DANVILLE — The Salt Fork girls basketball team grinded to the end in Wednesday’s Vermilion County Tournament semifinal against Georgetown-Ridge Farm.
The Storm had one of its lowest point totals of the season, but it was good enough for a 26-16 win over the Buffaloes.
Kendyl Hurt had 10 points to lead Salt Fork, while Macie Russell had seven points.
Sydney Spesard had six points for Geo-RF, while Kendall Roberts had three.
Salt Fork started play on Monday with a 51-16 win over Westville in their first game since last Thursday.
“I think the first four minutes of the game, we had a little rust because we didn’t play the first night, but we played a great team game,” Salt Fork coach Brian Russell said. “I was very very happy with everything. We wanted to make the right decisions and the right passes and play good defense, so it was a team victory.”
Alexa Jamison had 26 points to lead all scorers for the Storm.
“She has done a great job being a floor general in getting us in the right spots and is playing her game,” Russell said. “Everyone is doing a good job helping her.”
Macie Russell had 10 points while Hurt had four points for the Storm, who held Westville to only four points in the first half for a 33-4 halftime lead.
“Defense is all about team and that is what we preach,” Russell said. “The girls did a good job after the rust being off and we hadn’t played in the court yet and they did a good job of getting back to focus.”
Lani Gondzur had four points to lead the Tigers, while McKynze Carico added three.
The Storm will take part in Friday’s championship game against the winner of Wednesday’s game between Armstrong-Potomac and Oakwood. Coverage of that game is on www.commercial-news.com.
In the first game on Wednesday, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin beat Hoopeston Area 49-39. Beth McMahon had 15 for the Blue Devils, while Natalie Clapp had 13 and Ava Acton had 10 points.
Claire Dixon had 15 points for the Cornjerkers, while Klaire Pilcher had eight and Brylie Cox and Lacie Breymeyer each had six.
TODAY
Prep Boys Basketball
Vermilion County Tournament: Westville vs. Armstrong-Potomac, 5 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament: Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin vs. Hoopeston Area, 6:30 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament: Salt Fork vs. Oakwood, 8 p.m.
Prep Girls Basketball
North Vermillion at Covington, 5 p.m.
Fountain Central at Parke Heritage, 5:30 p.m.
Schlarman Academy at Heritage, 6 p.m.
Danville at Champaign Centennial, 7 p.m.
Prep Boys Swimming
Wabash River Conference Meet Prelims: Attica, Covington, Fountain Central, North Vermillion and South Vermillion at Seeger, 4 p.m.
Prep Girls Swimming
Wabash River Conference Meet Prelims: Attica, Covington, Fountain Central, North Vermillion and South Vermillion at Seeger, 4 p.m.
Prep Wrestling
North Vermillion at Tri-West, 5 p.m.
Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, 5:30 p.m.
Charleston and Rantoul at Oakwood/Salt Fork, 6 p.m. (Oakwood)
Dwight at Hoopeston Area, 6 p.m.
Men’s College Basketball
Indiana at Illinois, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Prep Boys Basketball
Covington at Southmont, 5 p.m.
Fountain Central at Crawfordsville, 5 p.m.
Parke Heritage at North Vermillion, 5 p.m.
Seeger at Attica, 5 p.m.
Bloomington at Danville, 6 p.m.
Prep Girls Basketball
Vermilion County Tournament at the Mary Miller Gymnasium, fifth-place game: Westville vs. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, 5 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament at the Mary Miller Gymnasium, third-place game: Georgetown-Ridge Farm vs. Armstrong-Potomac or Oakwood, 6:30 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament at the Mary Miller Gymnasium, championship game: Salt Fork vs. Armstrong-Potomac or Oakwood, 8 p.m.
Minor-League Hockey
Evansville Thunderbolts at Vermilion County Bobcats, 7 p.m.
ON THE AIR
TODAY
Prep Boys Basketball
Vermilion County Tournament: Westville vs. Armstrong-Potomac, WHRK-FM 94.9 5 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament: Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin vs. Hoopeston Area, WHRK-FM 94.9, 6:30 p.m.
North Vermillion at Covington, WKZS-FM 103.1, 6:30 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament: Salt Fork vs. Oakwood, WHRK-FM 94.9, 8 p.m.
