Sports Spotlight
QUINCY — And just like that, the local basketball season is over. The final buzzer sounded Friday evening when top-seeded Grand Valley State, the No. 2-ranked team in the country, eliminated the Quincy University women in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. Coming off eight straight losing seasons and picked to…
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QUINCY — A trio of Quincy High School boys basketball players received all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and led a brigade of nine area players overall to receive plaudits. Quincy senior guard Bradley Longcor III received first-team honors in Class 4A, while Blue Devils senior forward Keshaun Thomas was a third-team selection…
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QUINCY — Three area players earned first-team honors and six others received mention on the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association girls all-state teams. Central-Southeastern senior forward Lauren Miller and Pittsfield freshman guard Reese Ramsey were first-team picks in Class 2A, while Brown County sophomore guard Kenzie Kassing was a first-team selection in Class 1A. Receiving second-team…
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QUINCY — Blair Eftink is taking more than her 3-point prowess across town. A handful of accolades are going with her. The John Wood Community College sophomore guard, who has committed to play at Quincy University next season, recently received All-Region 24 honors and second-team All-Mid-West Athletic Conference plaudits. Eftink, a 5-foot-8 guard who was…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Prep spring sports are ready to kick off with the first scheduled competitions coming this week. To be prepped, area Missouri baseball teams took part in jamborees Saturday with Hannibal playing host to Palmyra and Bowling Green at the Veterans Sports Complex. Photographer Mathew Kirby spent time at the diamond and put…
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BRIMFIELD, Ill. — The Carthage seventh-grade girls volleyball team finished as the Illinois Elementary School Association runner-up at the Class 2A state tournament. The Bluegirls beat Peoria Christian 25-17, 25-13 in the state quarterfinals at Brimfield High School and took down Springfield Christian 25-18, 25-22 in the semifinals. In the championship match, Morrisonville ended Carthage’s…
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QUINCY — Here is the local scoreboard for Saturday, March 15: College baseball John Wood Community College 16, Spoon River 5 John Wood Community College 17, Spoon River 9 Central Methodist 5, Culver-Stockton College 2 Culver-Stockton College 4, Central Methodist 3 College softball Culver-Stockton College 10, Hannibal-LaGrange 7 Culver-Stockton College 8, Hannibal-LaGrange 0
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The 2025 Illinois spring trout fishing season will open April 5 at 58 ponds, lakes and streams throughout the state. An early opportunity at select trout sites — the spring catch-and-release fishing season — will take place March 22. No trout may be kept during the catch-and-release period, but anglers can keep…
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ALLENDALE, Mich. — The Quincy University women’s basketball team found itself where it wasn’t expected to be Friday night. Still playing. Hawks coach Courtney Boyd wanted her players to take note of that. Their season ended with a 108-72 loss to top-seeded Grand Valley State in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional…
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ALLENDALE, Mich. — The Quincy University women’s basketball team discovered a direct correlation between the number of turnovers it committed and the size of the deficit it faced. As one increased, so did the other. Grand Valley State was responsible for both. The Lakers, the No. 2-ranked team in NCAA Division II and the top-seeded…
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QUINCY — Isaiah Fudge senses the Quincy University baseball team is close to turning a corner. “We know we have it in us,” said Fudge, a sophomore infielder. Quincy’s battles with Central Missouri, the No. 3 team in the NCBWA poll, on Friday provided Fudge with his most recent pieces of evidence. The Hawks had…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Canton boys basketball team was eight minutes away from glory. They just could not keep the monster under the bed long enough. Canton led top-ranked Eugene 49-45 entering the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Class 2 state championship game at Mizzou Arena, but back-to-back impact plays by Eagles senior guard Justice Allen…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Preston Brewer’s final words were heartfelt. “Thank you, Canton,” he said. That’s how the Canton boys basketball team’s senior all-state forward ended his final interview, which took place in the tunnel looking out into a then-mostly empty Mizzou Arena after Canton’s 72-61 loss to Eugene in Thursday’s Class 2 state championship game.…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Canton boys basketball team’s deepest postseason run in program history ended with a state title game appearance Thursday night. The Tigers led Eugene 49-45 heading to the fourth quarter at Mizzou Arena, but the Eagles rallied for a 72-61 victory. The second-place finish marks the third state trophy the Canton boys…
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QUINCY — Jake Wallingford continues to show what he is capable of doing when fully healthy. The 6-foot-9 forward battled injuries his senior season with the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team and his freshman season at John Wood Community, but he played in 26 games this past season and averaged more than 23 minutes…
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PALMYRA, Mo. — The Palmyra Youth Wrestling Club had 15 grapplers earn medals, including four who won championships, at the 2025 Missouri USA Folkstyle Youth State Championships held at the Wilson Logistics Arena in Springfield, Mo. Winning championships were Cooper Nicholson in the 8U/80-pound open division, Kinsley Rife in the 12u/90-pound girls division, Ava Rife…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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’…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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NORMAL, Ill. — In a game of punch-counterpunch, Lombard Montini’s return blows proved too powerful for the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team to recover from. The silver lining for QND is a chance for atonement on Friday. The Raiders took a 26-20 lead on a Jenna Durst 3-pointer with 4:41 left in the third…
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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…
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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…
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NORMAL, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s third state tourament appearance in the last four years hit a snag in the fourth quarter Thursday night as Lombard Montini pulled away for a 50-41 victory in the semifinals of the Class 3A state tournament. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey was courtside and…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 —…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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.…
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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:
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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?…
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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:
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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'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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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