Sports Spotlight
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The eighth-seeded Quincy University women’s basketball team nearly pulled off one of the biggest stunners in the history of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, falling 79-78 to top-seeded Drury in Thursday’s tourney quarterfinals. MRN Editor David Adam put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article 
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The eighth-seeded Quincy University men’s basketball team took top-seeded Indianapolis to double overtime before falling 79-77 in the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. MRN Editor David Adam captured these images for a photo gallery:
Read Full Article 
BUSHNELL, Ill. — Not much could delay the inevitable, but the fire alarms blaring in the Bushnell-Prairie City High School gymnasium created a significant sense of confusion in the waning minutes of Wednesday’s Class 1A sectional semifinal boys basketball game between Camp Point Central and Peoria Christian. “It just came out of nowhere,” Central junior…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Only two girls basketball players across Illinois were named first-team all-staters on every ballot submitted by the Associated Press panel of voters. It’s no surprise Abbey Schreacke was one of them. The Quincy Notre Dame senior guard was the leading vote-getter in Class 2A for the second straight year after guiding the top-ranked…
Read Full Article 
BUSHNELL, Ill. — The Camp Point Central boys basketball team will play for the first sectional championship game in program history Friday night, advancing to the Class 1A Bushnell-Prairie City Sectional title game by beating Peoria Christian 51-39. Photographer Mike Pritchard shared these images for a photo gallery of the game:
Read Full Article 
ALTON, Ill. — Camden Brown quickly pinpointed the issue. “We didn’t have any fight in us,” he said. Forced into a corner, the Quincy High School boys basketball team could not withstand O’Fallon’s constant surges. The Blue Devils did not convert shots, did not rebound and did not consistently get defensive stops, resulting in a…
Read Full Article 
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — Sure, the players on the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team were pleased with their play in the second half. The Raiders got as close as 10 points with 5:09 remaining, but Normal University High made 8 of 10 free throws in the final three minutes to seal a 72-49 victory…
Read Full Article 
ALTON, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys basketball team scored a season-low 35 points in suffering a 64-35 shellacking by O’Fallon in Tuesday night’s Class 4A Moline Sectional semifinal, which was played at Alton High School. The Blue Devils went just 4 of 23 (17.4 percent) from beyond the arc and shot just 38.1…
Read Full Article 
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — The No. 3-ranked Normal University High boys basketball team raced to a 30-7 lead after one quarter and led by as many as 30 points in a 72-49 victory over Quincy Notre Dame in the Class 2A sectional semifinals on Friday night at Pleasant Plains High School. MRN Editor David Adam…
Read Full Article 
HARDIN, Ill. — In the end, Bryan Dieker may have captured the moment better than anyone else. “This was a great season for us,” he said. “This was the most fun I’ve ever had playing basketball.” Dieker, a 6-foot-1 senior forward on the Payson Seymour boys basketball team, had just completed the final game of…
Read Full Article 
MACOMB, Ill. — The realization they’d achieved a significant goal meant a larger one is now within the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball players’ reach. It also means the Raiders must maintain a workmanlike effort with everything they do. They made it abundantly clear that’s how they will approach the Class 2A final four after…
Read Full Article 
MACOMB, Ill. — A year ago, Tristan Pieper had to watch somewhat from afar as the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team won the Class 2A state championship. “The very top of the student section,” Pieper said of her seat in Redbird Arena. The view will be quite different this year. “Of course, it will,”…
Read Full Article 
MACOMB, Ill. — A 15-0 run over the final five minutes of the first half put the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team in complete control of its 51-23 victory over Deer Creek-Mackinaw in the Class 2A Macomb Super-Sectional on Monday night at The Hangar, earning the Raiders a spot in the final four. Muddy…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Quincy High School boys basketball team’s second-place finish in the Western Big 6 Conference led to three players earning all-conference honors. Meanwhile, the QHS girls placed two players on the All-WB6 squad. Sophomore guard Bradley Longcor III garnered first-team plaudits, while sophomore forward Keshaun Thomas was a second-team selection and junior guard…