Men’s College Basketball
Rutgers at Michigan State, FS1, 5:30 p.m.
Purdue at Minnesota, ESPN2, 6 p.m.
Michigan at Maryland, ESPN, 6 p.m.
Indiana at Illinois, WDAN-AM 1490, WDNL-FM 102.1, FS1, 7:30 p.m.
Women’s College Basketball
Northwestern at Ohio State, Big Ten Network, 5:30 p.m.
Michigan at Rutgers, Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m.
Golf
LPGA Tour: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, first round, GOLF, 11 a.m.
PGA Tour: The American Express, first round, GOLF, 2 p.m.
National Basketball Association
Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons, NBC Sports Chicago, 2 p.m.
National Hockey League
Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia Flyers, NBC Sports Chicago, 6 p.m.
Nashville Predators at St. Louis Blues, Bally Sports Midwest, 7 p.m.
Tennis
Australian Open, second round, TENNIS, 6 a.m.
Australian Open, third round, ESPN2, 8 p.m.
FRIDAY
Prep Boys Basketball
Bloomington at Danville, WDAN-AM 1490, 7:20 p.m.
Prep Girls Basketball
Vermilion County Tournament at the Mary Miller Gymnasium, fifth-place game: Westville vs. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, WHRK-FM 94.9, 5 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament at the Mary Miller Gymnasium, third-place game: Georgetown-Ridge Farm vs. Oakwood, WHRK-FM 94.9, 6:30 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament at the Mary Miller Gymnasium, championship game: Salt Fork vs. Armstrong-Potomac, WHRK-FM 94.9, 8 p.m.
Golf
LPGA Tour: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, second round, GOLF, 11 a.m.
PGA Tour: The American Express, second round, GOLF, 2 p.m.
Champions Tour: Mitsubishi Electric Championship, first round, GOLF, 6 p.m.
Men’s College Basketball
Ohio State at Nebraska, Big Ten Network, 6 p.m.
St. Louis at Loyola (Chicago), CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
Xavier at DePaul, FS1, 7:30 p.m.
Northwestern at Iowa, Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
National Basketball Association
Indiana Pacers at Denver Nuggets, Bally Sports Midwest, 8 p.m.
Tennis
Australian Open, third round, TENNIS, 6 a.m.
Australian Open, third round, ESPN2, 8 p.m.
Note — some events are subject to blackout rules and regulations
CONTACT US
Editor: Chad Dare (217) 477-5151
Reporter: Marvin Holman:(217) 477-5210
E-mail: sports@dancomnews.com
Note — The Commercial-News sports desk is staff Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. All results and information should be reported during those times.
DANVILLE — The debut of Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin and Salt Fork getting past Westville were two major highlights of Tuesday’s play at the Vermilion County Tournament.
The Blue Devils missed play on Saturday’s first day, but made up for it with an 83-29 win over Georgetown-Ridge Farm in their first action at Mary Miller Gym.
“Our kids were excited in coming in and playing in a new venue,” BHRA coach Gary Tidwell said. “I think DACC is doing a great job of hosting, so our kids were eager to get started. It was a fun experience for them and we hope the momentum carries throughout the way.”
BHRA were playing their first game since Friday’s game at Lexington and were only up 13-10 after the first quarter. But the Blue Devils would outscore the Buffaloes 50-14 in the next two quarters.
“Georgetown did a good job early in the game of handling our pressure and they had a kid (Aaron Maquet) who was knocking down some early 3-pointers that kept them in it,” Tidwell said. “I think our conditioning played a factor from the second quarter on.”
Brett Meidel had 19 points for the Blue Devils, while Micah Stanford and Ayden Ingram each had 11 points, Caden Keleminic had eight, Ethan Dubois and Isaiah Tidwell each had seven points and Hayden Rice, Landon Leigh and Owen Miller each had six.
Maquet led the Buffaloes with nine points, while Jase Latoz had eight and JJ Hall added four points.
The Blue Devils will face Hoopeston Area on Thursday with the winner going to Saturday’s final.
“They are having a solid year and they are an athletic group,” Tidwell said. “They have some upperclassmen that are experienced and aggressive, so it should be a good challenge for us.”
