Posts Tagged ‘Quincy Notre Dame’
Defense helps carry Raiders to brink of another state tournament appearance
QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer coach Mark Longo readily admitted Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin controlled the bulk of play Friday. “It was probably 60/40 in their favor,” he said. “It may have been 62/38 or something like that.” Even so, Longo never fully fretted. His stout defense is why. Raiders sophomore goalkeeper Aly Young…
Read MoreQND, Central teams top Gardner Camp outdoor skills tournament
Sunshine greeted all 14 area high school teams for the Gardner Camp 3 on 3 Tournament sponsored by Ducks Unlimited. Individuals from teams of three represented their schools in .22 Rifle, Trap, and 3-D Pop-Up Archery … with the final event, a kayak relay, ending last week’s competition. The Quincy Notre Dame Blue Team finished…
Read MoreGrand entrance: Raiders embark on state title quest with Connoyer’s slam providing boost
QUINCY — Dead red is all Ryan Oden said. It’s all Alex Connoyer needed to hear. After Athens right-hander Davis Ishmael loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday by sandwiching a hit batter between two walks, the Quincy Notre Dame baseball coach told his junior shortstop to look for nothing but…
Read MoreRaiders’ Oden discovers passion for baseball while growing up around the game
QUINCY — It might not have seemed out of the ordinary to any of the Quincy Gems players to have the 9-year-old son of their pitching coach running around the outfield with them shagging baseballs. Those moments, though, turned out to be priceless. Nearly a decade later, everyone sees why. Quincy Notre Dame left fielder…
Read More‘We eventually got there’: Raiders use goal late in first half to propel them to blowout of Birds
QUINCY — This time, it wasn’t so easy, even if it seemed so in the end. After scoring in the first 10 minutes of both regional matches and outscoring those two opponents 13-0, the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team discovered scoring on Piasa Southwestern in Tuesday’s Class 1A QND Sectional semifinal wasn’t going to…
Read MoreQND softball team overcomes error-riddled effort to advance to regional title tilt
PETERSBURG, Ill. — Uncharacteristic lapses defensively didn’t cost the Quincy Notre Dame softball team a spot in the regional championship game, but it gives the Raiders a focal point to address in the coming days. Top-seeded QND committed seven errors, although none of them resulted in runs, and scratched across enough runs Tuesday to beat…
Read MoreFischer’s limitless amount of energy provides QND softball team with injection of life
QUINCY — Eryn Cornwell’s focus and concentration when she’s in the pitcher’s circle often robs her of the chance to appreciate Lindsey Fischer’s exuberance. Playing third base provides Cornwell an entirely different view of the show. “I kind of like playing third because I can sit there and watch Lindsey do her thing,” Cornwell said.…
Read MoreFeeling rejuvenated: QND softball team plays with energy, better execution heading into postseason
QUINCY — Fifteen hours didn’t change much. Friday night at the Backyard, the Pearl City softball team jumped on Quincy Notre Dame by scoring twice in the top of the first inning in what became a 7-2 victory. Saturday morning, the Wolves struck for two runs in the top of the first again. “There’s a…
Read MoreRaiders play home run derby in final regular season game, run win streak to 20 straight
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Just in case anyone in the Class 2A Pleasant Plains Sectional showed up Saturday at Jacksonville Routt to get a peek at what the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team is capable of doing, the Raiders provided plenty of food for thought. Namely, the Raiders made them ask: How do you stop this…
Read MoreRaiders quickly dash Tigers’ chance of upset, capture another regional championship
QUINCY — Hope floats, right? Not if you’re a regional opponent of the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team. Friday afternoon, the Raiders snared the lead 10 minutes into the Class 1A QND Regional championship game and Beardstown and never allowed the Tigers to mount any sort of counterattack, ultimately posting a 5-0 victory at…
Read MoreRaiders unable to put together two comebacks, fall to Wolves to start competitive weekend
QUINCY — The first comeback showcased the Quincy Notre Dame softball team’s resiliency. The second rally never materialized. Facing Pearl City on Friday night at the Backyard, the Raiders answered the Wolves’ two-run top of the first inning with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. They couldn’t do the same when…
Read MoreRaiders capitalize on scoring opportunities in fifth inning to capture WCC championship
QUINCY — A pitchers’ duel with the West Central Conference softball championship on the line tilted in Quincy Notre Dame’s favor in the fifth inning Wednesday. The first five batters in the bottom of the frame reached base safely, leading to a three-run outburst that carried the Raiders to a 4-0 victory over Central at…
Read MoreRaiders stroll their way to 19th consecutive victory by showing patience at plate