Read Full Article 
CANTON, Mo. — Culver-Stockton College announced Monday that Aaron Hill is resigning as the men’s basketball coach after five seasons. A press release from the school said Hill wants to spend more time with his young, growing family as he pursues a professional opportunity outside of coaching. Hill and his wife, Andrea, are the parents…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Pat Rafferty says he will know when it’s finally time to walk away from basketball and coaching. At 72, after spending nearly a half-century with teams in high school and college gymnasiums, that time has yet to arrive. “He’s in his happy place,” John Wood Community College coach Brad Hoyt said of his…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Cody Culp simply couldn’t score on Alexander Rallo. No one could. The Hannibal junior wrestler qualified for the 138-pound championship match of the Class 3 state tournament at Mizzou Arena by outlasting three consecutive opponents in matches decided by four points or less. In the title tilt, however, Whitfield’s Rallo never gave…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Brad Hoyt might not sleep too soundly if he goes to bed with visions of a one-possession loss to nationally ranked Danville dancing in his head. “When you have a one-possession game, you think about all those one possessions that don’t go very well,” the John Wood Community College men’s basketball coach said.…
Read Full Article 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Friday night, during the team dinner for players and parents, Quincy University women’s basketball coach Kaci Bailey gave senior forward Emma Knipe’s parents a solid reassurance more was in store. “I told them, ‘Tomorrow’s not our last game,’” Bailey said. A homegrown senior — Quincy native Sarah Nelson — made sure…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Led by Cody Culp’s state runner-up finish at 138 pounds, five Hannibal wrestlers grappled their way to the podium during the two-day Class 3 state tournament at Mizzou Arena and brought home state medals. Photographer Mathew Kirby shared this gallery of images from Saturday’s action:
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Fighting for a higher seed in the Region 24 Tournament, the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team suffered a 60-58 loss to nationally ranked Danville Area Community College on Saturday at the Student Activity Center. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action courtside in this photo gallery:
Read Full Article 
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Amber Louderback and Kelly Ladd made history Saturday, becoming the first-ever girls state wrestling medalists from each of their respective high school programs. Louderback, a freshman at Central, finished fourth in the 125-pound class during the two-day event at Grossinger Motors Arena, while Ladd, a sophomore from Macomb, finished sixth at 135…
Read Full Article 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A win-and-you’re-in scenario didn’t put the Quincy University men’s basketball team in a lose-and-you’re-out situation. That’s a lucky thing. With a chance to secure a spot in the eight-team Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament for the first time since 2017, Quincy stumbled Saturday in a 69-63 loss to Rockhurst at Mason-Halpin…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Tyler Sprick said he never looked at the scoreboard, but he was fully aware of the situation the Quincy High School boys basketball team faced. No one went as far as to call it dire, but there was trepidation. Blindsided at the start of Friday night’s Class 4A Quincy Regional championship game as…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Quincy High School boys basketball team didn’t take the lead for good until Tyler Sprick made a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:55 remaining in regulation Friday night, but it cemented a rally from a 14-point deficit as the Blue Devils beat Collinsville 53-47 for the Class 4A Quincy Regional championship…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Jake Hoyt made sure the playful razzing he received ended with an exclamation point. At Friday’s pregame shootaround, the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coaches ran a set play for their senior point guard to shoot a 3-pointer and Hoyt missed the first attempt. “We teased him a little bit,” Raiders coach Kevin…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team won the Class 2A regional championship on Friday night at the Pit with a 63-46 victory over West Hancock. It was the Raiders’ second victory over the Titans in the last 10 nights. MRN Editor David Adam captured some of the images from the game.