The Storm had a tougher night with a 43-41 win over Westville in the second game on Tuesday. Salt Fork used free-throws from Jameson Remole and Blake Norton in the last minute for the winning points.
“The first thing is we were really struggling in defensive and offensive execution,” Salt Fork coach Andrew Johnson said. “Credit Westville for their offense and defense because they had a great first quarter and it was back and forth since the second quarter. It seemed like we would take a lead and they they would make a shot and take the lead.”
Norton had 21 points to lead the Storm, while Garrett Taylor had 11 and Remole added eight.
“Blake stepped up tonight. He was under the weather and he showed a lot of guts and carried us in key moments,” Johnson said. “Garrett could say he did not play his best game, but he was still able to score in double digits and you have to feel good about that production.
“I wasn’t happy with our overall effort, but I was proud of our late-game execution and the fact we found a way to grind a win against a team that was doing well and executing at a high rate. We just found a way to grind to get a win.”
Kamden Maddox had 19 points to lead Westville, while Landon Haurez had eight and Drew Wichtowski added seven.
Johnson said this game was indicative of what the tournament can bring.
“I call this tournament the Braggin Rights tournament because you have players who have played each other since they were kids and some play on travel teams and in high school you have that familiarity,” Johnson said. “This tournament can’t be explained with a win-loss record. If you can’t bring it every night and can’t find a way to win, you will be beat.”
The Storm will face Oakwood on Thursday for a chance to play in Saturday’s championship game. The Comets beat Armstrong-Potomac 77-45 on Tuesday as Brody Taflinger had 20 points while Dalton Hobick and Alec Harrison each had 16 and Tanner Pichon added 11. Kollin Asbury had 25 points for the Trojans while Cain Buhr added seven.
“In their first two games, they imposed themselves early offensively and defensively and you have to give them credit for how they came out of the gates,” Johnson said about the Comets. “I think they are playing at a high level and we have to play better through four quarters to get the win.”
PREP BOYS BASKETBALL
Vermilion County Boys Tournament
At Mary Miller Gym
Pool A — Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 1-0, Hoopeston Area 1-0, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 0-2
Pool B — Salt Fork 2-0, Oakwood 2-0, Westville 0-2, Armstrong-Potomac 0-2
Saturday, Jan. 14 games
Hoopeston Area 59, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 31
Oakwood 60, Westville 35
Salt Fork 59, Armstrong-Potomac 37
Tuesday, Jan. 17 games
Oakwood 77, Armstrong-Potomac 45
Salt Fork 43, Westville 41
Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 83, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 29
Thursday, Jan. 19 games
Westville vs. Armstrong-Potomac 5 p.m.
Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin vs. Hoopeston Area, 6:30 p.m.
Salt Fork vs. Oakwood, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21 games
Fifth Place game, 5 p.m.
Third Place Game, 6:30 p.m.
Championship Game, 8 p.m.
At Mary Miller Gym
Oakwood 77, Armstrong-Potomac 45
Oakwood (77) — Derek Drews 1 0-0 3, Josh Ruch 0 2-2 2, Cristian Esquinca 0 0-0 0, Brody Taflinger 8 0-0 20, Bryson McDaniel 0 0-0 0, Sam Woodard 0 0-0 0, Cort Vermillion 2 0-0 5, Dalton Hobick 7 0-0 16, Jackson Dudley 1 1-2 4, Tanner Pichon 5 1-1 11, Alec Harrison 6 3-4 16. Totals: 30 7-9 77.
Armstrong-Potomac (45) — Nathan Rogers 0 0-0 0, Cole Bailey 2 0-0 4, Ryan Edwards 1 0-1 2, Kollin Asbury 7 9-11 25, Luke Townsend 0 0-0 0, Aiden Blackford 0 0-0 0, Aidyn Deck 0 0-0 0, Cain Buhr 3 0-0 7, Levi Bridgman 1 0-1 2, Bowen Hesterberg 1 0-0 2, Blake Learnard 0 0-0 0, JT Frerichs 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 9-13 45.
Oakwood;21;29;22;5;—;77
A-P;6;15;12;12;— ;45
3-point field goals — Oakwood 10 (Taflinger 4, Hobick 2, Drews, Vermillion, Dudley, Harrison); A-P 3 (Asbury 2, Buhr). Total fouls — Oakwood 10, A-P 6. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — none.
