Quincy
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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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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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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ALTON, Ill. — Quincy High School senior Jeremiah Talton identified the problem in a first half that saw the Blue Devils heavily outrebounded and settling for outside shots. “We were playing soft,” Talton said. “We weren’t playing our brand of basketball.” Talton put Quincy back on brand, scoring 13 of his 18 points in the…
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BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Pleasant Plains’ Zach Powell dribbled across the lane midway through the third quarter and tossed up a right-handed hook shot that Quincy Notre Dame’s Jake Wallingford got a fingertip on. Powell grabbed the rebound, then went back up for a second shot — only for Wallingford to swat it into a group…
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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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ALTON, Ill. — Presented with intel the Quincy High School boys basketball team had its two leading scorers fail to reach double figures in the same game for the first time this season, junior guard Reid O’Brien shrugged it off. The Blue Devils, in his eyes, are the epitome of a team. “We have winners,”…
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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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QUINCY — Enough was enough. The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball players needed to address the reasons why they lost to West Hancock on the road Tuesday night and what was contributing to the Raiders’ recent slump. So when the coaching staff gathered them for practice at the Pit, the Raiders seized the opportunity to…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s struggling start was erased when Abbey Schreacke scored with 6.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter to give the Raiders’ the lead. QND never trailed again. Off a Williamsville turnover with 15.1 seconds left in the quarter, QND got the ball into Schreacke’s hands, and…
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QUINCY — Cameron Bergman knew what was potentially transpiring as Jeremiah Talton chatted with University of New Orleans assistant basketball coach Kris Arkenberg following Tuesday night’s game against Galesburg. So Bergman, a senior on the Quincy High School boys basketball team, waited around to find out if there was any news. “Did you get it?”…
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — To reach the podium at the Illinois High School Association state wrestling championships, three area grapplers are going to have to fight their way through the Class 1A wrestlebacks. Quincy Notre Dame senior Curtis Steinkamp, Illini West senior Lance Belshaw and Pittsfield senior Mason Davis each suffered an opening-round loss Thursday at…
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QUINCY — Trying to find the right footing during the regular season finale against Galesburg on Tuesday night at Blue Devil Gym, the Quincy High School boys basketball team needed a jolt. Jeremiah Talton provided it. Trailing 11-9 with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Talton contested a shot by the Silver…
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QUINCY — Jeremiah Talton decided to act a little devilish. Envious of those who made winning a Western Big 6 Conference championship a point of pride within the Quincy High School boys basketball program and greedy enough to want to win the first WB6 crown of his career outright, Talton took that as inspiration and…
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The difference between the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team advancing to a regional championship and Quincy High School falling short of that goal is a matter of minutes, not so much a matter of points. The Raiders shut down Pleasant Plains long enough to survive. The Blue Devils needed 90 seconds of timely stops…
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HAMILTON, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team’s inability to run West Hancock off the 3-point strip Tuesday is alarming with the start of postseason play just four days away. The Titans made 13 3-pointers and maintained a 13-point advantage throughout the second and third quarters, parlaying it into a 68-58 West Central…
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Curtis Steinkamp wouldn’t be denied. Lance Belshaw is blazing a trail. And Mason Davis gets his name on the board. Each one of them gets to wrestle at the state tournament, too. Steinkamp, the Quincy Notre Dame 126-pound senior, lost in the semifinals of the Class 1A Stanford Olympia Sectional on Saturday, but rebounded to…
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QUINCY — One of the themes Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer touched on during his team’s shootaround Saturday afternoon was staying connected. The Raiders were locked together front to back and side to side Saturday night in a 74-38 dismantling of Rushville-Industry at The Pit in the first meeting between the schools…
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JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — With a monumental conference victory in its rear view and an outright championship to fight for looking ahead, the Quincy High School boys basketball team could have been caught lollygagging through Saturday night’s game. That didn’t happen. The Blue Devils scored the game’s first 15 points, held Jacksonville scoreless for the first…