Read Full Article 
CAMP POINT, Ill. — Jalen Conley found ways to get to the basket and make the Central boys basketball team work to stop him. The Panthers denied everyone else that opportunity. The top-seeded team in the Class 1A Central Regional showed its defensive dominance in the first half Friday night, allowing one only Bushnell-Prairie City…
Read Full Article 
CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Central boys basketball team’s nearly flawless effort at the free-throw line allowed it to finish off a 46-35 victory over Bushnell-Prairie City on Friday night and win the championship of the Class 1A Central Regional. Photographer Mike Pritchard captured the action and shared this photo gallery with Muddy River Sports:
Read Full Article PAYSON, Ill. — The Brotherhood plays on. The Payson Seymour boys basketball team’s latest unexpected postseason success, a 42-39 overtime victory Friday night in the Class 1A regional finals against Triopia, allows the underdog Indians to keep their unlikely tournament dream alive. “It’s a brotherhood here in Payson, a family,” junior point guard Wyatt Neisen…
Read Full Article 
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Central’s Amber Louderback and Macomb’s Kelly Ladd are each a victory away from reaching the podium at the Illinois girls state wrestling tournament. Louderback, at 125 pounds, and Ladd, at 135 pounds, both lost in the quarterfinals of their respective weight classes Friday, but rebounded for a victory in the wrestlebacks and…
Read Full Article 
MONROE CITY, Mo. — South Shelby’s Trey Countryman wasn’t giving anyone the game ball. Thirty minutes after the final buzzer, the senior guard was still cradling this piece of history. Countryman and the rest of the Cardinals upset top-seeded Palmyra 39-22 in the Class 3 District 6 championship to capture their first district title in…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Typically stoic with his post-match reactions, Palmyra senior wrestler Collin Arch made a subtle, yet poignant gesture after winning his historic fourth straight state championship Thursday night. As the referee raised his right hand, Arch held his left hand near his waist and flashed four fingers — one for each title. “That…
Read Full Article 
Freshmen don't wither in spotlight, help QND girls capture sectional title over Central-Southeastern
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — Central-Southeastern girls basketball coach Matt Long was asked any advice he has for the seven teams left in the Class 2A state tournament for how to beat Quincy Notre Dame. “It’s only happened once,” he said succinctly. “Good luck.” The No. 1-ranked Raiders took early command of Thursday night’s sectional championship…
Read Full Article 
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team, the defending Class 2A state champion, won its 26th consecutive game on Thursday night with a 44-29 decision over Central-Southeastern in the sectional championship at Pleasant Plains High School. MRN Editor David Adam captured some of the images from the game.
Read Full Article 
ABINGDON, Ill. — Dave Phelps tried to highlight the Brown County girls basketball team’s laundry list of accomplishments this season during his postgame speech Thursday night. Those aren’t easy to see through tears. A record-setting 31-win season and the second Sweet 16 appearance in program history came to an end in the Class 1A Abingdon…
Read Full Article 
ABINGDON, Ill. — The physical play of the Havana girls basketball team kept Brown County from finding any offensive rhythm Thursday night and resulted in a 40-34 loss in the Class 1A Abingdon Sectional championship game. The Hornets end their historic season with a 31-4 record. Mount Sterling photographer Scott Bemis captured the action in…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — If Keshaun Thomas needs a part-time job in the coming years, a perfect one exists. Window cleaner. The way he pulled rebounds off the glass Wednesday night during the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s regional semifinal, there’s no one better suited for the job. The 6-foot-6 sophomore forward fought for two offensive…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Halfway home. Palmyra senior wrestler Collin Arch took care of his first two matches at the Class 1 state championships at Mizzou Arena on Wednesday, pinning both of his opponents in less than 95 seconds and closing within two victories of a fourth consecutive state title. Wrestling at 150 pounds, Arch opened…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A combination of size and experience can carry a team. It’s what helped lift the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team to a sectional championship appearance a year ago. Wednesday night’s start to the postseason showed the Raiders are banking on it again. Senior post players Jake Wallingford and Alex Connoyer dominated on…
