Posts
CHICAGO — Here are this week’s Illinois Associated Press girls basketball state rankings, as voted on by a statewide panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. First-place votes are in parenthesis: Class 4A Rank School Total Points Previous 1. Lyons (7) 27-1 95 2 2. Benet (1) 24-2 73 1 3. Kenwood 25-2 72 T3 4. Alton…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The need for redemption lasted 370 days. The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball players refused to let it linger a day longer. Desperate to makes amends for last year’s 23-point loss to Quincy High School at The Pit in which they scored just 24 points, the state-ranked Raiders rattled off 10 of the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jenna Durst didn’t feel the vibes. “I didn’t really think the first two I shot were very good,” the Quincy Notre Dame junior forward said of her 3-point attempts from the left wing and the top of the key in the first 35 seconds of Tuesday night’s game against the Quincy High School…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team scored the first eight points of the second quarter Tuesday and never trailed again, building a 15-point second-half lead and fending off Quincy High School’s fourth-quarter charge for a 66-55 victory at Blue Devil Gym. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman sat courtside and put together…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Jamie Toole could feel the buzz. “It’s the energy, the smiles, the baseball stories,” Toole said. All are signs the Quincy Baseball Club, which will play its inaugural season in the Prospect League this summer, is on its way to a successful, fun-filled first season. The franchise hosted its first-ever event Tuesday —…
Read Full Article HAMILTON, Ill. — West Hancock boys basketball coach Jeff Dahl tried his best to wrap his arms around what had just transpired. “This … was a grinder,” he said. West Hancock survived an overtime struggle with Fort Madison (Iowa), winning 74-67 Tuesday night to extend its win streak to nine in front of a crowd…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is the area scoreboard for Tuesday, Feb. 4: Boys basketball West Hancock 74, Fort Madison (Iowa) 67 Liberty 59, Western 51 Payson Seymour 66, Pittsfield 50 Brown County 57, Southeastern 40 Monroe City 57, South Shelby 55 Canton 69, Putnam County 50 Moberly 66, Hannibal 42 Girls basketball Quincy Notre Dame 66,…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Lauren Miller did not make any excuses, even after she vomited at halftime of the Central-Southeastern girls basketball team’s game against Pittsfield on Monday. “It was just from all the hacking and coughing,” she said. “It seems like that’s just going around.” Miller, like several of her teammates, felt under the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is the area scoreboard for Monday, Feb. 3: Boys basketball Liberty 65, West Prairie 47 North Callaway 64, Highland 41 Wright City 61, Mark Twain 37 Marion County 51, Knox County 39 Girls basketball Central-Southeastern 60, Pittsfield 37 Brown County 52, Macomb 48 Highland 62, North Callaway 36 Canton 78, Atlanta 31…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Cymirah Williams doesn’t try to hide her excitement. Her ever-present smile seems to grow broader with every victory by a resurgent Quincy University women’s basketball team. “To see how everyone on campus is showing so much love, recognizing how good we’re doing and the road we’re going down, it’s something to love,” she…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 170,758 deer during all 2024-2025 archery and firearm seasons, which concluded Jan. 19. The preliminary total for 2024-2025 compares with a total harvest of 160,313 deer for all seasons in 2023-2024. During the 2024-2025 deer seasons, hunters took 46.27 percent females and 53.72 percent…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Crunching some numbers as the Quincy High School boys basketball players continue to reach milestones … • When Bradley Longcor III passed Jeff Klingler for third place on the program’s all-time scoring list, someone noticed and asked about Jack Kramer’s point total at No. 2. There was a discrepancy between Kramer’s Hall of…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — The efficiency with which the Quincy High School boys basketball team runs its offense typically means a shot is going up after one, two or at most three passes. “Normally, We don’t normally get a reversal,” Blue Devils coach Andy Douglas said. The patience with which the Blue Devils played Saturday night…
Read Full Article MONROE CITY, Mo. — When their team allows the first 13 points of a game, a basketball coach may be inclined to make significant adjustments. But even when the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team fell behind by a baker’s dozen in the first 4:45 against Monroe City on Saturday, Raiders coach Greg Altmix did…