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QUINCY — To leave a legacy within Quincy High School’s tradition-rich boys basketball program, you have to put a number on the wall. Jeremiah Talton finally gets that opportunity. Bradley Longcor III and his classmates may end up doing it multiple times. Friday night, these Blue Devils earned the right to be part of history…
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — In the wake of a loss to No. 1-ranked Brimfield on the road Wednesday night, Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne reiterated another tough test awaited with Friday’s trip to Jefferson City Helias. He probably never envisioned how tough it would be to get off the bus. The Raiders,…
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QUINCY — Logan Robbins is growing a little weary of his dad’s stories. “I’ve heard them all,” the Liberty senior said with a roll of the eyes. His father, Don, was a starter on the 1990 Unity basketball team that won its first 30 games before losing to Pittsfield in the super-sectional. “The stories are…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Four years ago as a freshman, Laci Novosel was scared to even look at the basket. In her final regular season game in the QHS gym on Thursday night, the senior caught the ball at the free-throw line, attacked off the dribble and scored at the rim like a seasoned veteran, providing 10…
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QUINCY — An opponent the Quincy High School boys basketball team missed out on seeing during the Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic could be the one that stands between the Blue Devils and a regional championship. Meanwhile, Liberty and Southeastern are on a collision course for an epic showdown — if both can survive. The…
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BOGOTA, Colombia — Luke Guthrie’s season debut featured a rocky start, a steady stretch after the turn and emphatic finish. There’s work to do in the second round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Astara Golf Championship to ensure he plays the weekend, but Guthrie created a little momentum to chase the cutline. Playing the Pacos…
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BRIMFIELD, Ill. — As disheartening as it was to carry home a 24-point loss from a battle of two of the state’s No. 1-ranked teams, Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne tried to remind the Raiders tomorrow is a new day. And another game awaits. “Maybe it’s a good thing we have a…
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QUINCY — Take a breath. Such a simple directive, but it’s one the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball players needed to hear and follow. Back-to-back losses to state-ranked Jacksonville Routt and 20-win Southeastern made Tuesday night’s game at The Pit against Unity a must win in the words of Raiders coach Kevin Meyer. But instead…
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Devilishly good: Talton outscores, outshoots Geneseo in first half as QHS inches closer to WB6 crown
GENESEO, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys basketball team dropped its first Western Big 6 Conference game last Friday night, but the Blue Devils made sure to put Tuesday’s league contest out of reach by halftime. Geneseo lost control early and things quickly got out of hand as Quincy cruised to a 71-32 victory.…
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QUINCY — The lead never grew large enough for either the Southeastern boys basketball team to get comfortable or Quincy Notre Dame to get discouraged. Not until the Raiders got Fry-ed. Leading 51-47 with less than four minutes to play in regulation Monday night at The Pit, Suns senior guard Ramsey Fry made a series…
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QUINCY — Sydney Harris said she and her Edwardsville girls basketball teammates tend to struggle following a long bus ride. That haul from Madison County to Quincy, however, proved to be little or no problem when the Tigers outlasted Quincy Notre Dame 66-54 in Saturday night’s marquee matchup in the SuperFan Shootout at The Pit.…
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QUINCY — Coming off of its first Western Big 6 Conference setback of the season Friday night against Moline, the Quincy High School boys basketball team had less than 24 hours to wipe the memory clean. It turns out a few extra minutes were needed. Like eight extra. A slow first quarter offensively pinned the…
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QUINCY — Jake Hoyt called it “horrible.” Kevin Meyer called it “ugly.” No matter how exciting the finish was in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game between the Quincy Notre Dame and Jacksonville Routt boys basketball teams during the SuperFan Shootout at the Pit, the Raiders couldn’t overcome three quarters of abysmal play in…
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QUINCY — The Quincy High School wrestling team is sending four wrestlers to the Class 3A Granite City Sectional after the Blue Devils finished fourth as a team Saturday in the regional at the QHS gym. The Blue Devils’ Kayden Garrett and Gage Bringer each finished as the runner-up in their respective weight class, while…
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MOLINE, Ill. — Momentum began to teeter in the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s direction Friday night when back-to-back baskets preceded the third quarter mask timeout. All the Blue Devils needed was a defensive stop or two when play resumed to sustain it. “(Assistant coach Bruce Bonness) mentioned that if we’re going to go…
