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COLUMBIA, Mo. — How much of an advantage did the Canton boys basketball team have on the interior during Wednesday’s Class 2 semifinal game against Puxico? “A lot,” Tigers coach Dalton Armontrout said. As the game progressed, that edge became more and more apparent. All the Tigers had to do was recognize it. “We did…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A remarkable turnaround in the second year of Courtney Boyd’s tenure as the head coach of the Quincy University women’s basketball program means the Hawks are back on the national stage. After winning the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship, the Hawks are returning to the NCAA Division II national tournament for the…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — Preston Brewer tamed his excitement. As the Canton senior forward exited Wednesday’s Class 2 semifinal game against Puxico for the final time with the Tigers 1:12 away from securing the program’s first ever trip to a state title game, Brewer kept saying to his teammates, “One more.” Brewer did not want to…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Canton boys basketball team overcame a third-quarter deficit by dominating the interior in a 65-50 victory over Puxico in Wednesday night’s Class 2 state semifinals at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers shot 61.7 percent from the field and outrebounded the Indians 40-16. The Tigers will face Eugene at 8 p.m. Thursday in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University women’s basketball team is making its 11th NCAA Division II national tournament appearance this week and first since the 2015-16 season as it heads to Allendale, Mich., for the Midwest Regional. The eighth-seeded Hawks will face top-seeded Grand Valley State at 4 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals on the Lakers’…
Read Full Article CANTON, Mo. — Whatever you want to call it — superstition, continuity, routine — it has worked. The Canton boys basketball team hasn’t changed anything about its approach, from the pregame meal to coach Dalton Armontrout’s outfit to the mode of transportation, during its run to the Class 2 state semifinals. “It’s important just to…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — Reality hit Bradley Longcor III all at once as he took a seat on the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s bench. With 19 seconds remaining in regulation Monday night in the Class 4A Normal Super-Sectional at Illinois State University’s CEFCU Arena and the Blue Devils trailing by five points, Longcor fouled…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy University men’s basketball team’s roster is getting an overhaul. Since the Hawks’ season ended March 1 with an 89-77 victory over Indianapolis at Pepsi Arena, six players on the 16-man roster have entered the transfer portal. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 750 men’s college basketball players had entered the transfer…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — Andy Douglas didn’t remember what he said in the locker room because he didn’t know what to say when he walked in there. Tasked with offering some sense of comfort to his Quincy High School boys basketball team following its 58-50 loss Monday night to Lisle Benet Academy in the Class 4A…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — A scoring droiught that lasted more than five minutes at the start of the game put the Quincy High School boys basketball team in catch-up mode for the entirety of Monday night’s 58-50 loss to Lisle Benet Academy in the Class 4A Normal Super-Sectional at CEFCU Arena on the Illinois State University…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The recipe for winning this weekend at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament was uncommon but successful for the Quincy University women’s basketball team. The ingredients were a poor shooting first half, a halftime deficit, a re-dedication to pounding the ball inside, physically taking over the second half on defense and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Each time Kamren Wires stood up to walk, the pain surged through his left foot and ankle, and that cast further doubt on the possibility he’d play anymore this postseason. “The doctors said I was out for three or four weeks, and I believed them,” said the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — A broadcaster with the Great Lakes Valley Conference Sports Network who made less-than-flattering remarks about Quincy University during the broadcast of a women’s basketball game in the GLVC Tournament on Saturday issued an apology before QU’s appearance in the GLVC title game on Sunday. John Edwards, listed as the “Voice of…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — As the Quincy University women’s basketball players began to pull on their championship T-shirts on the Hyland Arena court after Sunday’s 64-60 victory over Maryville in the title game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, reserve