In games heard Thursday night on WHOW, the Tuscola Warriors took home both the girls and boys Holiday Hoopla Championships over the Clinton Maroons in two close fought games at Monticello High School. 
 

The evening started with Tuscola narrowly edging Clinton, 52-49, in the Girls Championship.  The Warriors jumped out to a 16-11 lead after the first quarter, and held off a Lady Maroons run to maintain a 26-23 halftime advantage.  Tuscola would lead by as many as ten, before Clinton would narrow the gap in the fourth. However, the Warriors would hold on for the win led by Sydney Moss' 21-points, and Ava Boyer's 9 points for the now (15-1) Warriors. 
 

The Lady Maroons were led by Reagan Filkin's 16-points.  She was named the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Lady Maroons Player of the Game.  Lilah Cluver added 11, and Carly Anderson had 8 for the now 9-8 Lady Maroons.  
 

The nightcap also saw the Tuscola boys squad narrowly escape Clinton, 62-54.  Both teams entered the night undefeated with the Warriors ranked #1 in Class 1A, and the Maroons ranked #9 in Class 2A. Tuscola jumped out in front early, and would maintain the lead thru much of the contest.  The Warriors led by as many as 13, but the Maroons would rally to tie the game with around three minutes left in the game.  Tuscola came up big at the free throw line down the stretch going 8 of 11 at the line in the fourth quarter, and pulling away for their fifteenth straight win. 
 

The Warriors were led by Kam Sweetnam's 23 points, while Parker James had 9.  They improve to 15-0 on the season.  
 

Clinton was led by Mason Walker with 23 points.  He was named the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Maroons Player of the Game. Keaton Graves added 13, while Dawson Graves had 7 for the now 14-1 Maroons. 
 

Both the Maroons and Lady Maroons next play on January 5th at Heyworth in a special varsity double header.  We'll have coverage of both games that night on all WHOW platforms with the girls starting at 5:30pm, and the boys to follow around 7pm again on Friday, January 5th.  

 

Four players scored in double-figures and Maroa-Forsyth used a dynamite second quarte to roll Central A&M at the Decatur St. Teresa Holiday tournament Thursday night and advanced to Friday night's championship game.

With a 16-14 lead after the first quarter, the Trojans blew the doors off with a 20-2 second quarter and led 36-16 at the half.

It was all Trojans from there and balanced scoring ruled the night out of the holiday layoff.

Ian Reid scored 19 points to lead all scorers for Maroa-Forsyth. Zayn Giles added 18 points and Mitch Williams and Kaiden Maurer scored 10 points apice.

Hunter White scored 17 points to lead the Raiders.

Maroa-Forsyth goes to 7-3 overall and will play for the tournament championship Friday night at 7:30 pm. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello started fast and never looked back as they rolled Oakwood 54-31 for a third-place finish from the Holiday Hoopla the Sievers Center at Monticello High School.

Trey Welter scored the game's first nine points from beyond the arc and Sages 14-2 after the first quarter. 

The Sages stretched its lead to 31-15 at the half and then led 49-22 after three quarters.

Welter not only was terrific offensively for the Sages but was excellent on defense - helping create several turnovers. Welter was again the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game.

Maddux Quick, Gatsby Grant, and Matt Swartz each scored eight points for the Sages while Ike Young had six points and four boards.

The Sages dished out 12 assists on its 19 turnovers and committed just seven turnovers. 

Monticello turned over Oakwood 19 times to the tune of 16 points.

Each team had 14 points in the paint. 

The Comets shot 33 percent for the game while the Sages shot only 39.6-percent.

Oakwood held the rebounding advantage 29-28 despite having a substantial size advantage. 

Monticello begins the new calendar year on the road next Tuesday, Jan. 2 at Teutopolis for a 7 pm game. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Monticello upset Clinton 49-42 in overtime in the final game of pool play on Wednesday afternoon in day two action of the Monticello Holiday Hoopla.

Despite the loss for the Lady Maroons, they will still compete in the tournament's championship game Thursday night in the Sievers Center in Monticello. 

Three players scored in double-figures for Monticello. Megan Alled led the lay with 15 points. Maia High recorded a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds. Ali Weidner scored 11 points for Monticello.

The Lady Maroons were led by Heidi Humble's 11 points. Clara Dempsey and Regan Filkin added ten points apiece. 

Carly Anderson grabbed a team-best seven rebounds for Clinton.

The Lady Maroons will take on Tuscola for the tournament championship tonight at 6 pm in the Sievers Center.

Despite the win for the Lady Sages, they will still play for seventh place at 10 am taking on PBL. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on WHOW, WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com, the Clinton Maroons overcame an eight-point deficit in the third quarter and rallied to a 59-56 win over Monticello from the Holiday Hoopla Wednesday afternoon to advance to the tournament championship on Thursday night.

Monticello led 24-23 at halftime and came out on a 12-5 run in the first 3:24 of the third. Trey Welter hit three three-pointers and Rai Colbert had a three during the run but the Maroons closed out the final 3:40 on an 11-3 run to restore its deficit to one and trailed 41-40 going to the fourth. 

Dawson Graves scored seven of his team-high 17 points in the third quarter. 

The Sages would take their final lead of the game on a Colbert layup to go up 48-47 with 5:03 left but Graves answered like he did so often Wednesday night and put Clinton up for good with a step-back jumper at the 3:42 mark of the fourth to go up 49-48. 

The Maroons sank 8-of-10 free throws down the stretch to keep the Sages at arms length and wrap up the victory to advance to its first Holiday Hoopla Championship.

Graves finished with 17 points to lead the Maroons. He earned the Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game.

Brooks Cluver added 15 points and Mason Walker scored 11 points.

Welter led all scorers with 22 points but fouled out on a disgraceful call with 1:24 left that should have been assessed to Colbert but instead was issued to Welter who was not near the play. 

Despite fouling out, Welter was the Sages ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game.

Ike Young grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds to lead Monticello.

Monticello held the edge in nearly every statistical category Wednesday. The Sages shot 45.5 percent to the Maroons 40 percent. Monticello outrebounded Clinton 33-24. The Sages made nine three-pointers to the Maroons three. 

The Maroons did shoot 18-for-23 from the foul line to the Sages 7-for-12. 

But 21 Monticello turnovers led to 27 points for Clinton.

The Maroons will go for the tournament championship at 7:30 pm Thursday night. Hear the action on 92.3 FM/106.5 FM WHOW and on all the WHOW digital platforms.

For the Sages, they play in the third place game of the tournament for the first time since before COVID and the first time in the Sievers Center era. Game is 3:30 pm Thursday afternoon. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Mason Walker and Dawson Graves led the way as Clinton throttled Neoga 73-32 in Holiday Hoopla boy's basketball action Tuesday night at the Sievers Center in Monticello.

Walker knocked down five three-pointers and scored 18 points. Dawson Graves scored 16 points. 

Clinton shot 60 percent from the floor, and 8-for-17 from distance. They dished out 15 assists on its 30 field goals and had 30 points in the paint. 

The Maroons forced 20 Indian turnovers that turned into 25 points.

Clinton starters logged no more than 15 minutes as the Maroons had a 40-point lead by the third quarter and the 30-point running clock activated the entire fourth quarter.

Dalton Bell scored eight points off the bench for Clinton.

The 13-0 Maroons head to another day two showdown at the Hoopla with the tournament's host, Monticello at 3:30 pm.

It's a matchup worthy of a split simulcast broadcast on WHOW, WEZC, and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello started just as fast as its first game Tuesday and tranquilized the Ridgeview Mustangs 64-24 in the second game from the first day of the Monticello Holiday Hoopla at the Sievers Center at Monticello High School.

Trey Welter did it all for the Sages with 13 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. The senior did it all on his way to the Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game.

Jack Weidner scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds for Monticello. Rai Colbert scored nine points while Tyler Blythe came off the bench and added ten points.

The Sages held the Mustangs to 17 percent shooting for the game. They scored 28 points in the paint and had 16 assists on its 25 field goals.

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Monticello turned 17 Ridgeview turnovers into 18 points.

The Sages go to 5-6 and head to another Tuesday showdown at the Hoopla with the Clinton Maroons at 3:30 pm.

It's a matchup worthy of a split simulcast broadcast on WHOW, WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

The Clinton Lady Maroons started fast and held off a comeback by Neoga en route to a 60-54 win from the Monticello Holiday Hoopla Tuesday in girl's basketball action in its second game of the day at the first day Hoopla pool play.

Four players scored in double figures for the Lady Maroons. Clara Dempsey, Heidi Humble and MaKayla Koeppel scored 12 points apiece and Regan Filkin added 11 points. Koeppel grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds. 

The Lady Maroons opened a 21-11 lead after the first quarter then led 29-26 at the break.

The Lady Maroons had to rally themselves in the fourth quarter after going down 43-42 after three quarters. 

Brynn Richards had a double-double for Neoga with 12 points and ten rebounds. 

The Lady Maroons go to 9-6 overall.

Ridgeview was able to take down Monticello 40-32 in Holiday Hoopla girl's basketball on the first day of pool play in the second game of the day for each side.

Presleigh Beck scored a game-high ten points for Ridgeview. 

Ashley Stiverson scored seven points while Mady Melton and Pearl Glaze added six points apiece for the Lady Sages. 

The Lady Sages wrap-up pool play action taking on Clinton tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm. 

After a slow first quarter, Clinton gradually pulled away to a 55-27 victory over Ridgeview Tuesday morning from the Monticello Holiday Hoopla in girl's basketball action.

The Lady Maroons held a 9-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, then a 24-14 lead at the half and had leads of 38-20 and 55-27 in the second half.

Clinton used balanced scoring to get by the Lady Mustangs. Clara Dempsey and MaKayla Koeppel each had ten points. Reagan Filkin added nine points while Heidi Humble while Lyla Cluver and Carly Anderson each scored eight points.

The Lady Maroons improves to 8-6 overall. They will be in action this evening at 7:30 pm taking on Neoga at the Holiday Hoopla.

The Clinton Lady Maroons (8-6) defeated Ridgeview, 55-27, in their opening game of the Monticello Holiday Hoopla Tuesday.

Clinton had balanced scoring with MaKayla Koeppel and Clara Dempsey leading the way with 10 points each. Regan Filkin finished with 9. Heidi Humble, Lilah Cluver, and Carly Anderson each had 8 points. Avery Smith finished with 2 points.

Clinton returns to pool play action tonight (TUE) against Neoga with a 7:30 tip.

The Clinton Maroons used suffocating defense and fast play to roll Ridgeview 72-53 in day one action from the Monticello Holiday Hoopla at the Sievers Center Tuesday morning.

Three players scored in double-figures led by Dawson Graves' double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds. Keaton Graves and Brooks Cluver finished with 11 points.

The Maroons forced the Mustangs into 21 turnovers - resulting in 32 points. The Maroons scored 46 points in the paint and had 19 points off 12 offensive rebounds.

Clinton shot 52 percent from the floor for the game but just 4-for-20 from beyond the arc. 

Clinton goes to 12-0 overall. They will take on Neoga at 6 pm tonight in the nightcap of a two-game slate in the opening day of the Hoopla.

The Neoga Lady Indians used a big second quarter to pull away from Monticello 54-36 in the opener of the Holiday Hoopla in girl's high school basketball action in Monticello Tuesday morning.

Monticello stayed with Neoga early, trailing 13-12 after the first quarter but a 20-6 second quarter allowed the Lady Indians to pull to a 33-18 halftime lead and never looked back.

Brynn Richards paced Neoga with 21 points. Haylee Campbell added 15 points.

Maia High recorded a double-double with 12 and 11 rebounds points to Pace the Lady Sages. Megan Allen also scored 12 points and Ali Weidner scored eight. 

The Lady Sages will take on Ridgeview tonight at 6 pm in the second game of its Holiday Hoopla schedule.

In a game heard on WEZC, Monticello scored the game's first 21 points and Maddux Quick scored all his game-high 14 points in the first quarter as the Sages leveled Neoga 72-53 in the opener of the Holiday Hoopla at the Sievers Center on Tuesday afternoon.

Quick hit four three-pointers, part of seven three's for the Sages in the first quarter.

Ike Young added nine points and eight rebounds. Rai Colber scored nine pionts and Trey Welter added seven points for the Sages.

Monticello dished out 20 assists on its 23 field goals and committed just six turnovers. The Sages shot 11-for-28 from three for the game and 48 percent overall. 

The Sages turned 19 Indian turnovers into 26 points and scored 22 points in the paint. They also got 25 points from its bench, led by Tyler Blythe and Eli Craft with six points.

Quick's fast start that propelled Monticello out to a big lead early earned him the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game. 

The Sages turn around and take on Ridgeview tonight at 7:30 pm at the Sievers Center. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Terrence Shannon Jr. Had 30 points and 11 rebounds, Quincy Guerrier continued a hot stretch with a career-best 28 points and No. 13 ranked Illinois beat Missouri 97-73 in the Braggin' Rights rivalry game on Friday night.

Missouri had its most lopsided victory in the series last year, when it built a 35-point lead on its way to a 93-71 win. But this time the Tigers missed 16 of their first 17 tries from 3-point range while falling behind 49-24 at halftime.