QUINCY — Patience is a piece of the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s arsenal that often gets overlooked. The ability to not get jumpy at the plate paid major dividends Wednesday. The Raiders capitalized on four walks from Gateway Legacy Christian Academy starter Isaac Rosario in the first inning to score three times and set…
Read MoreOpening salvo carries QND girls soccer team to easy victory in regional opener
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team’s postseason plan is quite simple. Score early. Score often. Score as much as possible. Lia Quintero’s first two goals came just 40 seconds apart Tuesday and gave the top-seeded Raiders a two-goal lead just four minutes into the Class 1A QND Regional semifinal against eighth-seeded Springfield…
Read MoreSixth-inning rally enables QND baseball team to run winning streak to 18 straight games
QUINCY — After Brady Kindhart led off the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday with a double to deep center field, Jack Linenfelser stepped to the plate with one thing in mind. “Put the ball in play,” he said. The Quincy Notre Dame middle infielder did a little more than that. Linenfelser traded places with…
Read MoreString of singles victories allows QHS boys tennis team to rally to knock off QND
QUINCY — Mike Terry reminded the bottom four players in the Quincy High School boys tennis team’s singles lineup just how valuable their efforts could be. “I called them in and said, ‘We need these four matches,’” the veteran coach said. “I knew we’d have a rough time at Nos. 1 and 2, not because…
Read MoreDancing in the dark: Raiders showcase energy, enthusiasm and bling while sweeping season series from Blue Devils
QUINCY — Mason Winking’s part-time job at Farm & Home Supply afforded him the opportunity last weekend to pick up some new home run bling for the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team. Little did the Raiders know how significant the upgrade would be. Winking purchased — he used his employee discount, an important fact for…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND, QHS baseball teams meet for third time this season in crosstown showdown
QUINCY — A barrage of hits and runs in the first two innings of Monday night’s crossdown showdown between the Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame baseball teams ended, and the game became a battle of zeroes until the lights went out with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. Sports Editor…
Read More‘Major League’ speed: Hernandez-Jones’ journey around bases in seventh inning allows Raiders to beat Blue Devils
QUINCY — Eric Orne’s knowledge of sports films came in handy Monday evening. The veteran Quincy Notre Dame softball coach matter-of-factly referenced Raiders left fielder Laela Hernandez-Jones to the fictional Willie Mays Hayes in the classic 1989 baseball movie “Major League.” “Laela is our fastest player, just like Willie Mays Hayes,” Orne said. “She got…
Read MorePleasant Hill makes statement by taking two games from top competition in softball cluster
QUINCY — The message came through loud and clear. Whichever prep softball team wins the Class 1A Jacksonville Routt Sectional is going to have to earn it. Pleasant Hill took a pair of games from top competition at the QND Cluster, outlasting Central 6-5 after stymieing the Panthers’ rally from a six-run deficit and then…
Read MoreSweet 16: Connoyer’s blast jolts Raiders to life as they sweep pair in running win streak to 16 straight
QUINCY — It hasn’t happened often when the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team goes three consecutive innings without scoring. When it happened Saturday against Hannibal, no one fretted. “This year, we’re more mature,” Raiders junior Alex Connoyer said. “We know we can put up six in an inning. We know we can do it like…
Read MoreKindhart stays in ball-meets-barrel groove as QND baseball team keeps piling up victories
QUINCY — With each swing he took, Brady Kindhart sensed he was inching closer to where ball and barrel would meet in harmony. Once that happened, the Quincy Notre Dame junior third baseman has done nothing but string hits together. Friday, he bookended the Raiders’ 14th consecutive victory with sweet-spot connections. Kindhart delivered a run-scoring…
Read MoreQND girls soccer team heads into postseason following another overwhelming effort
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team is primed for the postseason. The Raiders picked up their third straight victory in their regular-season finale Friday at Advance Physical Therapy, using two early goals from Lia Quintero to kickstart a 6-0 victory over Burlington Notre Dame. QND (16-3-3) opens the postseason at 4 p.m.…
Read MoreRaiders continue offensive onslaught as winning streak reaches 13 straight games
QUINCY — If rain cannot slow the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s offense, what can? Opposing pitchers are asking the same thing. Thursday at the Ferd, the Raiders scored in double digits for the fourth straight game and the 13th time this season while beating West Hancock 11-0. QND has outscored its opponents 49-3 in…
Read MoreCommemorative editions highlight magical postseasons for QND girls, Liberty boys basketball teams
QUINCY — Want to relive the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s postseason run to the Class 2A state championship? Would you want to revisit the Liberty boys basketball team’s pursuit of the highest state tournament finish in program history? Here’s your chance. Muddy River Sports has put together a pair of commemorative editions, highlighting…
