Class 1A Regional Championship Action from Friday

Illini Bluffs 47

Delavan 37

Casey-Westfield 54

Tuscola 57

LeRoy 48

Heyworth 38

Mendon Unity 37

Illini Central 46

Lexington 42

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 51

Effingham St. Anthony 43

Arcola 31

Class 2A Regional Championship Action from Friday

Bloomington Central Catholic 39

Tri-Valley 40

Bismarck-Henning 52

Paxton-Buckley-Loda 40

St. Joseph-Ogden 56

Warrensburg-Latham 62

Williamsville 55

Quincy Notre Dame 33

Peoria Manual 72

Tremont 36

Class 3A Regional Championship Action from Friday

Decatur MacArthur 54

Champaign Central 60

Morton 43

Metamora 45

Peoria 57

Peoria Richwoods 52

Springfield Lanphier 39

Chatham-Glenwood 43

Mt. Zion 66

Mahomet-Seymour 45

Lincoln 38

Taylorville 23

Class 4A Regional Championship Action from Friday

Normal Community 51

Minooka 38

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello scored ten straight points after falling behind early and used a big third quarter to down rival Tolono Unity 53-38 in Class 2A Regional Championship action from Westville Friday night.

Monticello trailed 22-12 at the 4:20 mark of the second quarter, but Tyler Blythe helped fuel a Sages 10-0 run to tie the game, and Monticello and Unity ended up tied at 24-24 at halftime.

Unity's Brayden Henry hit a three-pointer right out of the half, but the Rockets did not score a field goal the rest of the quarter and were outscored 14-2 the rest of the frame. 

After a Miatthis Rudolph driving layup made the score 43-29 in the fourth quarter, the Rockets got within 43-3,4 but that was as close as they would get the rest of the way. 

Monticello closed out the win and clinched its first Regional Championship since 2021.

Gatsby Grant finished with a game-high 15 points, 10 coming in the second half, and had seven boards. Blythe finished with 13 points - he scored ten in the first half. He also grabbed a game-best nine rebounds. 

The two seniors were Piatt/DeWitt Counties co-players of the game for their contributions in fueling runs at critical points during the game.

Rudolph added ten points for Monticello. 

Monticello scored 28 points in the paint. 

Unity ends its season at 24-9 overall.

Monticello improves to 18-13 overall. They advance to the Tolono Unity Sectional, where they will meet Teutopolis on Tuesday night at 7 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Argenta-Oreana used a huge third quarter to get by Salt Fork 49-40 in Class 1A high school boy's basketball Regional Championship action Friday night in Mt. Pulaski.

The Bombers trailed 25-19 at halftime but outscored Salt Fork 13-4 to go up 32-29 going into the fourth quarter.

Damian Gude had 16 points for Argenta-Oreana. Tyson Oros added 15 points, and Carter Logue finished with 10.

Salt Fork finishes its season 19-11 overall.

Argenta-Oreana improves to 19-13 overall. They will take on LeRoy from the Ridgeview Sectional on Tuesday at 7 pm. 

Class 1A Boy's basketball Regional championship action tonight

Casey-Westfield 6:00pm

Tuscola

LeRoy 6:00pm

Heyworth

Mendon Unity 7:00pm

Illini Central

Lexington 7:00pm

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley

Effingham St. Anthony 7:00pm

Arcola

Salt Fork 7:00p

Argenta-Oreana

Class 2A  Boy's basketball Regional Championship action tonight

Tolono Unity 7:00pm Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online

Monticello at dewittdailynews.com. 

Bloomington Central Catholic 7:00pm

Tri-Valley

Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin 7:00pm

Paxton-Buckley-Loda

St. Joseph-Ogden 7:00pm

Warrensburg-Latham

Williamsville 7:00pm

Quincy Notre Dame

Peoria Manual 6:00pm

Tremont

Class 3A boy's basketball Regional Championship action tonight

Decatur MacArthur 7:00pm

Champaign Central

Morton 7:00pm

Metamora

Peoria 7:00pm

Peoria Richwoods

Mt. Zion 6:00pm

Mahomet-Seymour

Springfield Lanphier 7:00pm

Chatham-Glenwood

Lincoln 7:00pm

Taylorville

Class 4A boy's basketball Regional Championship action tonight

Normal Community 7:00pm

Minooka

Class 1A girl's basketball Sectional Championship from Thursday

Decatur St. Teresa 45

Effingham St. Anthony 40

Class 2A girl's basketball Sectional Championship from Thursday

Dee-Mack 43

Peoria Notre Dame 47

Camp Point Central 51 F-OT

Pleasant Plains 44

Class 3A girl's basketball Sectional Championship action from Thursday

Mahomet-Seymour 17

Quincy Notre Dame 57

Washington 60

Morton 50

Coy Taylor scored 29 points and St. Jospeh-Ogden overcame a spirited effort by the depleted Maroa-Forsyth Trojans to escape with a 60-52 Class 2A Regional semifinal victory Wednesday night from the Meridian Regional in high school boy's basketball action.

