and Williams hit the ball hard and ended up with 2 hits each.  Due to the Nokomis errors, the Redbirds only had 2 earned runs as they scored 2 runs in the 3rd, 2 in the 4th, 1 in the 5th and 1 in the 7th. Hamlin pitched 7 innings for Nokomis  and was tagged with the loss. She walked 1 and struck out 4. Petefish walked 5 and fanned 3 while Jokisch struck 3 of the 7 batters she faced. 

Game 3 wasn't what most fans thought it would be. It was a game that was shortened by the 10-run rule. Porta had some control problems early in the game as they walked 7 batters while only striking out 2.  Howard took the loss but, Riechart came in to pitch the last 2 innings and only gave up 1 hits and struck out 1 while facing 7 batters. Birdsell had 3 hits, Parks 2 and Bergerud 2 hits in the win and Virginia stayed perfect on the year at 11-0.  They will take on Griggsville-Perry on Tuesday, at home, and the Tornadoes are 14-1, so it should be a solid high school softball game. The Birds had 9 hits, 10 runs, 2 errors and they left 7 runners on base.  Jokisch recorded the win as she faced 18 batters through 5 innings and gave up just 3 hits.  She did not strike out anyone and didn't walk anyone as she got great defensive support from her teammates. It is going to be hard to have big innings against Virginia as Jokisch doesn't hurt herself with walks and fields her position well. This was a good day of softball for the Redbirds and they will be a force to be reckoned with in the post season.  

In the second game, it was an entirely different game and ended with the Rockets posting the 17-11 victory. Piasa had 11 hits and 11 runs with 4 errors and they stranded 10 runners.  They used 3 pitchers and Krause suffered the loss. Ryan Gray went 3-4 with a 2 run home run to go with a double and a single. Robinson was 2-3 and scored a couple of runs, then had to leave the game late with a hand injury that occurred on a play at second base. Wallace was 3-4 and finished the day with 6 hits and a walk in times at the plate.  He had 4 doubles and 2 singles and hit the ball hard all day. Lason, Kessinger and Blackwood recorded the other three hits.  Routt won the game however, they got behind 3-0 after they walked the first 3 batters in the game and they all scored. Gross came in was the winning pitcher as he threw 4 1/3 innings.  Cosgriff went 2 2/3 innings to finish the game. The Rockets had 13 hits, 17 runs, 2 errors and they left 6 on base. Denney was 3-4 and Cosgriff 3-5 to lead the way. Ruyle was 2-4 and Whalen 2-5 as Heineman, Gross and Yording picked up the other 3 singles.  The most spectacular hit was on a suicide squeeze when Piasa tried to pitch out and Yording stuck the bat out across the plate and made contact to put the ball in fair play. It was a quick decision and well executed.  Heineman scored 4 runs while Ruyle and Denney each crossed the plate 3 times.  It was a strange game to follow the well played opener but the main thing was the Rockets posted their 9th win of the year.  They will battle you to the end and are having a real nice season to this point.  Another interesting part of the game was Matt Milligan, who came in in relief and threw 18 straight strikes before he threw the first called ball.  The bottom line of the day is these are two very good teams and their fundamental play will carry them a long way.