Read Full Article 
PAYSON, Ill. — Lane Barker was not designed to take the last shot. Fortunately, he did. Barker, a 5-foot-8 sophomore guard, buried a 3-point field goal from the left corner with 2.4 seconds to play Wednesday night, sending Payson Seymour to a 41-38 upset of New Berlin in the Class 1A regional semifinals. New Berlin…
Read Full Article 
CAMP POINT, Ill. — A highly anticipated postseason matchup between the state’s preseason No. 1-ranked team in Class 1A and the area’s most consistently successful squad isn’t going to happen. Bushnell-Prairie City and a nagging injury saw to that. After the top-seeded Central boys basketball team pushed its way into Friday’s regional championship with a…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Eight nights ago, Gavin Grothaus walked off the floor at The Pit with a bitter taste in his mouth. “That one kind of hurt,” the West Hancock sophomore said of the Titans’ 17-point loss to Quincy Notre Dame on Valentine’s Day at The Pit. Grothaus made sure he wouldn’t feel the same disappointment…
Read Full Article 
PAYSON, Ill. — There’s always next season. That’s what Griggsville-Perry boys basketball coach Garrett White will be telling himself in the coming weeks and months. However, that likely won’t help soften the blow of Wednesday’s 56-53 overtime loss to Triopia in the Class 1A regional semifinals at Payson Seymour High School. The Tornadoes (24-9), who…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — An 11-0 run to close the first quarter Wednesday night got the Quincy High School boys basketball team in rhythm as it rolled to a 71-42 victory over Alton and moved into Friday’s Class 4A Quincy Regional championship game against Collinsville at Blue Devil Gym. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman sat courtside…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A little more than a week after the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team secured its 20th victory of the season by beating West Hancock, the Raiders will have to do so again to keep their season alive. QND advanced to the championship game of the Class 2A QND Regional with a 75-47…
Read Full Article 
CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Central boys basketball team is taking advantage of playing the Class 1A regional on its home floor, knocking off Unity 63-47 in Wednesday’s semifinals. The Panthers will face Bushnell-Prairie City at 7 p.m. Friday in the championship. Camp Point photographer Mike Pritchard shared this photo gallery of the Panthers’ victory:
Read Full Article 
PAYSON, Ill. — Lane Barker’s 3-pointer from the corner with 2.4 seconds remaining in the game gave the Payson Seymour boys basketball team a 41-38 victory over state-ranked New Berlin in the semifinals of the Class 1A Payson Regional on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Griggsville-Perry won 24 games during the regular season, but the Tornadoes’ season…
Read Full Article 
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — After playing 13 consecutive games in Adams County, Quincy Notre Dame coach Eric Orne thought his team needed to pack its bags and hit the road. The Raiders were 16-0 at The Pit this season, concluding with an emotional and demanding 54-43 victory over Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in the championship game…
Read Full Article 
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — Well, that didn’t take very long. Central-Southeastern had all but secured a Class 2A girls basketball sectional semifinal victory over Staunton before some patrons had found their seats Tuesday night at Pleasant Plains High School. CSE scored the first 18 points of the game, which quickly turned the contest into a…
Read Full Article 
ABINGDON, Ill. — No one actually reached for the panic button. “We kind of hovered over it a little bit,” Brown County girls basketball coach Dave Phelps said. What kept the Hornets from hitting it is what made Tuesday night’s second-half rally possible. They never lost faith in each other. A nine-minute scoring drought in…
Read Full Article 
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team went on a 30-6 run in the first half, then opened the second half with a 19-2 run as they had no problem defeating Hillsboro 67-30 in the semifinals of the Class 2A Sectional at Pleasant Plains High School on Tuesday night. MRN Editor…
Read Full Article 
PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — The Central-Southeastern girls basketball team scored the game’s first 18 points and cruised to a 62-26 victory over Staunton in the Class 2A girls basketball sectional semifinals at Pleasant Plains High School. MRN Editor David Adam captured some of the images from the game.