Sean East II had 15 of his 18 points in the second half to lead the Tigers (7-5), who lost their third straight. Freshman Trent Pierce scored 12 in his first career start.

Illinois: Hosts Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 29 in its final nonconference game.

The no. 13 ranked Illinois men's basketball program travels to St. Louis to take on the Missouri Tigers in the annual Braggin' Rights game.

When it comes to the annual Braggin' Rights game, just assume there'll be an upset.

That's not good news for Illinois (8-2), which enters Friday night's game against Missouri (7-4) at Enterprise Center as the healthy favorite. But it's also an old story for Brad Underwood's Fighting Illini.

Illinois entered the last four Braggin' Rights games as a favorite only to be taken down by Missouri. Last year's battle was particularly painful as the Tigers led by as much as 35 and rolled to a 93-71 triumph over the 16th-ranked Illini.

Darius Burford's 22 points helped Illinois State defeat Southeast Missouri State 85-64 on Thursday night.

Burford shot 6 for 11 (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 7 of 8 from the free throw line for the Redbirds (8-4). Kendall Lewis scored 18 points while going 6 of 6 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line, and added nine rebounds. Johnny Kinziger had nine points and shot 3 of 6 from the field and 2 for 3 from the line.

 The Redhawks (4-8) were led by Adam Larson, who recorded 16 points and two steals. Braxton Stacker added 11 points for Southeast Missouri State. Dylan Branson also had eight points and four assists.

Duke Deen scored 27 points and made seven 3-pointers to help Bradley defeat SIU-Edwardsville 75-64 on Thursday night.

Deen shot 10 for 17, including 7 for 12 from beyond the arc for the Braves (7-5). Christian Davis scored 14 points while shooting 5 for 10, including 2 for 6 from beyond the arc, and added eight rebounds. Malevy Leons shot 4 for 11, including 1 for 5 from beyond the arc to finish with 10 points. The Braves stopped a five-game skid with the victory.

Ray'Sean Taylor led the Cougars (7-6) in scoring, finishing with 20 points and two steals. SIU-Edwardsville also got 18 points, six rebounds and four steals from Damarco Minor. Lamar Wright also had nine points.

Coby White scored 22 points and the Chicago Bulls beat San Antonio 114-95 on Thursday night for the Spurs' 21st loss in 22 games.

Wembanyama finished with a season-low seven points and five rebounds after setting an NBA record for a teenager with eight straight double-doubles. The 7-foot-3 French phenom did not score in the first half and made just 3 of 8 shots in the game while playing 22 minutes, after missing a blowout loss Tuesday night at Milwaukee because of a sore right ankle.

DeMar DeRozan finished with 21 points after scoring 27 the previous night in a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Patrick Williams added 18, and Nikola Vucevic had 16 to help the Bulls win for the eighth time in 11 games -- all with Zach LaVine sidelined because of inflammation in his right foot.

The Bulls made just 7 of 28 3-pointers, but they found the touch in the fourth, burying 5 of 6. White hit two in the quarter, including one that made it 90-75 with just under nine minutes remaining and capped a 15-5 run.

The Bulls led 75-70 before DeRozan started that spurt with a floater in the closing seconds of the third. Jevon Carter and Patrick Williams hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the fourth, and the Bulls remained in control after White's 3 made it a 15-point game.

The Bulls host Cleveland on Saturday night.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Warrensburg-Latham used stingy defense to hold off Monticello 51-42 in non-conference high school boys basketball action Tuesday night in Warrensburg.

The Cardinals forced the Sages into 19 turnovers and turned those turnovers into 20 points. 

The Cardinals led 29-20 at the break and scored 10 of its 13 third quarter points at the free throw line. Warrensburg-Latham went 16-for-22 at the foul line on Tuesday.

A Monticello offense that has struggled during stretches this season was limited to single-digit outputs in two quarters but looked much better Tuesday.

Tyler Blythe returned to the Monticello lineup Tuesday and while the junior only scored three points and grabbed a rebound in seven minutes, the difference was noticeable as he attacked the basket and created shots underneath.

Trey Welter led all scorers with 17 points including buzzer-beating three-pointers to end the first and second quarters. The senior dished out five assists.

Ike Young was a rebound short of a double-double. The junior had 11 points and nine rebounds with two assists and two steals. Young was the benefactor of a better dribble-drive game Tuesday night as he had four straight points on layups - including a steal and coast-to-coast fast-break layup.

Young was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game.

The Sages ability to get to the basket better Tuesday resulted in 16 points in the paint.

Warrensburg-Latham shot 44 percent for the game and was led by Catrell Lee's 12 points. Brayden Hickey added 11 points. 

Warrensburg-Latham shot 5-for-12 beyond the arc. They improved to 10-2 overall. 

Monticello finished 43 percent shooting for the game and just 6-for-19 points beyond the arc. 

The Sages fall to 3-5.

It is off to Holiday Hoopla play starting next Tuesday for Monticello. The Sages will play two games on Tuesday with its first game at 11:30 am and then at 7:30 pm.

Hear all the Hoopla action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Three players scored in double-figures and Blue Ridge made easy work of DeLand-Weldon in a 53-19 non-conference win in high school boy's basketball action from DeLand Tuesday night. 

Wesley Clark led Blue Ridge with 12 points. Zach Lewis added 11 points and Jan Saez added ten points.

DeLand-Weldon drops to 0-6 overall. 

Blue Ridge is 6-4 overall. The Knights are off until Jan. 9 when they return to Lincoln Prairie Conference action against Villa Grove.

After a slow first quarter, Argenta-Oreana exploded in the second quarter and that propelled the Bombers past Tri-County 62-46 in Lincoln Prairie Conference boy's basketball action from Argenta Tuesday night.

The Bombers trailed 17-7 but outscored Tri-County 26-6 in the second quarter to take control and lead 33-23 going into the intermission.

The Bombers gradually pulled away from there.

Three players scored in double-figures for Argenta-Oreana. Ethan Mahan led all scorers with 21 points. Jalynn Flowers added 15 points and Chase Logue scored 14 points.

Tri-County was led by Cadan Logan's 12 points.

Tri-County drops to 2-9 overall and 0-1 in the Lincoln Prairie.

Argenta-Oreana is now 7-7 overall and 2-0 in the Lincoln Prairie. The Bombers are off until the second of January when they travel to Central A&M.

NHL points leader Nikita Kucherov had two goals, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the St. Louis Blues 6-1 on Tuesday night.

Michael Eyssimont, Tyler Motte, Haydn Fleury and Nicholas Paul also scored for the Lightning, who have won five of 12. Steven Stamkos had three assists to move past Theo Fleury (1,088) into 67th place on the career points list with 1,090.

Blues goalie Jordan Binnington was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on 23 shots. He had a 5-0 shutout against Tampa Bay in the previous meeting between the teams on Nov. 14.

The Blues got a power-play goal from Justin Faulk with 4:05 left. He ended a 34-game goal drought.

St. Louis’ NHL-worst power play went 1 for 3 and has converted three chances in 30 tries over the last 11 games. Two goals have come in the last two games.

The Blues play at Florida on Thursday night.

Tyler Johnson snapped a third-period tie and Connor Bedard had two assists, helping Chicago beat Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Ryan Donato added a goal and an assist for last-place Chicago, which had lost four in a row. Lukas Reichel also scored, and Mrazek made 35 saves.

The game was tied at 2 when Colorado forward Miles Wood was sent off for holding Reichel's stick. On the ensuing power play, Nick Foligno found Johnson right in front for the tap-in goal at 8:19.

The Blackhawks, playing without several regulars, then held off the Avalanche as they pushed for the tying score in the final minutes. The United Center crowd of 19,719 roared after the final seconds ticked off.

Valeri Nichushkin had two goals for Colorado, which had won three of four. MacKinnon extended his point streak to a career-high 16 games, and Alexandar Georgiev had 19 saves.

The Avalanche beat the Blackhawks 4-0 in their first meeting of the season on Oct. 19.

The Avalanche played without defenseman Cale Makar and forward Andrew Cogliano, who stayed home when the team traveled to Chicago. Makar missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury, and coach Jared Bednar said Cogliano “got dinged up” during Sunday night's 6-2 victory over San Jose.

The Blackhawks host the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night.

In a game heard Tuesday night on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons downed the Leroy Panthers, 73-37, in a nonconference boys basketball game at Clinton High School. 
 

The Maroons jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Leroy got on the board.  Clinton would lead 23-6 after the first quarter, and never look back.  Leroy did put together a small run in the second, but the Maroons defense and outside shooting was too much.  Clinton led by twenty at the half, and were up 28-points after three.  A running clock fourth quarter wrapped up the 36-point victory fairly quickly. 
 

Clinton connected on eight three pointers on the night, and were led by Mason Walker's 22 points.  Dawson Graves had 20, and Brooks Cluver added 15.  Dalton Bell contributed 12 points off the bench, after racking up 18 points in the JV win.  Bell was named the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game. 
 

Leroy was led by Sam Edmundson with 14 points, and Jasper Tarr added 11.  The Panthers fall to 5-6 with the loss, and next play January 2nd at El Paso-Gridley. 
 

The Maroons improve to 11-0 on the season, and next play at the Monticello Holiday Hoopla.  They'll face Ridgeview at 11:30am on December 26th.  Our next Maroons broadcast will be Wednesday, December 27th, at 2p when Clinton faces Monticello at the Hoopla.  
 

A late comeback by the Clinton Lady Maroons fell short as El Paso-Gridley held on for a 47-46 win Monday night in non-conference high school girls basketball action from Clinton High School.

The Lady Maroons trailed 32-23 at halftime and then 41-31 after the third quarter. 

Clinton then outscored EP-G 15-6 in the fourth quarter as its comeback attempt came up short. 

Carly Anderson scored 11 points to lead Clinton and Clara Dempsey added 10 points. Reagan Filkin scored seven points while Heidi Humble and Makayla Koeppel scored six points apiece.

El Paso-Gridley goes to 8-1 overall while Clinton drops to 6-6. 

The Lady Maroons travel to Riverton Wednesday and then travel to Tri-Valley on Thursday to wrap up the pre-Christmas slate of its schedule.

Lucy Corley and Joella Livingston helped pace Decatur St Teresa past Monticello 54-42 in non-conference high school girl's basketball action from Decatur Monday night.

Corley scored a game-high 17 points and Livingston added 14 points for the Lady Bulldogs. 

Maia High led Monticello with a double-double scoring 13 points grabbing a game-high ten rebounds while Ali Weidner added 11 points for the Lady Sages. 

Monticello is 3-9 overall. It's off to Holiday Hoopla play next week for the Lady Sages who take on Neoga and Ridgeview in a pair of games on Tuesday in pool play. 

Monticello will take on Clinton on Wednesday and then play its placement game on Thursday. Hear Thursday's action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Jimmy Clark III scored 21 points and David Dixon hit a shot with one second left to lead the Duquesne Dukes to a 69-67 victory over the Bradley Braves on Monday night.

Clark added five rebounds for the Dukes (8-2). Andrei Savrasov scored 17 points with five rebounds and four steals. Dae Dae Grant was 5 of 15 shooting, including 3 for 10 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line to finish with 17 points.

The Braves (6-5) were led in scoring by Duke Deen, who finished with 15 points, four assists and three steals. Darius Hannah added 14 points and six rebounds for Bradley. In addition, Malevy Leons had 11 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and three blocks.

Coby White scored 24 points and the Chicago Bulls held on to snap the Philadelphia 76ers' six-game winning streak with a 108-104 victory Monday night.

Former Sixer Nikola Vucevic chipped in 23 points while DeMar DeRozan added 15 for the Bulls.

The Bulls have won six of their last nine even though they are playing without All-Star Zach LaVine, who has been sidelined with left foot inflammation and is likely still a little bit away from returning.

Joel Embiid had 40 points and 13 rebounds, his 11th straight game with 30 or more points and 10 or more boards. Tyrese Maxey added 29 points in the 76ers' first loss to a team without a winning record this season after starting 12-0 against sub-.500 teams. No other Sixers player was able to crack double figures.

Chicago overcame an early 12-point deficit thanks to White's hot shooting in the first half, when he scored 16 points as the Bulls opened a 55-44 lead. White is averaging 22.9 points in Chicago's last nine games.

That margin would swell to 12 after three quarters before the Sixers bench climbed their way back into the game and gave Philadelphia a brief 89-87 lead on Maxey's 3-pointer. However, Chicago was able to shrug it off and answered with a 13-2 run that gave the Bulls an eight-point lead with just three minutes to play.

DeRozan hit three of four free throws in the game's waning seconds.

Philadelphia's last attempt to tie or take the lead fell short when Embiid couldn't finish with Vucevic and White collapsing down on him in the lane.

The Bulls host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur says he “absolutely” will take on a bigger role in assisting the Packers’ slumping defense as they try to boost their fading playoff hopes.

But one thing he won’t do, at least for now, is relieve defensive coordinator Joe Barry of his duties.

LaFleur explained why he didn’t think Barry was to blame. He believes the Packers’ immediate concern is to fix the communication problems on defense that bedeviled them as Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield picked them apart.