Read More20/20 vision: Raiders win 11th straight game to reach 20-victory plateau
MOUNT STERLING, Ill. — The ability to produce in every spot in the order is what has made the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team a 20-win season. A never-say-die attitude has done the same for Brown County. Monday, glimpses of both were evident. The Raiders sent 11 batters to the plate in the second inning,…
Read MoreMarquette quiets QND’s offense, leaves Raiders looking to find momentum before postseason
QUINCY — All the distractions that come with the calendar rolling over from April to May — things like prom, graduation and college commitments — are being magnified by the fact the weather is making it difficult for prep baseball and softball teams to find their rhythm. The opportunity to build postseason momentum is dwindling,…
Read More‘We had a great mood today’: Raiders relish opportunity to play, shut out Panthers
QUINCY — Ben Kasparie went to the plate with two outs in the top of the fifth inning Friday needing a triple to complete the cycle. He didn’t allow that to change his approach. Everything stayed simple. “Think about nothing, honestly,” the Quincy Notre Dame senior center fielder said. “A clear mind. Just seeing the…
Read MoreCornwell’s milestone home run puts cap on Raiders’ five-inning victory over Titans
QUINCY — A walk-off and a milestone. Not a bad way for Eryn Cornwell to end her day. The Quincy Notre Dame senior softball standout followed Caitlin Bunte’s leadoff single in the fifth inning Wednesday with a two-run home run to left field at the Backyard, finishing off a 12-1 victory over West Hancock and…
Read MoreQND girls soccer team finding rhythm and confidence at right time
QUINCY — Avery Keck senses it. So do her Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer teammates. Confidence is rising as the Raiders’ cohesiveness grows. “We’re just really working as a team together and we’re all working hard,” said Keck, the junior midfielder who scored two goals in Tuesday’s 8-1 whitewashing of previously undefeated Burlington (Iowa). “We’re…
Read MoreMinor league report: Martin earns Carolina League Pitcher of the Week
QUINCY — Riley Martin’s effort out of the bullpen for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans is getting noticed. It has fans of the Chicago Cubs organization wondering loudly on social media when the former Quincy University All-American left-hander will get called up to either High-A South Bend or Class AA Tennessee. Martin was named the Carolina…
Read MorePrep baseball scoreboard for Monday, April 25
Prep baseball At Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 4, Unity 0: Ben Kasparie tossed five shutout innings, and Tucker Tollerton followed with two scoreless frames as the Raiders ran their winning streak to eight straight games. Kasparie allowed two hits while striking out four and walking none. Tollerton allowed three hits…
Read MoreSlap happy: Schertel’s ability to get on base gives Raiders edge in victory over Blue Devils
QUINCY — Haley Schertel was not always a slapper. “In eighth grade, (the Quincy Notre Dame softball coaching staff) switched me from being a right-handed hitter to a (left-handed) slapper,” Schertel said. The rest, as they say, is history. Schertel’s development as a slapper was in full view Monday evening at Quincy High School when…
Read MoreRaiders’ Cucuk shows state tournament form, while Blue Devils capture crosstown dual
QUINCY — Less than a month exists until Marko Cucuk discovers if his dreams of returning to the Illinois boys state tennis tournament become reality. So now is not the time to relax. “There’s no stopping,” Cucuk said. “You just have to work every single day.” Monday, that meant dealing with conditions that have become…
Read MoreSchisler shuts out Blue Devils as Raiders run win streak to seven straight with victory at The Ferd
QUINCY — The circumstances which led to the Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy High School baseball teams scrambling to find replacements for Saturday’s scheduled matchups were unfortunate. The final outcome was something both programs can appreciate — another well-pitched, well-played chapter in the city rivalry. Raiders junior right-hander Jake Schisler outdueled Blue Devils senior Noah…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Quincy Notre Dame, Quincy High School square off in baseball at The Ferd
QUINCY — Because of scheduling conflicts with their scheduled opponents, the Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy High School baseball teams both were searching for an opponent for Saturday. So they played each other at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action and here’s a gallery of his images:
Read MorePhoto gallery: Rising Raiders Friday Night Lights football camp at Quincy Notre Dame
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football program brought 151 elementary and junior high students to Advance Physical Therapy Field on Friday night for the Rising Raiders Friday Night Lights camp. Here are some of the images Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured after the sun went down and the lights went on:
Read MoreQND exacts revenge for loss to Beardstown as Dance shuts down Tigers’ offense
QUINCY — Dalton Miller knew there’d never be a snowball effect. Still, responding quickly and succinctly to last week’s three-run loss at Beardstown was vitally important for the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team to ensure such sour taste would be swished away for good. Winning four games in six days and capping it with a…
Read MoreSmacked between eyes by Decatur St. Teresa, QND responds with six-goal outburst
QUINCY — Shellshocked, but resilient. Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer coach Mark Longo appreciates the second part of that statement. Not so much the first. The Raiders moseyed through the start of Thursday’s matchup with Decatur St. Teresa at Advance Physical Therapy Field, falling behind 2-0 in the first 14 minutes as the Bulldogs scored…
Read MoreChampaign News-Gazette names QND’s Schreacke as All-State Player of the Year
QUINCY — Each time Abbey Schreacke sees someone wearing an Illinois, Mizzou or Indiana t-shirt or sweatshirt, it catches her eye. “I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m talking to them,’” she said. “That makes it kind of cool.” There are a myriad of college coaches chatting up the Quincy Notre Dame junior all-state basketball player on the…
Read MoreRaiders strike first knowing potential regional rematch with Saukees looms
QUINCY — The gamesmanship is officially underway. There’s a good chance Quincy Notre Dame and Pittsfield could meet again in the Class 2A baseball postseason. That’s what made Monday’s matchup between the longtime rivals that much more interesting. QND pulled out a 1-0 victory on a crisp April afternoon at wind-swept Ferd Niemann Memorial Ballfield,…
Read MorePitching performances by Dance, Connoyer power Raiders to pair of victories at Beardstown tourney
BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — A pair of stout pitching performances has the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team back on track. Tyler Dance struck out a career-high 13 batters in a 5-2 victory over Illini West on Saturday in the Beardstown Tiger Showcase at Robin Lewis Field, while Alex Connoyer tossed five shutout innings in an 11-0…
Read MoreLaw-abiding outcome: Hornets score three times in ninth inning to hand Raiders first loss
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame softball team fought the Law and the Law won. With two outs in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday and Brown County having already scored once in the frame to take the lead, the Raiders chose to intentionally walk Karsyn Moorman after a passed ball allowed both runners…
Read MoreLiquor Booth Shot of the Game: Cornwell’s two-run home run grounds Bombers
QUINCY — Something had to give. Last Friday, when the undefeated Macomb softball team visited the Backyard to face undefeated Quincy Notre Dame, neither starting pitchers had allowed a run this season. That changed when the Raiders tagged Bombers starter Kaitlyn Robinson for three runs in the bottom of the first. QND ace Eryn Cornwell…
Read MoreNo longer fit to be tied, Raiders sweep season series from Blue Devils with Quintero’s late goal
QUINCY — The thought of playing to another draw became increasingly aggravating. “We just knew we couldn’t tie again, not after tying in each of our past three games,” said Grace Bertram, a junior defender on the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team. “We just couldn’t.” Yet, through 73 minutes of Monday night’s crosstown showdown…
Read MoreScoring early and often enables QND softball team to pass test against Macomb
QUINCY — Asked if he’d found a new leadoff hitter, Quincy Notre Dame softball coach Eric Orne chuckled and shook his head. “No,” he said. “We’ll get healed up and back to normal.” But should he consider leaving Abbey Schreacke in the leadoff spot, it creates a potent starting point as Macomb witnessed Friday at…
Read MoreGirls basketball Player of the Year: QND’s Schreacke shows leadership on and off court
QUINCY — In the hallway outside the Illini West gym, in the wake of the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s 40-38 victory in a battle of state-ranked teams, Raiders freshman guard Sage Stratton struggled to shake what might have been. With less than four seconds remaining and QND inbounding the ball from the baseline,…
Read MoreGirls basketball Coach of the Year: Orne returning to bench brings championship back to QND
QUINCY — It’s better to burn out than fade away. Those words are in the lyrics to the rock anthem “Rock of Ages,” released by Def Leppard in May 1983. Four decades later, they still ring true. Eric Orne burned out, but he never faded away. Following the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball program’s fifth…
Read MoreBlue Devils seize scoring opportunities, finish Kickoff Classic with pair of victories
QUINCY — The Quincy High School girls soccer team capitalized when it had the opportunities. Quincy Notre Dame and Hannibal did not. Thus, the Blue Devils exited the weekend with a pair of shutout victories, having taken a couple of significant steps in their journey to be a postseason contender. In the final game of…
Read MoreSchisler nullifies blustery conditions by pitching shutout as Raiders sweep pair on road