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QUINCY — The Central-Southeastern girls basketball team was in a good spot in the third quarter of Friday night’s game at the Pit. The Panthers scored the first six points of the second half and trailed Quincy Notre Dame, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2A, 33-26 with 5:08 left in the quarter. Even better,…
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QUINCY — The analogy offered by Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer was spot on. “In NASCAR terms, it was a splash and go,” Meyer said. Meyer was recounting the fourth-quarter contribution of 6-foot-1 guard Jackson Stratton, who scored 18 of his 23 points over the final eight minutes — including 14 at…
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QUINCY — A colossal conference clash. A cross-river showdown of state-ranked teams. A collegiate matchup with first place in the conference on the line. And champions to be crowned. It’s going to be quite a weekend. The madness starts Friday night when the Quincy High School boys basketball team travels to Moline with the chance…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Brad Dance didn’t have an explanation for the Quincy High School girls basketball team’s inability to make a shot the first 10 minutes, 35 seconds of Thursday night’s Western Big 6 Conference game. He figures the snow might be the case. “We had a shootaround this morning, basically a light practice for about…
Read Full Article SHELBINA, Mo. — Any addition to the schedule two weeks before regional play begins needs to be done strategically and with purpose. That’s why hitting the road to face a top-10 team in a hostile environment made sense to Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne, whose team is ranked No. 1 in Class…
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QUINCY — In a way, Curtis Steinkamp said goodbye with a kiss. He made his opponents kiss the mat. Then he put their backs to it. The Quincy Notre Dame senior wrestled in front of a home crowd for the final time in his career Saturday, winning the 126-pound championship of the QND Invitational at…
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QUINCY — A weekend of travel, multiple matches and relentless effort could have left Quincy High School wrestler Bryor Newbold a little weary. It actually has him energized. Newbold, a sophomore wrestling at 182 pounds, finished third in both Friday’s Western Big 6 Conference championships and Saturday’s Quincy Notre Dame Invitational, providing the jolt of…
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QUINCY — Luke Triplett questioned the toughness of his Illinois counterparts Saturday. “I didn’t know they were softer on this side of the river,” the Palmyra wrestler said with a smile after his semifinal match in the Quincy Notre Dame Invitational at the Pit. It turns out no one was as tough as him, certainly…
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BETHALTO, Ill. — The fourth-quarter offensive miscues — four turnovers and zero converted field goals — committed by the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team on Saturday afternoon proved it may be withering from pressure. What ultimately kept the Raiders upright was their defense. Despite going the final eight minutes without a basket, QND was…
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STERLING, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys basketball team’s effort last weekend against United Township resulted in a victory, but it was anything but perfect. Blue Devils coach Andy Douglas might describe it as imperfect. “There wasn’t a defensive possession in the first quarter where we didn’t make a mistake,” Douglas said. So he…
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QUINCY — As a kid, Kyle Cartmill chose to be the Blue Devil mascot for his Halloween costume. His passion for the Quincy High School boys basketball program has never waned, no matter where life’s road has taken him. Cartmill, a 1995 QHS graduate, became a Hall of Fame player who enjoyed a solid career…
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QUINCY — The Quincy High School girls basketball team just might be peaking at the perfect time. The Blue Devils’ 40-25 Western Big 6 Conference victory Thursday night over a 17-win Galesburg club was the second straight win over a quality opponent, evening Quincy’s record at 8-8. Earlier this week, the Blue Devils downed Springfield…
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QUINCY — Respect is growing for the Liberty boys basketball team. The Eagles remained No. 5 in the Class 1A state poll released Wednesday, but they received a first-place vote as the top of the Class 1A poll remains stacked. Four teams received first-place votes with No. 2 Yorkville Christian receiving the most with seven.…
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QUINCY — For the first time since 2012, when the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team won the second of its three straight state championships, the Raiders are the No. 1-ranked team in the state. QND and Winnebago switched spots atop the Class 2A state poll after the Raiders beat third-ranked Illini West on the…
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QUINCY — Had Andy Douglas wanted to keep his single-season 3-point shooting record just a little while longer, he could have benched Jeremiah Talton after the senior sharpshooter made his fifth trey Tuesday night. “I should have,” Douglas said with a laugh. “That would have been hilarious.” Even if Douglas had taken Talton out, he…
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CARTHAGE, Ill. — A team that hadn’t been the most efficient from the free-throw line is figuring out how to use the charity stripe to its advantage. It paid off down the stretch Tuesday night. The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team, which was collectively shooting 59 percent from the line, made 7 of 10…