Tampa Bay scored touchdowns on each of its first three second-half possessions before taking a knee in the red zone to end the game. The Bucs went 8 of 12 on third- and fourth-down conversion attempts.

After losing their last two games because of their inability to stop New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito and Mayfield, the Packers (6-8) likely must win their remaining three games and receive plenty of help to reach the playoffs.

It’s a comedown for a team that seemed on the rise after back-to-back victories over Detroit and Kansas City.

Jordan Love continues to show he can be a long-term solution at quarterback. Love has thrown 11 touchdown passes and only one interception over his last five games. He has completed 68.9% of his passes during that stretch.

The Buccaneers fumbled on one series, went three-and-out once and took a knee in the red zone at the end of the game. They scored four touchdowns and two field goals on their other six series. 

On offense, the Packers scored touchdowns on two of their five red-zone possessions. They settled for two field goals and also lost the ball on downs at Tampa Bay’s 4-yard line.

WR Jaylen Reed hurt his toe late in the game. Alexander (shoulder) missed a sixth straight game, WR Christian Watson (hamstring) sat out his second consecutive game and S Darnell Savage (shoulder) also didn’t play.

The Packers leave Wisconsin for their next two games as they visit Carolina (2-12) on Sunday and Minnesota (7-7) on Dec. 31.

Right-hander Yohan Ramirez was acquired by the New York Mets from the Chicago White Sox on Monday for $100,000.

The 28-year-old was 1-0 with a 4.23 ERA in 31 games last season for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the White Sox, who claimed him off waivers on Sept. 5. He struck out 35 and walked 17 in 38 1/3 innings.

Ramirez was 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA in 22 games at Triple-A with Indianapolis and Charlotte.

He was designated for assignment on Dec. 13 to open a roster spot when the White Sox finalized a $15 million, two-year contract with right-hander Erick Fedde.

Ramirez is 6-4 with six saves and a 3.99 ERA in four seasons with Seattle (2020-22), Cleveland (2022), Pittsburgh (2022-23) and the White Sox.

Coleman Hawkins scored 16 points and Quincy Guerrier and Marcus Domask each scored 15 to help Illinois lead from start to finish in a 74-57 victory over Colgate on Sunday.

Terrance Shannon Jr. had 14 points despite not scoring in the second half for the 16th-ranked Illini (8-2). The Big Ten’s second-leading scorer had 20 or more points in six of his last seven games.

Colgate (6-5), which has qualified for the NCAA Tournament four times in five years, was led by Jeff Woodward with 14 points. Keegan Records, the preseason Patriot League Player and Defensive Player of the Year, was held to nine points.

Down by as many as 22 points in the second half (51-29), Colgate made eight straight field goals late in the half as part of a run that drew the Raiders within 62-53 with 3:35 left.

The Illini came into the game ranked fourth in the nation in rebounds per game (45) and outrebounded Colgate 43-25, led by Dain Dainja and Ty Rodgers with eight apiece.

Worries about how Illinois would play between games against No. 12 Tennessee and rival Missouri were quickly dispelled as the Illini shot 48% from the field, made 11 of 12 free throws and dominated the boards 24-12 in the first half against Colgate.

This was Illinois’ first home game at the State Farm Center in 23 days. The Illini beat Western Illinois 84-52 on Nov. 24, then went 2-1 on a three-game road trip that included wins over Big Ten opponent Rutgers and No. 15 Florida Atlantic, and a loss to No. 10 Tennessee.

The Illini will travel to St. Louis on Tuesday for the annual Braggin’ Rights game vs. Missouri.

Joe Flacco passed for 374 yards - 212 in the fourth quarter - and set up Dustin Hopkins' 34-yard field goal with 32 seconds left before the Browns withstood a Hail Mary on the final play to beat the Chicago Bears 20-17 on Sunday.

Making his third start since signing with Cleveland last month, the 38-year-old Flacco overcame three interceptions and made several brilliant throws in the closing minutes to rally the Browns (9-5) from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit. Cleveland has won six games by four points or fewer.

Flacco, who went 11 of 13 in the final quarter, connected on a 51-yard touchdown pass - into tight coverage - to wide receiver Amari Cooper with 3:08 left that tied it at 17-all.

The Browns got the ball back with 1:50 remaining and Flacco, the fourth QB to start for Cleveland this season, completed two passes to tight end David Njoku for 65 yards to set up Hopkins' go-ahead kick.

The Bears (5-8), who blew 17-7 lead, nearly pulled off a stunning finish.

With no time left, Chicago quarterback Justin Fields lofted a pass from the 45-yard line to the end zone into a pack of players. Two Browns defenders batted the ball down, but it went directly to Bears receiver Darnell Mooney, who was lying on his back.

The ball bounced in and out of Mooney's hands and he kicked it into the air, allowing Browns safety D'Anthony Bell to intercept it and avoid a catastrophic ending for Cleveland.

Bears LG Teven Jenkins (concussion) was carted to the locker room in the second quarter.

The Bears host Arizona on Dec. 24.

Darius Burford had 28 points in Illinois State's 75-65 victory over North Dakota State on Sunday night.

Burford also contributed three steals for the Redbirds (7-4). Myles Foster added 16 points and six rebounds. Dalton Banks finished with 10 points.

Tajavis Miller finished with 18 points for the Bison (7-5). Andrew Morgan added 15 points and Damari Wheeler-Thomas scored 11.

The Redbirds host SEMO on Thursday night at 8 pm. 

Baker Mayfield threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their third straight, 34-20 over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Bucs (7-7) kept pace atop the NFC South standings with the New Orleans Saints, who beat the visiting New York Giants.

This was the third straight season in which Mayfield faced the Packers at Lambeau Field in December - each time for a different team. He threw four interceptions in Cleveland’s 24-22 Christmas Day loss to the Packers in 2021 and was Los Angeles’ starter when the Rams fell 24-12 last Dec. 19.

Mayfield was sacked five times Sunday, just as he was in those other Lambeau Field appearances. But he otherwise was far more successful, going 22 of 28 and posting a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

Mayfield threw touchdown passes of 19 yards to Mike Evans, 26 yards to Rachaad White, 2 yards to Ko Kieft and 52 yards to David Moore.

Chris Godwin had 10 catches for 155 yards. White rushed for 89 yards and had two catches for 50 yards.

Green Bay (6-8) lost its second straight to deal its playoff hopes a major blow. Jordan Love was 29 of 39 for 284 yards with touchdown passes to Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed.

But the Packers' defense had no answers for Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 who has rejuvenated his career while playing for his fourth team.

Mayfield picked apart Green Bay's defense one week after the Packers lost 24-22 to the New York Giants by allowing a late drive that resulted in Randy Bullock's game-winning field goal as time expired.

LaFleur was asked after Sunday's loss whether he'd consider replacing defensive coordinator Joe Barry during the season.

After going 14 of 29 each of the last two weeks, Mayfield opened the game with seven straight completions and later threw touchdown passes on Tampa Bay’s first three second-half possessions. The Bucs concluded their fourth and final second-half drive by taking a knee at the Green Bay 11-yard line.

Mayfield lost a fumble at his own 4 line to set up a first-quarter touchdown for Green Bay, but that was pretty much the only mistake he made. A week earlier, Mayfield threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cade Otton with 31 seconds left in a 29-25 victory at Atlanta.

Mayfield drove the Bucs into position for Chase McLaughlin's 46-yard field goal just before halftime that put Tampa Bay ahead at the break. After Tampa Bay forced a three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half, the Bucs extended their lead to 20-10 on Mayfield’s touchdown pass to White.

Green Bay answered on its next series as Love scrambled and found Reed in the right corner of the end zone for a 17-yard gain on third-and-15. Tampa Bay answered as Kieft scored on his first catch of the season.

After the Packers cut the lead to 27-20 on Anders Carlson’s 33-yard field goal with 10:04 left, Mayfield threw a short pass that Moore turned into a 52-yard touchdown. It was Moore's first TD since 2020, when he played for Seattle.

Moore's touchdown came on third-and-4. Tampa Bay was 7 of 11 on third-down conversions and 1 of 1 on fourth down.

The Packers visit Carolina next Sunday.

Brock Boeser, Ilya Mikheyev and Dakota Joshua scored in the middle period, and Vancouver beat the depleted Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Sunday.

Elias Pettersson also scored as Vancouver shook off a slow start in a quick turnaround after a 2-1 shootout loss at Minnesota on Saturday. J.T. Miller and Tyler Myers each had two assists, and Thatcher Demko made 25 saves.

The Canucks improved to 6-1-1 in their last eight games. They had just one shot on goal in the first 10 minutes of the opening period, but they grabbed control in the second and held on down the stretch.

Nick Foligno had two goals for Chicago, and Connor Bedard had two assists against his hometown team. Cole Guttman scored in the third period, and Petr Mrazek made 22 saves.

The last-place Blackhawks lost their fourth straight game and dropped to 4-13-1 in their last 18.

Foligno gave Chicago a 2-1 lead when he knocked home a rebound for a power-play goal 35 seconds into the second. It was Foligno's sixth of the season.

Vancouver then went ahead to stay when Joshua and Boeser scored 41 seconds apart. Joshua redirected Conor Garland's shot past Mrazek at 3:04, and Boeser converted a wrist shot from the left circle at 3:45.

Chicago pulled within one on Guttman's power-play goal 6:44 into the third period, but it couldn't come up with the tying score.

The Blackhawks played without three of their top defensemen. Seth Jones was placed on injured reserve on Saturday with a left shoulder injury, and Alex Vlasic was sidelined by an upper-body injury. Kevin Korchinski is spending time with his family following the death of his father, Larry, at age 59.

Chicago lost another defenseman when Connor Murphy was shaken up after he blocked a shot in the first period, but he returned in the second. Forward Joey Anderson didn't play in the third because of an upper-body injury.

The Blackhawks host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.

Macomb jumped on Argenta-Oreana early and often and ran away to a 63-43 win at the Great Western Shootout in Abingdon Saturday afternoon.

Jalynn Flowers led the Bombers with 18 points and Carter Logue scored 15 points.

Argenta-Oreana fell behind 15-4 after the first quarter and trailed 35-12 at the half.

Four players scored in double figures for Macomb, who improved to 8-3 overall.

The Bombers drop to 6-7 overall. They return to action to take on Tri-County on Tuesday at home. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, the Monticello Sages offense was held scoreless in the second and could not recover as Greenville held on for a 55-41 win from the Comets Sports Boosters Shootout at Greenville High School Saturday evening.

The Sages trailed 15-14 going to the second quarter and Monticello could not find the bottom of the net and was shut out for another quarter this year and that allowed the Comets to build a 12-point cushion going to the half. 

The Sages would get the deficit to 7 points in the third quarter but that was the closest they'd get as the Comets got the lead to 19 points in the fourth quarter. 

It took the Sages another four minutes in the fourth quarter to score.

Trey Welter returned from an injury that held him out of Tuesday's win against Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond and led all scorers with 19 points.

The senior was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties player of the game.

Cale Ackerman led Greenville with 16 points. 

The Sages drop to 3-5 overall and will play at Warrensburg-Latham Tuesday night. Game time is 7:30 pm and can be heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on WHOW Saturday night, the Clinton Maroons defeated the Lexington Minutemen, 50-43, in a nonconference boys basketball game at the Eureka Shootout at Eureka College.  

The game was a close, back and forth affair through three and a half quarters.  Clinton jumped out to a 12-6 lead after the first, but Lexington would warm up in the second quarter, and tie it at 21 apiece at the half.  The Maroons managed a three point lead, 32-29, after three, and then would pull away in the fourth. Clinton would lead by as many as eleven points in the final quarter, and hold on for the seven point victory. 
 

The Maroons were led by Mason Walker with 17 points.  Brooks Cluver added 13, and was named the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game.  Keaton Graves also had nine points, and Dawson Graves added seven for the now (10-0) Maroons. 
 

Lexington was led by Ethan Storm's 17 points. The Minutemen fall to (8-3) on the season, and next play Wilmington on December 26th. 
 

Clinton next puts their 10-game win streak on the line at home against Leroy on Tuesday night.  Hear the action around 7:30pm Tuesday on all WHOW platforms. 
 

Drew Lowder scored 26 points as Cleveland State beat Bradley 76-69 on Friday night.

Lowder also contributed four steals for the Vikings (7-5). Tristan Enaruna scored 23 points and added seven rebounds. Tevin Smith had nine points and shot 3 of 5 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line.

Malevy Leons led the way for the Braves (6-4) with 16 points, six rebounds and two steals. Bradley also got 16 points and two steals from Christian Davis. Emarion Ellis also had 11 points and two steals.

The Bradley Braves face off ag

The Blue Ridge Lady Knights overcame a slow start and rallied past Villa Grove 29-28 in Lincoln Prairie Conference girls basketball action Thursday night in Farmer City.

The Lady Knights fell behind 8-2 early and trailed 13-10 at the half but rallied in the second half, outscoring Villa Grove 19-15. 

Phoebe Reynold paced Blue Ridge with 12 points and Chelsea Lyle added 11 points.

Villa Grove falls to 1-6 overall and 1-3 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference.

Blue Ridge improved to 3-6 overall and 1-1 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference.