At Mary Miller Gym
Salt Fork 43, Westville 41
Salt Fork (43) — Ty Smoot 0 0-0 0, Jameson Remole 3 1-2 8, Blake Hettmansberger 0 0-0 0, Evan Webb 1 0-0 2, Blake Norton 8 3-6 21, Hayden Chew 0 0-0 0, Garrett Taylor 3 5-8 11. Totals: 15 9-16 43.
Westville (41) — Easton Barney 0 0-0 0, Zach Russell 0 1-2 1, Ethan McMasters 1 0-0 3, Landon Haurez 3 2-5 8, Drew Wichtowski 3 0-0 7, Cade Schaumburg 1 0-0 3, Kamden Maddox 8 2-2 19. Totals: 16 5-9 41.
Salt Fork;10;8;16;9;—;43
Westville;16;4;15;6;— ;41
3-point field goals — Salt Fork 3 (Norton 2, Remole); Westville 4 (McMasters, Wichtowski,, Schaumburg, Maddox). Total fouls — Salt Fork 10, Westville 12. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — none.
At Mary Miller Gym
Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 83, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 29
BHRA (83) — Ethan Dubois 3 1-1 7, Micah Stanford 5 0-0 11, Ayden Ingram 4 1-2 11, Hayden Rice 2 0-0 6, Chaz Dubois 0 0-0 0, Brett Meidel 8 2-2 19, Isiah Tidwell 3 1-1 7, Anderson Thomas 1 0-0 2, Caden Keleminic 4 0-0 8, Landon Leigh 2 0-0 6, Owen Miller 3 0-0 6. Totals: 35 5-6 83.
Geo-RF (29) — A’Jhon Watson 0 2-2 2, Cameron Steinbaugh 1 1-2 3, Cohen Cavanaugh 1 0-0 3, Logan Hummel 0 0-0 0, Aaron Maquet 3 0-2 9, Kevin Morgan 0 0-0 0, Jase Latoz 3 1-1 8, Triston Hepburn 0 0-0 0, JJ Hall 2 0-2 4. Totals: 10 4-9 29.
BHRA;12;25;25;20;—;83
Geo-RF;10;6;8;5;— ;29
3-point field goals — BHRA 8 (Ingram 2, Rice 2, Leigh 2, Meidel, Stanford); Geo-RF 5 (Maquet 3, Cavanaugh, Latoz). Total fouls — BHRA 8, Geo-RF 6. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — none.
PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL
Vermilion County Girls Tournament
At Mary Miller Gym
Pool A — Georgetown-Ridge Farm 1-0, Salt Fork 0-0, Westville 0-1
Pool B — Armstrong-Potomac 2-0, Hoopeston Area 1-1, Oakwood 1-1, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 0-2
Friday, Jan. 13 games
Georgetown-Ridge Farm 53, Westville 25
Hoopeston Area 39, Oakwood 32
Armstrong-Potomac 35, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 33
Monday, Jan. 16 games
Oakwood 32, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 24
Armstrong-Potomac 42, Hoopeston Area 27
Salt Fork 51, Westville 16
Wednesday, Jan. 18 games
Hoopeston Area vs. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, 5 p.m.
Salt Fork vs. Georgetown-Ridge Farm, 6:30 p.m.
Armstrong-Potomac vs. Oakwood, 8 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 20 games
Fifth Place game, 5 p.m.
Third Place Game, 6:30 p.m.
Championship Game, 8 p.m.
DANVILLE — The boys side of the Vermilion County Tournament got started on Saturday and it gave teams a chance to set a tone.
Salt Fork started slow against Armstrong-Potomac, being down 14-13 after the first quarter, but the Storm rallied to outscore the Trojans 14-6 in the second and would go on to win 59-37 at Mary Miller Gym.
“It was the third time we have played them, so Armstrong came out pretty well and were ready for us,” Salt Fork coach Aaron Johnson said. “They threw a wrinkle with a box and one defense and that frustrated us. Eventually, we settled in and we got our offense more comfortable and got more into the game.”
Garrett Taylor had 20 points to lead the Storm, while Blake Norton added 17 and Jameson Remole had six points.
