Matt Schuckman, Sports Editor
NORMAL, Ill. — The pain of slightly spraining her right ankle hobbled Abbey Schreacke for a short stretch of the second quarter Saturday. Yet, it was getting poked in the eye that brought her tears. “Once I got poked in the eye, I forgot about the feeling in the ankle, too,” Schreacke said. No one…
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STANFORD, Ill. — When Cole Certa caught the ball two steps beyond the volleyball spike line and almost nonchalantly dribbled forward, concern immediately spread up and down the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team’s bench. “We were talking and saying, ‘He’s pulling it, he’s pulling it,’” Raiders coach Kevin Meyer said. “Sure enough he does.”…
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NORMAL, Ill. — Redbird Arena can’t exactly be called cavernous, but the shooting background can create a need for an adjustment. Blair Eftink didn’t seem to mind, especially when 3-pointer after 3-pointer kept falling during warmups. “Abbey (Schreacke) was telling me the depth perception was a lot different than where we normally play,” Eftink said.…
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NORMAL, Ill. — The ball ending up in Abbey Schreacke’s hands with the seconds ticking away didn’t come as a surprise. Neither did the fact she made the shot. Well, the first one wasn’t a shocker. The second made those inside Redbird Arena either jump for joy or drop their head into their hands. Schreacke,…
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NORMAL, Ill. — A dramatic change in the way the Illinois High School Association schedules the boys and girls state basketball tournament games has completely altered the weekend plans. It’s a blessing in disguise for Quincy Notre Dame. After beating Pana 56-44 Thursday afternoon in the Class 2A girls state semifinals at Illinois State University’s…
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STANFORD, Ill. — The first four minutes of the second half Wednesday night may have been the most energetic and engaged stretch defensively the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team has played this season. The Raiders even smiled at the suggestion they are at their best right now. But don’t read too much into that.…
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QUINCY — Abbey Schreacke has been the most dominant player on the court nearly every game this season. So it came as no surprise when she was the leading vote-getter for the Associated Press Class 2A all-state teams, which were released Wednesday. The 5-foot-10 junior guard topped a list of five first-team standouts, three of…
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STANFORD, Ill. — Charlie Lavery embraced the moment with vigor. Then Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer reminded him the job wasn’t complete. The Raiders led Maroa-Forsyth by 14 points with a little more than six minutes to play Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Class 2A Stanford Olympia Sectional when Lavery,…
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The Show-Me Spotlight will appear each week to highlight Missouri area student-athletes. HANNIBAL, Mo. — Aaris Stolte’s historic season isn’t over. He’s confident the Hannibal boys basketball team’s run isn’t about to be through either. A senior guard who broke Brice Scott’s single-season 3-pointer record, Stolte and the second-seeded Pirates are looking to slide past…
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COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Reid O’Brien dared the Collinsville boys basketball team to do it again. “If you leave me open, I’m going to make it,” he said with a smirk and a shrug. The Kahoks left him wide open twice. The Quincy High School junior guard made them both times. Tied at 17 at halftime…
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COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Any aspect of the final sequence — the split, the bounce or the bucket — could have been negated by a whistle. Ralph Wires prayed he wouldn’t hear one. With time evaporating rapidly and overtime looming, the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s sophomore point guard found himself in a now-or-never situation.…
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The Illinois High School Association created a second class for boys basketball for the 1971-72 school year. The 2020-21 season would have been the 50th year of the boys basketball small-school tournament. Muddy River Sports is celebrating 50 years of small-school boys basketball by ranking the 50 best teams in Adams, Brown, Pike and Hancock…
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BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Doubt never fully surfaced. Concern may have. Yet, no matter what level of uneasiness the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball players actually felt during the course of Monday night’s Class 2A Beardstown Super-Sectional, the unshakeable belief they have in each other always prevailed. “We stuck together,” junior guard Abbey Schreacke said. “That’s…
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Eftink shrugs off off-kilter shooting to make clutch free throws, send QND girls to state final four
BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Disbelief. It spread across Blair Eftink’s face. With 23.8 seconds remaining in Monday night’s Class 2A Beardstown Super-Sectional and the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team clinging to a two-point lead, Eftink had the chance to provide a little bit of separation. Instead, her first free-throw attempt in a 1-and-1 situation rattled…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal Parks & Recreation winter pickleball league ended last week with a single-elimination tournament in the competitive division. Collin Anderson and Jamie Nemes were the winners, with Bill Baker and Allan Atkins taking second place. Chris Hull and Elijah Hull won the intermediate division with the overall best record. There were…
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MONROE CITY, Mo. — The last act deserved a standing ovation. The Monroe City faithful obliged. The final time a senior class that has set itself apart as one of the most successful in program history played at home resulted in an incredible accomplishment as the top-seeded Monroe City boys basketball team won its sixth…
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WAVERLY, Ill. — Why worry? That’s exactly what the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball players were thinking. Alton Marquette hit the Raiders with an opening salvo Friday night, scoring the first six points of the Class 2A Waverly Sectional championship game and forcing QND coach Eric Orne to burn a timeout after only 2 minutes,…
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The Illinois High School Association created a second class for boys basketball for the 1971-72 school year. The 2020-21 season would have been the 50th year of the boys basketball small-school tournament. Muddy River Sports is celebrating 50 years of small-school boys basketball by ranking the 50 best teams in Adams, Brown, Pike and Hancock…
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QUINCY — The chance to be the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Division II Region 24 Tournament is gone. The opportunity to return to the national tournament isn’t. The John Wood Community College men’s basketball players have a pretty good grasp of what it will take to make that happen. “We learned where we…
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QUINCY — The moment Ja’Veon Taylor intercepted the pass, Brandon Kracht sprinted to the right corner of the floor. But he never actually expected to see the ball come his way. “Honestly, I did not,” Kracht said. “It’s kind of like you’re going, ‘One more, one more, one more,’ hoping for that pass. It came…
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QUINCY — The jersey slipped on perfectly. It was trim and tight where it needed to be so Mike Staff had the sleek look of a basketball player, but it was loose enough for him to be able to twist, turn and attack without feeling constricted. He only wished he could do those things, but…
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WAVERLY, Ill. — The attention opposing defenses pay Abbey Schreacke is warranted. But if Blair Eftink and the rest of the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s starting five attack the basket with the kind of vengeance they did Tuesday night, opponents will find it harder and harder to double- or triple-team Schreacke. Stopping the…
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WAVERLY, Ill. — The team with a penchant for fourth-quarter magic needed to drum up another miracle moment. Shots have to fall for that to happen. Tuesday night, in the semifinals of the Class 2A Waverly Sectional, the Illini West girls basketball team couldn’t make a field goal to start a rally until the deficit…
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QUINCY — His voice quivered. His eyes glistened. And the words Andy Dougals felt best described the agony and ecstasy that bookended the past year were difficult to utter. “Damn, I didn’t know I’d get this emotional,” he said. So Douglas took off his glasses, dabbed at the corner of his eyes and took a…
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QUINCY — The Quincy Family YMCA is partnering with Kelly’s Tavern for the 30th annual Kelly’s Fun Run at 9:30 a.m. March 13. The race will take place primarily on Maine Street, which features a relatively flat track with slight hills. Participants registering by Feb. 28 are guaranteed a T-shirt. The cost to register is…
Read Full Article Boys basketball At The Pit, Quincy Class 2A Beardstown Regional Quincy Notre Dame 64, Rushville-Industry 25. Click here for the story and photos. At Carthage, Ill. Class 2A Beardstown Regional Illini West 69, Beardstown 50: Max Richardson scored 28 points and Nolan Deitrich added 14 as the Chargers advanced to the semifinals to face Quincy…
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QUINCY — Adam Moore’s description of Jalen Stamps’ offensive rebound in the waning seconds of Saturday’s game probably wouldn’t be fit for print and likely would draw an NC-17 rating if it were to go public. “If I was on live TV, I’d have to say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’” Moore said with a smile. But…
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QUINCY — Not once in Maddie Spagnola’s five seasons with the Quincy University women’s basketball program had the Hawks swept a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference games on the same weekend. So it’s easy to say she saved the best for last. With Dami Adeyinka scoring a career-high 19 points and Spagnola recording consecutive…
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QUINCY — At halftime of Saturday’s Class 2A Beardstown Regional quarterfinal at The Pit, the Rushville-Industry boys basketball team had as many turnovers as points. Quincy Notre Dame coach Kevin Meyer likes that ratio. “We got after it defensively and turned it back into offense,” Meyer said. “I was pretty happy with it. That’s a…
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