Baker Mayfield has played at Lambeau enough to know what to expect when his Bucs (6-7) visit the Packers (6-7) on Sunday.

Mayfield threw four interceptions in Cleveland's 24-22 loss to Green Bay on Christmas Day 2021 that marked his second-to-last appearance with the Browns, who took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft. He went 12 of 21 for 111 yards with a touchdown and an interception on Dec. 19 of last year as the Los Angeles Rams lost 24-12.

Mayfield threw a go-ahead touchdown pass in the final minute of a 29-25 victory at Atlanta that enabled the Bucs to grab a share of the NFC South lead. The Packers are clinging to the NFC’s third and final wild-card spot after losing 24-22 to the New York Giants on Monday, a defeat that snapped a three-game winning streak.

Tampa Bay and Green Bay are among six NFC teams with 6-7 records, making the postseason implications of Sunday’s game apparent.

Green Bay's defense has allowed at least 140 yards rushing in five straight games. The Packers will be trying to rebound after giving up 209 yards rushing to the Giants, the fourth game in which they’ve yielded at least 200.

Both teams recovered from slow starts to work their way into playoff contention.

The Bucs lost four straight games to fall to 3-5 but have gone 3-2 since, including wins over Carolina and Atlanta the last two weeks. Green Bay had its own four-game skid to drop to 2-5 before winning four of its last six games.

Green Bay’s Jordan Love has been throwing primarily to rookies and second-year pros in his first season as a starter. Many of those newcomers have stepped up.

In the loss to the Giants, Malik Heath became the sixth Packers rookie with a touchdown reception this season. That’s the most by any team in the Super Bowl era, excluding the 1987 strike season.

Two years ago, Justin Fields made his NFL start on the road. It was far more miserable than memorable.

Blame Myles Garrett.

Chicago's quarterback remembers nearly everything about his first game with the Bears in 2021 - the excitement, playing again in Ohio, the bruises.

On Sunday, Fields and the improving Bears (5-8) will visit Cleveland for a matchup against the Browns (8-5), who have been hammered by injuries and are leaning on veteran QB Joe Flacco to get them to the playoffs for just the second time since 2002.

Fields intends to stay upright more than he did in his first game against the Browns, and that will require his linemen, probably a tight end and maybe a running back or two keeping him safe from Garrett, a chore that's easier said than done.

Garrett, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury, has been stuck on 13 sacks for three games. He left the field fuming last week after being blanked by the Jacksonville Jaguars, whom he felt got some favorable calls from the officials.

Chicago comes in with back-to-back victories for the first time since 2021, when the Bears beat Seattle and the New York Giants in Weeks 16 and 17.

With a win over Cleveland, they would match their longest streak since a three-game run late in 2020.

Though the Bears have the second-lowest sack total in the NFL with 21, they've been getting to the quarterback in recent weeks.

Credit the change to edge rusher Montez Sweat, who has 3 1/2 sacks in five games since being acquired from Washington in a trade. Chicago has 11 sacks since his arrival.

Chicago's defensive front took a major blow this week as defensive end Yannick Ngakoue - the team's sack leader with four - was lost for the rest of the season with a broken ankle suffered in last week’s game.

A 33-8 run to start the game set the tone, and the Chicago Bulls just made the Miami Heat try in vain to catch them the rest of the way. Coby White scored 26 points, reserve Ayo Dosunmu added 24 and the Bulls topped the Heat 124-116 on Thursday night.

Nikola Vucevic finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Bulls. White had 11 assists and seven rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan scored 23 for Chicago.

The 25-point lead in the first quarter was the biggest by Chicago since Jordan and the Bulls led Golden State by 27 in the opening period of a game on Jan. 31, 1997. And the final scoring numbers - four players with at least 23 points - was something that no Bulls team had done since 1969.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 22 for Miami, which was playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Jimmy Butler scored 20, Lowry and Caleb Martin each had 17, and Kevin Love had 16 for the Heat.

Chicago's 25-point lead in the opening quarter was the second-largest such edge in the NBA this season - Boston led Washington by 26. But after that, the Miami comeback tries started. Many of them, in fact.

Miami got it down to 14 by the end of the first quarter. Chicago then ran the lead back out to 24 and the Heat rallied again - a 27-7 run helped them get within 60-56 at halftime.

The trend never stopped. Miami was within three early in the third; the Bulls went on a burst to get the lead back to 14. The Heat closed to 105-101 on a layup by Lowry with 7:10 left; Chicago quickly pushed the lead back to 11.

Back they came again - Butler made a free throw with 2:46 left to cut the lead to 113-109. But Dosunmu hit a 3-pointer on the next Chicago possession, and that was the last gasp for the Heat.

Alex Caruso returned to the lineup for Chicago - and then quickly departed again with another injury.

Caruso had missed the Bulls’ last two games with a sprained left ankle. He started Thursday and had six quick points, then got tangled with Vucevic just 4:45 into the game and hurt the same ankle. He went into the locker room for evaluation and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

The teams play again Saturday in Miami, their fourth and final meeting of the regular season.

Kailer Yamamoto scored twice in the first period, Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and two assists and the Kraken shut down rookie sensation Connor Bedard in a 7-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.

Seattle won consecutive games for just the third time this season and the first time without needing overtime. The Kraken snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 4-0 victory over Florida on Tuesday night and followed up by overpowering the outmatched Blackhawks.

Bjorkstrand, Tye Kartye and Eeli Tolvanen scored during the three-goal second period, and Jared McCann and Bellemare scored 21 seconds apart early in the third period. McCann’s goal was his team-leading 14th of the season.

Seattle goalie Joey Daccord followed up his first career shutout by stopping 21 of 22 shots.

Chicago goalie Arvid Soderblom allowed seven goals on 24 shots and was replaced by Petr Mrazek in the third period. It was the second time this season Soderblom allowed seven goals.

Taylor Raddysh scored his fifth of the season at 3:03 of the second period to pull Chicago to 2-1. The goal came off a bad turnover by Seattle’s Jamie Oleksiak, but the Kraken were otherwise strong defensively and didn’t allow Bedard much space on the ice.

Bedard had only three shots and saw his 10-game road points streak end. His best chance came with about 10 minutes left and was turned aside by Daccord.

The Blackhawks host Vancouver on Sunday.

Robert Thomas had two goals and an assist and the St. Louis Blues won in interim coach Drew Bannister’s NHL coaching debut, beating the Ottawa Senators 4-2 on Thursday night to end a four-game losing streak.

Bannister was moved up from the Blues’ American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield after Craig Berube who was fired Tuesday night.

Pavel Buchnevich added a goal and an assist, Brandon Saad also scored and Justin Faulk had a two assists. Jordan Binnington made 32 saves.

Dominik Kubalik and Mathieu Joseph scored for Ottawa and Joonas Korpisalo made 26 saves. The Senators have dropped three of four.

The Blues host Dallas on Saturday night.

In a game heard Thursday night on WHOW, the Clinton Lady Maroons rolled the Roanoke-Benson Rockets, 56-23, in non-conference girls basketball action at Clinton High School.  
 

Clinton jumped in front 16-3 in the first quarter, and never looked back. They led 31-8 at the half, and led by 31 to start the fourth quarter with a running clock. 
 

Reagan Filkin paced Clinton's balanced attack with 14 points, and was named the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player the Game. Carly Anderson added 11, and Avery Smith had 10 for the Lady Maroons. 
 

Roanoke was led by Elly Heineke's 14 points.  The Rockets fall to 3-11 on the season, and next play at Ottawa Marquette Monday night.  
 

The Lady Maroons improve to 6-5 with the win, and next host El Paso-Gridley Monday night.  We'll next hear the Lady Maroons on Wednesday when they travel to Riverton.
 

A reminder to join us Saturday evening at 6pm when our WHOW Maroons Game of the Week comes to you from Eureka College as the unbeaten Clinton Maroons take on Lexington! 

Clinton High School boy's basketball is off to another roaring start under second-year Hall of Fame basketball Coach Vic Binkley and the 9-0 Marons are getting votes in this week's Class 2A state rankings.

The Maroons didn't crack the top 10 but they did receive 14 votes in this week's poll. 

Taylor Ridge Rockridge is the top team in Class 2A followed by Breese Central, Peoria Manual, Trenton Wesclin, and Fieldcrest in the top 5.

Tolono Unity, Peoria Notre Dame, Chicago Christ the King, Byron and St. Joseph-Ogden round out the 2A top 10.

Tuscola is the No. 1 team in Class 1A. Springfield Calvary is No. 6 in the first poll of the season, and Lexington received votes in this week's poll.

In Class 3A, Chicago Mt. Carmel is the top team. Peoria Richwoods is No. 4 while Mt. Zion checks in at No. 7. Morton is No. 10.

Metamor and Decatur MacArthur received votes in this week's poll.

Normal Community is the No. 1 team in Class 4A. 

In a game heard on WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com, the Monticello Sages beat Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammdon 42-10 in non-conference high school boy's basketball action Tuesday night at the Sievers Center in Monticello.

Monticello played Tuesday's game without leading scorer Trey Welter and playing against a winless 1A opponent, a Sages group that has struggled to find consistent offense had a chance to see new players step up, but nobody scored in double figures. 

Coach Kevin Roy did go deep into his bench early and often. Only junior Ike Young reached 20 minutes played for the Sages. He led all scorers with nine points and grabbed six rebounds. 

Jack Weidner, Ryan Wallen and Colton Vance had six points apiece. Maddux Quick added five points for Monticello.

On a night when the Knights weren't playing particularly physical or stingy defense, the Sages still turned the basketball over 19 times. For Monticello, the Knights' six-percent shooting kept those turnovers from hurting.

Monticello did dominate the glass, outrebounding ALAH 44-19.

The Sages shot 41.5 percent from the floor and scored 20 points in the paint.

ALAH drops to 0-8 overall.

Monticello goes to 3-4. They will travel to the Comets Sports Boosters Shootout Saturday at 5:30 pm to take on Greenville.

Hear the action on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Nikola Jokic was ejected in the second quarter. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was held out in the second half after a collision with Nikola Vucevic. Jamal Murray didn't play at all.

The rest of the Denver Nuggets picked up the slack.

Reggie Jackson scored 25 points and short-handed Denver held off the Chicago Bulls for a 114-106 victory on Tuesday night.

Michael Porter Jr. had 17 points and Aaron Gordon finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, helping Denver to a gritty second straight win after a 129-122 victory at Atlanta on Monday night. Julian Strawther added 16 points.

Jackson made five 3-pointers as the reigning NBA champions went 14 for 30 from behind the arc. The Nuggets also beat the Bulls 123-101 in Denver on Nov. 4.

Jokic was thrown out for the language he directed toward an official after he felt he was fouled when he missed a reverse layup with 1:12 left in the first half. The two-time NBA MVP said something in the direction of a referee as he made his way back down the court.

Jokic was promptly whistled for a technical and thrown out by official Mousa Dagher.

Jokic declined to get into further details because he wanted to avoid a fine by the NBA. Mark Lindsay, the crew chief for the referee crew, also was vague when asked about the exchange.

Coby White led Chicago with 27 points, continuing his hot streak. Vucevic finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds.

The Bulls were coming off a 133-129 overtime loss at Milwaukee on Monday night that stopped a four-game win streak.

White went 8 for 15 from the floor, including a 5-for-10 performance from 3-point range. He is averaging 26.8 points in his last five games.

Chicago pulled within five on Ayo Dosunmu's jumper with 1:47 left in the third quarter, but Strawther made a 3-pointer and two foul shots to help Denver carry a 92-80 lead into the final period.

The Nuggets stayed in control throughout the fourth. Gordon's 3 made it 109-96 with 3:20 left.

Already playing without Zach LaVine due to right foot inflammation, the Bulls rested Alex Caruso for the second straight game because of a sprained left ankle. But coach Billy Donovan made it sound as if Caruso could return soon.

The Nuggets played without Murray, who had 29 points and nine rebounds in Monday night's win. Murray has been dealing with a sore right ankle, and he rolled his left ankle in the first quarter against the Hawks.

The Bulls are at Miami on Thursday night and Saturday night.

Even after perhaps their most disappointing loss of the season, the Green Bay Packers still have an opportunity to make the playoffs.

But their margin for error is much narrower.

The Packers (6-7) ended a three-game winning streak in desultory fashion Monday night, falling 24-22 to the New York Giants. Green Bay still would have the NFC’s third and final wild-card playoff berth if the season ended today, thanks to various tiebreakers.

Atlanta, New Orleans, Seattle, Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Rams are also 6-7. The Buccaneers visit Lambeau Field on Sunday.

There were plenty of issues in every phase that hindered the Packers on Monday.

On defense, the Packers allowed the Giants to run wild and failed to get a sack against a team that has allowed a league-high 69 of them. On offense, the Packers turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions and struggled in the red zone. On special teams, the Packers fumbled a punt and missed a 45-yard field goal.

Green Bay still found itself in position to win after Jordan Love’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Malik Heath put the Packers ahead 22-21 with 1:33 remaining, but Tommy DeVito drove the Giants into position for Randy Bullock’s 37-yard field goal as time expired.

DeVito picked Green Bay’s defense apart on that final drive, throwing four straight completions totaling 53 yards.