Both Garrett and Blake are good scores and do a lot on the offensive glass,” Johnson said. “The majority of their scoring comes from shots that we muss. We work really well together and have a collective approach. All the team members have been moving without the ball and they have been finding the shots that they need to take.”
Kollin Asbury had 15 points to lead the Trojans, while Cole Bailey had eight and Bowen Hesterberg added six points.
The Storm will face Westville today at 6:30 p.m. in a rare occurrence in the tournament.
“We haven’t played them this season,” Johnson said. “Like all teams, they have a different approach, so we have to execute better than we did against Armstrong and do better defensively from start to finish because they have a lot of ways to score. We have to put our best foot forward and not go back like we did Saturday.”
Oakwood wanted to makeup for last year’s start in the tournament and more than did that with a 60-34 win over Westville.
“We lost to Westville and Georgetown to start the tournament last season, so we wanted to have a better showing in the tournament,” Oakwood coach Jeff Mandrell said. “I thought we came out and shot very well. It was one of our better defensive games. We were solid defensively and pressured the ball and didn’t give up any easy second shots.”
Dalton Hobick had 26 to lead the Comets, while Alec Harrison had 13, Josh Ruch had eight, Brody Taflinger had seven and Tanner Pichon added six.
“He can really take over a game and has been a good player for us,” Mandrell said about Hobick. “As a senior, he can lead by example and if you need a pressure shot, he is who you want to take it.”
The Comets will face Armstrong-Potomac today at 5 p.m. and unlike the Salt Fork-Westville matchup, it will be the second matchup with the two teams.
“We played them at their place earlier this season and they play hard and you have to play against them and have the kind of intensity to defend against them,” Mandrell said. “This time of year, we are getting closer to regionals, so we have to play like a team that knows what they need to do to win.”
Drew Wichtowski had 11 points to lead Westville, while Landon Haurez had 10 points and Kamden Maddox added seven.
In Saturday’s opener, Hoopeston Area beat Georgetown-Ridge Farm 59-31. Kendrick Sigerill had 17 points to lead the Cornjerkers, while Anthony Zamora had 15 points, Owen Root had 12 points and Wyatt Eisenmann added seven.
Jase Latoz had 11 points to lead the Buffaloes, while JJ Hall had seven and Aaron Maquet added six.
Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin did not play on Saturday, but will start today at 8 p.m. against Georgetown-Ridge Farm. Hoopeston Area will take the night off today and will face BHRA on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
DANVILLE — The Armstrong-Potomac girls basketball is in the drivers seat in Pool B in the Vermilion County Girls Tournament after beating Hoopeston Area 42-27.
Kyla Bullington had 28 points for the Trojans, who took a 20-3 halftime lead, while Brynn Spencer had seven points.
Klaire Pilcher had eight points to lead the Cornjerkers, while Layla Birch had six points and Claire Dixon added five points.
The Trojans started play on Friday with a 35-33 win over Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin. Bullington had 14 points, while Spencer and Lily Jameson each had six points. Draycee Nelson had 10 points for the Blue Devils while Mayzee Myers had seven.
Early on Monday, the Blue Devils lost to Oakwood 32-24. Cherokee Hanner had 13 points to lead the Comets, while Addie Wright had 10 and Kali Tison and Jaydah Arrowsmith each had four.
Mikayla Cox had 12 points to lead BHRA, while McMahon had five.
Salt Fork started action in the tournament on Monday against Westville. The results of that game will be on www.commercial-news.com.
PREP BOYS BASKETBALL
N. Vermillion 58, Schlarman 35
CAYUGA, Ind. — The Schlarman boys basketball team hit the road on Saturday to face North Vermillion.
In the end, the Hilltoppers lost to the Falcons 58-35.
Jerry Reed had 25 points to lead Schlarman, while CL Dye had six and Peyton Kuemmerle added four.
Owen Edwards had 15 points to lead North Vermillion, while Cody Tryon had 13 points, Teagan Dowers had 10 points, Noah Scott had five and Jerome White added five points.
The Hilltoppers will face Iroquois West on Wednesday.
Lexington 51, BHRA 47
LEXINGTON — The Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin boys basketball could not get the win on the road on Friday in a 51-47 loss to Lexington.
Brett Meidel had 19 points to lead the Blue Devils, while Hayden Rice had 11 points, Ayden Ingram and Micah Stanford each had six points and Chaz Dubois added five.