Read Full Article MONROE CITY, Mo. — Quincy Notre Dame senior guard Sage Stratton could sense the Raiders’ defense was making Monroe City uncomfortable, and that’s just the way she and the Raiders like it. “That’s always our goal,” Stratton said. The Raiders held the Panthers to nine first half points and pulled away for a 57-27 victory…
Read Full Article STERLING, Ill. — Quincy High School girls basketball coach Brad Dance and the Blue Devils would have liked four extra minutes to attempt to topple state-ranked Sterling. A fraction of a second negated that opportunity. Off an inbounds play under the basket with 4.3 seconds remaining in regulation of a tied Western Big 6 Conference…
Read Full Article KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The superstitious side of Courtney Boyd and the rest of the Quincy University women’s basketball coaching staff says to ignore all talk of win streaks and climbs toward the top of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Then you realize what the Hawks are doing is beyond impressive. Quincy ran its win…
Read Full Article NORMAL, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys basketball team led by as many as eight points in the second half of Saturday’s game at the Midwest Crossroads Shootout and never gave up the lead despite St. Louis Chaminade whittling the deficit to as little as two points. The Blue Devils held on for a…
Read Full Article MONROE CITY, Mo. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team held up its end of the bargain this time. For the second time this season, the QND boys and girls basketball teams played a twinbill against a Clarence Cannon Conference team. In December, the Raiders split with Palmyra. Saturday night, it was a showdown…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is the area scoreboard for Saturday, Feb. 1: Boys basketball Quincy High School 49, Chaminade 44 Quincy Notre Dame 66, Monroe City 57 Illini West 50, Abingdon-Avon 42 Hale Bosworth 63, North Shelby 42 Girls basketball Sterling 42, Quincy High School 40 Quincy Notre Dame 57, Monroe City 27 Central-Southeastern 63, Cissna…
Read Full Article STERLING, Ill. — The Quincy High School wrestling team had three individual champions and finished second in the team standings in the Western Big 6 Conference Tournament on Friday night at Homer B. Musgrove Fieldhouse. Geneseo won the conference title with 240 team points, followed by Quincy with 190 and Moline with 108.5. Quincy freshman…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Every contender wants a shot at the title. So as both the reigning Western Big 6 Conference champion and the No. 2-ranked team in the state in Class 4A, the Quincy High School boys basketball squad has to be prepared to make sure a prize fight doesn’t turn into a back-alley brawl. “Everybody…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School boys basketball team improved to 10-0 in the Western Big 6 Conference with Friday night’s 84-45 victory over Sterling at Blue Devil Gym, giving the Blue Devils a two-game lead in the league standings. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman sat courtside and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article LEWISTOWN, Mo. — When the Highland girls basketball team fell behind by eight points a little more than a minute into the third quarter of Friday’s Clarence Cannon Conference clash with South Shelby, the Cougars’ mindset was simple. Flush it. “Coming out in the second half, they were knocking down shots, and we couldn’t let…
Read Full Article LEWISTOWN, Mo. — It took a little more than a quarter for the South Shelby boys basketball team to find its rhythm. Once the Cardinals did, it was smooth sailing. South Shelby led 14-12 after the first quarter against Highland on Friday, but the Cardinals stretched that lead to as large as 15 in the…
Read Full Article LEWISTOWN, Mo. — The Highland girls basketball team scored a significant victory with its 38-36 triumph over South Shelby in Clarence Cannon Conference play Friday night, while the South Shelby boys rolled to a 72-44 victory over Highland in the nightcap of the twinbill. Muddy Rivr Sports Writer Shane Hulsey was at Highland and put…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is the area scoreboard for Friday, January 31: Boys basketball Quincy High School 84, Sterling 45 West Hancock 61, Camp Point Central 31 Liberty 63, Brown County 51 Payson Seymour 66, Southeastern 57 (OT) Macomb 56, Havana 22 South Shelby 72, Highland 44 Palmyra 64, Macon 45 Kirksville 43, Hannibal 31 Monroe…
Read Full Article Sweet 16: Kassing scores 30 on her birthday as Hornets gain measure of revenge with win over Saukees
MT. STERLING, Ill. — Brown County sophomore Kenzie Kassing could have gotten her driver’s license on Thursday, but she chose to wait until Friday. She wanted as few distractions as possible from what awaited her Thursday night — a third crack at Pittsfield. “I had to lock in for the game today,” Kassing said. On…