As poorly as the offense played for most of the game, the Packers still managed to score on their final two possessions to pull ahead after trailing 21-13 with under six minutes left.

The Packers allowed 209 yards rushing, the fourth time this season an opponent has run for at least 200 yards. The Packers have given up at least 140 yards rushing in five straight games. 

After not committing a single turnover during their three-game winning streak, the Packers lost two fumbles and threw an interception Monday.

WR Dontayvion Wicks hurt his ankle and WR Jayden Reed was evaluated for a concussion after the game. LaFleur didn’t have updates regarding either player on Tuesday. CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) missed a fifth straight game, RB Aaron Jones (knee) sat out a third straight and LB Quay Walker (shoulder) also didn’t play.

The Packers seek to strengthen their playoff position and damage a rival when they host the Bucs.

Connor McDavid had two assists and the streaking Edmonton Oilers overcame an early goal by rookie Connor Bedard to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Tuesday night in the first NHL matchup between the young stars.

McDavid, a three-time MVP, was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2015. Bedard wa

s selected first this past summer.

Sam Gagner had a goal and an assist in the highly anticipated Clash of the Connors, helping the Oilers (13-12-1) win their eighth game in a row. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman also scored for Edmonton, and defenseman Evan Bouchard added a pair of assists.

Stuart Skinner made 22 saves for his seventh consecutive victory in net.

Bedard gave the banged-up Blackhawks (9-18-1) a 1-0 lead with his 12th goal 3:21 into the first period, but Chicago lost its seventh consecutive road game.

The 18-year-old center scored on the second shot of the night. He took a long pass from Alex Vlasic for a partial breakaway and unleashed a deceptive shot that beat Skinner glove-side to the top corner.

The Blackhawks are at the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

Lucas Raymond and Robby Fabbri scored in the third period to lift the Detroit Red Wings over the scuffling St. Louis Blues 6-4 on Tuesday night.

Soon after their season-worst fourth straight loss, the Blues (13-14-1) fired coach Craig Berube, who guided them to their only Stanley Cup championship in 2019.

The 57-year-old Berube, in his sixth season with St. Louis, had a record of 206-131-44. Drew Bannister, coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League, takes over as interim coach.

Moritz Seider, Jake Walman, Jonatan Berggren and Michael Rasmussen also had goals for the Red Wings, who were 0-2-1 in their previous three games.

Kevin Hayes scored twice for the Blues, who also got goals from Marco Scandella and Brandon Saad. St. Louis has lost five of six overall.

Raymond tied it 4-all with a power-play goal 48 seconds into the third.

Fabbri put the Red Wings up 5-4 at 6:38 when he scored against his former team. Rasmussen added an empty-net goal at 18:21.

Ville Husso (9-4-2) stopped 33 shots in his first game against the Blues since they traded him to Detroit for a third-round draft pick in July 2022.

Jordan Binnington made 26 saves and fell to 8-9-1.

St. Louis used three second-period goals to go ahead 4-3.

Hayes scored twice 31 seconds apart, giving the Blues a 3-2 lead. He scored at 1:40 when he was in front and deflected in a shot by Nick Leddy. Seider then turned the puck over as Hayes intercepted his pass and scored an unassisted goal at 2:11.

Seider made up for the mistake when he scored at 9:47, tying the game at 3.

Scandella, a stay-at-home defenseman, scored an unassisted short-handed goal on a backhand at 16:53. Shayne Gostisbehere snapped his stick on a one-timer and Scandella snatched the loose puck, skated in on a breakaway and scored his first goal this season.

That gave St. Louis an NHL-leading eight short-handed goals - one more than the team has on the power play. The Blues went 0 for 2 with the man advantage, dropping to 7 for 83 this season. The only club worse is Washington.

It was Scandella’s first goal in 32 games. His last one came March 21, 2023, at home against Detroit.

The Blues host the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

The Clinton Lady Maroons fell behind early but were able to rebound and rally past Meridian 56-44 in Central Illinois Conference girls basketball action from Meridian Monday night.

The Hawks went up 17-6 after the first quarter and led 27-24 at the break but the Lady Maroons used a 22-5 third quarter to take control and held on from there.

Reagan Filkin led the Lady Maroons with 13 points. Claire Dempsey, Lilah Cluver, and Carly Anderson each added nine points. Heidi Humble finished with eight for Clinton who improves to 5-5 overall and 2-0 in the Central Illinois Conference.

The Lady Hawks fall to 4-7 overall and 0-2 in CIC play.

Clinton hosts Roanoke-Benson Thursday.

The Argenta-Oreana Lady Bombers rolled Blue Ridge 42-17 in Lincoln Prairie Conference girl's basketball action from Argenta Monday night.

Phoebe Reynolds paced Blue Ridge with six points, Paige Browning had five points and Kylie Madden added four points.

The Lady Bombers improved to 2-7 overall and 1-1 in the Lincoln Prairie. Blue Ridge drops to 2-5 overall and 0-1 in the Lincoln Prairie. 

The Lady Knights host Villa Grove on Thursday.

The Sullivan Redskins topped Blue Ridge 57-49 in Lincoln Prairie Conference boy's basketball action Monday night.

Three players scored in double figures for Blue Ridge. Colin Michaels led the way with 17 points. Zach Lewis added 13 points and Isaac Price scored 11.

The Redskins move to 7-1 overall and 1-0 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference.

Blue Ridge drops to 6-3 overall and 0-1 in the Lincoln Prairie. The Knights are at Argenta-Oreana on Friday.

Tommy DeVito threw a 32-yard pass to Wan'Dale Robinson to set up Randy Bullock's 37-yard field goal as time expired, and the Giants beat Green Bay 24-22 on Monday night to hand the Packers their first December loss since Matt LaFleur took over as coach in 2019.

The 25-year-old DeVito added another moment to his unlikely rookie season as an undrafted free agent. Making his fourth straight start because of injuries to Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor, the New Jersey native directed New York to its third consecutive win.

The Giants (5-8) went 57 yards in eight plays after Jordan Love threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Malik Heath with 1:33 to play. Green Bay then tried a 2-point conversion but Jayden Reed was stopped by linebacker Bobby Okereke. The go-ahead TD was set up by a Saquon Barkley fumble.

DeVito rushed for 71 yards and threw an 8-yard TD pass to Isaiah Hodgins while leading four scoring drives, two of them capped by Barkley runs of 5 and 1 yards. The Giants defense forced three turnovers.

The Packers led 10-7 at halftime on Carlson’s 36-yarder with 13 seconds left. The drive was kept alive by a 27-yard pass interference against Cor’Dale Flott.

The Giants went in front on Barkley's 1-yard TD early in the third quarter after New York recovered a Keisean Nixon fumble on a punt return. DeVito had a 26-yard run before Barkley scored.

After Carlson responded with a 32-yard FG, DeVito capped a 75-yard drive with his pass to Hodgins for a 21-13 lead. Robinson also caught a flea-flicker on the drive.

Green Bay and New York scored touchdowns on consecutive series early in the game.

Wide receiver Reed scored on a 16-yard sweep late in the first quarter. It came one play after Love hit running back AJ Dillon on a 35-yard pass play.

Barkley’s 5-yard scoring run came one play after the running back took a direct snap and handed off to Robinson for a 32-yard run.

The Packers return home to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 133-129 victory over the Chicago Bulls in overtime Monday night.

Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley each had 19 points and Bobby Portis scored 17 for the Bucks, who were coming off a 128-119 loss to Indiana in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament.

DeMar DeRozan had 41 points and Coby White scored 33 for Chicago, which had won four straight. DeRozan also had 11 assists, becoming only the second Bulls player and first since Michael Jordan in 1992-93 with at least 40 points and 10 assists in a game. Jordan did it nine times in his career.

Torrey Craig hit the second of two free throws to put Chicago up 119-118 to open overtime, but the Bucks answered with seven straight points, capped by Antetokounmpo’s layup to make it 126-119 with two minutes remaining.

Milwaukee left the door open, though, by missing three of six free throws down the stretch. DeRozan scored on a dunk to pull Chicago within 131-129 with 12 seconds left before Damian Lillard hit two free throws with 10.2 seconds remaining to make it 133-129.

DeRozan forced overtime, dropping in a floater from the lane with four seconds left in regulation to tie it at 118. Just before that, Lillard made one of two free throws to leave Milwaukee up 118-116 with 12 seconds remaining.

Antetokounmpo hit two free throws to put the Bucks up 117-112 with 1:11 to go. Patrick Williams answered with a dunk and DeRozan hit a pair of free throws to pull the Bulls to 117-116.

Chicago, which trailed 74-65 at halftime, pulled to 91-89 on Jevon Carter’s 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter.

The Bucks shot 57.8% in the first half. Milwaukee hit 26 of 45 attempts, including 12 of 20 from beyond the arc.

Antetokounmpo took only two shots in the first half, making one, but had all six of his assists.

The Bulls ost the Denver Nuggets tonight.

The top brass of the Illinois High School Association is celebrating a successful state football final at Illinois State University.

It was the first time the state finals were at Hancock Stadium in 25 years. Around 20-thousand fans and student-athletes attended the two-day event from November 24 through the 25th. Sam Knox is the Assistant Executive Director at the I-H-S-A.

Leaders of the I-S-H-A signed a four-year contract with I-S-U last year to host the state finals.

According to the Bloomington-Normal Visitors Bureau, the two-day football finals boosted the twin-city economy by over 2 million dollars.

Justin Fields threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and Chicago played its most impressive game of the season, beating the NFC North-leading Lions 28-13 on Sunday.

Receiver DJ Moore had his first career rushing touchdown and caught a scoring pass. Safety Jaquan Brisker made 17 tackles to help Chicago (5-8) post back-to-back victories for the first time since 2021. The Bears have won three of four.

Three weeks ago, the Bears gave up 17 points over the final 2:59 in a 31-26 loss at Detroit.

On Sunday, Chicago scored 15 points in a span of about seven minutes to break open a game that was tied at 13-all late in the third quarter.

Detroit's Jared Goff threw two interceptions and was sacked four times. The Lions (9-4), who looked like a Super Bowl threat not long ago, have lost two of three.

Fields completed 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards. He also ran for 58 yards, giving him 2,021 in his career and joining Bobby Douglass (2,470) as the only Bears quarterbacks with 2,000 yards rushing.

The Bears grabbed a 19-13 lead with 1:36 left in the third quarter. Fields took advantage of a free play with the Lions jumping offsides and hit a wide-open Moore deep along the left side for a 38-yard touchdown on fourth-and-13. Detroit blocked the extra point.

Chicago quickly got the ball back at the Detroit 29 when T.J. Edwards recovered a fumbled snap. Fields scrambled to his right on third down at the 11 and didn’t stop until he crossed the goal line, making it 25-13. His 2-point conversion pass was incomplete.

The Bears' defense followed with another big play, stopping Jahmyr Gibbs for a 4-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the 34. That led to a 28-yard field goal for Cairo Santos with 9:20 to play, and Chicago cruised from there.

Moore caught six passes for 68 yards. He scored on a 16-yard rush on the game's opening drive.

Cole Kmet had five catches for 66 yards. Johnson had his fourth interception this season, Sweat had his career-high 10th sack, and the Bears won after a bye week for the first time since a Week 9 win at Green Bay in 2013. They also won their second straight against a division opponent since a 12-game skid.

Goff was 20 of 35 for 161 yards, and Gibbs had 11 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Former Bear David Montgomery ran for 66 yards on 10 attempts in his first appearance at Soldier Field since signing with the Lions in the offseason. Montgomery played his first four seasons with Chicago.

The Bears visit Cleveland on Dec. 17.

The Green Bay Packers (6-6) will look for a fourth straight win and fifth in six games when they face the Tommy DeVito-led New York Giants (4-8) at MetLife Stadium on Monday night.

The game kicks off a stretch for the Packers that will feature games against Tampa Bay (5-7), Carolina (1-11), Minnesota (6-6) and Chicago (4-8).

Not only does the schedule appear fairly easy, playing in December has been the best of times for the Packers since Matt LaFleur took over as coach in 2019. The team is 16-0 in the month, with those December performances helping the Packers make the postseason in three of the last four years. They missed last season with an 8-9 record.

The only team to win more consecutive December games was the San Diego Chargers with 18 straight from 2006-09, before their move to Los Angeles.

The Packers have done that in overcoming a 2-5 start to the season.

The Giants started 1-5 in a season marred by injuries, particularly on the offensive line and at quarterback. DeVito has progressed from an undrafted rookie free agent who made from the practice squad to a starter with injuries to Daniel Jones (ACL) and Tyrod Taylor (ribs).

New York has not been eliminated, but it cannot afford another loss.

One of the biggest differences with the Packers during their recent surge is the way the offense performs at the start of games.

The Packers have scored touchdowns in their first two series in each of their last two games – a 29-22 Thanksgiving Day victory at Detroit and a 27-19 home triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs.

That’s quite the turnaround for an offense that failed to score a single first-half touchdown in five straight games earlier this season.

Nic Dowd scored twice and the Washington Capitals beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Sunday night for their second straight win.

Anthony Mantha, Dylan Strome and Dowd scored in a 7:12 span in the second period to put Washington ahead. Dowd then sealed it with his second of the night and fourth of the season with 4:02 remaining in the third.