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QUINCY — As Chris Harmann strolled out of the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s locker room and onto the Blue Devil Gym court last Saturday morning, instincts took over and guided him toward the home team’s bench. Then reality set in. He wasn’t supposed to be sitting on the north end of the gym.…
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QUINCY — The son of a Blue Devil legend did all he could to keep a current Quincy High School boys basketball standout carving his own legacy from adding a Quincy Shootout victory to his resume. By doing so, Nick Kramer made the trip down memory lane unforgettable. Kramer, the St. Louis University High senior…
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QUINCY — Three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter allowed the iSchool of Lewisville to finish off a 65-56 victory over Huntington Prep in the final game of the Quincy Shootout in Blue Devil Gym. Aaron Carter made two of his six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 20 points. Jason Thirdkill added 17…
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QUINCY — A three-pronged attack proved to be better than one dominant force. Despite getting 25 points from senior forward Jevon Porter, Columbia Father Tolton couldn’t put the clamps on Berkmar (Ga.) as the Patriots had three players score in double figures in a 60-58 victory in the Quincy Shootout. Bryce Blaine buried a 3-pointer…
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QUINCY — Link Academy let Tarris Reed Jr. establish the post presence immediately. The rest of the Lions followed his lead. Reed scored nine of his 17 points in the first quarter when Link outscored Chicago St. Rita 14-9, but he had only two points in the 24-point second quarter. Six other players scored in…
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QUINCY — The Modesto Christian boys basketball team’s 2,000-mile trip from California seemed like a worthwhile adventure when the Crusaders had a 45-40 halftime lead over CBC out of St. Louis. The Crusaders must have forgotten to pack their offense for the second half. The Cadets scored 44 points in the second half, while limiting…
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QUINCY — Two big defensive plays in the final minute of overtime led to Peoria Notre Dame and St. Louis Cardinal Ritter needing a second extra session. The Lions made sure there wouldn’t be a third. Robert Lewis knocked down three free throws to help Cardinal Ritter stave off PND with a 67-66 victory in…
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QUINCY — A 23-point second quarter swung the momentum in favor of the Math, Civics and Sciences Charter of Philadelphia, and the Mighty Elephants never relented in dispatching Iowa City West 71-51 on Saturday in the Quincy Shootout at Blue Devil Gym. Trent Middleton’s second-quarter outburst sparked the swing as he scored 14 points in…
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QUINCY — A feisty, fast-paced battle turned into an unexpected blowout at the end with Kheni Briggs becoming the reason why. The Burlington School led Memphis East by six points heading to the fourth quarter of Saturday morning’s matchup in the fourth Quincy Shootout, but Briggs ignited the Spartans’ 26-point fourth-quarter surge by scoring 11…
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QUINCY — Bradley Longcor III nodded at the suggestion it had been a week filled with low-energy practices for the Quincy High School boys basketball team. “It wasn’t the best,” the freshman guard admitted. Junior guard Reid O’Brien was a little more blunt. “We didn’t have any good practices all week long,” O’Brien said. So…
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QUINCY — It hurt like any loss. It hurt even more because it was an overtime loss. Yet a grin kept crawling across the face of Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer afterward. The Raiders fought back from a 10-point deficit to lead at halftime, then was a half-second away from winning in…
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QUINCY — When the Chicago St. Rita boys basketball team needed someone to spark a rally, the state’s top-ranked sophomore prospect obliged. James Brown, a 6-foot-8 forward, scored 11 of the Mustangs’ 25 fourth-quarter points as they erased a 12-point deficit and narrowly escaped Blue Devil Gym with a 76-75 victory over Huntington (W. Va.)…
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QUINCY — St. Louis University High and Math, Civics and Sciences Charter out of Philadelphia played to nearly a draw in the first half, with the Jr. Billikens taking a 28-25 lead at halftime of their matchup in the Quincy Shootout at the Pit on Friday night. Then Nick Kramer took over. The senior guard…
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QUINCY — One of the nation’s most talented and most talked about prep school lineups found itself facing a halftime deficit Friday night. That’s when Link Academy showed why it is receiving so much attention. Tarris Reed Jr., playing in the Quincy Shootout for the second time in his career, powered his way to eight…
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QUINCY — Memphis East scored 23 consecutive points late in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter to blow open a close game and defeat Father Tolton Catholic from Columbia, Mo., 71-53 on Friday night in the first game of the Quincy Shootout at the Pit. Neither team led by more than four…
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QUINCY — A five-point lead at the end of the first quarter was extended to 13 by halftime as Berkmar, Ga., systemically pulled away from the iSchool of Lewisville, Texas, for a 70-45 victory in the opening game of the fourth Quincy Shootout at Blue Devil Gym. Malique Ewin, a 6-foot-10 Ole Miss signee, led…