guard Sydney Runsewe looked at Hawks coach Courtney Boyd and asked, “What time is…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The Quincy University women’s basketball team trailed at halftime to Missouri S&T, Drury and Maryville but outscored those three opponents 136-101 in the second half to win all three games at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo. Muddy River News Editor David Adam captured…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Champions Wrestling Club had two grapplers reach the podium at the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation state tournament, held last weekend at the Peoria Civic Center. Aubree Murphy finished second in the girls senior division 130-pound weight class, winning each of her first three matches by pinfall. She pinned Sandwich’s Alexia Caither…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The Quincy University women’s basketball team was on the brink of seeing its season end Saturday night when Makaiya Brooks scored from the baseline with 4:47 left in the third quarter to put Drury ahead 50-42. “I was not worried at all, really,” Hawks senior Cymirah Williams said. Apparently, neither were…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Karsyn Stratton hasn’t been much of a scorer for much of her college basketball career, so it would be considered surprising to many who are seeing her carrying so much of the scoring load lately for the Quincy University women’s basketball team. Hawks coach Courtney Boyd thinks she has an answer…
Read Full Article COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — No over-the-counter remedy could help those associated with the Quincy High School boys basketball program overcome the gnawing disappointment which had lingered for the equivalent of a calendar year. This wasn’t heartburn. This was heartache. “We know what it feels like to be one inch away,” said senior point guard Kamren Wires,…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — It was not the happy ending Sage Stratton had envisioned, but even as the tears streamed down her face as she watched the Washington girls basketball team celebrate Friday night’s 60-51 victory over Quincy Notre Dame in the Class 3A third-place game at CEFCU Arena, the QND senior guard had no qualms…
Read Full Article CANTON, Mo. — The Harrisburg boys basketball team was determined Preston Brewer would not beat it Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Class 2 state tournament. So, Kaden Oliver and Drew Gottman stepped up to keep Canton’s magical season alive. Oliver buried four of his five 3-pointers in the second half — all…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — It didn’t matter that Mikayla Huffine had missed eight of nine shots. She never lost her confidence. “I mean, they were leaving me open because obviously I wasn’t hitting the three,” said the Quincy University junior guard, who had missed all four of her 3-point shots in Friday night’s quarterfinal game…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — Eric Orne is still not numb to the feeling. “You still get chills when you walk through the tunnel,” Orne said. That tunnel leads you into CEFCU Arena, the home of the IHSA state basketball tournament, a destination Orne has reached nine times in 23 seasons as the Quincy Notre Dame girls…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — The trips to CEFCU Arena — traditionally known as Redbird Arena — have been fruitful for the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team, which won its ninth state trophy since 2008 this weekend. The Raiders finished fourth in Class 3A, losing 60-51 to Washington in Friday night’s third-place game. Muddy River Sports…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The Quincy University women’s basketball team probably ought to be in consideration for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional next week. Surprisingly, they’re not. Friday night’s 74-69 victory over Missouri S&T at Hyland Arena in the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Valley Tournament improved the Hawks’ record…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Initially, Taya Stevenson tried to ignore everyone’s urging. Late last spring, just before the Quincy University women’s basketball players headed into their semester finals, Stevenson couldn’t get herself physically or mentally right. She randomly passed out and was treated in Blessing Hospital’s emergency room, yet continued to feel something was amiss. Doctors couldn’t…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — CEFCU Arena has become quite the familiar place for Sage Stratton, but the significance of playing in three state tournaments in four years is not lost on the Quincy Notre Dame senior guard. “I wish everybody could have this experience,” said Stratton, who helped the Raiders win a Class 2A state championship…
