Advertisement

Saturday's prep highlights: Five girls' wrestlers win regional titles

Matt Daniels, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
·10 min read

Jan. 28—In girls' wrestling

Mt. Zion Regional

➜ Mahomet-Seymour relied on regional championships from Isabelle Leyhe and Jaycee Fancher to help the Bulldogs place second at the 37-team event, the best team finish by an area program at the meet. Leyhe won a regional title at 120 pounds, pinning Morgan Krone-Smallhorn of Charleston in 1 minute, 50 seconds in the championship match. Fancher also won her regional title via pin, defeating Anna Miloncus of Springfield. Three other wrestlers from three different area programs also won regional titles on Saturday. Marrissa Miller of Monticello earned a title at 110, winning an overtime match against Kennedy McMenimen of East Peoria in the championship. Jurdan Tyler of Urbana also won a regional title at 190, while Phoenix Molina of Unity delivered a regional championship at 235 for the Rockets. Molina won her regional title by pinning Marley Clark of Peoria Richwoods in 1:28. Six other area wrestlers also finished in the top three of their respective weight class to earn a spot in next weekend's Peoria Richwoods Sectional. Justice Milligan of Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher at 100 and Taylor Owens of Oakwood/Salt Fork at 140 both placed second. A quartet of area wrestlers finished third, with Ava Beldo of Centennial at 115, Londyn Grant of Champaign Central at 130, Avery Schlickman of GCMS/Fisher at 140 and Grace Ribbe of Mahomet-Seymour at 190 all claiming that honor.

In boys' basketball

Peoria Manual Shootout

➜ Danville 76, Springfield Calvary 71. Danville built a 42-26 halftime lead and then held off a second-half comeback attempt by the Saints to earn the nonconference win on a noteworthy day for Diddy Robinson. Robinson, a junior guard for the Vikings, scored 15 points in the win and surpassed 1,000 career points in the process. C.L. Dye scored a team-high 16 points for Danville (9-13), while Devan Larkin tossed in 15 points as well and Darius Jay made it four Vikings in double figures with 11 points.

Herscher-Kankakee Shootout

➜ Paxton-Buckley-Loda 57, Carver 49. Paxton-Buckley-Loda used a strong second-half performance to snap a five-game losing streak with a nonconference win against an opponent out of Chicago. Trailing 18-6 at the end of the first quarter and 33-18 at halftime, the Panthers (5-16) had trimmed their deficit to 39-37 at the end of the third quarter before they outscored the Challengers 20-9 during the final eight minutes. Balanced scoring sparked PBL, with Robert Boyd-Meents registering a game-high 14 points. Ethan Williams tossed in 12 points, Noah Steiner added 11 points and Tyler Cole delivered 11 points to help the Panthers to the win.

Nontournament

➜ Bloomington Central Catholic 66, Tuscola 46. In a nonconference matchup of two programs who played last March at the IHSA state tournament at State Farm Center in Champaign — Bloomington Central Catholic in Class 2A and Tuscola in 1A — the host Saints prevailed on Saturday. Tuscola trailed 25-10 at the end of the first quarter and went into halftime down 47-19. Parker James and Kam Sweetnam each scored 11 points for the Warriors (18-4), while Josiah Hortin added nine points and Jordan Quinn had eight points.

➜ Morton 64, St. Joseph-Ogden 58. St. Joseph-Ogden took a 48-45 lead into the fourth quarter on the road against the state's eighth-ranked team in Class 3A, but the host Potters managed to force overtime and eventually earn the nonconference win. Tanner Jacob scored a team-high 16 points for the Spartans (18-6), and Logan Smith contributed 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Coy Taylor also hit double figures with 10 points, while Tanner Siems (nine points) and Collin Thomey (eight points) also had timely buckets for SJ-O.

➜ Paris 75, Chrisman 45. Chrisman kept it close in the first quarter, but couldn't stay with the Tigers after that in a nonconference loss. Gavin McCord scored a team-high 11 points for the Cardinals (8-13), while Triston Lehmkuhl, Chris Francis and Connor Rhoads each added 10 points.

➜ Salt Fork 45, Fisher 30. Salt Fork extended its win streak to four games with a nonconference road victory. Evan Webb scored a game-high 19 points to power the Storm (14-9), while Jameson Remole joined Webb in double figures with 12 points. Hayden Chew and Kamdyn Keller also contributed with six points apiece. Drayton Lutz scored a team-high 14 points for the Bunnies (5-15) and Ryan Hopkins added eight points.

➜ Urbana 67, Limestone 53. Urbana won its second straight game — and fifth in its previous six games — to get above .500 for the first time all season. The Tigers (9-8) led the Rockets 32-19 at halftime and then fended off a second-half comeback, carrying a 49-44 lead into the fourth quarter at Oscar Adams Gym. Jaylen McElmurry scored a game-high 21 points to pace Urbana, while Malcolm Morris was steady with 16 points. Marcus Jackson and Kyree Hillsman were also vital in the win with seven points apiece.

In girls' basketball

Illini Prairie-Sangamo Challenge

➜ Athens 55, St. Thomas More 31. St. Thomas More trailed 13-9 at the end of the first quarter and saw its deficit expand every subsequent quarter during a nonconference loss to the Warriors in Pleasant Plains. Ruari Quarnstrom dropped in a team-high 17 points for the Sabers (11-12) and Grace Dimoke added six points.

