Saukees keep undefeated record intact after historic title run at Lady Tiger Classic

Pittsfield's Lila Simon, left, and Madison Frieden hoist the championship trophy the Pittsfield girls basketball team won with Monday night's 53-40 victory over West Hancock in the championship game of the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic in Beardstown, Ill. | Shane Hulsey photo

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — For the first 41 years of the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic, the Pittsfield girls basketball team had never so much as reached the championship game. Now, in the 42nd edition, the Saukees have a tournament title to their name, and they will ring in the new year with a zero still in…

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Photo gallery: Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic closes with Pittsfield winning championship

The Pittsfield girls basketball players line up to take a picture with the championship trophy after winning the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic on Monday night. | Shane Hulsey photo

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — The Pittsfield girls basketball team won the championship of the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic for the first time in the 42-year history of the event, beating West Hancock 53-40 Monday night to complete a four-game run through the tourney field. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey was on site for the title…

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Saukees, Hornets to collide in semifinals at Beardstown, while Titans stay in title chase

Pittsfield freshman guard Lincoln McCartney handles the ball during Friday's quarterfinals of the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic in Beardstown, Ill. | Addi Zanger photo

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Some of the area’s top underclass talent will go head-to-head Saturday with a berth in the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic championship game on the line. But don’t count out the old guard from having a say in which team advances. The top-seeded Pittsfield girls basketball team reached the semifinals with a 58-45…

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Blazing start helps top-seeded Unity claim Lady Tiger Classic for first time in school history

Unity's Sophia Shaffer, left, drives on Brown County's Ashlee Markert during the championship game of the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic on Thursday night in Beardstown, Ill. | David Adam photo

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Unity’s Kyra Carothers would have rather been anywhere else this week than the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic. “If I’m really honest with you, I dread this tournament,” she said. “It’s right after Christmas, and I just I want my break and blah, blah, blah.” Carothers also knows how much Unity coach Brad…

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Photo gallery: Championship game of 40th annual Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic

Unity's Kyra Carothers dribbles the ball while guarded by Brown County's Klare Flynn during Thursday night's championship game of the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic at Beardstown High School. | David Adam photo

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Muddy River News Editor David Adam provides a look at the title game of the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic, which Unity won 55-46 over Brown County, through his camera lens:

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Call it payback: Unity buries Illini West in fourth quarter, will play for tourney title at Beardstown

Unity senior guard Kylee Barry scored 15 points Wednesday night to guide the Mustangs to a 15-point victory over Illini West in the semifinals of the Lady Tiger Classic at Beardstown, Ill. | Matt Schuckman file photo

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — This time, the roles were reversed. When the Unity girls basketball team defeated Illini West 50-35 in Wednesday night’s semifinals of the 40th Lady Tiger Classic at Beardstown High School, the victory helped exorcise at least some of the memories from a year ago. “(Illini West) beat us three times last season,…

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Holiday Tournament Roundup: Chargers run gauntlet to Beardstown title, Hornets finish third

The third-seeded Illini West girls basketball team beat the No. 1 and 2 seeds to win the Lady Tiger Classic championship. Photo courtesy Grant Surprenant

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — It didn’t take long for Grant Surprenant to realize Caydee Kirkham had a different demeanor Thursday night. “She had that look that she was in attack mode,” the Illini West girls basketball coach said of his senior point guard. Nothing Unity tried altered that. Kirkham delivered an MVP performance in the championship…

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Holiday tournament roundup: Top four seeds roll on at Lady Tiger Classic

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — The top-seeded Unity girls basketball team and fourth-seeded Brown County remained on a collision course for a semifinal matchup in the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic following easy victories in Monday’s opening round. The Mustangs dispatched Winchester West Central 63-17 as Sophia Shaffer finished with 15 points. The Hornets had no trouble with…

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