Read Full Article 
ABINGDON, Ill. — The Brown County girls basketball team overcome a rough first half offensively by scoring 19 points in the third quarter and pulling away from Elmwood for a 47-35 victory in Tuesday night’s semifinals of the Class 1A Abingdon Sectional. Mount Sterling-based photographer Scott Bemis captured action and shared this photo gallery with…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — What transpires over the next three weeks will help define how the 2022-23 prep basketball season in the Gem City is remembered. Already it’s been historic. It could become legendary. The Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball teams open regional play Wednesday, both harboring high hopes while knowing significant hurdles…
Read Full Article 
PALMYRA, Mo. — Four for four. That’s Collin Arch’s challenge. Four victories at the Missouri Class 1 state wrestling championships, beginning Wednesday morning at Mizzou Arena on the University of Missouri campus, will win the Palmyra senior grappler his fourth state championship. Arch, with a 48-1 record, is the prohibitive favorite to win the 150-pound…
Read Full Article 
Hannibal is sending nine wrestlers to the Missouri State High School Athletic Associaton state wrestling meet in Columbia, while Palmyra’s Collin Arch earned a chance to claim a fourth state championship and will be joined by one male wrestler and one female wrestler at the state meet. Arch won the 150-pound class at the Class…
Read Full Article 
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After placing third in the 160-pound division in Class 3A at the Illinois High School Association Class 3A individual state wrestling tournament, Quincy High School’s Owen Uppinghouse is ready for a break. And some sleep. Uppinghouse won four out of five matches this week at State Farm Center to finish with a…
Read Full Article 
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Two Macomb wrestlers placed in the top five in Class 1A at the Illinois High School Association individual state wrestling meet at State Farm Center for the highest finishes by the Bombers since 2013. Max Ryner placed fourth in the 195-pound division after he was pinned by Coal City’s Joey Breneman in…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY – Quincy University men’s basketball coach Steve Hawkins didn’t like the way his team responded to a 13-point home loss to William Jewell Thursday night, its third straight defeat and sixth in eight games. He sent a message the following day by locking the players out of their locker room in Pepsi Arena, prohibiting…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — When you’re a .500 team, you win some and you lose some. You will have good moments and bad moments. The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team lost Saturday afternoon at home to Parkland College 65-62. The Trail Blazers’ record sits at 14-13, and like their season, the contest included good things…
Read Full Article 
The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team lost Saturday afternoon at home to Parkland College 65-62, missing a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Trail Blazers’ record sits at 14-13, and they’re 2-5 in region play. MRN Editor David Adam captured some of the images from the game.
Read Full Article 
QUINCY – Quincy University women’s basketball coach Kaci Bailey knew her team was facing a tall order Saturday afternoon in its final home game of the season. Truman State entered the game in Pepsi Arena having won 11 straight games in the series. The Bulldogs began the day as the second-highest scoring team in the…
Read Full Article 
MOUNT STERLING, Ill — Brown County’s record-breaking girls basketball season continues. Friday night’s 69-41 victory over Biggsville West Central marked the first time in program history the No. 3-ranked Hornets had won back-to-back Class 1A regional championships. The regional title further accents a season that has produced the most victories — 30 and counting —…
Read Full Article 
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Quincy High School’s Owen Uppinghouse hopes of winning a state championship game to an end on Friday night. Now, the focus is on capturing a third-place medal. Uppinghouse lost to undefeated and top-seeded Ethan Stiles of Conant by pinfall in 3:03 in the semifinals of the 160-pound division in the Illinois High…
Read Full Article 
KEOKUK, Iowa — A trip to Wright Fieldhouse in Keokuk and a 69-65 overtime victory provided the Quincy Notre Dame Raiders boys basketball team with an important lesson with postseason play starting. “One thing we learned is that you can’t come out flat starting tomorrow,” Raiders coach Kevin Meyer said. “You’ve got to come out…
Read Full Article 
PITTSFIELD, Ill. — A sizeable crowd and a chance to win the first regional since 2009 created an atmosphere of excitement for the Pittsfield girls basketball team. All of that, combined with Hillsboro’s defensive pressure, led to shaky start to Friday night’s Class 2A regional championship game at Voshall Gym. The Saukees turned the ball…
Read Full Article 
Friday night’s 69-41 victory over Biggsville West Central marked the first time in program history the No. 3-ranked Brown County girls basketball team had won back-to-back Class 1A regional championships. The regional title further accents a season that has produced the most victories — 29 and counting — since girls started playing organized basketball in…
Read Full Article 