Read Full Article GALESBURG, Ill. — Quincy High School girls basketball coach Brad Dance dubbed it the “3A gauntlet.” Three games in six days against teams ranked in the top 11 in the state in Class 3A. “Yeah, that’s a challenge,” Dance said. The Blue Devils proved they’re up to the task. Myley Longcor buried a 3-pointer with…
Read Full Article BOLIVAR, Mo. — As the win streak has grown, so has the Quincy University women’s basketball team’s rise in the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings. Now, the Hawks find themselves in territory they haven’t seen in nearly a decade. Thursday night’s 66-54 victory over Southwest Baptist at the Meyer Sports Complex moved the Hawks into…
Read Full Article MT. STERLING, Ill. — The Brown County girls basketball team gained a measure of revenge Thursday night, beating Pittsfield 65-54. The Saukees won two previous meetings with the Hornets this season. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey was on hand and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article BOLIVAR, Mo. — It’s as simple as this: The Quincy University men’s basketball team cannot continue playing from behind if it wants to succeed. In five of the six losses the Hawks have sustained in 2025 — and one of the two victories — they have trailed at halftime. It was a 43-28 deficit Thursday…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Titus Petty takes center stage — or in this case, center court — on Friday nights. The Quincy High School senior, who played defensive back on the record-setting football team, was selected to be this year’s Blue Devil mascot for the boys basketball team. That means he gets to wear the tights and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Ryan Snow had been a man without minutes, but not without confidence. “I know when I get on the court I have to shoot with confidence or else there is no point in being out there,” he said. So when Snow was inserted into the John Wood Community College men’s basketball team’s lineup…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When the John Wood Community College women’s basketball team hits the road Saturday to begin the second half of the Mid-West Athletic Conference schedule, the Trail Blazers see it as starting with a clean slate. “If we just execute well, it will give us a chance,” sophomore guard Blair Eftink said. It’s something…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — Here are this week’s Illinois Associated Press boys basketball state rankings, as compiled by a statewide panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. First-place votes in parenthesis: Class 4A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Kenwood (11) 22-1 135 2 2. Quincy (2) 20-2 118 1 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (1) 22-2 108 7 4. Bolingbrook 22-3…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — Here are this week’s Illinois Associated Press girls basketball state rankings, as compiled by a statewide panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. First-place votes in parenthesis: Class 4A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Benet (10) 22-1 109 1 2. Lyons (1) 24-1 96 2 3. Alton 23-1 79 3 (tie) Kenwood 23-2 79…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The John Wood Community College men’s basketball team shot 64.5 percent from the field in the second half of its 81-55 victory over Lincoln Land Community College on Wednesday night at the Student Activity Center. Meanwhile. the JWCC women’s basketball team fell behind 16-0 at the start and lost 88-60 to Lincoln Land.…
Read Full Article WARSAW, Ill. — Hunter Froman did a double take from the bench. Gavin Grothaus ran back on defense with his hands on his head and mouth wide open in disbelief. They were in awe of what Cooper Knowles had just done. It was just the cherry on top of a dominant sundae whipped up by…
Read Full Article QUINCY — With a chance to leave zero doubt, the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team instead gave its opponent a slither of hope. It nearly erased the best stretch of basketball the Raiders had played in quite some time. “We got complacent,” Raiders junior forward Jackson Connoyer said. “Took our foot off the gas.”…
Read Full Article GALESBURG, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys basketball players’ action spoke just as loud as their words following Saturday’s loss — just the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils’ second loss of the season and first at home in nearly two years. They said a more focused attitude at practice would lead to better on-court results.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team scored eight of the game’s first 10 points Tuesday night and never trailed in a 61-48 victory over Illini West at The Pit. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman sat courtside and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is the area scoreboard from Tuesday, Jan. 28: Boys basketball Quincy High School 90, Galesburg 35 Quincy Notre Dame 61, Illini West 48 West Hancock 72, Keokuk (Iowa) 28 Brown County 65, Payson Seymour 58 Pittsfield 40, Camp Point Central 37 Jacksonville Routt 62, Liberty 49 Macomb 55, Bushnell-Prairie City 29 Monroe…