FULTON, Mo. — Jake Schisler made certain the wind wasn’t a factor. Meanwhile, his teammates took advantage of pitchers who couldn’t keep the ball down. Schisler, the junior right-hander on the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team, tossed a two-hit shutout in an 11-0 victory over Fulton as the Raiders swept a pair of games Saturday…
Read MoreScoreboard for Wednesday, March 23
Prep baseball At The Ferd, Quincy Quincy Notre Dame 12, Payson Seymour 3: A six-run inning second inning gave the Raiders control. Jacob Schisler’s RBI single got the inning rolling, while Brady Kindhart and Michael Stupavsky drew bases-loaded walks to make it 3-0. After an RBI sacrifice fly by Ben Kasparie and a run-scoring groundout…
Read MoreEarly offense, Cornwell’s pitching carry QND softball team to shutout victory in season opener
QUINCY — Brooke Boden’s ability to play either corner infield position or pitch gives the Quincy Notre Dame softball coaching staff some flexibility when it comes to setting a lineup. If she hits the way she did Monday, the coaches will need to find a spot for her wherever it may be. Boden, a sophomore…
Read MoreEfficient and effective, Raiders dispatch Blue Devils as part of two-win opening day
QUINCY — Theoretically, Quincy Notre Dame baseball coach Ryan Oden wouldn’t have wanted either of Saturday’s starting pitchers to throw more than 50 pitches in their first outings of the season. Neither Alex Connoyer nor Jake Schisler exceeded that limit by much, but their ability to stay in the strike zone and work efficient innings…
Read MoreRaiders shift into another gear in second half, rally to beat Blue Devils in season opener
QUINCY — The suggestion that having her long blonde hair pulled into a bulb atop her head was reminiscent of the Flintstones’ character Pebbles gave Lia Quintero the opening to explain what the hairstyle actually is. “It’s the gearshift,” she said. Varying levels of power come with it. “It’s good for speed, too,” said Quintero,…
Read MoreCelebration fit for a champion: QND girls enjoy fire truck ride after winning Class 2A state title
QUINCY — Muddy River Sports correspondent Ron Kinscherf captured images of the homecoming for the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team, which won the Class 2A state championship Saturday with a 63-56 victory over Winnebago in the title game at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena. Below is a gallery of his pictures.
Read MoreSchuck on a Truck Zoom Edition: Professional basketball player Tanner Stuckman
QUINCY — Tanner Stuckman’s basketball career has been built around hard work, determination and an unwillingness to be told he couldn’t succeed. That’s why professional opportunities are coming his way. A graduate of Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy University, the 6-foot-9 Stuckman is currently playing in the National Basketball League of Canada for the Windsor…
Read MoreStandalone: QND girls celebrate at end of state championship game
‘Everyone worked for this’: QND girls basketball team finishes magical season with Class 2A state championship
NORMAL, Ill. — Blair Eftink looked down at the state championship medal hanging around her neck and shook her head from side to side, almost in disbelief. “It’s crazy,” she said. Eftink then glanced around at her Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball teammates, who were milling about in the hallway outside the media room in…
Read MoreSchuckman: In toughest of times, Raiders stand resolute as ‘pillar of strength’ for Orne
NORMAL, Ill. — Friday morning, the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball players filed into St. Augustine Catholic Church, the quaint centerpiece of a devout congregation in their coach’s hometown of Ashland. Their mission was two-fold. Say a solemn goodbye to Mary Sue Orne, the mother of Raiders coach Eric Orne who passed away in the…
Read MoreSchreacke’s epic state tournament performance is one of legendary status
NORMAL, Ill. — The pain of slightly spraining her right ankle hobbled Abbey Schreacke for a short stretch of the second quarter Saturday. Yet, it was getting poked in the eye that brought her tears. “Once I got poked in the eye, I forgot about the feeling in the ankle, too,” Schreacke said. No one…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND girls basketball team wins Class 2A state championship at Redbird Arena
NORMAL, Ill. — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent Saturday at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena chronicling the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s 63-56 victory over Winnebago in the Class 2A state championship game. Here is a gallery of images Schuckman collected throughout the Raiders’ run to a sixth state championship in program…
Read MoreInjuries, defensive pressure trip up Raiders in sectional title game as Saints shoot way to crown
STANFORD, Ill. — When Cole Certa caught the ball two steps beyond the volleyball spike line and almost nonchalantly dribbled forward, concern immediately spread up and down the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team’s bench. “We were talking and saying, ‘He’s pulling it, he’s pulling it,’” Raiders coach Kevin Meyer said. “Sure enough he does.”…
Read More‘You just don’t want it to end’: Raiders to play for state championship after confidence-soaring victory in semifinals over Panthers