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CARTHAGE, Ill. — The difference between the two best Class 2A girls basketball teams in the west-central part of the state is subtle, yet simple. One has Abbey Schreacke. The other does not. With the outcome of Thursday night’s battle of state-ranked teams, Quincy Notre Dame was going to win, lose or draw with the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It’s cold outside. Like really cold. Like your truck doesn’t want to start and whines when you do start it kind of cold. That’s OK. It’s warm in Blue Devil Gym and the Pit and a myriad of high school venues around the area where some of the best basketball is taking place…
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The fourth Quincy Shootout takes place this weekend with games being played Friday night at Quincy High School’s Blue Devil Gym and Quincy Notre Dame’s The Pit. Saturday, all eight games will be played at Blue Devil Gym. Here is a look at the teams and top players who will be worth the price of…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — Granted, Quincy Notre Dame was able to stretch its boys basketball win streak to five on Wednesday night. But it was not easy. The Raiders withstood several Payson Seymour comebacks over the final three quarters before leaving with a 59-55 victory. “Payson deserves a lot of credit,” QND coach Kevin Meyer said…
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QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team didn’t score off the opening tip Tuesday night like it so often does. The Raiders didn’t convert on their opening possession either, which negated their ability to jump into a full-court press and create havoc for Quincy High School’s backcourt. It took 52 seconds for all…
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QUINCY — The raucous, creative and comical Quincy High School students who packed the bleachers behind the girls basketball team’s bench Tuesday night need to check their schedules. Their presence is requested at future games. “Tell them to come out there and get me fired up,” Quincy Notre Dame junior guard Blair Eftink said with…
Read Full Article BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer said the Raiders “defended like crazy” during a sweep of two games Monday at the Bloomington Central Catholic Shootout. It took a collective effort to be that good. “The guys were connected,” Meyer said. “All five guys were moving as one.” It made it…
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QUINCY — Hugh Sharrow’s academic standing says freshman, but he’s obviously wiser — and talented — well beyond his years. “He’s legendary,” Quincy High School wrestling coach Phil Neally said through a wry smile. Neally likes to talk as much about Sharrow’s beat-boxing abilities as he does his skills on the mat. Both were in…
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LINCOLN, Ill. — Jeremiah Talton could tell during pregame warmups Saturday night the right ankle he had tweaked 24 hours prior wasn’t going to be an issue. “It’s actually feeling pretty good,” the Quincy High School senior swingman said. “As soon as I got out there, I wasn’t feeling anything.” He also knew he had…
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GALESBURG, Ill. — Quincy High School boys basketball Andy Douglas believes his players deserve a nomination for an Emmy or an Academy Award. Leading Galesburg by two points with 8.5 seconds remaining in regulation Friday night at John Thiel Gym, Douglas instructed the Blue Devils during a timeout called by the Silver Streaks to act…
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QUINCY — Weather may have altered the brackets and forced some teams to decline making the trip to compete in the Quincy Invitational, but Friday night’s opening rounds of the long-time wrestling tournament showed the cream always rises to the top. Quincy High School had five wrestlers go unbeaten during Friday’s action, while Central had…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Tournament titles up for grabs, a conference lead at stake and a bevy of grappling. How’s that for a full weekend slate? That’s only doable if Mother Nature cooperates. With several Missouri schools rescheduling their Friday night contests for Thursday night to avoid any issues with the forecasted snowfall, the weekend prep basketball…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Geneseo’s 30th consecutive girls basketball victory further legitimized its ranking as the No. 1 Class 3A team in the state. The Maple Leafs emerged from a one-point halftime deficit to hit Quincy High School with a 16-0 blitzkrieg at the outset of the third quarter. Following that outburst, it was not a matter…
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QUINCY — Leave it to COVID-19 to disrupt the rhythm of the night. Still, the Quincy High School boys basketball team adapted. Due to positive COVID tests within its freshman team, Geneseo was forced to cancel Tuesday night’s preliminary game. So instead of watching the underclassmen play before going to the locker room to get…
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Runner of the Year — Anna Schuering, Sr., Quincy High School If there’s one thing that 2021 showed, it was that 2020 was no fluke for Quincy High School senior Anna Schuering. The reigning Tri-State Cross Country Coaches Girls Runner of the Year used the 2020 season as her coming out party to the area…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Bradley Longcor III caught the ball in a position to take a shot he’s been knocking down consistently all season. And he passed it up. Nothing could have made Quincy High School boys basketball coach Andy Douglas any happier. After Terron Cartmill snared a defensive rebound on the first possession of Saturday…