Read Full Article CANTON, Mo. — A humble beast. Kaden Oliver, a junior guard on the Canton boys basketball team, gave that moniker to Preston Brewer, the Tigers’ 6-foot-8 senior forward and a friend of Oliver’s for 10 years. “He’s probably the most humble guy I’ve ever met in my life,” Oliver said. “He’s very hard-working, takes criticism…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Tucker Cook and Bodine Marable heard Pittsfield wrestling coach Johnathon Peterson’s plea loud and clear. Nearing the end of the final dual Monday night at the Camp Point Central quadrangular, the Saukees needed to rack up as many team points as they did individual victories to make a clean sweep. So…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School administration obliged. So did Brad Underwood. That turned the Quincy Shootout into a memorable moment for a vast number of fans. At some point early Saturday afternoon, Quincy boys basketball coach Andy Douglas learned Underwood, the head coach of the University of Illinois men’s basketball program, and Illini assistant…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The seventh Quincy Shootout is in the books. What will we remember from it? Brad Underwood’s appearance, Oak Park’s impressive play, Chris Cenac’s name, Blue Devil Gym packed to the rafters and so much more. A basketball junkie’s dream weekend was undoubtedly successful yet again. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent Saturday…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Gloria McCloskey Rogers doesn’t act like a woman who will celebrate her 90th birthday in less than four months. When she’s not watching over two great-grandchildren, ages 1 and 3, at a home she shares with her daughter in Plano, Texas, you may find Rogers jetting around the country, appearing on podcasts and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The seventh Quincy Shootout is taking place this weekend at Blue Devil Gym and The Pit. All games are being streamed on the Central Illinois Sports channel on YouTube. Here is the schedule: Friday’s games At Blue Devil Gym Sunrise Christian 76, Father Tolton 40 MVP — Sunrise Christian guard Jacob Walker, who…
Read Full Article QUINCY — This one stings, not because of the outcome but more so because of the preparation. When you’re the No. 1-ranked boys basketball team in the Illinois Class 4A state poll and you’re asked to defend your home court in a spotlight matchup in a ballyhooed event, you can’t coast through the week. It’s…
Read Full Article QUINCY — About the only thing any of the Quincy High School girls basketball players would change about their return to the Quincy Shootout field is the ending. The Blue Devils would like a redo on the fourth quarter, too. The Blue Devils led Millard North, of Omaha, Neb., by 11 points at the start…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The top-ranked Quincy High School boys basketball team suffered its second loss of the season, falling 53-46 to Bishop O’Connell of Arlington, Va., in the marquee game of the seventh Quincy Shootout on Saturday night at Blue Devil Gym. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman sat courtside and put together this photo gallery:
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy High School girls basketball team saw its second-half lead evaporate, but the Blue Devils fought until the final seconds ticked away in a 56-52 loss to Millard North of Omaha, Neb., on Saturday during the seventh Quincy Shootout in Blue Devil Gym. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman sat courtside and…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team got lured into the chaos. “I feel like we kind of fell into that trap,” Raiders senior guard Sage Stratton said. After scoring four points in the first 13 seconds of Saturday’s game against Bloomington Central Catholic, the Raiders missed 13 of their next 16 shots…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Addy Abell looked at the scoreboard, then her teammates. “It was time for us to go,” said Abell, the Highland girls basketball team’s high-scoring junior guard. With Abell serving as the ringleader, Highland hit Hannibal with a second-quarter blitzkrieg that paved the way for a 55-38 win Saturday night in the finals…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — There seems to be a trend developing. For the second time this season, Monroe City has won a boys basketball tournament at the expense of rival Palmyra. Monroe City controlled Saturday night’s championship game of the 82nd Tony Lenzini Tournament in impressive fashion before settling for a 62-50 victory in front of…