The season for the Pittsfield girls basketball team ended Friday night with a 56-39 loss to Hillsboro. The Hilltoppers (20-11) advance to the sectional at Pleasant Plains and will meet No. 1-ranked Quincy Notre Dame (31-1), the defending Class 2A state champions, at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals. Pittsfield finishes with an 18-14 record.…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team was in unexpected trouble. The No. 1-ranked team in Class 2A led comfortably 47-31 with about five minutes left in the third quarter of Thursday night’s regional championship game at The Pit. However, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin went on a 14-2 run, culminated by Caroline Lambert’s backdoor…
Read Full Article 
ALTON, Ill. — It didn’t take long for the Alton girls basketball team’s offense to catch fire. The top-seeded Redbirds hit five three-pointers in the first half in a 58-31 victory over fourth-seeded Quincy High School in the Class 4A Alton Regional championship game on Thursday. “We knew coming in how good they were,” Blue…
Read Full Article 
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Quincy High School’s Owen Uppinghouse didn’t score a point until the third period, but it was the only point he needed. Uppinghouse won his first-round match in the 160-pound weight class at the IHSA Class 3A state wrestling meet in Champaign by a 1-0 decision over Marist’s Ricky Ericksen. An escape 15 seconds…
Read Full Article 
PETERSBURG, Ill. — Matt Long admittedly ran the full gamut of emotions Thursday night. “I felt like I went from about being ready to black out to relaxing on a yacht,” said Long, the girls basketball coach at Central-Southeastern. More than 15 minutes after CSE’s 31-28 nail-biting victory in the Class 2A regional championship over…
Read Full Article 
HAVANA, Ill. — The style the Unity girls basketball team prefers to play was a mirror image of how they were defended on Thursday. “We speed people up a lot, and tonight, we got sped up,” Mustangs coach Brad Begeman said. Havana, ranked No. 9 in the final Associated Press Class 1A poll, forced 15…
Read Full Article 
Central-Southeastern rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Petersburg PORTA 31-28 in the Class 2A regional championship game at Petersburg on Thursday night. CSE, which has won 10 of its last 11 games, moves on to play Staunton (26-6) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pleasant Plains in the sectional semifinals. Mike Pritchard provided Muddy River…
Read Full Article 
The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team posted a 54-43 victory over Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin on Thursday to claim their 30th regional championship in school history. QND (31-1) advances to Tuesday’s 6 p.m. semifinal in the Class 2A sectional at Pleasant Plains. MRN Editor David Adam captured some of the scenes from Thursday.
Read Full Article 
Here are the Associated Press boys prep basketball polls with rank, team, first-place votes, record and total points. Class 4A School W-L Pts Prv 1. Lisle (Benet Academy) (14) 28-1 149 1 2. Moline (1) 28-3 134 2 3. Joliet West 25-5 115 3 4. Kenwood 24-6 101 4 5. Hinsdale Central 28-3 88 5…
Read Full Article 
CANTON, Mo. — Senior guard McKenzie Lathrom scored a career-high 37 points, draining a school-record nine 3-pointers in the process, to lead the Culver-Stockton women’s basketball team in a 93-65 victory over Graceland University on Wednesday night at Charles Field House. Lathrom, a native of New London, Mo., also had 10 rebounds and five assists. She broke…
Read Full Article 
SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Quincy University baseball team has moved up three spots to No. 17 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. Quincy opened its season by defeating No. 3-ranked Tampa in two out of three games on Feb. 10-12, then defeated Saint Leo University 10-2 on Tuesday. A two-run double…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — In the aftermath of Quincy Notre Dame’s 20th victory of the season on Tuesday night, Charlie Lavery was quick to point out the importance of his senior teammate Alex Connoyer. “Without him, we’re in trouble,” Lavery said. Connoyer scored 11 of his game-high 19 points in the third quarter to help the Raiders pull…
Read Full Article 
ALTON, Ill. — A little energy can go a long way. The Quincy High School girls basketball team proved that Tuesday night when it rallied in the second half to defeat Collinsville 45-39 in a Class 4A regional tournament semifinal game at Alton High School. Taylor Fohey scored 14 points and Asia Seangmany 11 to…
Read Full Article 
GALESBURG, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys basketball team’s fourth straight victory was accompanied by an emphatic stamp midway through the second half. The Blue Devils strung together 12 straight points at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth to pull away from upset-minded Galesburg and register a 66-55 Western…
Read Full Article 
PITTSFIELD, Ill. — A last-second game-tying shot rolled off the rim, allowing the Pittsfield girls basketball team to survive a comeback by North Mac and win 48-46 in the semifinals of the Class 2A regional tournament on Tuesday night at Voshall Gym. The third-seeded Saukees (18-13) advanced to Friday night’s championship game against second-seeded Hillsboro,…
Read Full Article 
The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team pulled away in the second half to defeat West Hancock 73-56 on Senior Night at The Pit. Muddy River News Editor David Adam captured some of the action.