NORMAL, Ill. — Redbird Arena can’t exactly be called cavernous, but the shooting background can create a need for an adjustment. Blair Eftink didn’t seem to mind, especially when 3-pointer after 3-pointer kept falling during warmups. “Abbey (Schreacke) was telling me the depth perception was a lot different than where we normally play,” Eftink said.…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Quincy Notre Dame vs. Pana in Class 2A girls basketball state semifinal
Schreacke beats buzzer twice, gives QND girls needed momentum in state semifinal victory
NORMAL, Ill. — The ball ending up in Abbey Schreacke’s hands with the seconds ticking away didn’t come as a surprise. Neither did the fact she made the shot. Well, the first one wasn’t a shocker. The second made those inside Redbird Arena either jump for joy or drop their head into their hands. Schreacke,…
Read MoreState tournament notebook: Raiders to take advantage of extra day to prep for title game
NORMAL, Ill. — A dramatic change in the way the Illinois High School Association schedules the boys and girls state basketball tournament games has completely altered the weekend plans. It’s a blessing in disguise for Quincy Notre Dame. After beating Pana 56-44 Thursday afternoon in the Class 2A girls state semifinals at Illinois State University’s…
Read More‘There’s more in the tank’: QND boys rely on defense to pave way to sectional title game
STANFORD, Ill. — The first four minutes of the second half Wednesday night may have been the most energetic and engaged stretch defensively the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team has played this season. The Raiders even smiled at the suggestion they are at their best right now. But don’t read too much into that.…
Read MoreQND’s Schreacke repeats as leading vote-getter for Associated Press Class 2A all-state team
QUINCY — Abbey Schreacke has been the most dominant player on the court nearly every game this season. So it came as no surprise when she was the leading vote-getter for the Associated Press Class 2A all-state teams, which were released Wednesday. The 5-foot-10 junior guard topped a list of five first-team standouts, three of…
Read MoreRaiders gain instant energy when Lavery, Bocke come off bench and change tone of semifinal win
STANFORD, Ill. — Charlie Lavery embraced the moment with vigor. Then Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer reminded him the job wasn’t complete. The Raiders led Maroa-Forsyth by 14 points with a little more than six minutes to play Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Class 2A Stanford Olympia Sectional when Lavery,…
Read More‘It’s like our homecoming’: Raiders outlast Pioneers to win super-sectional, earn chance to return to Redbird Arena for final four
BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Doubt never fully surfaced. Concern may have. Yet, no matter what level of uneasiness the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball players actually felt during the course of Monday night’s Class 2A Beardstown Super-Sectional, the unshakeable belief they have in each other always prevailed. “We stuck together,” junior guard Abbey Schreacke said. “That’s…
Read MoreEftink shrugs off off-kilter shooting to make clutch free throws, send QND girls to state final four
BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — Disbelief. It spread across Blair Eftink’s face. With 23.8 seconds remaining in Monday night’s Class 2A Beardstown Super-Sectional and the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team clinging to a two-point lead, Eftink had the chance to provide a little bit of separation. Instead, her first free-throw attempt in a 1-and-1 situation rattled…
Read MoreQND girls respond to early deficit, fend off Alton Marquette to win Class 2A sectional title
WAVERLY, Ill. — Why worry? That’s exactly what the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball players were thinking. Alton Marquette hit the Raiders with an opening salvo Friday night, scoring the first six points of the Class 2A Waverly Sectional championship game and forcing QND coach Eric Orne to burn a timeout after only 2 minutes,…
Read MoreSchuckman: Staff’s commitment to QND basketball creates memories he will have ‘just forever’
QUINCY — The jersey slipped on perfectly. It was trim and tight where it needed to be so Mike Staff had the sleek look of a basketball player, but it was loose enough for him to be able to twist, turn and attack without feeling constricted. He only wished he could do those things, but…
Read MoreAll for one, one for all: Raiders kickstart sectional semifinal victory with production from entire lineup
WAVERLY, Ill. — The attention opposing defenses pay Abbey Schreacke is warranted. But if Blair Eftink and the rest of the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s starting five attack the basket with the kind of vengeance they did Tuesday night, opponents will find it harder and harder to double- or triple-team Schreacke. Stopping the…
Read MoreRaiders create bevy of turnovers, throttle past Rockets into Class 2A regional semifinals
QUINCY — At halftime of Saturday’s Class 2A Beardstown Regional quarterfinal at The Pit, the Rushville-Industry boys basketball team had as many turnovers as points. Quincy Notre Dame coach Kevin Meyer likes that ratio. “We got after it defensively and turned it back into offense,” Meyer said. “I was pretty happy with it. That’s a…