Dowd scored his first goal while he was down on the ice after battling in a scrum. He connected again, with his fourth goal in 16 games this season, from the slot on a nice feed from Beck Malenstyn, who had two assists.

Darcy Kuemper stopped 32 shots for the Capitals, rebounding from a start at Arizona last Monday when he allowed three goals on his first five shots and was pulled midway through the first period.

Philipp Kurashev had a goal and an assist, and Connor Murphy also scored for Chicago, which ended its first two-game win streak of the season. NHL rookie scoring leader Connor Bedard assisted on both Chicago goals, and Arvid Söderblom had 23 saves.

Chicago had five points in the first three games of a four-game homestand, but couldn't finish it out with a victory.

The Blackhawks are at Edmonton on Tuesday night.

In a game heard on WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello played three exceptional quarters but could not finish off Maroa-Forsyth as the Trojans rallied to a 52-42 non-conference win Saturday afternoon in Maroa.

The Sages matched the physicality of an experienced Maroa-Forsyth team that was playing its fourth game in five days and was coming off a third-place finish at this week's Macon County Tournament.

Monticello led 34-30 going to the fourth quarter but the Sages shot a whopping 0-for-11 from the floor and got all six of its points at the foul line, being outscored 22-6 in the final frame. 

Kaiden Maurer scored 12 of his game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter, including going 7-for-8 at the free throw line to close out the win.

The Trojans as a team came into the fourth quarter 4-for-9 at the line and closed the game going 13-for-19 in the final frame.

Grant Smith scored 14 points for Maroa-Forsyth. 

Mitch Williams grabbed six rebounds. Smith, Maurer, and Zayn Giles each had five rebounds as Maroa-Forsyth outrebounded Monticello 33-32.

Trey Welter led Monticello with 14 points. Eli Craft came off the bench and had 10 points with seven rebounds. Ike Young grabbed a game-high 11 boards for the Sages. 

Craft was the Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game for his scoring effort and was a leader in matching Maroa-Forsyth's physicality and playing strong throughout the game. 

Monticello did have nine assists on their 12 baskets and committed just eight turnovers. However, 25-percent shooting for the game, including 4-for-23 in the second half was too much to overcome. 

The Trojans tried just six threes for the game, scoring 20 points in the paint.

Maroa-Forsyth goes to 3-3 overall while Monticello drops to 2-4.

The Trojans have a week off before taking on Warrensburg-Latham next Friday night at home and then have another Saturday game with Sullivan on Dec. 16.

The Sages will try to right the ship when they host Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond on Tuesday night at the Sievers Center. Tip time is 7 pm. Hear the action on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, from the opening tip, Mt. Zion showed why they are the second-ranked team in Class 3A as they rolled Monticello 65-34 in non-conference high school boy's basketball action from the Sievers Center at Monticello High School.

Grant McAtee scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Braves while JC Anderson had 12 points.

The Braves dished out 17 assists on its 25 field goals and committed just nine turnovers. 

Mt. Zion shot 57 percent from the floor and made 8 of its 16 three-point attempts.

Monticello struggled against a suffocating and swarming Braves defense. The Sages were led by Raiden Colbert's nine points, all from beyond the arc. 

Trey Welter added seven points.

Monticello shot just 28 percent from the floor and committed 16 turnovers that led to 12 Mt. Zion points.

The Braves had 30 points in the paint. 

Welter played the most minutes for Monticello and earned the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game.

The Braves go to 7-0 while the Sages drop to 2-3.

It's a quick turnaround for Monticello who travels to Maroa-Forsyth for a 3:15 pm tip time in Maroa. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Warrensburg-Latham shook off a slow start and rallied past Meridian 70-65 win the Macon County Tournament Championship at Argenta-Oreana High School Friday night.

The Hawks jumped out to 23-9 lead and trailed 31-28 at the intermission. 

The Cardinals chipped way throughout the second half and held on for the win.

Sebastian Hill scored 38 points Thursday night to lead Meridian to the title game Friday and his encore performance matched his Thursday night performance with 38 points in the losing effort for the Hawks. 

The Cardinals used balanced scoring led by Brayden Hickey's 20 points. Catrell Lee added 17 points while Brennon Bonds and Jake Dominick scored 11 points apiece.

Warrensburg-Latham shot 11-for-16 from the foul line compared to Meridian's 14-for-23. 

The Hawks drop to 5-4 overall while Warrensburg-Latham goes to 8-1. 

Kaiden Maurer scored 16 of his team-high 18 points in the first half and led Maroa-Forsyth over Decatur St. Teresa 55-34 in the third-place game from Argenta-Oreana Friday night at the Macon County Tournament.

The Trojans started fast going up 15-6 after the first quarter and led 36-18 at the intermission. 

Zayne Giles scored ten of his 16 points in the second quarter. 

Trant Smith finished with ten for Maroa-Forsyth.

Ryheem Tyus scored 22 points to lead the Bulldogs.

St. T falls to 3-4 while the Trojans go to 2-3.

It's a quick turnaround after playing three games this week for Maroa-Forsyth. They host Monticello in non-conference action Saturday at 3:15 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Blue Ridge started fast and never looked back in a 63-40 route of Fisher on Friday night in non-conference high school boy's basketball action from Farmer City.

The Knights led 15-2 after the first quarter and never looked back. 

Four players scored in double figures for Blue Ridge. Colin Michaels and Wyatt Pearl scored 12 points apiece. Isaac Price added 11 points and Zach Lewis and Corbin Colbert scored 10 points each. 

Blue Ridge is 6-2 overall. Fisher falls to 3-6.

The Knights host Sullivan Monday night in the Lincoln Prairie Conference opener. 

Three players scored in double figures for Argenta-Oreana and the Bombers took home the Consolation Championship 62-52 at the Macon County Tournament at Argenta-Oreana High School Friday night.

Ethan Mahan had 19 points, Jalynn Jawon Flowers added 16 points, and Chase Logue scored 15 points for the Bombers.

Central A&M Falls to 2-4 while Argenta-Oreana moves to 5-5. 

In a game heard Friday night on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons outlasted the Eureka Hornets, 54-48, in a non-conference boys basketball matchup at Clinton High School.  
 

Both teams started slow offensively, and neither could pull away in the first half. Clinton took a 22-20 lead into the break.  The Maroons capitalized on several Eureka turnovers in the third quarter to build the lead up to as much as seven at one point, but The Hornets pulled within four at the end of the third, 40-36.  The fourth quarter saw the Maroons eat several minutes of clock by slowing the pace to a crawl.  Clinton shot 7 of 10 from the free throw line in the fourth, and held on for the 54-48 win. 
 

Dawson Graves led the Maroons with 20 points, and was named the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game.  Mason Walker added 18, and Brooks Cluver had 8 points. 
 

Eureka was lead by Tyler Heffren with 24 points.  The Hornets fall to 3-3 on the season, and host Ridgeview on Tuesday.  
 

The Clinton Maroons remain undefeated at 8-0 on the year.  They'll travel to Riverton on Tuesday.  Our next Maroons broadcast is next Saturday when Clinton takes on Lexington at the Eureka College Shootout at 6pm.  
 

Sebastian Hill scored 38 points and Meridian got by Maroa-Forsyth 66-56 in the semifinals of the Macon County Tournament from Argenta-Oreana High School Thursday.

The Trojans held a 28-20 advantage going to the half but two big final frames, led by Hill, allowed the Hawks to rally back.

Lleyton Miller was the only other Meridian player to reach double figures with ten points. 

Mitch Williams paced a balanced Trojans attack with 20 points. Kaiden Maurer added 11 points. Zayne Giles added nine points and Coby Lane scored eight. 

The Trojans will play for third place tonight at 6:30 pm.

In a game heardon WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Mt. Zion's size and athleticism was too much for a young Monticello squad as the Braves rolled to a 59-26 victory in non-conference girl's basketball action from the Sievers Center in Monticello Thursday.

6-foot-3 junior Jocelyn Turner led all scorers with 18 points and six-foot senior Denver Anderson added 14 points. 

The Lady Sages were able to keep the score close in the first quarter, trailing 16-8 going to the second perioud but the Lady Braves blew the game open with a 13-1 second quarter and led 29-9 at the intermission.

The Braves would lead by 30 at one point in the third quarter and engaged the 30-point running clock going back up by 31 at one point in the fourth quarter.

Monticello sophomore Maia High battled early foul trouble and went to the bench with five minutes left without any points. She returned in the second half and scored all of her team-high 12 points. 

High was the Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game. 

Mt. Zion goes to 9-3 overall while Monticello falls to 3-5.

The next Monticello girl's basketball broadcast on WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com will come from the Holiday Hoopla Tournament after the Christmas Holiday.

Petr Mrazek made 37 saves in his 25th career shutout, and the Chicago Blackhawks stopped a four-game slide with a 1-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.

Philipp Kurashev scored for last-place Chicago, which had dropped 10 of 12 overall. It was the Blackhawks' first win this season when they scored fewer than four goals.

Connor Bedard picked up an assist while Leo Carlsson was mostly quiet in a matchup of the top two picks in this year's NHL draft. Bedard went No. 1 overall to Chicago, followed by Carlsson going to Anaheim.

Lukas Dostal made 24 stops for Anaheim, which lost for the 10th time in 11 games.

Chicago went in front in the second period on its third power-play goal in five games and ninth this season. The team ranked 29th in the NHL at 10.7% with the man advantage coming into the day.

With Anaheim defenseman Tristan Luneau serving a double minor for high-sticking, Bedard skated into the left circle before serving the puck to Kurashev for a slap shot that he blew by Dostal for his fifth goal at 9:21.

The Blackhawks host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.

The Detroit Lions aren't too worried about the Chicago Bears looking for payback. Something else concerns them, though.

The Lions (9-3) look to beat the Bears (4-8) for the second time in four weeks when they visit Soldier Field on Sunday.

Detroit comes in having won four of five, including a wild comeback against Chicago at Ford Field on Nov. 19. The NFC North leaders scored 17 points in the final 2 minutes, 59 seconds to rally from 12 down in a 31-26 victory.

The Lions followed that with a loss to Green Bay before winning 33-28 at New Orleans last week behind a huge effort by tight end Sam LaPorta. The rookie from Iowa set career highs with nine receptions and 140 yards, including an early touchdown and a key first-down grab late in the game.

The Bears, meanwhile, bounced back from the loss at Detroit by winning the following week at Minnesota. They squeezed past the Vikings 12-10 when Cairo Santos nailed his fourth field goal in the closing seconds and Chicago stopped a 12-game losing streak against NFC North opponents.

Now, after a bye, they have a chance to post back-to-back wins for the first time since beating Seattle and the New York Giants in Weeks 16 and 17 of the 2021 season. And they would love nothing more than to do it at Detroit's expense.

The Bears have seven interceptions and eight takeaways over the past two games. But they've had some trouble turning the turnovers into points.

In the loss at Detroit, they had a touchdown and a field goal following turnovers. The following week at Minnesota, they had just one field goal to show for their four takeaways.

Running back David Montgomery returns to Soldier Field for the first time since signing with the Lions in the offseason.

He delivered a solid performance three weeks ago, rushing for 76 yards on 12 attempts and a go-ahead touchdown in the closing minute. Montgomery played his first four seasons in Chicago.

If the final five games are an audition for Fields, it starts against Detroit.

Fields comes in with 1,587 yards passing with 12 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 92.3 passer rating that ranks 14th in the NFL. He has also run for 400 yards and a score.

The Bears have to decide if they'll pick up a fifth-year option for 2025 on Fields' rookie contract. They could be in position to draft Caleb Williams or Drake Maye with two high picks - their own and the one they got from Carolina when they acquired DJ Moore last spring.

In a game heard Thursday night on WHOW, the Clinton Lady Maroons downed the Shelbyville Lady Rams, 64-44, in their conference opener at Clinton High School. 
 

The Lady Maroons jumped in front early, and never trailed in the contest.  They led 18-10 at the end of the first quarter thanks in part to three early three-pointers. Clinton would go on to hit 12 3's on the night, one shy of the school record of thirteen. 
 

Carly Anderson connected on five from long range on the way to 19-points, and earning the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game award.  The Lady Maroons also saw Heidi Humble and Reagan Filkin score 13 points each; and Lilah Cluver added 8 off the bench. 
 

Clinton improves to 4-5 on the year, and 1-0 in the Central Illinois Conference. They'll travel to Meridian Monday night. We'll next feature the Lady Maroons on WHOW next Thursday when they host Roanoke-Benson.  
 

Shelbyville falls to 2-8 on the season, and 0-2 in conference.  They'll travel to South Fork on Saturday. 
 

A reminder...

Join us Friday night for our next WHOW Maroons Game of the Week as the 7-0 Clinton Maroons play host to Eureka.  Varisty action should tip-off around 7:30pm on all WHOW platforms!  
 

Jalynn Flowers scored 25 points and paced Argenta-Oreana over Tri-City-Sangamon Valley 73-31in consolation action from the Macon County Tournament Wednesday in Argenta.

Carter Logue added 11 points for the Bombers and Chase Logue scored nine points. 