Read Full Article MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Griffin Kirn’s transition to the NCAA Division I level has been smooth. The Quincy Notre Dame graduate and former Quincy University ace is 2-0 in three starts with a 2.04 ERA at West Virginia. Earlier this week, the left-hander was named the Co-Big 12 Pitcher of Week after his shutout of…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Amy Eagan is turning around the Lindenwood women’s basketball program in short fashion. The Lions went 20-9 in the regular season — a 13-win improvement over Eagan’s first season as head coach — and 16-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference to earn the No. 2 seed for this week’s OVC Tournament.…
Read Full Article WHITE HALL, Ill. — As the minutes ticked off the clock and the goose egg stayed on the scoreboard, the frustration for Jackson McNeff and the Brown County boys basketball team continued to mount. “It just felt like we couldn’t shoot the ball in the ocean,” said McNeff, a sophomore forward. For the first 9…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — The injection of life Dalton Hill put into the Palmyra football program was noticed by administrators around the state. Waynesville is hoping he can do the same for its program. Hill, a Mark Twain graduate who spent the past two seasons as the head coach at Palmyra, recently accepted an offer to…
Read Full Article WHITE HALL, Ill. — An abrupt ending to a resurgent season did not prevent Brown County boys basketball coach Jeff Bottorff or his players from recognizing what they accomplished. When Bottorff addressed his team in the locker room following the Hornets’ 59-40 loss to Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran in Wednesday’s Class 1A North Greene Sectional semifinal,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Courtney Boyd believes the phrase “Coach of the Year” is a misnomer. “To be honest with you, I wish it wasn’t a singular award,” she said. The second-year Quincy University women’s basketball coach knows she can’t do everything alone, including engineering one of the best turnaround stories in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Max Booher announced his presence with a bang. A freshman guard on the Quincy University men’s basketball team, Booher came off the bench in collegiate debut and made 5 of 7 3-pointers and scored a team-leading 21 points in the season-opening loss to Findlay. After that, he kept right on shooting. Booher made…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Muddy River Sports staff received three honors in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest for writing, photography and content production. Editor Matt Schuckman received a top-10 recognition in column writing and an excellence in video distinction for “Schuck on a Truck,” while the staff received a top-10 honor in the digital…
Read Full Article COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Milton Whitfield had yet to experience playing in historic Vergil Fletcher Gym prior to Tuesday night. “All I wanted was a chance on this floor,” the Quincy High School junior guard said. For good reason. “It’s very beautiful, very big, very spacious,” Whitfield said. “The kind of floor you want to run…
Read Full Article COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — As they filed out of Vergil Fletcher Gym on Tuesday night, the Quincy High School boys basketball players weren’t aware of who their opponent would be in Friday’s Class 4A Collinsville Sectional title game. “Either one, I’m excited to play,” senior guard Bradley Longcor III said. He knew there would be motivation…
Read Full Article CLARKSVILLE, Mo. — Having played for the Canton girls basketball team in the 2000s and coached the Tigers for the last 10 seasons, Danielle Baker knows how much of a perennial power Clopton has been for the better part of the last two decades. “Even when I was in high school, it was either you…
Read Full Article DES PERES, Mo. — The South Shelby girls basketball team was unable to counteract a third-quarter scoring burst from Principia on Tuesday night. The end result was Principia, the state’s No. 2-ranked Class 3 team, eliminated South Shelby 46-28 in a sectional game played before a standing-room-only crowd of 800-plus at Simon Field House. Principia…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is the postseason scoreboard for high school basketball. This will be continually updated: Illinois girls Class 4A Granite CIty Regional Monday, Feb. 17 Game 1 — No. 1 Alton 77, No. 8 Granite City 17 Game 2 — No. 5 Quincy 42, No. 4 Edwardsville 36 Friday, Feb. 21 Game 3 —…
Read Full Article TAYLORVILLE, Ill. — Ari Buehler’s bright smile said it all. “I guess it does,” she said. The euphoric moment the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team experienced Monday night, beating Mt. Vernon 55-54 to win the Class 3A Taylorville Super-Sectional and earn a final four berth, had the Raiders smiling, giggling and even crying as…
Read Full Article TAYLORVILLE, Ill. — As Ari Buehler stepped to the free-throw line with the chance to nudge the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team closer to a state tournament berth, her mind circled back to a year ago when the Raiders’ season ended with her miss at the charity stripe. “Oh, yeah, for sure,” Buehler said.…