The Blue Devils will start play in the Vermilion County Tournament on Tuesday against Georgetown-Ridge Farm
Covington 55, P. Heritage 50
COVINGTON, Ind. — The Covington boys basketball team outscored Parke Heritage 16-4 in the fourth quarter to get a 55-50 win on Friday.
Duncan Keller had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Trojans, while Karver Fye had nine points and six assists, Coye Ferguson and Austin Stein each had nine points and Dane Gerling had seven points.
The Trojans will play Southmont next Friday.
SPHL HOCKEY
Bobcats swept by Storm
DANVILLE — After losing 4-2 on Friday, the Vermilion County Bobcats returned to the David S. Palmer Arena on Saturday to play the Quad City Storm again.
Just like on Friday, the Bobcats scored first on a goal from Austin Albrecht, but the Storm scored the last four goals to win 4-1.
Davis Kirkendall and Gianni Vitali each had an assist while Sean Kuhn had 18 saves in goal for the Bobcats, who will stay at the Arena this weekend with a Friday game against the Evansville Thunderbolts and another game on Saturday with the Storm before hitting the road on Sunday to face the Peoria Rivermen.
In Friday’s game, the Bobcats hung tough with the Storm for the first two periods, but Quad City scored two goals in the third period.
Brendan Murphy and Kirkendall each had a goal for Vermilion County, while Albrecht, TJ Sneath and Vitali each had one assist and Epp had 45 saves.
TODAY
Prep Boys Basketball
Vermilion County Tournament: Oakwood vs. Armstrong-Potomac, 5 p.m.
Danville at Teutopolis, 6 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament: Salt Fork vs. Westville, 6:30 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament: Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin vs. Georgetown-Ridge Farm, 8 p.m.
Prep Girls Basketball
Covington at Crawfordsville, 5 p.m.
North Montgomery at Seeger, 5 p.m.
North Vermillion at South Vermillion, 5 p.m.
Schlarman Academy at Cissna Park, 6 p.m.
Prep Boys Swimming
Champaign Centennial and Champaign St. Thomas More at Danville, 4:30 p.m.
Fountain Central at Southmont, 5 p.m.
Prep Girls Swimming
Fountain Central at Southmont, 5 p.m.
Prep Wrestling
Benton Central at Fountain Central, 5 p.m.
Crawfordsville at Covington, 5 p.m.
Lafayette Central Catholic at Seeger, 5:30 p.m.
Ridgeview/Lexington at Oakwood/Salt Fork, 5:30 p.m. (Salt Fork)
WEDNESDAY
Prep Boys Basketball
Schlarman Academy at Iroquois West, 6 p.m.
Prep Girls Basketball
Vermilion County Tournament: Hoopeston Area vs. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, 5 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament: Salt Fork vs. Georgetown-Ridge Farm, 6:30 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament: Armstrong-Potomac vs. Oakwood, 8 p.m.
Prep Wrestling
Champaign Central and Danville at Peoria Manual, 4 p.m.
Men’s College Basketball
Danville Area Community College at Parkland College, 7:30 p.m.
Women’s College Basketball
Danville Area Community College at Parkland College, 5:30 p.m.
Indiana at Illinois, 7 p.m.
ON THE AIR
TODAY
Prep Boys Basketball
Vermilion County Tournament: Oakwood vs. Armstrong-Potomac, WHRK-FM 94.9, 5 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament: Salt Fork vs. Westville, WHRK-FM 94.9, 6:30 p.m.
Vermilion County Tournament: Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin vs. Georgetown-Ridge Farm, WHRK-FM 94.9, 8 p.m.
Men’s College Basketball
Creighton at Butler, FS1, 6 p.m.
Penn State at Wisconsin, Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m.
National Hockey League
Buffalo Sabres at Chicago Blackhawks, NBC Sports Chicago, 7 p.m.
Tennis
Australian Open, first round, TENNIS, 6 a.m.
Australian Open, first round, ESPN2, 8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Men’s College Basketball
Ohio State at Nebraska, Big Ten Network, 6 p.m.
St. Louis at Loyola (Chicago), CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
Xavier at DePaul, FS1, 7:30 p.m.
Northwestern at Iowa, Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
Tennis
Australian Open, second round, TENNIS, 6 a.m.