After Cerro Gordo-Bement's victory over Central A&M Wednesday, Argenta-Oreana and Cerro Gordo-Bement will play for the consolation championship Friday night.

DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the short-handed Charlotte Hornets 111-100 on Wednesday for their third straight victory following a five-game skid.

Nikola Vucevic had 20 and 11 rebounds for the Bulls and Coby White added 19 points.

Gordon Hayward scored 27 points for Charlotte, and Terry Rozier had 25. The Hornets have lost two straight and four of five.

Chicago took control in the first six minutes of the second half by holding the Hornets to just a pair of field goals. White capped a 19-4 run with a 3-pointer that gave the Bulls a 67-48 lead midway through the third. Charlotte never got closer than eight points the rest of the night.

Chicago guard Zach LaVine missed his third straight game because of an injured right foot. The team said in a statement after the game that he’ll need an additional three to four weeks rest.

The Bulls pushed the lead into double-digits for the first time with a 16-3 run midway through the second quarter. Charlotte closed the half on a 15-3 spurt to trail 48-44 at intermission.

The Bulls are at San Antonio on Friday night.

 Kendall Lewis' 15 points helped Illinois State defeat Northern Kentucky 62-59 on Wednesday night.

Darius Burford's layup for Illinois State ended the scoring with 58 seconds left.

Lewis added six rebounds for the Redbirds (6-3). Dalton Banks added 14 points while going 5 of 8 (4 for 7 from 3-point range), and he also had six rebounds. Burford had 13 points and shot 5 for 14 (1 for 5 from 3-point range) and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line.

The Norse (5-4) were led by Marques Warrick, who recorded 15 points. Cade Meyer added 10 points for Northern Kentucky. In addition, Michael Bradley finished with eight points and four assists.

ISU hosts Norfolk Saturday night at 7 pm. 

Jonathan Marchessault scored his 200th career goal and Jack Eichel added a goal and an assist, leading the Vegas Golden Knights to a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.

Zach Whitecloud, Keegan Kolesar, Michael Amadio and William Karlsson also scored for Vegas, and Logan Thompson had 26 saves.

Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours and Kevin Hayes had goals for St. Louis, and Jordan Binnington had a season-high 43 saves.

The two teams played Monday in Las Vegas with the Blues winning 2-1 in overtime. St. Louis has now alternated wins and losses in its past eight games.

The Golden Knights scored four second period goals, including two on the power play, to take command. The first three goals came in less than three minutes of play.

St. Louis then scored three goals to lead 3-1 going into the second period.

The Blues quickly tied it 1-1 when Neighbours scored at 9:20. Ivan Barbashev a former Blue, lost the puck in the neutral zone and St. Louis had a 2 on 1 advantage. Neighbours who skated in and snapped a wrist shot over Thompson for his 10th of the season.

The Blues went up 2-1 on a goal in front by Hayes at 10:33. From the corner, Torey Krug directed a shot toward the net and Hayes, who was just outside the crease, deflected it in for the goal.

Kyrou made it 3-1 when he scored at 17:11. Kyrou weaved his way through Whitecloud, Nicholas Hague and Barbashev and then beat Thompson. The goal snapped a 10-game goal drought that was the fourth-longest goalless streak of his six-year career.

But that was it for the Blues offensively.

The Blues are at Columbus on Friday night.

Yadier Molina will remain with the St. Louis Cardinals as a special assistant to John Mozeliak, their president of baseball operations after the longtime catcher wrapped up his 19-year big league career in 2022.

The 41-year-old Molina was a 10-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner who played all 2,224 games of his career for St. Louis. That included 2,184 games behind the plate, the most by any catcher for one team in major league history.

Molina trails only Stan Musial, who played 22 seasons for St. Louis, for the most with the club. Along the way, he helped the Cardinals reach four World Series and win championships in 2006 and 2011. His longevity coupled with the success of those Cardinals teams are a big reason why he retired as their career postseason leader in hits (102) and games played (104).

Molina, a fourth-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2000 first-year player draft, served as the manager of Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in 2023. He also managed Navegantes del Magallanes in Venezuela.

Erick Fedde is returning to the majors with the Chicago White Sox after spending last season in South Korea.

The right-hander has agreed to a $15 million, two-year contract with Chicago, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the move was pending a physical.

The 30-year-old Fedde was selected by Washington in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft. He made his big league debut in 2017 and pitched for the Nationals for six seasons, going 21-33 with a 5.41 ERA in 102 games, including 88 starts.

After he went 6-13 with a 5.81 ERA over 27 starts in 2022, he signed a one-year contract with the NC Dinos. Fedde went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA and 209 strikeouts over 180 1/3 innings during his only season in South Korea.

Fedde likely slots into a Chicago rotation fronted by Dylan Cease. But the White Sox are under new leadership with general manager Chris Getz, and Cease could be traded before the beginning of next season.

Enrique Freeman scored 21 points as Akron beat Bradley 67-52 on Tuesday night.

Freeman added 18 rebounds, four steals, and four blocks for the Zips (5-3). Sammy Hunter scored 12 points while going 4 of 11 (2 for 4 from 3-point range). Nate Johnson was 3 of 8 shooting (2 for 4 from 3-point range) to finish with 10 points, while adding seven rebounds.

The Braves (6-3) were led by Duke Deen, who posted 14 points and two steals. Darius Hannah added 11 points and two steals for Bradley. Almar Atlason also had 11 points.

Bradley hosts Cleveland State on Friday night.

Marcus Domask and Terrence Shannon Jr. each scored 33 points, a career-high for both, as No. 20 Illinois shot 63% and surged ahead in the second half for a 98-89 victory over No. 11 Florida Atlantic in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday night.

Playing in this event for the second consecutive year, the Fighting Illini (7-1) won their fifth straight game thanks to Domask and Shannon, who combined for 49 points after halftime and finished a combined 25 of 35 from the field.

Domask shot 15 of 21 and surpassed his previous career high of 32 points set Jan. 29 for Southern Illinois at Illinois State. His big performance Tuesday came after he'd been held under double figures five times in seven games since transferring to Illinois.

Shannon went 10 for 14 and hit 11 of 13 free throws a year after leading Illinois to an overtime victory against Texas in this event. He topped his previous career high of 30 points set versus Monmouth in November 2022.

Domask and Shannon became the first Division I teammates to each score at least 30 points on 70% shooting in a game since Thomas Kenney and Drew Samuels did it for Marist in a 119-108 loss to Niagara in January 1999, according to OptaSTATS.

Vladislav Goldin had a career-best 23 points before fouling out in the final minute for Florida Atlantic (7-2), which made its first appearance at Madison Square Garden since beating Tennessee and Kansas State in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament in March to reach its first Final Four.

Johnell Davis added 19 points as the Owls shot 48% from the field. But they had few answers for Domask and Shannon on defense.

Shannon and Domask pushed Illinois to a 10-point lead with about 6 1/2 minutes left. Florida Atlantic twice cut it to two, but the Illini made nine free throws the rest of the way to ice it.

Coleman Hawkins returned to the starting lineup for Illinois after missing three games with a knee injury. The senior forward had six points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes.

Illinois plays at No. 17 Tennessee on Saturday.

Cleveland will have the No. 1 pick in next year’s amateur baseball draft for the first time, winning a lottery on the second try Tuesday after Washington came out with the top spot initially but was ineligible.

Major League Baseball and the players’ association agreed to the lottery in their March 2022 labor contract, an innovation to discourage struggling teams from deliberately trying for a top draft pick by getting rid of veterans.

The 18 teams that failed to make the playoffs entered the weighted lottery, and the first drawing of four ping-pong balls at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center came up with 3-9-11-13 — a winning combination for the Nationals among 1,001 combinations.

Washington was ineligible to pick in the top six because the collective bargaining agreement states a team that pays in the revenue-sharing plan cannot have a lottery pick in back-to-back years, and the Nationals chose outfielder Dylan Crews with the No. 2 selection this year.

Cincinnati will pick second in the July 14 draft at Arlington, Texas, followed by Colorado, Oakland, the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City, St. Louis, the Los Angeles Angels, Pittsburgh and Washington.

Detroit selects 11th, followed by Boston, San Francisco, the Chicago Cubs, Seattle, Miami, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay.

The New York Mets, Yankees and San Diego are each likely to drop 10 slots in the draft because they will exceed the threshold for the second luxury tax surcharge and were not winners of a top-six pick in the lottery. The Mets are projected to pick 19th, the Padres 25th and the Yankees 26th.

Oakland will be ineligible for a top-six selection in 2025 because it receives revenue-sharing money and already will have had two straight top-six picks.

Ryan O'Reilly scored in regulation and the shootout, and Nashville handed Chicago its fourth consecutive loss with a 4-3 victory over the Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

Gustav Nyquist and Filip Forsberg also converted their chances as Nashville went 3 for 3 in the tiebreaker against Chicago goaltender Arvid Soderblom. Connor Bedard scored in the shootout for Chicago, but Tyler Johnson was stopped by Juuse Saros.

Luke Evangelista and Mark Jankowski also scored for Nashville in regulation. Saros made 25 stops in regulation and overtime.

The Predators won for the eighth time in 10 games. They also improved to 21-4-4 in their last 29 games against the Blackhawks.

It was the first shootout game for each team this season.

Nick Foligno had two goals and an assist for Chicago, which has lost five of six overall. Jason Dickinson also scored, and Soderblom made 27 saves through OT.

Chicago had a chance to go in front about seven minutes into the third period, but Nashville defenseman Roman Josi swept a loose puck away from the goal line behind Saros.

The Blackhawks host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.

Wesley Clark and Zach Lewis paced a balanced Blue Ridge scoring attack as the Knights blew away Urbana Uni-High Tuesday night in non-conference high school boy's basketball action from Urbana.

Clark and Lewis each had 13 points. Colin Michaels scored nine points and Isaac Price and Corbin Colbert added six points apiece. 

The Knights opened up a 24-3 lead after the first quarter and led 42-16 at the intermission. 

Blue Ridge goes to 4-2 overall and will host Sullivan next Monday night in its Lincoln Prairie Conference opener. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello could not must any first-half offense, and the struggles allowed Williamsville to take control in a 55-27 blowout non-conference loss Tuesday night at the Sievers Center in Monticello.

Monticello was outscored 25-4 with only one field goal in the first half and ended up with the lowest offensive output in Coach Kevin Roy's 18 years as the boy's basketball coach.

The Sages finally got its offense going in the third quarter but it wasn't enough as the Bullets had an answer for each Sages basket and the lid came back on the hoop again in the fourth quarter as Monticello had just two fourth quarter field goals.

Monticello for the game shot 23 percent and committed 19 turnovers that turned into 17 points for Williamsville. 

Rai Colbert led Monticello with nine points on a trio of three-pointers. Trey Welter added six points. 

Perhaps the only bright spot for the Sages was they could outrebound Williamsville 28-24.

Cobert was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game. 

Williamsville goes to 3-0 while the Monticello falls to 2-2.

The Sages return home Friday night hosting Mt. Zion at 7 pm. Hear the action on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

After slowing down Peoria Heights early, Clinton could not keep up and Peoria Heights rolled the Maroons 49-24 in non-conference high school girl's basketball action Monday night in Peoria.

The Lady Maroons led 8-7 after one but were outscored 15-4 and 15-1 in the second and third quarters, respectively. 

Lilah Cluver led the Lady Maroons with seven points and Regan Filkin added six points. 

Clinton opens the Central Illinois Conference slate on Thursday when they host Shelbyville at Clinton High School.

After a slow start for both teams, a 15-2 third quarter scoring advantage allowed Decatur LSA to get by Blue Ridge 31-16 in non-conference high school girl's basketball action Monday night in Farmer City.

Phoebe Reynolds scored six points for the Lady Knights and Chelsea Lyle scored five points. 

Blue Ridge drops to 2-5 and will  host Fisher on Friday. 

Ryheem Tyus scored 34 points and led Decatur St. Teresa over Argenta-Oreana 59-52 at the Macon County tournament from Argenta Monday night.

Max Schilawski added 14 points for the Bulldogs. 

Ethan Mahan scored 19 points for the Bombers. Jalynn Jawon Flowers added 13. 

Tonight at the Macon County Tournament, Meridian takes on Central A&M at 6 pm to be followed by Maroa-Forsyth battling Cerro Gordo-Bement at 7:30 pm. 

Chase Elliott overcame the worst season of his career to maintain his hold on the NASCAR most popular driver award for the sixth consecutive year.

Elliott missed seven races this season, failed to make the playoffs and wasn’t required to attend Thursday night’s season-ending awards ceremony at the Music City Center. But he showed to pick up the only award solely voted on by fans.

Elliott beat new NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson in the voting, per results released by the National Motorsports Press Association.

Elliott went winless in 2023 and failed to earn a berth in the playoffs for the first time in his eight Cup seasons. He missed six races with a broken leg suffered in a snowboarding crash early in the season, and was suspended for one race for deliberately wrecking Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600.

He wound up 17th in the final Cup standings.

Riverton-native Justin Allgaier was voted most popular driver of the Xfinity Series, while Hailie Deegan won most popular of the Truck Series.

Pavel Buchnevich scored 38 seconds into overtime and the St. Louis Blues beat the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 on Monday night.

