To subscribe, please click here
Want a copy of today’s edition? Here’s a map of single-copy locations
Sign up for our daily newsletters
Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
The Orange Krush and Brad Underwood before the Illini men’s basketball team hosted Tennessee on Dec. 14 at State Farm Center in Champaign. Food drives will be held at four remaining Illini basketball games — two men’s games and two women’s games — this month to support the Champaign-Urbana charity Feeding Our Kids after the first donations were conducted on Wednesday night when the Illini men hosted Penn State.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. The Illinois athletic department will host food donation drives at four remaining home basketball games the rest of the month at State Farm Center.
➜ 2. The donations to help the Champaign-Urbana based charity Feeding Our Kids started with Wednesday night’s men’s game against Penn State and continues on Thursday night when the women’s team hosts Iowa at 6 p.m.
➜ 3. The remaining food drives are for this Saturday’s men’s basketball game against Southern Cal, the Jan. 19 women’s basketball game against Michigan State and the Jan. 23 men’s basketball game against Maryland. Feeding Our Kids requests individually wrapped items like fruit cups, peanut butter, canned soup and granola bars.
Lucas Byrd makes his entrance before the Illinois wrestling team met Missouri on Nov. 21 in Champaign.
Numbers game: 2
Illinois wrestlers who are still unbeaten into Friday night’s dual match between the No. 11 Illini (6-0) and No. 5 Ohio State (8-0) at Huff Hall in Champaign. Lucas Byrd at 133 pounds and Braeden Scoles at 165 both sport 9-0 records.
Ryker Lockhart and the St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ basketball program host the 12-team, six-game Christie Clinic Shootout on Saturday, with the Spartans playing Warrensburg-Latham at 7:30 p.m. in the final game.
Crowd control
Two events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Christie Clinic Shootout. The six-game high school boys’ basketball event at St. Joseph-Ogden tips off at noon on Saturday between Normal U-High and undefeated Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin. The rest of the schedule: Peoria Richwoods vs. Mahomet-Seymour at 1:30 p.m.; Moline vs. Mt. Zion at 3 p.m.; Seneca vs. Monticello at 4:30 p.m.; Fieldcrest vs. Unity at 6 p.m. and Warrensburg-Latham vs. SJ-O at 7:30 p.m.
➜ 2. Corn Bowl Classic. High school basketball doubleheader between Cerro Gordo/Bement and Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond takes place Friday during the day at Cerro Gordo High School, with the girls’ game at 10 a.m. followed by the boys’ game at noon.
Cissna Park boys’ basketball coach Josh Marquez, left, talks with Dierks Neukomm during a Timberwolves’ game.
Coach’s corner
Three questions with Cissna Park boys’ basketball coach Josh Marquez:
âžœ 1. My favorite sports team is … the Chicago Cubs.
âžœ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewski and Mike Ditka.
âžœ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … being woken up from my sleep.