Read Full Article BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Greg Altmix didn’t have to think too long when asked to describe how his Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team regrouped following a first quarter riddled with fouls and even more free throw attempts. “We started moving our feet more and hands less,” the Raiders coach said. The defensive shift allowed QND…
Read Full Article QUINCY— The Quincy University women’s basketball team knew it was just a matter of time. “We were in the locker room at halftime and kind of looked at each other and knew that we didn’t play our best basketball, and they just might have,” guard Nicole McDermott said. “So, we knew we were in a…
Read Full Article QUINCY — It was another game the Quincy University men’s basketball team felt like it let slip away. The Hawks managed just one field goal in the final four minutes and turned the ball over with a chance to tie in the waning seconds Saturday afternoon, allowing Truman State to erase an eight-point deficit and…
Read Full Article 'We have to come with energy': Blue Devils prep for showdown with Knights by dispatching Maple Leafs
QUINCY — The Quincy High School boys basketball team wasn’t going to disrespect the opponent, the event or the sport with a nonchalant effort. There’s too much riding on this weekend to be anything less than focused. So despite knowing what the outcome of Friday night’s Western Big 6 Conference matchup with Geneseo could have…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Andy Douglas called timeout as soon as the ball tickled the twine. He wasn’t letting this moment pass by. With less than four minutes remaining in the first quarter of Friday night’s Western Big 6 Conference matchup with Geneseo, Quincy High School senior guard Bradley Longcor III buried a 3-pointer from the left…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Quincy High School softball coach Darrell Henze was suspended Friday without pay pending a termination to be decided by the Quincy School Board at its February meeting for violating the school’s code of conduct for coaches. Henze said he was informed of the decision by Lisa Otten, the director of personnel for the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The first night of the seventh Quincy Shootout produced what basketball fans have come to expect from the marquee event of the winter — high-level teams competing with energy and enthusiasm, college-level talent playing above the rim and games decided in the waning seconds. More of the same is expected Saturday, when nine…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The first six minutes the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team played against Chicago Simeon in the Quincy Shootout on Friday were as close to as perfect as Raiders coach Greg Altmix could have asked for. “If we can do that for 32 minutes, there’s no team in Class 2A we can’t play…
Read Full Article WARSAW, Ill. — The West Hancock boys basketball team proved Friday night its victory over Macomb in late December was no fluke. The Titans controlled every aspect of the return engagement, ending with a 54-40 triumph Friday night at Warsaw High School. West Hancock is now 19-4 and within one win of a third straight…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The Quincy Shootout returns Friday with four games being played at both Blue Devil Gym and The Pit on Friday night and nine games taking place Saturday at Blue Devil Gym. Here’s an A-to-Z look at what to expect and what to be on the lookout for this weekend: A is for attendance,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Fresh off a much-needed four-day break following an 11-day gauntlet that saw it face five state-ranked teams, the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team was eager to get off to a good start Thursday night against Illini West. A little too eager, as it turned out. “We didn’t start out the best,” admitted…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Canton boys basketball coach Dalton Armontrout looked at the post-game numbers and shrugged his shoulders. “Too little, too late, I guess,” he said, trying to analyze what had just unfolded in the semifinals of the 82nd Tony Lenzini Tournament at Palmyra High School. No argument with that assessment. Monroe City held off…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — The Highland girls basketball team is on a serious roll. The Cougars’ sixth straight victory, an emphatic 50-19 throttling of Monroe City, came in Thursday night’s semifinals of the 82nd Tony Lenzini Tournament at Palmyra High School. The two clubs had met a month ago in the third-place game of the Monroe…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Once the Quincy University women’s basketball team figured out what worked best, there was no reason to do anything else. The Hawks scored 40 points in the paint during a 48-point first half while building a 20-point lead that carried them to an 89-67 victory over William Jewell in Great Lakes Valley Conference…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The combination of two mistakes led to one heart-breaking moment for the Quincy University men’s basketball team. The Hawks led William Jewell 65-64 in the final minute of regulation Thursday night at Pepsi Arena when they whittled the shot clock to 10 seconds before point guard Ethyn Brown had the ball stolen before…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — Brian Rea opted for a little back to the future to serve as inspiration for the Palmyra boys basketball team. The Panthers’ fourth-year coach wanted to revisit the past in an imaginative way in an effort to simultaneously light a late-season fire under his club and have some fun as the season’s…