Australian Open, second round, ESPN2, 8 p.m.
Note — some events are subject to blackout rules and regulations
CONTACT US
Editor: Chad Dare (217) 477-5151
Reporter: Marvin Holman:(217) 477-5210
E-mail: sports@dancomnews.com
Note — The Commercial-News sports desk is staff Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. All results and information should be reported during those times.
MARSHALL, Ind. – The Wabash River Conference wrestling championship came down to the final round with five of the seven teams still in contention for the title.
Attica, Fountain Central, North Vermillion, Seeger and South Vermillion were within 30 points of each other.
“That’s just one round of scores,” North Vermillion head coach Robbie Davis said before the finals and third place matches were contested. “Any of us, if we do well, can win this.”
In the end, Seeger came out on top, edging South Vermillion 182.5 to 180 with Attica third at 156, North Vermillion fourth at 151.5 and Fountain Central fifth at 135.5.
The two other schools competing had a fairly limited number of wrestlers with Parke Heritage score 73 and Covington 48.
Twelve of the 14 weight classes saw the number one seed prevail with 10 of the two-seeds making the final.
That meant that the difference in team placement came from third and fourth place finishers and, according to Seeger head coach Cory Max, his teams saw wrestlers in those matches step up and “do their job for us.”
Max said his team knew what they had to do to win the meet, saying, “They all had jobs to do. Every match was going to be important and I’m proud of their effort in winning today.”
Midway through the meet, Davis said his team was “wrestling to our seeds” meaning they were winning the matches they were expected to win, but adding, “we’d like to do better than that.”
When the finals were over, Davis said, “We had a good day. We came up a little short in places, but we had four champions and a second place.”
He continued his evaluation saying, “We’re a young team – only one senior – so we know we’ve still got room to grow, but I’m proud of how we did today.”
Seeger and South Vermillion had the most wrestlers place in the top four with 11, Attica and North Vermillion had nine, Fountain Central had eight, Parke Heritage five and Covington three.
Attica and North Vermillion tied with four champions while Fountain Central, Seeger and South Vermillion had two each. Champions for North Vermillion were Aden Rangel at 120, Wyatt Walters at 126, Andrew Botner at 145 and Aidan Hinchee at 220.
Winning titles for Attica were Junior Arizmendi at 113, Bo Rice at 152, Ray Townsend at 182 and Braeden Haddock at 285.
Titlists for Fountain Central were Waylon Frazee at 132 and Andrew Woodrow at 138 while Seeger’s champions were Kayden Stonebraker at 106 and Tucker Herndon at 160.
The top finisher for Covington was Ty Smaltz at 195 where he finished second after coming in at the third seed.
Greg Flint is a freelance writer/photographer for the Commercial-News. He can be reached at: gfphoto@gfphoto web.com
PEORIA — The Danville Area Community College girls basketball team lost a 76-66 decision to Illinois Central College on Saturday.
Alexus Mobley had 22 points to lead the Lady Jaguars, while Rylee Dowers had 13 points with four assists, Candela Nevares had 10 points, Brianna Hamilton had nine points off the bench, Nevaeh Reaves had six points with six rebounds and four steals and Wariya Alhassan had six points and five rebounds.
The Lady Jaguars will face Parkland College on Wednesday.
At Peoria
Illinois Central College 76, Danville Area Community College 66
DACC (66) — Nevaeh Reaves 3-12 0-0 6, Candela Nevares 4-7 1-2 10, Sahara Kubwalo 0-5 0-0 0, Alexus Mobley 7-17 8-8 22, Rylee Dowers 4-10 4-4 13, Wariya Alhassan 3-4 0-2 6, Tannah Ceader 0-3 0-0 0, Brianna Hamilton 1-7 7-8 9. Totals: 22-65 20-24 66.
ICC (76) — Peyton Dearing 2-9 1-1 5, Cierra McNamee 10-17 1-4 22, Kyleigh Block 4-9 2-2 11, Naomi Elliott 2-4 0-0 4, Halie Gilbert 6-9 0-2 12, Miya Webb 5-11 2-2 13, Paris Wilson 1-3 0-0 2, Laisha Armendariz Lopez 2-3 0-1 5, T’Yana Lovelace 1-3 0-0 2, Macy Petelin 0-0 0-0 0, Elena Redgate 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 33-68 6-12 76.