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CARBONDALE, Ill. — Kayden Garrett’s individual championship helped the Quincy High School wrestling team finish third among 25 teams in the 60th Murdale Invitational at Carbondale High School. Garrett, a senior wrestling at 170 pounds, won his first two matches in pool play with a second-period pin and a 21-6 technical fall. In the championship…
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QUINCY — The Quincy High School boys basketball team finds itself in a place the program has always thrived. At the top. Friday night’s 61-57 victory at Rock Island gave the Blue Devils sole possession of first place in the Western Big 6 Conference a week before the league hits the midpoint of its season.…
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ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Over the course of a six-minute span of the second half Friday night in which the Quincy High School boys basketball team chiseled a 13-point deficit down to one, Rock Island never lost its energy or its swagger. That is until Jeremiah Talton and Ralph Wires took it away. The senior…
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PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Offensively, work must still be be done. But the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team has been pretty stingy defensively of late. Pittsfield missed 23 of 35 shots from the field, and the Raiders forced 18 turnovers in a 43-31 victory on Friday night at Voshall Gym. QND has won 10 straight…
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QUINCY — Braden Sheffield set his sights on the rim. Unfortunately, the Quincy Notre Dame junior guard never got the chance to get his hands on it. “Some things aren’t meant to be,” he said with a wry smile. Teaming with the Raiders’ Alex Connoyer and Jackson Stratton to create chaos each time the Western…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Springfield girls basketball team got off to a sizzling start. Quincy Notre Dame had a better finish. Despite falling behind 7-0 out of the gate and getting outscored 10-5 in the first three minutes of the third quarter, the state-ranked Raiders turned to junior guard Abbey Schreacke down the stretch and…
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Jake Wallingford’s ability to play above the rim changes how the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team attacks. It also allows him to go get the basketball whenever he chooses. In the opening round of the State Farm Holiday Classic against Rock Falls, the 6-foot-8 Wallingford rose above everyone else to grab…
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COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — A trend developed in the three days the Quincy High School boys basketball team spent at the 37th Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic that has Blue Devils coach Andy Douglas legitimately concerned. His team keeps stumbling out of the blocks. It happened again Wednesday night in the third-place game against Collinsville. The…
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer never saw the absence of two starters as a ready-made excuse for any setback. He viewed it more as a chance to grow. Having split two games Wednesday in the small-school bracket of the State Farm Holiday Classic, the Raiders showed considerable growth and…
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — It might not look like it in the scorebook, but Quincy Notre Dame actually did a good job keeping St. Joseph-Ogden star Ty Pence in check. Well, except for the final three minutes of the third quarter. Pence, a 6-foot-6 junior, scored 11 of his 26 points during that time frame, turning…
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COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Faced with a setback for only the second time this season and denied a shot at a tournament championship for the first time, Quincy High School boys basketball coach Andy Douglas both understood and appreciated the Blue Devils’ reaction. They were disappointed, not despondent. The Blue Devils squandered a two-point lead with…
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COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Whew. That was the collective reaction from the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s bench and the throng of Blue Devil backers inside Vergil Fletcher Gym on Tuesday afternoon. The Blue Devils were held scoreless the first four minutes of the second half of the Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic semifinal against…
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NORMAL, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer gave his Raiders a shiny new toy under their Christmas tree last week. It looked Monday afternoon like they had a lot of fun playing with it for the first time. The press. The Raiders used their 1-2-2 three-quarter court trap and a swarming…
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COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Sam Mulherin understands good things happen if you put yourself in the right position. Necessary things happen, too. Mulherin’s energetic pursuit of offensive rebounds helped the Quincy High School boys basketball team shake its first-half slumber and ignited a 31-point third quarter against Belleville Althoff on Monday afternoon at Vergil Fletcher Gym.…
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QUINCY — Anyone associated with the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball program understands how on-point a team is going to have to be to win the State Farm Holiday Classic small-school bracket. The Raiders have seen the top-seeded team at its best. QND lost to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 66-42 at the Pit on December 3…
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