Category Archives: Sports Section

Why Not Sullivan?

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SullBoys

Photo by Keith Stewart
Sullivan’s boys’ basketball team reacts after earning the Okaw Valley Conference tournament championship trophy Saturday night.

Redskins battle through OV Tourney, defeating host in Championship Saturday

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

“Why not us.”

What had been a rhetorical question and even mantra became a simple statement Saturday night when Sullivan, the no. 5 seed, upended no. 7 seed and host Meridian in the Okaw Valley tournament championship.

After 12 long years, the trophy came back to Sullivan in what is the final year of the Okaw’s existence. Sullivan last won the conference tourney in 2002 when they defeated Monticello 51-43. But it was 14 years ago that a young Chester Reeder, then a junior on the basketball team, was a part of the ‘99 Sullivan group to win the trophy. Read More

Knights roll Tri-County 51-33 on Team Alayna Night

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Plank brothers combine for 12

Photo by RR Best There was a lot of visible support Friday for Alayna Plank, the sister of Curtis and Jeremy Plank and who was diagnosed with leukemia several months ago.

Photo by RR Best
There was a lot of visible support Friday for Alayna Plank, the sister of Curtis and Jeremy Plank and who was diagnosed with leukemia several months ago.

by Kirk Whitaker

Arthur/Sullivan Reporter

 

This past week of the Arthur-Lovington Knights basketball season was a pretty good one.

The team went 3-0, defeating Georgetown-La Sallete Monday—in which senior Curtis Plank scored his 1,000th point, and his junior brother Jeremy added 17, Tri-County Friday, and LSA on Saturday. But of the three wins, the one against the Titans was perhaps the most special. Read More

Area Girls’ Basketball Begins Regional Play

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Photo by Keith Stewart OV’s Chloe Weybright looks for a pass Tuesday night.

Photo by Keith Stewart
OV’s Chloe Weybright looks for a pass Tuesday night.

OV ousted in semifinals; ALAH and Sullivan to meet Thursday in championship

by Kirk Whitaker,
and Keith Stewart

Two area teams, Sullivan and Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond each began their class 2A regional play Tuesday in Arthur, while Okaw Valley travelled to Toledo Monday and Tuesday for their respective regional. Read More

OV Can’t Overcome State Ranked Shiloh on Senior Night

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Photo by Jeni Yantis Okaw Valley’s girls’ basketball team recognized its seniors Saturday afternoon during their game against Shiloh. Pictured left to right are: Shelby Dash, Mollee Decesaro, Abigail Weybright, and Brooke Whitrock.

Photo by Jeni Yantis
Okaw Valley’s girls’ basketball team recognized its seniors Saturday afternoon during their game against Shiloh. Pictured left to right are: Shelby Dash, Mollee Decesaro, Abigail Weybright, and Brooke Whitrock.

Still wrap up best regular season record in nine years

by Emily Scott
Bethany Reporter

Though they fought hard the whole game, the Lady Timberwolves were not able to get a win on their senior night Saturday, instead falling 60-32 to the no. 4 state ranked Shiloh.

The Raiders’ big advantage was starting out with a full court press and scoring 21 points in the first quarter while OV scored only six. Most of their points came from Bethany McGinness and the 6’1” center Lauren Moses, who was the obstacle to get past the entire game and eventually went 13 for 16 at the free throw line. Read More

Lancers Compete for Three Quarters, Then Fall to Arcola 47-32

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Purple Riders Zone Trouble for Lancers

by Kirk Whitaker
Arthur/Sullivan Reporter

Early on it looked as if AL-AH would give then no. 8 ranked in Class 1A and LOVC foe Arcola a run for their money. The Lancers maintained their pace, and Arcola star junior Taylor Edwards started the game a little cold. Arthur-Lovington held an 11-7 lead after a quarter of play with Karly Goodman scoring five and Emily Seegmiller four, and Brianna Morgan adding two free throws for Lancer scoring. Read More

T-Wolves Lose to Neoga Saturday

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The Okaw Valley boys’ basketball took two straight losses last week, falling to Neoga Saturday 47-62 and to Arcola the night before  59-68.

Junior Peyton Hagerman led his team in both games with 18 points against Arcola and 16 against Neoga.

“We struggle to be consistent,” said head coach Tony Sparks. “We played one of our best games of the year against Arcola. Then we played Neoga Saturday and struggled to bring much energy.”

OV will host Tri-County Friday and then Windsor Saturday for senior night.

“We will continue to get better,” added Sparks. “Hopefully a couple of the younger kids can give us the spark we need over the last three weeks, and we can end the season strong.”

Singers Take Third Runner-Up at Troy Buchanan Show Choir Competition

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by Kirk Whitaker
Arthur/Sullivan Reporter

The recent snow has caused one reverse humdinger of a situation for the Sullivan Singers.

For the Singers, that effect has been seen in out-of-class rehearsal time taken by the snow days.

“All of our out-of-school practices seem to keep falling on snow days,” Singers director Connie Mulligan said. “We have done some good things to this point in our competition season, but we really needed the repetition and class time we have missed.” Read More

AL Dominates LSA 82-48 in Rough Game

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by Kirk Whitaker
Arthur/Sullivan Reporter

Arthur came into the week holding the 10th slot in the Class 1A polls, and Saturday they faced Decatur LSA, who beat the Knights when they were ranked 10th last season.

This season would be much different thanks in large part to Curtis Plank.

“In warm-ups my shot was just falling,” Plank explained. “It was just one of those nights I guess you could say. Coach called some plays for me, and I made those shots.” Read More

Sullivan Wins OVC Tourney First Time in Over a Decade

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Photo by Keith Stewart Meridian athletic director Eric Hurelbrink hands Sullivan's four seniors the Okaw Valley Tournament championship trophy Saturday night after the Redskins beat Meridian 53-46.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Meridian athletic director Eric Hurelbrink hands Sullivan's four seniors the Okaw Valley Tournament championship trophy Saturday night after the Redskins beat Meridian 53-46.

Sullivan battles through OV Tourney, defeating host in Championship Saturday

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

“Why not us.”

What had been a rhetorical question and even mantra became a simple statement Saturday night, when Sullivan, the no. 5 seed, upended no. 7 seed and host Meridian in the Okaw Valley tournament championship 53-46.

After 12 long years, the trophy came back to Sullivan in what is the final year of the Okaw’s existence. Sullivan last won the conference tourney in 2002 when they defeated Monticello 51-43. But it was 14 years ago that a young Chester Reeder, then a jr. on the basketball team, was a part of the 99' Sullivan group to win the trophy.

Now in his first year as head coach, Reeder and company signed off on the irony with Saturday’s win.

“It means so much. I’m just so happy for these kids, especially these seniors,” said an emotional Reeder after Saturday’s game. “They’ve been told their whole life that they aren’t going to be successful. I was told when I took the job that it was going to be a struggle, that we weren’t going to win very many games. I just kept telling them, ‘Don’t believe what you hear. Buy into being there for each other. Play tough, play together, and worry about the 30 guys that we have in the program and see what happens. Play as hard as you can and see what happens.’” Read More