Read MoreRaiders rebound from tough loss, find confidence and momentum heading into postseason
QUINCY — Enough was enough. The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball players needed to address the reasons why they lost to West Hancock on the road Tuesday night and what was contributing to the Raiders’ recent slump. So when the coaching staff gathered them for practice at the Pit, the Raiders seized the opportunity to…
Read MoreRaiders rev up in second quarter, win regional championship behind Schreacke’s 29 points
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s struggling start was erased when Abbey Schreacke scored with 6.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter to give the Raiders’ the lead. QND never trailed again. Off a Williamsville turnover with 15.1 seconds left in the quarter, QND got the ball into Schreacke’s hands, and…
Read MoreIllinois girls basketball regionals: QND fends off Plains in second half, QHS cannot stop Alton’s run
The difference between the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team advancing to a regional championship and Quincy High School falling short of that goal is a matter of minutes, not so much a matter of points. The Raiders shut down Pleasant Plains long enough to survive. The Blue Devils needed 90 seconds of timely stops…
Read MoreTriple the pain: Titans continually knock down 3-pointers, hand Raiders untimely loss
HAMILTON, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team’s inability to run West Hancock off the 3-point strip Tuesday is alarming with the start of postseason play just four days away. The Titans made 13 3-pointers and maintained a 13-point advantage throughout the second and third quarters, parlaying it into a 68-58 West Central…
Read MoreStrong connection: Raiders share basketball, scoring and responsibilities in dismantling Rockets
QUINCY — One of the themes Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer touched on during his team’s shootaround Saturday afternoon was staying connected. The Raiders were locked together front to back and side to side Saturday night in a 74-38 dismantling of Rushville-Industry at The Pit in the first meeting between the schools…
Read MoreRaiders pick up some postseason momentum by beating state-ranked Crusaders on road
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — In the wake of a loss to No. 1-ranked Brimfield on the road Wednesday night, Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne reiterated another tough test awaited with Friday’s trip to Jefferson City Helias. He probably never envisioned how tough it would be to get off the bus. The Raiders,…
Read MoreSeeds for IHSA boys basketball postseason create intriguing matchups and potential showdowns
QUINCY — An opponent the Quincy High School boys basketball team missed out on seeing during the Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic could be the one that stands between the Blue Devils and a regional championship. Meanwhile, Liberty and Southeastern are on a collision course for an epic showdown — if both can survive. The…
Read MoreIn battle of No. 1-ranked teams, Brimfield takes QND ‘to the woodshed’ with 24-point victory
BRIMFIELD, Ill. — As disheartening as it was to carry home a 24-point loss from a battle of two of the state’s No. 1-ranked teams, Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne tried to remind the Raiders tomorrow is a new day. And another game awaits. “Maybe it’s a good thing we have a…
Read MoreIllinois girls basketball state rankings: QND heads into postseason No. 1 in Class 2A
QUINCY — In the final state rankings before the Illinois girls basketball postseason begins, not much changed for the area teams. Quincy Notre Dame remains ranked No. 1 in Class 2A and Illini West is No. 3, although the Chargers are now tied with Pana, which is enjoying a 29-1 season and has not lost…
Read MoreRaiders able to breathe life into their attack, get back on track with victory over Mustangs
QUINCY — Take a breath. Such a simple directive, but it’s one the Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball players needed to hear and follow. Back-to-back losses to state-ranked Jacksonville Routt and 20-win Southeastern made Tuesday night’s game at The Pit against Unity a must win in the words of Raiders coach Kevin Meyer. But instead…
Read MoreOut of the Fry-ing pan, into the fire: Suns senior guard finishes off Raiders with critical plays in fourth quarter
QUINCY — The lead never grew large enough for either the Southeastern boys basketball team to get comfortable or Quincy Notre Dame to get discouraged. Not until the Raiders got Fry-ed. Leading 51-47 with less than four minutes to play in regulation Monday night at The Pit, Suns senior guard Ramsey Fry made a series…
Read MoreCrim: Time doesn’t change Siebers’ approach to doing things all out, all the time
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — Mike Siebers brings the same exuberance to a weekend interview with an old sports writer as he did to high school basketball courts and soccer fields four decades ago while playing for Quincy Notre Dame. All out, all the time. “Sorry for taking so much of your time,” he said as the…
Read More50 After 50: New beginning, tough ending in sectional for No. 26 Raiders