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — One down. Six to go. The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team opened its quest for a second straight state championship with a 79-33 victory over West Hancock in the Class 2A regional semifinals Monday night at The Pit. Granted, QND (30-1) was a heavy favorite, but there was no chance of overconfidence…
Read Full Article 
Abbey McMillen’s free throw with no time left on the clock gave the Central-Southeastern girls basketball team a 36-35 victory over Pleasant Plains on Monday night in the Class 2A regional semifinal at Petersburg PORTA High School. Pleasant Plains tied the score at 35 when freshman Anna Weber scored from inside the lane with 27.9…
Read Full Article 
The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team opened its quest for a second straight state championship with a 79-33 victory over West Hancock in the Class 2A regional semifinals Monday night at The Pit. MRN Editor David Adam captured images from the game.
Read Full Article 
An upset bid by Illini West slipped away in the closing four minutes of its 34-26 loss to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in the Class 2A regional semifinals Monday night at The Pit. The Chargers had closed within 26-24 but were outscored 8-2 down the stretch. MRN Editor David Adam captured images from the game.
Read Full Article 
TAMPA, Fla. — Never give up, never give in. Quincy University baseball coach Matt Schissel knows he has a team willing to live by that mantra. The Hawks can compete with anyone in the country, too. Both of those aspects were revealed during the season-opening three-game series against the third-ranked University of Tampa as the…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team begins its quest this week for a second consecutive Illinois Class 2A state championship and seventh overall in program history. Only Chicago Marshall with eight has captured more titles since the first girls champion was crowned in 1977. Adding to the potential legacy of another first-place…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — First came the rain, followed by the thunder and then a bellywasher of emotion. “Crazy,” a smiling Sam Mulherin called it. Perfect seemed to be an apt description, too. “It couldn’t have been a better night,” said Bryson Bowen, one of three seniors on the Quincy High School boys basketball team who played…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The Quincy High School boys basketball team put a perfect cap on its home slate, beating Jacksonville 59-40 on Saturday night at Blue Devil in the final home regular-season game for seniors Sam Mulherin, Reid O’Brien and Bryson Bowen. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured some celebratory images and action shots throughout…
Read Full Article 
NORMAL, Ill. — A pair of Quincy High School wrestlers battled their way to the first state tournament berths of their careers, and they’ll be joined in Champaign by a trio of Macomb wrestlers. Owen Uppinghouse finished second at 160 pounds in the Class 3A Normal Community Sectional, while Bryor Newbold finished third at 182…
Read Full Article 
RUSHVILLE, Ill. — The unselfishness that leads to offensive balance was on display Saturday night, and it’s going to have to become a hallmark of the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team in order for the Raiders to make a deep postseason push. The Raiders had four players finish in double figures, saw 11 different…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The downcast expression covering Malik Hardmon’s face told the story. So did his words. “The game got away from us, and we paid for it,” he said. The 6-foot-6 senior forward on the Quincy University men’s basketball team did not mince words or offer excuses following Saturday’s 84-74 Great Lakes Valley Conference loss…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The math never lies. “It’s tough to come back from 25 points down,” Quincy University women’s basketball coach Kaci Bailey said. And that’s exactly where QU found itself at intermission. Illinois-Springfield, which entered Saturday’s game with a 2-21 record, dominated Quincy from start to finish in posting an 81-59 Great Lakes Valley Conference…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The fight to earn a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament became a little tougher for the Quincy University men’s and women’s basketball teams after both suffered setbacks Saturday against Illinois-Springfield at Pepsi Arena. The QU men lost 84-74, while the women were drubbed 81-59. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — The physical toll playing a schedule loaded with state-ranked opponents doesn’t seem to have bothered the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team one iota. Some of the Raiders even relish playing — and winning — those rough-and-tumble affairs. “I like physical games,” QND senior guard Blair Eftink said. “I think it gives everyone…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — A milestone moment needed a signature start and an emphatic finish. Camden Brown and Milton Whitfield delivered on both fronts. Brown’s breakaway dunk 30 seconds into Friday night’s Western Big 6 Conference game got the Quincy High School boys basketball team rolling. Then Whitfield provided a steal and flush to punctuate a 66-28…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer could have waited another 35 seconds until the first quarter ended to address the issues he saw with how the Raiders were interacting defensively. It wouldn’t have had the same impact. So when Liberty coach Greg Altmix used a timeout with 34.8 seconds remaining in…
Read Full Article