DACC;12;14;18;22;—; 66
ICC;20;16;15;25;—;76
3-point goals — DACC 2-6 (Nevares 1-1, Dowers 1-3, Reaves 0-1, Ceader 0-1); ICC 4-19 (McNamee 1-1, Lopez 1-2, Block 1-4, Webb 1-6, Elliott 0-1, Dearing 0-5). Rebounds — DACC 26 (Reaves 6); ICC 39 (Block 11). Assists — DACC 10 (Dowers 4); ICC 18 (Block 5). Steals — DACC 12 (Reaves 4); ICC 4 (Block 3). Turnovers — DACC 8, ICC 19. Total fouls — DACC 16, ICC 14. Fouled out — McGee, Reed, Warner, Saehler. Technical fouls — none. Officials — Bob Claton, Henry Votsmnder, Alex Carie.
Happy New Year. This year I’d like to propose a fresh take on the New Year, New You theme – New Year, New Us. Let’s focus less on individual improvement and more on collective, community improvement. There may be no I in Team, but there is a U in Community.
For the past year, I’ve been part of the Healthy Behaviors community working group, which resulted from the community health survey conducted by the Vermilion County Health Department. Recently, our group adopted the name “Live Well VC” to reflect our mission of overall community health.
“Live Well VC” is focused on physical health. We’re looking for ways to provide nutrition and exercise that are available to all community members, regardless of economic status. In the process, we’ll need to battle an unconscious bias that exists concerning sports and outdoor activities.
Contrary to popular magazine covers and marketing campaigns, you don’t need to travel to distant locations, or even own an expensive equipment to get outside and experience nature. All you need to do is open your door and walk outside, especially here in Vermilion County.
We’re used to hearing how unique our arts community is for such a small, rural county, but we are doubly blessed with our outdoor recreation opportunities. Despite the flat Earth and corn jokes, our little piece of Illinois is full of natural wonders where you can hike, bike, fish, boat, float, camp, and star gaze, all for little or no money. And as a bonus, there is nothing here that will bite, sting, or scratch you fatally.
Besides our beautiful County and State parks, there are active outdoor recreation groups that are welcoming to novices, open to anyone, and full of folks who are more than willing to encourage newbies. Start a Facebook conversation with members of Kennekuk Road Runners, Kickapoo Mountain Bike Club, Kickapoo Rail Trail or the Vermilion County Trail Alliance, and you’ll have new friends and myriad opportunities to experience nature. You’ll probably even be asked to volunteer to build a trail.
That brings me to the second part of putting the U in community. No matter how old or physically capable you are, no matter your economic or employment status – there are ways to volunteer, take an active part and contribute to your community.
We live in an older community; the average age in Vermilion County is 40.8 years, but being older doesn’t mean being lesser. You can contribute. The local Salvation Army is looking for volunteers to “host” a drive through food drive, volunteer at the food pantry, or spearhead a fall coat drive. Local elementary schools need volunteers to help with tutoring, or just to read to the little ones. Area churches offer free lunches to the needy in our area and they need help making and distributing those lunches. Call CRIS Senior Services and see what they need you to do.
At DACC, we value our volunteers. Our volunteers run the gamut of athletes participating in team volunteer activities to Literacy Tutors who work one-on-one. Literacy tutors take 12 hours of unpaid training and then volunteer their time to teach fellow community members to read, write, and do math. Tutors need no experience or training in education. These are everyday people taking on a heroic task to make our community healthier and more welcoming. If you are interested in volunteering, call The Reader’s Route, 217-443-8899. I’m sure Paulina would love to set you up for our next training session.
So what makes a healthy community? Obviously, good physical health helps. Then there are the elements of security — food, housing, and employment. These elements contribute to good mental health. An active Arts community, abundant recreational venues, and award-winning educational opportunities all contribute to perceived health and wellness of a community. A well-trained and well-educated community attracts better, more secure employment leading to personal security. But I think we should add volunteerism to the list. Who wouldn’t want to live in a community that cares for one another and volunteers time and talent to ensuring their neighbors feel safe, secure, and healthy. Let’s put U in our community this year.
Here’s to a happy and healthy 2023!