The Illinois High School Association created a second class for boys basketball for the 1971-72 school year. The 2020-21 season would have been the 50th year of the boys basketball small-school tournament. Muddy River Sports is celebrating 50 years of small-school boys basketball by ranking the 50 best teams in Adams, Brown, Pike and Hancock…
Read MoreSuperFan Shootout: Edwardsville pulls away from QND in fourth quarter in showdown of two girls basketball dynasties
QUINCY — Sydney Harris said she and her Edwardsville girls basketball teammates tend to struggle following a long bus ride. That haul from Madison County to Quincy, however, proved to be little or no problem when the Tigers outlasted Quincy Notre Dame 66-54 in Saturday night’s marquee matchup in the SuperFan Shootout at The Pit.…
Read MoreRegional wrestling: Central’s Thompson wins title, 10 other grapplers move on to sectionals
TREMONT, Ill. — Central sophomore Jack Thompson became the only area wrestler to capture a championship at the Class 1A Tremont Regional, winning the title at 113 pounds Saturday. The Panthers had three other wrestlers advance to the Stanford Olympia Sectional, while Quincy Notre Dame has three wrestlers moving on and Illini West and West…
Read MoreSuperFan Shootout: Stratton fuels Raiders’ stretch drive, spearheads fourth-quarter rally
QUINCY — The analogy offered by Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer was spot on. “In NASCAR terms, it was a splash and go,” Meyer said. Meyer was recounting the fourth-quarter contribution of 6-foot-1 guard Jackson Stratton, who scored 18 of his 23 points over the final eight minutes — including 14 at…
Read MoreGame Night Guide: WB6 clash, SuperFan Shootout, wrestling regionals highlight weekend
QUINCY — A colossal conference clash. A cross-river showdown of state-ranked teams. A collegiate matchup with first place in the conference on the line. And champions to be crowned. It’s going to be quite a weekend. The madness starts Friday night when the Quincy High School boys basketball team travels to Moline with the chance…
Read MoreTop-ranked Raiders win another road game against state-ranked opponent
SHELBINA, Mo. — Any addition to the schedule two weeks before regional play begins needs to be done strategically and with purpose. That’s why hitting the road to face a top-10 team in a hostile environment made sense to Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne, whose team is ranked No. 1 in Class…
Read MoreQND Invitational: Steinkamp says goodbye to home crowd with 126-pound championship
QUINCY — In a way, Curtis Steinkamp said goodbye with a kiss. He made his opponents kiss the mat. Then he put their backs to it. The Quincy Notre Dame senior wrestled in front of a home crowd for the final time in his career Saturday, winning the 126-pound championship of the QND Invitational at…
Read MoreTop-ranked QND relies on defense in fourth quarter to hold off No. 8 Civic Memorial
BETHALTO, Ill. — The fourth-quarter offensive miscues — four turnovers and zero converted field goals — committed by the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team on Saturday afternoon proved it may be withering from pressure. What ultimately kept the Raiders upright was their defense. Despite going the final eight minutes without a basket, QND was…
Read MoreIllinois girls state basketball polls: Quincy Notre Dame moves to No. 1 in Class 2A
QUINCY — For the first time since 2012, when the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team won the second of its three straight state championships, the Raiders are the No. 1-ranked team in the state. QND and Winnebago switched spots atop the Class 2A state poll after the Raiders beat third-ranked Illini West on the…
Read MoreRaiders salt away road victory with stellar effort at free-throw line
CARTHAGE, Ill. — A team that hadn’t been the most efficient from the free-throw line is figuring out how to use the charity stripe to its advantage. It paid off down the stretch Tuesday night. The Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball team, which was collectively shooting 59 percent from the line, made 7 of 10…
Read MoreLiquor Booth Shot of the Game: QND’s Schreacke hits game-winner against Illini West
CARTHAGE, Ill. — Abbey Schreacke’s reaction said everything. This one meant something. An all-state junior guard on the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team, Schreacke caught the ball on the left block as time ticked away in the final 15 seconds of last Thursday’s state-ranked showdown with Illini West and the game tied at 38.…
Read MoreQuincy Shootout: QND rallies, then falls in overtime to Confluence Prep
QUINCY — It hurt like any loss. It hurt even more because it was an overtime loss. Yet a grin kept crawling across the face of Quincy Notre Dame boys basketball coach Kevin Meyer afterward. The Raiders fought back from a 10-point deficit to lead at halftime, then was a half-second away from winning in…
Read MoreSchreacke’s clutch shot gives No. 2 QND edge in showdown with No. 3 Illini West
CARTHAGE, Ill. — The difference between the two best Class 2A girls basketball teams in the west-central part of the state is subtle, yet simple. One has Abbey Schreacke. The other does not. With the outcome of Thursday night’s battle of state-ranked teams, Quincy Notre Dame was going to win, lose or draw with the…
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