Local Sports
MANLIUS — If there is one word to describe Bureau Valley freshman guard Parker Neuhalfen, it would be poised.
GRANVILLE — Mike Kilmartin taught history for years at Mendota High School and if there's one thing he knows about it is that history repeats itself. He just didn't want to remind his St. Bede Bruins.
There’s two days of the basketball season Jesse Brandt dislikes the most — the day he has to make cuts at the beginning of the season and the final day he has to say good-bye to his senior players.
The Mendota Trojans have played themselves into Friday’s regional finals at Somonauk, defeating the host Bobcats 59-44 Wednesday. The big upset of the night saw No. 4 Plano knock off top-seeded Aurora Christian 65-57.
February 22, 2012 - 7:49 p.m.
Bureau Valley senior Derrick Johnson (front, center) sign with Eastern Illinois University to run cross country and track, his commitment previously written up in the BCR. He’s flanked by is parents, Mandy and Rob Johnson of Wyanet; and (back row, left) BV track coach Nick Hartz, BV cross coach Dale Donner, and BV principal/A.D. Eric Lawson.
February 22, 2012 - 1:20 p.m.
Name: Bill Stouffer.
February 22, 2012 - 1:13 p.m.
Sarah Murray in action.
February 22, 2012 - 11:53 a.m.
The 2012 Princeton Logan Lioness eighth-grade volleyball team took fourth place in the Starved Rock Conference Tournament. Coach Kaye Pearson set some milestones at the end of the season, recording her 300th career victory at Logan and 500th coaching victory overall. She’s shown here between games talking strategy with team members Angelica Jones (from left), Brooke Hieronymus, Eliza Young, Madyson Cain, Mackenzie Geldean, Ivy Rhodes, Michaela Strom, Tieg Sisler, Hailey Schultz, Sarah Ray, Mckenzie Cain, Elise Piper (hidden), Jaimee Ciesielski and Hanna Bima.
February 21, 2012 - 9:51 p.m.
GRANVILLE - Princeton's bid for a regional repeat turned into regional revenge for St. Bede.
Dave Shepard and Buzz Fisher have officiated basketball games around north central Illinois together for 15-16 years. They feel it’s only right they will get to go to state together.
February 21, 2012 - 12:08 a.m.
OGLESBY — The Illinois Valley Community College’s baseball team will host a youth baseball camp (grades 5-8) from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Saturday. For information, call IVCC coach Eric Pinter at (815) 224-0505.
BLOOMINGTON — It came down to the final six seconds in the Bloomington 1A Supersectional for the Annawan girls basketball team.
SPRING VALLEY — If they’re invited, Hall wrestlers will be there.
GRANVILLE — Mike Filippini can count on one hand the number of times his Hall Red Devils were not in the ballgame throughout the 2011-12 basketball campaign. On Monday, he had to add another.
CHAMPAIGN — The Princeton Invitational produced nine IHSA Class 1 State wrestling champions Saturday in Champaign and six runners-up.
There’s been some memorable moments of late on the hardwood at all levels.
SPRING VALLEY — Liz Mosbach said it’s weird because the last place she wanted to go to college was anywhere near where her brother T.J. was at. Turns out, that’s where she was destined to go all along.
SPRING VALLEY — The Roanoke-Benson Rockets came into Red Devil Gymnasium and denied the Red Devils a chance at a conference championship in their initial season in the Tri-County Conference, defeating them Friday 55-52 and giving them their second conference defeat.
PRINCETON — If Friday’s 66-58 win over St. Bede is any indication, the Princeton Tigers may be in for another wild ride in the postseason.
Annawan High School captured its first girls basketball sectional championship since 1978, defeating Lincoln Trail Conference rival Kewanee Wethersfield 58-44 in Thursday’s Midland 1A Sectional finals at Varna.
Bureau Valley South lived up to its top-billing in the BVEC girls’ basketball tournament, but they had to go through sister school North to do it.
February 17, 2012 - 11:43 p.m.
At Putnam County (2A)
The Bureau Valley Storm get to start out at home. The Princeton Tigers hope to make it home. All of the six area boys’ basketball teams will tip off the postseason tournament trail this week.
SPRING VALLEY — If they're invited, Hall wrestlers will be there.
February 16, 2012 - 9:20 p.m.
Annawan captured the Midland 1A sectional championship Thursday, defeating Lincoln Trail Conference rival Kewanee Wethersfield 58-44 in Varna.
ROCK FALLS — Scouting an opponent on tape can give a good indication of what to expect, but doesn’t always tell the full story.
SPRING VALLEY — The Hall Red Devils didn’t exactly look like a team ready to face its arch-rival for much of the night Tuesday in Red Devil Gymnasium. Then they rose to the occasion.
Free throws were the difference in the game when Princeton called on former NCIC rival Kewanee Tuesday night. The Tigers made them Tuesday (17-18) and the Boilermakers didn’t (17-29) as PHS went into enemy territory to pull out a 66-60 win.
The Annawan Bravettes continued its postseason march, dispatching former two-time 1A state champ Hinckley-Big Rock 53-32 in Tuesday’s 1A sectional finals at Varna.
February 15, 2012 - 8:42 p.m.
SPRING VALLEY — Both Princeton Logan squads fell in Tuesday’s semifinals of the Starved Rock Conference Tournament at Spring Valley JFK.
