•December 27, 2017•
The Sullivan boys’ basketball team entered the Team Soy St. Teresa Christmas Tournament this week.
The Redskins lost to Decatur Lutheran and Mt. Pulaski.
On day two of the tournament, Mt. Pulaski defeated Sullivan 62-30. Read More
•December 27, 2017•
Six local football players earned all-area honors this past week.
For Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, senior linebacker Marcus Vanausdoll earned second team defensive honors. Read More
Photo by R.R. Best
Sullivan and Okaw Valley players fight for the rebound.
•December 20, 2017•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports
The Okaw Valley girls’ basketball team finished a strong week with a win against rival Sullivan last Tuesday and two wins in the Okaw Valley Holiday Tournament in Bethany.
“We continued to play well throughout the weekend,” said Okaw Valley coach Brad Ackers. “I was very pleased with our defense and rebounding all week long. We shot the ball well Friday and Saturday, and when we do that, we are awfully tough to beat.”
Against Sullivan the Timberwolves jumped out to a 13-6 first quarter lead and almost repeated it in the second with a 10-6 run.
The second half was a low scoring affair with OV outscoring the Redskins 13-8 for the 36-20 win.
“You can’t beat too many teams shooting 13 percent from the field, 0-for-14 from behind the arc, and 56 percent from the line,” said Sullivan coach Sheri McCain. “I was very disappointed with our effort tonight. Okaw Valley simply wanted it more than us tonight.” Read More
•December 20, 2017•
The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond boys’ basketball team dropped a nonconference game 69-51 against Shelbyville Friday.
“We started very well getting great shots, and defensively, we were very active and did a great job competing on the boards and for loose balls,” said ALAH coach Dale Schuring.
The Rams took a 30-21 halftime lead, but it was a 25-14 third quarter run that put the game away.
“Our downfall was turnovers,” Schuring said. “The second half they dictated the game at both ends of the floor.” Read More
•December 20, 2017•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports
The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond girls’ basketball team split a pair of games this past week.
The Knights lost to Central A&M last Thursday but knocked off St. Anthony Saturday.
“Our team was like Jekyll and Hyde between the two games we played last week,” said ALAH coach Mac Condill.
Against St. Anthony, ALAH took advantage of a 14-6 second quarter run to take a 26-17 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to eight heading into the fourth, but the Knights pulled away for the 48-36 win. Read More
•December 20, 2017•
Photo furnished
By Jason Brown
NP Sports
This summer on July 15 Garrett Fritz made a pledge to continue his baseball career at Rend Lake College next fall.
The senior standout made it official Thursday at 11:30 a.m. in Bethany when he signed his letter of intent.
“It was a good offer so I couldn’t really turn it down,” said Fritz. “And I talked to all my coaches and parents, and it just turned out to be the right fit for me.”
“He is one of the most competitive young men I have been around,” said OV baseball coach Andrew Hagerman, “and I can tell you Rend Lake, as much as they may think they know about him now, landed a gem here. I look forward to his senior year here and following his success at the next level.” Read More
Photo by R.R. Best
Austin Hill passes the ball against Central A&M Friday.
•December 20, 2017•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports
The Okaw Valley boys’ basketball team snapped its 3-game winning streak with a nonconference loss to Central A&M Friday.
A poor shooting night caught up with the Timberwolves as they fell behind 33-12 at the half and could not recover for the eventual 52-25 loss.
“The key stat for us was that we couldn’t make shots,” said Okaw Valley coach Brooks Inman. “We were 1-for-18 from 3-point range, and that will not get the job done.”
Jared Bunfill led OV with eight points, and Austin Hill had six.
Sam Hagerman and Ty Nichols scored five and four points, in that order, and Hutson Dickens added a bucket.
“We held them to 52 points, and they average over 70 points per game on the season,” Inman said. “Our defensive effort was good enough. We just did not execute offensively the way we would like.” Read More
•December 13, 2017•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports
Despite being bitten by the injury bug these past couple weeks, the Okaw Valley boys’ basketball team won its third game in a row with wins over Sullivan and Tri-County.
The Timberwolves were working as a tight pack when pressuring Sullivan last Tuesday night.
OV’s full-court and ¾-court pressure forced several Sullivan turnovers in the first half.
The Timberwolves were able to convert the turnovers into easy points.
OV jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the game and extended that lead to 12-2 when Trey Yarnell hit a 3-pointer with just over two minutes left in the game.
Sullivan cut that lead to 12-9 to start the second quarter, but OV took a 19-11 halftime lead. Read More
•December 13, 2017•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports
The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond girls’ basketball team ended this past week with a 1-2 record, a win against Villa Grove and losses to Mattoon and Kansas/Shiloh/Oakland.
“We can’t expect to step on the floor and think we will be able to compete,” said ALAH coach Mac Condill. “We need to establish ourselves at tipoff or else we should continue to expect to start slowly.”
Against Villa Grove Thursday, the Knights took a 2-point lead into the second quarter where they outscored Villa Grove 21-12.
The Blue Devils battled back in the third to outscore ALAH 16-9, but the Knights were able to hold off Villa Grove for a 54-51 win. Read More
•December 13, 2017•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports
Okaw Valley girls’ basketball team split a pair of games this past week, defeating Martinsville Monday night and losing to Altamont Thursday night.
Monday night against Martinsville, eight Timberwolves scored at least three points to help propel OV to a 57-26 victory.
OV outscored Martinsville 23-4 in the first quarter and did not allow a point in the entire second quarter. Read More