➜ Illini Central 38, Monticello 36. Monticello trailed 18-6 at the end of the first quarter and nearly rallied for a nonconference win in Pleasant Plains, but the Cougars ultimately prevailed against the Sages. Ali Weidner scored a team-high 13 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals for Monticello (10-15). Maia High (five points, eight rebounds), Annie Robinson (five points) and Megan Allen (four points, six rebounds, four steals) also contributed for the Sages.

➜ Olympia 56, St. Joseph-Ogden 49. St. Joseph-Ogden led 12-11 at the end of the first quarter, but Olympia took a 28-17 lead into halftime in Pleasant Plains. SJ-O (12-10) did nearly all of its scoring beyond the three-point line, draining 11 three-pointers. Addison Brooks and Timera Blackburn-Kelley each posted a team-high 11 points, while Addison Frick had 10 points and Addy Martinie wound up with nine points.

➜ Pleasant Plains 45, Unity 29. Unity had its three-game win streak end against the host Cardinals. Addison Ray led the Rockets (16-10) with a team-high 11 points and five rebounds, while teammate Raegen Stringer contributed 10 points.

➜ Williamsville 42, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 18. Paxton-Buckley-Loda couldn't get its offense on track, falling behind 16-5 at the end of the first quarter and sustaining a nonconference loss in Pleasant Plains. Leah Eyre accounted led the Panthers (4-20) with a team-high seven points.

Nontournament

➜ Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 36, Central A&M 34. In a close nonconference game throughout, host Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond made enough plays to secure the win. Claire Seal led ALAH (15-10) by scoring 13 points, grabbing nine rebounds and making five steals. Seal did most of her offensive damage at the free-throw line, making 9 of 12 foul shots. Morgan Casteel added seven points and four rebounds for the Knights, while Sophie Monts and Sara Herschberger each chipped in five points.

➜ Cissna Park 43, Fisher 19. After a close first quarter, Cissna Park clamped down defensively and headed home with a road nonconference win. The Timberwolves (16-7) led 12-9 at the end of the first quarter before limiting the Bunnies to only three field goals in the final three quarters. Lauryn Hamrick scored a game-high 13 points for Cissna Park, with Addison Lucht supplying 12 points and Sophie Duis producing 11 points. Lucht added nine rebounds and six steals, with Duis contributing with seven rebounds. Melina Luyando scored a team-high 11 points for Fisher (10-14) and Jenna Clemmons added six points to go along with six rebounds.

➜ Effingham 57, Mahomet-Seymour 39. Mahomet-Seymour trailed 20-9 at the end of the first quarter and couldn't catch up in this Apollo Conference home loss to the Flaming Hearts. Kylie Waldinger scored a team-high 10 points for the Bulldogs (11-15), with teammates Reese Gallier (eight points) and Grace Brinkley (six points) also contributing.

➜ Tri-County 42, Cerro Gordo/Bement 33. Tri-County snapped a three-game losing skid with a home win in Lincoln Prairie Conference play. Josie Armstrong poured in a game-high 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to spark the Titans (17-9), while Sami McClain added nine points. Haylei Simpson paced Cerro Gordo/Bement (16-10) with a team-high 12 points.

➜ Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 52, Watseka 44. A strong second quarter by Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley vaulted the Falcons past host Watseka, and GCMS played well down the stretch to hand the Warriors their first loss since Dec. 6. Lily Sizemore, Lizzie Giroux and Mindy Brown all hit double digits for GCMS (15-7) in the signature nonconference win against a Class 2A state-ranked team. Sizemore and Giroux each had 12 points, with Giroux scoring eight in the second quarter and Sizemore having seven points in the second quarter as GCMS went from traililng 14-9 at the end of the first quarter to leading 28-20 at halftime. Brown wound up with 11 points, while Sophia Ray also chipped in with seven points. Megan Martin scored a game-high 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Watseka (22-2), which saw its 14-game win streak come to a halt. Jasmine Essington (nine points) and Haven Meyer (seven points) also contributed.

In boys' wrestling

➜ At Colfax. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher had five wrestlers place first in their respective weight classes, helping the Falcons win the eight-team Heart of Illinois Conference Duals. Shawn Schlickman at 132 pounds won for GCMS/Fisher after he pinned Ashten Finch of Deer Creek-Mackinaw in 3 mintues, 57 seconds in the title match. Corbin Ragle at 144 also delivered a first-place finish for the Falcons, beating Brock Owens of LeRoy/Tri-Valley via a 4-2 decision. Carson Maxey emerged victorious at 150 for GCMS/Fisher after he pinned Payton Hixon of Deer Creek-Mackinaw in two minutes. Jaxon Wright at 175 and Aiden Sancken at 190 also placed first for the Falcons. Wright beat Wyatt Zacha of Eureka in a 16-9 decision in his title match, while Sancken defeated Ryden Barker of El Paso-Gridley in a 7-0 decision. GCMS/Fisher had a runner-up finish by Cooper Miller at 165 and five third-place finishes from Gage Martin at 120, Hudson Babb at 126, Sam Manson at 157, Cohen Kean at 215 and Aiden Cornell at 285. LeRoy/Tri-Valley took second in the team standings, led by first-place finishes from Brady Mouser at 113, EJ Chaon at 120, Connor Lyons at 157, Jacob Bischoff at 215 and Tate Sigler at 285. Chaon and Lyons won by pin for the Panthers, while Mouser won by technical fall, Bischoff won by a 3-1 sudden victory and Siger won by an 8-1 decision.