February 15, 2012 - 2:20 p.m.
Name: James Dove.
February 15, 2012 - 2:10 p.m.
The 2011-12 Cherry Comets boys’ basketball team finished second in the Prairie Conference, finishing with a 9-3 record. Team members are (front row, from left) Connor Whitten, Matthew Hoscheid, Jordan Burgin and Joseph Kobold; and (back row) head coach Ryan Luecke, Jacob Gurerro, Tony Keeney, Drew Pullam and assistant coach Aaron Hoscheid. Absent were Jimmy Dymynck and Riley Griffin.
February 15, 2012 - 2:10 p.m.
Randy Hanson (front row, center) broke into the ranks of Princeton Master’s champions this year, defeating two-time defending champ J.T. Dant 268-195 to take the title at Crown Lanes. Rounding the top five in the field of 20 were Joe Zokal (front, from left) Steve Warren, Dant and Randy Dalrymple.
February 15, 2012 - 2:10 p.m.
The Illinois Valley Volley Power 16 Black team captured first place in the 16’s division of the Rockford Challenge held on Feb. 5. The team finished the day with a 6-0 record. Team members are (front row, from left) Mikaela Young, Emily Hackler and Shana Puetz; and (back row) coach Erin Zimbelman, Annie Miller, Alexa Zimbelman, Cierra Johnson, Emily Haygood, Taylor Erjarsek and assistant coach Sam Deters.
February 15, 2012 - 2:09 p.m.
Before teams take the court at Princeton High School, the Star Spangled Singers perform the National Anthem. Singers include (front row, from left) Kavita Patel, Abbie Bickett, Sarah Peterson, Aubrey Smith, Emily Olson and Marissa Napules; (middle row) Leslie Miller, Kathryn Krieger, Josh Fullerton, Nate Duffy, Logan Wilde, Yasmine Imtairah, Kelly Schmidt and Jade Kunkel; and (back row) director Brandon Crawford, Kaitlyn Gorman, Matt Van Den Bussche, Zach Anderson, Evan Suarez, Lucas Bauer, Ellen Andersen, Uly Van Cleave and Sam Schlesinger.
February 15, 2012 - 2:04 p.m.
The Hall Lady Red Devils celebrate their 2A regional championship with a few of their closest friends at Princeton’s Prouty Gymnasium after defeating St. Bede 52-48. It marked the first time the Hall seniors had ever defeated St. Bede. The regional title was Hall’s first since 2008, which also came at Princeton by an upset victory over the Lady Bruins.
February 14, 2012 - 10:21 p.m.
The St. Bede Bruins held on for a 60-58 at Red Devil Gymnasium over the host Hall Red Devils Tuesday. Hall rallied from a 13-point fourth quarter deficit.
Come Tuesday, it will be time to go big or go home for the Hall Lady Red Devils.
February 13, 2012 - 8:55 p.m.
Princeton Logan’s Hailey Schultz takes a whack at the ball over the net against JFK Wildcats Olivia Hernandez (left) and Heidi Nielsen in Saturday’s SRC eighth-grade volleyball tournament in Spring Valley. Both Logan teams advanced to Tuesday’s semifinals.
BYRON — Wrestling sectionals can be very cruel and Princeton senior Earl Towne found out first-hand just how cruel they can be. Only one win away from earning a coveted trip downstate to the IHSA Class A tournament, Towne’s dream came undone in drastic fashion.
There’s going to be a little love shared on the court on Valentine’s Day when two former Princeton Tiger teammates meet at Illinois Valley Community College.
MANLIUS — Bureau Valley’s seniors walked away with an enthralling and memorable 76-74 victory over Prophetstown in their final game of basketball at the Storm Cellar Saturday with a little help from a friend.
The West Central Conference is taking steps to fill its vacancies for the 2013 football season.
Hall sophomore Kaitlyn Padgett advanced to the final round of the IHSA state bowling tournament in Rockford, finishing in 56th place with an average of 196. She had a high game of 224 on Friday and rolled a 205 Saturday. Padgett is the first Hall girl in school history to qualify for state.
February 10, 2012 - 11:38 p.m.
Annawan, the No. 1 ranked team in 1A, won the Amboy Regional girls basketball tournament Friday, defeating the host Clippers 56-26. Celina VanHyfte led the Bravettes with 24 points and Jordan Jackson added 13.
LAMOILLE – LaMoille senior Jordan Farmer sank 15 points on 5-12 3-point attempts for the LaMoille/Ohio Lions Friday night on LaMoille/Ohio’s Senior Night, but the Newark Norsemen closed out the Lions’ home slate by posting a 56-31 Little Ten Conference varsity road victory.
PRINCETON — The Princeton Tiger community came out to honor its senior basketball players and classmates from their support staff before tip-off Friday night at Prouty Gymnasium. That’s how long the celebration lasted, however.
GRANVILLE — Another classic was added to the chapter of the rivalry between Putnam County and Hall on Friday night. Jake Sale came up with a huge defensive stop as time expired to give PC a 53-50 win in front of a sold-out R.M. Germano Gymnasium on Hall of Fame Night.
February 10, 2012 - 10:40 p.m.
2-0 - Taylor Miller basket
PRINCETON — For four years, the Hall senior basketball players have been playing St. Bede. And for four years, the Lady Red Devils had never defeated St. Bede.