Read Full Article Swashbuckling spot in title game: Pirates to play for Lenzini championship for first time since 1977
PALMYRA, Mo. — The last time Hannibal’s girls basketball team played in the finals of the Tony Lenzini Tournament was way back in the 1976-77 season. “I wasn’t even born yet,” current Hannibal coach Shawn Gaines was quick to point out. Hannibal’s title-game drought will end Saturday when the Pirates return to the finals for…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Taylor Reis isn’t shy about what gets him jazzed about being the next women’s soccer coach at Quincy University. “Hopefully winning,” Reis said. Winning matters to the QU alum. Always has, always will. In high school, Reis led Quincy Notre Dame in assists as a junior when the Raiders won the Class 1A…
Read Full Article GREAT ABACO, Bahamas — Luke Guthrie wasn’t going to allow one wayward hole to derail his chance at a top-10 finish. After taking a triple bogey on the par-4 ninth hole Wednesday in the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, the Quincy native was 1-over at the turn and had…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is the area scoreboard for Wednesday, Jan. 22: Boys basketball Greenfield-Northwestern 56, Pittsfield 39 Tony Lenzini Invitational Palmyra 69, Van-Far 39 Highland 55, Hannibal 45 North Shelby Tournament North Shelby 70, Schuyler County 68 (OT) Marion County 67, Knox County 50 Girls basketball Mendon Unity 51, Liberty 41 Tony Lenzini Invitational Hannibal…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — Here are the latest Illinois Associated Press boys basketball state rankings, as compiled by a panel of sportswriters and sportscasters from across the state. First-place votes are in parenthesis: Class 4A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Quincy (8) 18-1 142 1 2. Kenwood (2) 20-1 126 2 3. Bolingbrook (3) 20-2 122…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — Here are the latest Illinois Associated Press girls basketball state rankings, as compiled by a panel of sportswriters and sportscasters from across the state. First-place votes are in parenthesis. Class 4A School Record Total Points Previous 1. Benet (8) 20-1 125 1 2. Lyons (4) 22-1 114 2 3. Alton (1) 20-1 93…
Read Full Article QUINCY. — Joe Wootten returned the phone call from his car four hours before his Bishop O’Connell High School boys basketball team was scheduled to play Fairfax (Va.) Christian in a Monday afternoon matinee. The severe winter storm that descended upon the Washington, D.C. area earlier this month forced teams to postpone and reschedule games.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The country’s second-best prep boys basketball team will be appearing in Blue Devil Gym this weekend. So will three other nationally ranked teams. The SC Next Top 25 — ESPN’s high school boys basketball weekly rankings — were released Tuesday with Brewster Academy, located in Wolfeboro, N.H., climbing from No. 6 to No.…
Read Full Article PALMYRA, Mo. — For Marty Hull, becoming an athletic director again is like riding a bike. “You haven’t done it in a while, but it’ll take you just a little bit to get back on and get your balance back,” Hull said. Hull, who spent seven seasons as the Hannibal High School boys basketball coach…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Here is the area scoreboard for Tuesday, Jan. 21: Boys basketball Payson Seymour 45, Camp Point Central 34 Illini West 60, Liberty 47 Jacksonville Routt 50, Griggsville-Perry 36 Tony Lenzini Invitational Canton 69, Brookfield 47 Monroe City 54, Clark County 33 North Shelby Tournament South Shelby 71, la Plata 51 Scotland County 89,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — With the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team playing high-caliber opponents seemingly every night during a three-week January stretch, Sierra Thomas knew what she’d be missing as she stepped away. “It’s so hard to not be there,” the sophomore guard said. Yet, her reason for taking a midseason hiatus came from an opportunity…