Read Full Article TAYLORVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team made 8 of 10 free throws in the final two minutes Monday night to hold off Mt. Vernon and earn a 55-54 victory in the Class 3A Taylorville Super-Sectional, earning a berth in the Class 3A final four in the process. Muddy River Sports Editor…
Read Full Article CLARKSVILLE, Mo. — Two seasons in a row, the Canton boys basketball team had reached the Missouri Class 2 sectional, and both times the final buzzer sounded the end to its season. This time, the Tigers got to celebrate. Canton scored the game’s opening 10 points and built a 20-point lead by the end of…
Read Full Article VANDALIA, Ill. — Same opponent, same round, same gym, and unfortunately for the Central-Southeastern girls basketball team, the same result. Nashville ended the Panthers’ postseason journey one step shy of a trip to the state tournament for the second straight season, winning 58-41 in the Class 2A Vandalia Super-Sectional in the Vandalia High School gym.…
Read Full Article VANDALIA, Ill. — A tear never visibly rolled down Matt Long’s face, but the makings of one welled up in his eyes when he was asked about his 32 seasons as the Camp Point Central and Central-Southeastern girls basketball coach. “I think it’s uncommon these days that people are patient enough to give you that…
Read Full Article ST. LOUIS — Through the first eight minutes of Monday night’s sectional, the Palmyra boys basketball team went toe-to-toe with the top-ranked team in Missouri Class 3. “I was happy,” Palmyra coach Brian Rea said. “I just wanted to have a little more movement and some better action that we could get some easy buckets…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Lee Bennett took a moment to pose for a photograph with a group of Centralia High School students acknowledging his 700th career coaching victory last Wednesday night after the Orphans demolished Charleston in the semifinals of the Class 3A Effingham boys basketball regional. The celebration was short. “There’s a lot of people who…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Ben Dahlof hit his first home run of the season and Joe Huffman drove in four runs as the Quincy University baseball team beat Colorado School of Mines 7-1 Sunday afternoon at QU Stadium to complete a four-game sweep. The victory moved the Hawks back to the .500 mark at 7-7 ahead of…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Culver-Stockton College baseball team is off to its best start since the 2020 season after taking three of four games in a weekend series against the University of Indiana-South Bend. The Wildcats swept a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Garrett Hogard struck out eight and allowed…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Karsyn Stratton felt the vibes. “I got here and I was loose and I was like, ‘Let’s have some fun today,’” she said. Quincy University women’s basketball coach Courtney Boyd felt that, too. ‘I looked at the team and I said, ‘I feel bad for whoever steps in the gym today because you…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The last impression is the one that lingers. The Quincy University men’s basketball players were well aware of that. “How is it going to end?” junior guard El Sieger said. “Is it going to end just by losing? Or are we going to compete and win? I think it was definitely good going…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — Austin Brown’s championship reign ended too soon. The Hannibal junior wrestler led Platte County sophomore Justin Shute 4-2 in the third period of Saturday’s Class 3 120-pound state title match at Mizzou Arena before Shute scored a takedown to earn a 5-4 victory and the crown. Brown had won the Class 3…
Read Full Article LEWISTOWN, Mo. — The latest district title won by the South Shelby girls basketball team might just be the sweetest in its current run of championships. Not only was it the fourth straight Class 3 District 6 crown earned by the Lady Birds, but Saturday afternoon’s 39-19 victory over Highland avenged a loss to the…
Read Full Article QUEEN CITY, Mo. — The reason the Canton girls basketball team didn’t receive the No. 1 seed for the Class 2 District 6 tournament seemed to make sense, at least on paper anyway. There was a three-game difference in the win column between top-seeded Milan and the second-seeded Tigers. What the straight numbers didn’t take…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is the area scoreboard for Saturday, March 1: Girls basketball Class 3 District 6 championship South Shelby 39, Highland 19 Class 2 District 6 championship Canton 61, Milan 35 Class 1 District 10 championship North Shelby 50, La Plata 39 Men’s basketball Quincy University 89, Indianapolis 77 Lincoln Land 75, John Wood…
