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
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
Photo by Keith Stewart
Alec Ballinger powers his way through the paint Thursday night.
Earn shot at OVC tourney trophy Saturday against Meridian
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
“Fight. Fight for these last eight minutes.”
Chester Reeder didn’t want his team letting St. Teresa slip by–not again. Not in the fourth quarter. Not in the OVC semifinals. Not at all. After seeing their lead diminish in the fourth and eventually losing to the Bulldogs two weeks ago, the Redskins were prepared for a different outcome Thursday night, when they, the no. 5 seed in the OVC tournament, took on the no. 1 seed, and not to mention state ranked St. Teresa Bulldogs and came away with their second straight upset of the tourney, winning 65-58.
“It feels awesome,” said Reeder after the game. “I asked them before we left, ‘Why not us?’ We played with them for three and half quarters last time at their place. You can’t have any doubt. You have to believe in yourself, believe in each other, keep playing, and see what happens.” Read More
Photo by RR Best
AL’s Curtis Plank drives to the basket Saturday night. Plank led the team with 16 points.
Four Knights in double figures, Plank tops with 16
by Kirk Whitaker
Arthur/Sullivan Reporter
Arthur-Lovington lost a heart-breaker to Cerro Gordo-Bement in overtime the last time the two teams met in Cerro Gordo, so it was only poetic justice the two rivals met in the LOVC tournament final.
“This year the kids—especially the seniors—set their minds to it to make it this far,” Knights head coach Dale Schuring stated. “On a regular basis we struggle in this tournament, but this year the kids really stepped up and prevented anything from going wrong. This wasn’t a revenge game to me, but I’m sure the kids had some in their minds.”
Early on it looked as if the excitement of the previous meeting between the two would carry over as both crowds set an electric atmosphere for the game. The atmosphere carried over, and the Knights’ Tyler Schuring and Jeremy Plank opened with 3-pointers, which were answered by Bronco Connor Gross. Read More
Photo by Darian Hays
OV’s Peyton Hagerman tries to get past Arthur-Lovington’s Tyler Schuring Tuesday night in the LOVC tournament in Arthur.
Knights get best in second matchup of the year
by Kirk Whitaker
Arthur/Sullivan Reporter
Not even a 10 minute delay due to a malfunctioning game clock could slow down Arthur-Lovington in Tuesday night’s LOVC tourney opener against Okaw Valley, and with Tyler Schuring leading the way with 23—with 10 in the opening frame—the Knights rolled on 61-37 after beating OV 60-25 two weeks ago.
Jeremy Plank opened scoring for the Knights with a 3-pointer, which was followed by a missed layup at the other end for the Timberwolves. In the next Knight possession, Schuring scored his first basket, then a 3-ball with 6:03 remaining, forcing a Timberwolves timeout. Read More
Photo by Keith Stewart
Former SHS basketball coach (and current Neoga coach) Bob Lockart and current SHS coach Chester Reeder talk before the start of Saturday's game in Neoga.
Pulls away after first quarter to defeat Neoga 59-42
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
Saturday night’s rescheduled game had a little extra to it, as Sullivan’s boys’ basketball team visited former head coach Bob Lockart and his Indians and came away with a 59-42 win.
“It was fun,” said Sullivan coach Chester Reeder, who was an assistant under Lockart for three years before taking over this year when Lockart left to take the head coach position in Neoga. “I’ve been looking forward to this one. I’m glad we got this one in.”
The Indians got out to a good start against Sullivan, capitalizing on a quick transition game that put them up 4-0 to begin. Neoga led for most of the quarter, while the Redskins struggled to rebound early, prompting a timeout by Reeder who was visibly disappointed with his team in the huddle.
Out of the break, Neoga’s Brock Aleshire hit a jumpshot to stretch the lead to 11-6. Read More
Photo by Keith Stewart
Brittin Boyer tries to pull the ball loose from Shelbyville’s Madison Boone Monday night. Sullivan’s defense had more than a helping hand in the Lady Ram’s 36 turnovers, while the offense was in high gear. Both facets of gameplay earned Sullivan an 83-38 win.
No. 3 seed in OVC tourney, “disappointing” for Redskins
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
Typically, head coach Sheri McCain will make use of her young bench throughout a varsity game and typically, the Lady Redskins score an ample amount of points. But Monday night, as Sullivan routed Shelbyville 83-38, the Redskin coach left her starting five on for most of the game, in part, to send a message following Monday’s OVC tournament seed announcement, which put Sullivan at no. 3 while Clinton earned no. 2 and Central A&M no. 1.
“We’re all tied right now. I was just a little disappointed for the simple fact that going into it, we all looked at everybody’s overall records, and considering we only had two losses and A&M and Clinton both had four… I know we’ve all played good competition, but then you have to look at head to head competition, and we had beaten A&M, and we’d beaten Clinton,” said McCain candidly. Read More
Photo by Keith Stewart
Sullivan head coach Chester Reeder has a serious talk with his team before the start of overtime Friday night. It was then he challenged his team to take the game back from Meridian, which they did, 60-52.
Initial 8-0 run much needed boost for Redskins
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
Sullivan head coach Chester Reeder is fond of reminding his team to take advantage of opportunities. Friday night, the Redskins took what was a disappointing fourth quarter let down against Meridian, leading to overtime, and saw it as a chance to play more.
“I told them after the fourth quarter, ‘What a wonderful opportunity boys, you get to play the game you love for four more minutes. Now go out there and take this game from them.’”
In what seemed more like a regulation period of eight minutes, the extra quarter started with Sullivan getting back on track. Read More
Emily Neuhauser tries to swat the ball away from St. Teresa's Shannen Quehl Thursday night. Quehl was a big problem for Sullivan, scoring 18 and pulling down 18 rebounds, but Neuhauser herself scored 27.
With Plank missing, Marshall steps up for 14
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
You may not have noticed her in the past, let alone heard her name mentioned as part of the team, but sophomore Alyssa Marshall is in fact a varsity player for Sullivan’s girls’ basketball team. And the typically quiet and timid sophomore put aside her humble play Thursday night as she was tasked with answering the call to fill the temporary absence of senior Maggie Plank, who was out sick. Read More
Photo by Keith Stewart
Sullivan's Emily Neuhauser catches her breath Saturday. Neoga's fast-paced transition game had Sullivan scampering for a solution early on.
Complete 180 in second half for Lady Red
By Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
“Keep shooting!”
Those were the words of head coach Sheri McCain and assistant Tiffanie Tucker early Saturday afternoon in midst of an off-day shooting for the Lady Redskins. But they would have to be more than just listened to if Sullivan was going to come back and take the lead, for good.
Respond, they did.
After trailing nearly the entire game thanks in part to sub-par defense and a lack of converting on offense, the Lady Red stormed back in the fourth quarter against Neoga, who up until then were nearly flawless on both ends of the floor. Read More