Read Full Article Whether you’re passionate about local teams like the Blue Devils or you’re a diehard LA Lakers fan, podcasts are great options for people who adore the sport of basketball. Sports fans, in general, enjoy a number of productions based on the pastimes they know and love, and basketball fans are no different, with a number…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — The Brown County girls basketball team could see the light at the end of the tunnel, but whenever the Hornets approached it Monday, it seemed to vanish. The Hornets only trailed by more than six points for 30 seconds in the final 10 minutes and were never down by more than eight…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — There was no letdown for the Macomb girls basketball team on Monday. Instead, the effort the Bombers put forth in the Jerry Logan Shootout against Mendon Unity was what Bombers coach Jackson Kane called “as close to a complete 32 minutes as we’ve had all year.” “We were making shots, defending at…
Read Full Article CARTHAGE, Ill. — Monmouth-Roseville girls basketball coach Scott Weber knew how dangerous Reagan Reed — Illini West’s career points leader — would be. It was a matter of stopping everyone else. “Reed is going to get her points,” Weber said. “She’s a really good player who knows how to score. We knew she would get…
Read Full Article QUINCY — As much as Quincy University women’s basketball coach Courtney Boyd wants the Hawks to be cognizant of the game plan and the situations it creates, she wants them to enjoy the moment as well. She reminded them of that as the second half of their sixth straight victory unfolded Monday night. “Toward the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Before Monday night was through and Quincy University men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt put himself and his phone to bed, he shot a text message to some of his players. It commended them for having toughness. “There was some toughness and resilience in the second half that was needed to beat a really…
Read Full Article BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Greg Altmix debated taking a timeout as Normal U-High inched closer and closer to erasing the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team’s lead in the third quarter Monday afternoon. “But I’m like, ‘What do I tell them? Make your shots?’” the QND coach said. “We were getting good shots. They just have…
Read Full Article QUINCY — The start of the college softball season continues inching closer, and for the Quincy University softball team, that means a mid-February home game if the weather cooperates. Before the Hawks take the field, they will get the chance to visit with and listen to one of the greatest women’s college basketball players of…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Evan Wakefield did not let an early three-point deficit deter him. Cale Mixer did not let the fact he had been pinned by the same opponent the day before deter him. And Clayton McClelland did not let more than two minutes of overtime or the gauze falling out of his bloody nose several…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Bradley Longcor III doesn’t glance at the scoreboard often during a game other than to check the time remaining and occasionally see what the score might be. “Just the time really,” he said. “To be honest, that’s it.” And he ignores the individual numbers shared on the big scoreboard on the south wall…
Read Full Article HARRISBURG, Mo. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s inability to clear the defensive glass proved costly early. The inability to get defensive stops proved costly late. Centralia (Mo.) scored the final eight points of the first quarter — all off offensive rebounds — and rattled off a 9-0 run in the third quarter,…
Read Full Article QUINCY — First, down went Moline. Then Rock Island. And lastly Lincoln. The No. 1-ranked Quincy High School boys basketball team swept three tradition-rich foes this week, completing the trifecta Saturday night with a 51-21 victory over Lincoln at Blue Devil Gym. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman sat courtside and put together this photo…
Read Full Article WARSAW, Ill. — Hunter Froman did not mince any words. “We thought it was going to be a cakewalk,” said the 6-foot-3 West Hancock sophomore, who was openly relieved once his club had managed to escape Saturday night with a hard-earned victory. West Hancock’s 47-39 win over Illini West in the game that decided the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — When the situation called for a collective deep breath, the Quincy University women’s basketball players knew they needed to take it. “That’s what we did,” Hawks senior guard Nicole McDermott said. Quincy called timeout with 5 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in regulation Saturday afternoon after Upper Iowa’s Lindsey Davis scored to give the…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Brooks McKowen seemed less concerned about the water dripping from his dress pants than finding a way to dry off his children. “I was trying to keep my kids out of the water, to be honest with you, because we got to drive home now,” McKowen said with a chuckle. A celebratory moment…
Read Full Article