Read Full Article GRIGGSVILLE, Ill. — What was it that Roger Daltrey of The Who told us in the early days of what we now refer to as classic rock? Wasn’t it something about, “The kids are alright?” Yes, it was. And yes, they are. The Brown County boys basketball team, dominated by a kiddie corps of 10…
Read Full Article BELLEVILLE, Ill. — The sea of blue that flooded the Belleville West High School gym made Dom Clay feel like he was at Blue Devil Gym. “It felt like home, for sure,” Clay said. As the Quincy High School boys basketball team kept extending their blistering scoring run to start Friday’s Class 4A Belleville West…
Read Full Article BELLEVILLE, Ill. — When the Quincy High School boys basketball team breaks their huddle with shouts of ‘Family,’ that is no coincidence. “It’s a testament to what they’ve built over the years,” Blue Devils coach Andy Douglas said. “They truly care about each other on the floor, and they care about each other more off…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Ryan McKinney was all smiles as he was surrounded by a sea of jubilant Palmyra fans. “We had nothing to lose coming into this game,” the junior guard said. “I mean, we had already lost to them three times. But, you know, if you win the one that matters, those three losses…
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Brayden Saling’s second-half performance was so impressive that it even caught his coach off guard. As a matter of fact, Williamsville boys basketball coach Nick Beard was dumbfounded to learn his senior southpaw guard was held scoreless for the first two quarters. “I had no idea,” Beard said. But Beard wasn’t completely…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — The significance of playing the Class 2A regional championship at The Hangar wasn’t lost on Macomb boys basketball coach Jeremy Anderson or assistant coach Zach Keene. “Between the two of us, that’s more than 40 years of coaching,” Anderson said. “And we could only come up with four or five times we…
Read Full Article PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — Same opponent, same circumstance, different venue. Yet, it was still the same result for the West Hancock boys basketball team. Facing Pleasant Plains in the Class 2A regional championship for the second straight year — last year it happened in Warsaw, this time in Pleasant Plains — the Titans struggled offensively,…
Read Full Article QUEEN CITY, Mo. — Winning one district championship proved significant. Capturing a second crown was rewarding. But a third? In a row? That will leave you almost speechless. Just ask Preston Brewer. “I honestly can’t put it into words how I feel about winning it three times in a row,” the senior forward said Friday…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — Austin Brown’s title pursuit remains on course, while Drake Brinkley is chartering his own championship journey as well. Two other Hannibal wrestlers are keeping their podium aspirations alive, too. On Friday’s first day of the Class 3 state wrestling championships at Mizzou Arena, Brown and Brinkley each won their first two matches…
Read Full Article WAVERLY, Ill. — One of the first things Central-Southeastern girls basketball coach Matt Long reminded his players at halftime Thursday night is they trailed by only six points. “He was right,” CSE senior forward Lauren Miller said. “We were only down six. For as bad as things had been, that had to mean something.” It…
Read Full Article CHATHAM, Ill. — In a year’s time, Sage Stratton’s tears turned into a bright smile. “It really feels so amazing coming back and actually winning it,” Stratton said. It being a sectional championship game, which the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team lost to Chatham Glenwood by a single point last season. The Raiders had…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — Brayden Pillars was better than almost everyone in the 165-pound weight class at the Class 1A state wrestling championships at Mizzou Arena. Only Rex Bryson was better. Pillars, the Palmyra senior, reached the state championship match in dominant fashion before running into Bryson yet again. The Centralia wrestler Bryson took down Pillars…
Read Full Article Top-seeded Highland pulls away in second half to eliminate Monroe City, reach Class 3 district final
LEWISTOWN, Mo. — The Highland girls basketball team’s fourth meeting of the season against Monroe City ended just like the first three. With a victory. Highland awakened in the second half Thursday night to eventually pull away from Monroe City 40-25 in the semifinals of the Class 3 District 6 tournament at Highland High School,…
Read Full Article LEWISTOWN, Mo. — More of the same. That’s what the South Shelby girls basketball team dished out to Palmyra in Thursday night’s semifinals of the Class 3 District 6 tournament at Highland High School. South Shelby scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter en route to pulling away for a 56-38 victory before…
Read Full Article WAVERLY, Ill. — When practice is finished, Lexi Niekamp isn’t. A freshman guard on the Central-Southeastern girls basketball team, Niekamp typically heads home after practice and puts herself through another tedious workout inside the indoor shooting facility on her family’s property. “Every night I’m in there shooting,” Niekamp said. Same shots, same rhythm, same amount.…
