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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
Micah Stanford, Faces of Winter photo shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. The Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin boys’ basketball team carries a 16-0 record into its next game on Jan. 10 against Iroquois West at Wilcox Gym in Bismarck after the unbeaten Blue Devils beat Armstrong-Potomac 71-46 on Saturday night to win the Heritage/BHRA Holiday Tournament championship game.
➜ 2. The Tuscola boys’ basketball team stands at 14-0 before the Warriors play at Casey-Westfield this Saturday after Tuscola held off Clinton 43-37 on Saturday night to win its third straight Holiday Hoopla championship in Monticello.
➜ 3. The St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ basketball team vies for its second State Farm Holiday Classic title in the last three years when it plays Pecatonica at 5:15 p.m. Monday at the Shirk Center on the Illinois Wesleyan University campus in Bloomington. The Spartans (8-3) are in this position after a close 52-49 semifinal win against El Paso-Gridley on Saturday evening.
The last time Aidan Laughery took the field? The Illinois running back and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley graduate picked apart Northwestern with 172 rushing yards at Wrigley Field on Nov. 30.
Numbers game: 522
rushing yards Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley graduate Aidan Laughery has this season for Illinois. That leads the Illini heading into Tuesday’s Citrus Bowl against South Carolina. Josh McCray is second with 495 rushing yards as Laughery tries to become the first former area standout to lead Illinois in rushing since Centennial product Mikel Leshoure produced his Illini single-season record of 1,697 yards in 2010.
Shauna Green and her Illinois women’s basketball program concludes a five-game homestand on Tuesday afternoon against Washington at State Farm Center in Champaign.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Illinois vs. South Carolina football. A 12-page special section in the Tuesday edition of The News-Gazette’s previews the Citrus Bowl, while taking a look back and ahead at the Illini, courtesy beat writers Bob Asmussen and Scott Richey.
➜ 2. Washington at Illinois women’s basketball. Show up at noon at State Farm Center in Champaign for the tip between the Huskies (10-4, 1-1 Big Ten) and the Illini (11-2, 1-1). Then, stick around after and watch the Citrus Bowl during a watch party at State Farm Center.
➜ 3. Illinois at Oregon men’s basketball. A Top 25 showdown should ensue when this Big Ten game tips off at 9 p.m. Thursday in Eugene, Ore.
Champaign Central girls’ golf coach Randi Wenzel and her players.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Champaign Central girls’ golf coach Randi Wenzel:
âžœ 1. My favorite sports team is … the Chicago Cubs.
âžœ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Gordon Bombay, Chubbs Peterson and Jimmy Dugan.
âžœ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … when players aren’t ready when practice starts.