Alexey Toropchenko scored in regulation for the Blues and Jordan Binnington made 33 saves.

The Blues improved to 12-0-0 when scoring the first goal of the game, and are 3-0-1 in their last four straight trips to Vegas.

Jack Eichel scored for the Golden Knights while Logan Thompson made 25 saves.

In the extra period, Buchnevich was alone at the right corner when he took a pass from Robert Thomas and slammed the puck past Thompson.

Binnington was easily the star of the game after struggling over his previous six starts, during which he had the league's sixth-highest goals-against average of 4.56, and the highest among goaltenders with at least five starts since Nov. 18.

The game certainly opened with a battle between Binnington and Thompson, who were exceptional at keeping the puck out of the goal.

After a relatively quiet first period, Toropchenko deflected a shot from Colton Parayko and past Thompson to give the Blues a 1-0 lead with 21 seconds left.

Binnington continued to stymie Vegas’ efforts in the second period, exemplified by three highlight saves.

The first time he slid across the crease just in time to thwart Nic Roy at the corner of the goal, and later dropped into the splits to stifle former teammate Ivan Barbashev.

The third might have been the most impressive, with 2:30 left in the second, when Barbashev swiped the puck at the blue line and sprung Eichel for a chance in front only to have Binnington poke-check the puck off his stick at the doorstep.

The Golden Knights finally broke through when Eichel fired a shot from the top of the right circle and it found its way past Binnington into the top-left corner for a power-play goal with 7:02 left in regulation.

Vegas had failed on its first three power-play opportunities. The Blues, who came into the game with the league’s second-best road penalty kill having stopped 28 of 31 shots (90.3%), now rank fourth in the league with an 88.2% PK away from St. Louis.

The teams conclude a home-and-home series in St. Louis on Wednesday.

Jordan Love connected with Christian Watson on two of his three touchdown passes and the resurgent Green Bay Packers won their third straight game, 27-19 over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.

This marked the first time Love had faced the Chiefs since a 13-7 loss at Kansas City two years ago in his first career start, after a positive COVID-19 test sidelined Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers scored touchdowns on three of their first four drives and never trailed, with their defense making two big stops in the last 5 1/2 minutes. Green Bay knocked down Mahomes' pass into the end zone on the game’s final play.

Since losing four straight earlier this season, the Packers have won four of five to creep into playoff position.

The Packers (6-6) improved their December record to 16-0 under LaFleur. The only team ever to win more consecutive December games was the San Diego Chargers with 18 straight from 2006-09, before their move to Los Angeles.

Love went 25 of 36 for 267 yards. Tight end Ben Sims had a 1-yard catch for his first career touchdown, and Love added TD passes of 9 and 12 yards to Watson.

Mahomes was 21 of 33 for 210 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs (8-4), who lost in front of pop superstar Taylor Swift for the first time.

Kansas City still leads the AFC West but fell behind three other teams for the top seed in the conference.

Isiah Pacheco rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown before getting ejected for punching Keisean Nixon during a scuffle on the game’s final series. Noah Gray had a 2-yard TD catch early in the fourth quarter that got Kansas City within two.

Mahomes had a couple of late chances to tie the game or take the lead.

Kansas City had a first down just beyond midfield when Nixon picked off Mahomes' pass intended for Skyy Moore with 5:14 left. The turnover set up a 48-yard field goal by Anders Carlson that made it 27-19.

Kansas City got the ball back at its own 30 with 1:09 left and no timeouts remaining.

Mahomes had a 10-yard run and got hit by Jonathan Owens while going out of bounds, leading to a personal foul that put the ball at Green Bay’s 45. Rashee Rice then appeared to fumble, with Green Bay’s Corey Ballentine returning it for a game-clinching touchdown, but replays showed Rice was down before the ball came loose.

Kansas City couldn’t capitalize.

The Chiefs argued in vain for a pass interference call on a long incompletion to Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the final minute. The Chiefs had the ball at Kansas City’s 33 on the game’s final play, when Mahomes threw into a crowd, and there was plenty of contact before the ball fell to the ground.

The Packers Watson injured his hamstring while running for a first down late in the fourth quarter. CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) missed a fourth consecutive game. RB Aaron Jones (knee) and TE Josiah Deguara (hip) were out for a second straight game.

The Packers are at the New York Giants on Monday, Dec. 11.

Kendall Lewis scored 14 points as Illinois State beat Murray State 76-72 on Sunday.

Lewis added five rebounds for the Redbirds (5-3). Myles Foster added 12 points while finishing 6 of 10 from the floor, and he also had five rebounds. Darius Burford had 12 points and shot 6 for 10, including 0 for 3 from beyond the arc.

Quincy Anderson finished with 27 points and two steals for the Racers (3-4). Rob Perry added 15 points for Murray State. In addition, Jacobi Wood finished with 11 points and four assists.

Illinois State plays Wednesday against Northern Kentucky at home.

Marco Rossi scored twice and Mats Zuccarello had a goal and two assists for the Minnesota Wild in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

Matt Boldy also scored for Minnesota, which has won three in a row after firing coach Dean Evason and replacing him with John Hynes. The Wild had scored only 13 goals in losing seven straight games, leading to Evason’s dismissal. In the three games since, Minnesota has outscored opponents 13-3.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots for the Wild, who have won 10 in a row against Chicago.

The Blackhawks lost their third game in a row overall, with Petr Mrazek making 30 saves. Taylor Raddysh scored in the third period for Chicago, which has been outscored 13-2 during its losing streak.

In No. 1 draft pick Connor Bedard’s first game in Minnesota, it was the Wild’s standout rookie duo playing a big role on Sunday. Rossi, who has been elevated to the top line with Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov, scored just 2:11 into the game.

The Blackhawks host Nashville on Tuesday night. 

Monticello defeats Marshall in a Saturday afternoon game heard on WEZC. 

The Sages jumped out to a 15-11 lead after the first quarter of play and never trailed the rest of the game. 

Monticello was led by Ike Young in scoring with 10 points and 6 rebounds as he went 4-7 from the field and 1-5 from the charity stripe. Raiden Colbert scored 7, Trey Welter scored 8, and Maddux Quick scored 7. The Sages shot 40.4% from the field for the game and shot 30% for three-pointers.

Marshall was led in scoring by Payton McGuire who scored 12 points and had 5 rebounds. Other Lions in the scoring column were RJ Mattas with 8, Bentley Delp with 8, and Avery Sheets with 6.

With the win the Sages are now 2-1 on the season, and the Marshall Lions are now 2-3 after the loss.

Monticello's next game will be on Tuesday, December 8th when they host the Williamsville Bullets.

Northwestern upset No. 1 Purdue inside Welsh-Ryan Arena for the second season in a row on Friday behind 31 points from Boo Buie, who helped the Wildcats outlast the Boilermakers 92-88 in overtime. The win marked a momentous beginning to Big Ten play for Northwestern, which fell behind 29-16 early and trailed 40-32 at halftime before Buie, Ty Berry and Ryan Langborg got hot after the break.

The trio combined for 72 of Northwestern's points, but Buie stole the show. The fifth-year senior guard hit a go-ahead floater over Zach Edey with 3.2 seconds left in regulation to tie the game before Edey answered with a bucket with 0.6 seconds remaining to force overtime. 

The extra period belonged to the Wildcats and Buie, who scored seven points in overtime, including two critical free throws with 13 seconds remaining. Buie has a chance to become the program's all-time leading scorer this season, and Friday's performance constituted another memorable chapter to his legacy after he willed the program to its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance last season. He played all but a two-minute stretch in the first half and racked up nine assists without committing a single turnover in the game as the Boilermakers struggled to come up with defensive answers.

It amounted to a moment of deja vu for the reigning Big Ten champions. Purdue also lost at Northwestern last season while ranked No. 1. It wound up being part of a 4-4 stretch to close the regular season for Purdue, which rebounded by winning the Big Ten Tournament before suffering a stunning upset loss to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round on the NCAA Tournament.

The Fighting Illini (5-1) open Big Ten play in a matchup of two of the conference's early defensive leaders.

Rutgers and Illinois pride themselves on their defense and rebounding, which makes this opener a perfect pairing.

The Illini get it done by pacing the country in field-goal defense (34.0 percent), while the Scarlet Knights rank right behind at 34.6 percent.

Both teams are getting stellar seasons from their best players.

Terrence Shannon Jr., an absurdly athletic wing in his second season since transferring from Texas Tech, averages 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 43.9 percent from 3-point range.

Rutgers big man Cliff Omoruyi has produced 11.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.

Tipoff is at 3:00 this afternoon.

In a game heard Friday night on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons edged Maroa-Forsyth, 69-68, in a non-conference boys basketball game at Clinton High School.  

Prior to the varsity matchup, Clinton High's new gym floor was officially dedicated as "Gene Vance Court,"  and the first official game on the newly christened court was a thriller.

Clinton jumped out to a first half lead, and led by as many as twelve points in the second half, however the Trojans were able to chip away in the final three minutes.  Maroa-Forsyth even took a lead at 68 to 67 with just 9-seconds to play, however the Maroons had one more basket up their sleeve.  Mason Walker pushed the ball up the court, and dished to Keaton Graves on the baseline.  Graves went up around a Trojans defender, and laid in a reverse layup as time expired to give the Maroons the one point win.  

Graves' acrobatic game winner earned him the WHOW / Serv Pro of DeWitt/Piatt County Maroons Player of the Game award.  The sophomore finished with 9-points.  Mason Walker lead all scorers with 29-points. Dawson Graves added 17 for Clinton, and Brooks Cluver had six.  

Maroa-Forsyth falls to 0-2 on the season.  The Trojans were led by Mitch Williams with 19 points; Kaiden Maurer had 16; and Grant Smith had 14.  

Clinton improves to 6-0 on the year, and next play Saturday in the Edinburg shootout against Pleasant Plains.  Our next Maroons broadcast is set for next Friday when Clinton hosts Eureka.

Darius Burford's 20 points helped Illinois State defeat UIC 69-64 on Thursday night in a Missouri Valley Conference opener.

Burford was 7 of 10 and 6 of 7 from the free throw line for the Redbirds (4-3). Dalton Banks scored 19 points, going 7 of 10 and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. Luke Kasubke had 11 points and shot 4 0f 5 from the field and 1 for 5 from the line.

The Flames (5-3) were led in scoring by Filip, who finished with 17 points. Isaiah Rivera added 15 points and two steals for UIC. Toby Okan also recorded nine points, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.

Shay Davis led the Leathernecks with 22 points and also added three steals. James Dent Jr. scored 15 points and added five rebounds. JJ Kalakon shot 6 of 7 from the field to finish with 12 points.

Chris Cross finished with 13 points for the Trojans. Harrison Askey added seven points for Hannibal-LaGrange. Khalib Becton also put up five points.

Western Illinois hosts South Dakota in its next matchup on Saturday.

The Detroit Red Wings, with a suddenly potent power play, are building momentum ahead of Patrick Kane's expected debut with the team next week.

J.T. Compher and Robby Fabbri scored twice each to help Detroit rout the Blackhawks 5-1 on Thursday night.

Alex Lyon stopped 34 shots for the Red Wings, who have won four of five games and are getting closer to having the newly acquired Kane in the lineup.

Connor Bedard set up Lukas Reichel for a tying goal early in the first period, giving the rookie center a team-high 18 points in 21 games, but the Blackhawks could not keep up at either end of the ice as they lost for the seventh time in nine games.

Bedard was so frustrated by CHicago's power play in the pivotal second period that he broke his stick hitting it against the boards before going to the bench. When Bedard's wrist shot in the third didn't get past Lyon, he went to the bench and punched the back of the boards in frustration. 

Former Detroit goaltender Petr Mrazek had 24 saves.

Compehre scored a short-handed goal 2:29 into the first, finishing an odd-man rush with Andre Copp. A minute later, Bedard's behind-the-net pass assisted Reichel on his second goal this season.

Fabbri, who had a goal and an assist in a loss at the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, dangled the puck around flailing defenseman Wyatt Kaiser and his backhander gave the Red Wings a go-ahead goal midway through the first.

The Blackhawks travel to Winnipeg to take on the Jets on Saturday afternoon.

Alex Caruso took the handoff from Nikola Vucevic at the top of the key and dribbled twice to his right before launching a fadeaway 3-pointer over Brook Lopez at the end of regulation.

The ball swished through the net to force overtime and help propel the short-handed Chicago Bulls over the Milwaukee Bucks 120-113 on Thursday night. Vucevic scored a season-high 29 points, and Coby White added 23. Chicago pulled off a surprise with Zach LaVine (sore right foot) and DeMar DeRozan (sprained left ankle) sidelined by injuries.

The Bulls won for just the sixth time in 20 games. But they beat one of the NBA's best teams after losing five in a row. 

The Bulls trailed 110-109 in overtime when Vucevic cut for a dunk with 2:28 remaining, sparking an eight-point run. Patrick Williams finished the decisive spurt when he dunked with 31 seconds remaining, and Chicago hung on from there.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Lopez scored 20, and Malik Beasley added 29 points. Damian Lillard s

cored 18, but the Bucks came up short after winning eight of nine. 

The Bulls host the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night.