Read Full Article WAVERLY, Ill. — Trailing by 12 points midway through the third quarter Thursday night, the Central-Southeastern girls basketball team rallied to beat Pleasant Plains 51-44 in overtime in the Class 2A Waverly Sectional championship in Jim Roeschley Gymnasium. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman sat courtside and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article CHATHAM, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team made an emphatic statement with its 57-17 victory over Mahomet-Seymour in Thursday’s Class 3A Chatham Glenwood Sectional championship game. That statement also prompted a question — Where does the Raiders’ performance rank in sectional history since the Illinois High School Association adopted the four-class system?…
Read Full Article CHATHAM, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team put memories of a sectional championship loss to rest by hammering Mahomet-Seymour 57-17 in Thursday night’s Class 3A Chatham Glenwood Sectional title game. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey was there and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Greg Altmix was curious leading up to Wednesday’s Class 2A Pittsfield Regional semifinal game against Petersburg PORTA just how the Raiders would react. “When you come into a new program, you never know how guys are going to respond in the postseason,” said Altmix, the first-year…
Read Full Article BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Rico Clay Jr.’s instincts when it comes to making a play on the ball brought more than a handful of college football recruiters to visit the talented cornerback last summer and fall. Those same instincts helped ensure the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s season didn’t end prematurely. With the top-seeded Blue…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Palmyra wrestling team will have one wrestler chasing a state title and two others chasing podium finishes Thursday at the Class 1 state wrestling championships at Mizzou Arena. The Hannibal girls have a pair of grapplers fighting for state medals as well. Palmyra’s Brayden Pillars, a senior wrestling at 165 pounds,…
Read Full Article 'It's pretty high stakes': Monroe City, Palmyra to meet for fourth time, this one for district title
PALMYRA, Mo. — Get ready for Monroe City versus Palmyra IV. As expected, the top two seeds in the Class 3 District 6 boys basketball tournament won their semifinal-round games Wednesday night to set the stage for a fourth meeting this season in Friday night’s championship game. Trey Smyser hit four 3-pointers in the first…
Read Full Article PITTSFIELD, Ill. — The slight fadeaway. The tired legs from playing every minute of the game. Any number of factors could have contributed to the shot coming up just short. While the outcome was not what Tre Neiderman or the Illini West boys basketball team wanted, Neiderman accepted the result. “The fact that the last…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — The Panthers will be playing in the Class 3 sectionals next week, but will it be the Monroe City Panthers or the Palmyra Panthers? The Clarence Cannon Conference rivals advanced to the championship of the Class 3 District 6 boys basketball tournament with semifinal victories Wednesday night. Top-seeded Monroe City beat fourth-seeded…
Read Full Article CHATHAM, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team refused to crack under the pressure. Their practice habits, especially when it comes to shooting free throws, have prepared Sage Stratton and her teammates for what they faced during Tuesday’s Class 3A Chatham Glenwood Sectional semifinal game against Decatur MacArthur. “We practice free throws so…
Read Full Article WAVERLY, Ill. — The order in which the connection occurs — Miller to Peters or Peters to Miller — doesn’t seem to matter much. It’s lethal either way. Tuesday night, it ruined the Staunton girls basketball team’s chance to make amends for two consecutive postseason losses to Central-Southeastern before the Bulldogs even had the chance…
Read Full Article WAVERLY, Ill. — With two older brothers who were all-state football players, Agnes Genenbacher really had no option other than to be tough and know how to take a tumble. “That’s my nature,” she said. Going against them also taught her to be competitive. “I always want to be the best in everything I do,”…
Read Full Article CHATHAM, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team saw a 15-point second-half lead dwindle to one in the fourth quarter before the Raiders made plenty of free throws to survive with a 62-53 victory over Decatur MacArthur in Tuesday’s semifinals of the Class 3A Chatham Glenwood Sectional. QND will face Mahomet-Seymour at 6:30…
Read Full Article WAVERLY, Ill. — By the end of the first quarter Tuesday night, there was little doubt the Central-Southeastern girls basketball team was headed to the sectional championship. Now the Panthers know a familiar face awaits. CSE beat Staunton 58-22 in the semifinals of the Class 2A Waverly Sectional, earning spot opposite Pleasant Plains in the…
Read Full Article ST. LOUIS — Brady Kindhart didn’t know where the baseball ended up after it landed beyond the center field wall. He later found out it was in the perfect hands. Mike Kindhart retrieved what will now be a forever family treasure and a reminder of how his son’s collegiate baseball career began. Monday afternoon, in…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Each week during Muddy Night Hoops powered by Farm & Home Supply — a 90-minute talk show centered on prep basketball — the Starry Star of the Week will be presented to one area student-athlete. Sponsored by Refreshment Services Pepsi, the Starry Star of the Week looks to highlight someone who did something…
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — One by one, seniors and their parents were introduced before last Friday night’s boys high school basketball game between Payson Seymour and Western. Blake Schwartz’s name was called last. After exchanging hugs with his mom and dad in front of the Payson bench, he was asked by the public address announcer to…
Read Full Article VERSAILLES, Mo. — The Palmyra boys wrestling team is sending six grapplers to the Class 1 state championships after finishing fourth as a team at the Class 1 District 3 tournament at Versailles High School last Saturday. The state tournament begins Wednesday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Palmyra senior Brayden Pillars powered his way to…
Read Full Article ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Austin Brown’s road to winning another state wrestling championship has him heading back to Mizzou Arena. The Hannibal junior won the 120-pound championship at the Class 3 District 2 meet last Saturday at St. Charles High School, earning a 21-5 technical fall over St. Charles junior Derek Plaza-Smither in the title…
Read Full Article QUINCY — For the first time in quite some time, the Quincy University men’s basketball players were able to spend a Saturday night without lamenting what had taken place earlier in the day. “You can just chill knowing you won a game,” freshman guard Max Booher said. That hadn’t happened since Jan. 20. Saturday afternoon,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The crack in Nicole McDermott’s voice explained just how much it stung to see the chance at another victory in Pepsi Arena slip away. “I’m a sore loser,” she said. Sure, with Saturday’s 94-86 loss to Maryville in Great Lakes Valley Conference play came the end to the Quincy University women’s basketball team’s…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy University celebrated the 75th anniversary of Pepsi Arena on Saturday with a $5,000 winner, a Hall of Fame induction and a split decision on the court. The QU men’s basketball team rallied in the second half for an 82-75 victory over Maryville in Great Lakes Valley Conference play, ending a nine-game losing…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is the area scoreboard for Saturday, February 22: Men’s basketball Quincy University 82, Maryville 75 John Wood Community College 78, Illinois Central College 63 Missouri Valley 85, Culver-Stockton College 75 Women’s basketball Maryville 94, Quincy University 86 Illinois Central College 69, John Wood Community 57 Missouri Valley 85, Culver-Stockton College 78 College…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — Karly Peters heard Central-Southeastern girls basketball coach Matt Long loud and clear. With the Panthers trailing Petersburg PORTA 25-23 at halftime of Friday’s Class 2A Illini West Regional title game, Long’s message to Peters was short but powerful. “I told her, ‘It’s go time. Let’s go,’” Long said. Much of that encouragement…
Read Full Article CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The road through the wrestlebacks ended abruptly. Three area wrestlers — Quincy Notre Dame’s Sam Darnell, Illini West’s Shawn Watkins Jr. and Pittsfield’s Tucker Cook — saw their seasons end Friday with losses in the consolation bracket at the Class 1A state wrestling championships at the State Farm Center on the University…
Read Full Article KEOKUK, Iowa — All that Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Greg Altmix wanted was a chance. Through two and a half quarters of Friday’s affair with Keokuk, it looked like that opportunity may never materialize. But the Raiders never relented. “The guys just kept battling,” Altmix said. “They didn’t give up.” Down double digits…
Read Full Article GRANITE CITY, Ill. — With 4:43 remaining in regulation Friday night, Quincy High School girls basketball coach Brad Dance called his final timeout of the season. “I just challenged the girls,” Dance said. The Blue Devils trailed top-seeded Alton by 27 points in the Class 4A Granite City Regional championship, having played from behind since…
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