Taylor's nine second quarter points helped St. Joe jump out to a 32-22 halftime lead after the Trojans led 16-13 through one quarter.

Caebrin Lee led the Trojans with 20 points. Kenny Morris finished with 13.

Taylor was the only Spartans player in double figures Wednesday.

Maroa-Forsyth finishes 14-15 overall. 

Class 1A Regional semifinal scores from Wednesday

Delavan 58

Rushville-Industry 27

Tuscola 54

Martinsville 33

Georgetown La Salette 57

Fisher 37

LeRoy 42

Streator-Woodland 30

St. Anne 46

Heyworth 50

Lexington 50

Cissna Park 45

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 52

Kankakee Grace Christian Academy 36

Arcola 49

Bethany Okaw Valley 34

Salt Fork 44

Decatur Unity Christian 43

Class 2A Regional semifinal action from Wednesday

El Paso-Gridley 44

Bloomington Central Catholic 62

Tri-Valley 60

Normal U-High 57

Paxton-Buckley-Loda 56

Hoopeston 43

St. Joseph-Ogden 60

Maroa-Forsyth 52

Warrensburg-Latham 60

Shelbyville 39

Tremont 57

Peoria Notre Dame 48

Tolono Unity 69

Fithian Oakwood 36

Class 3A Regional Semifinal action from Wednesday

Decatur MacArthur 83

Urbana 51

Champaign Central 64

Champaign Centennial 53

Morton 63

Galesburg 24

Metamora 55

Dunlap 40

Peoria 74

Limestone 41

East Peoria 75

Peoria Richwoods 81

Kankakee 78

Pontiac 38

Springfield Lanphier 59

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 41

Chatham-Glenwood 44

Springfield 36

Lincoln 64

Springfield Southeast 20

Rochester 37

Taylorville 40

Class 4A Regional semifinal action from Wednesday

Normal Community 62

Normal West 49

Class 1A girls' basketball sectional championship action tonight

Decatur St. Teresa 6:30pm

Effingham St. Anthony

Class 2A girls' basketball sectional championship action tonight

Dee-Mack 7:00pm

Peoria Notre Dame

Class 3A girls' basketball sectional championship action tonight

Mahomet-Seymour 6:30pm

Quincy Notre Dame

Washington 6:00pm

Morton

A big close to the game allowed Argenta-Oreana to get by Mt. Pulaski 73-62 in Class 1A high school boy's basketball Regional semifinal action from Mt. Pulaski Wednesday night. 

The Bombers held a 54-53 lead at the end of the third quarter but outscored the Hilltoppers 19-11 in the fourth.

Damian Gude led all scorers with 22 points for Argenta-Oreana. Carter Logue scored 17 points and MJ Hall added 10. 

Eric Cooper scored 19 points to lead Mt. Pulaski. Luke Martin had 13 points and Franklin Wade finished with 11 points.

Mt. Pulaski finishes its season 15-16 overall. 

Argenta-Oreana improves to 18-13. The Bombers will advance to take on top-seeded Salt Fork Friday night for the Regional Championship.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello survived against Westville, 60-52 in Class 2A Regional semifinal action from Westville on Wednesday.

Four players scored in double figures as Monticello held a double-digit lead late in the first half.

The Tigers stayed close thanks to shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc. 

Tigers' freshman Kiptyn Appl led all scorers with 19 points.

The Sages defense held the Tigers leading scorers to a combined seven points but the freshman played excellent Wednesday.

Preston Wright added 15 points and Matthew Darling scored 12 points.

Ike Young led Monticello with 15 points and nine boards. Tyler Blythe chipped in with 14 points. Nolan Buehnerkemper added 12 points and six rebounds while sophomore Matthias Rudolph finished with 11 points.

Buehnerkemper was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties player of the game.

Westville finishes 26-7 for the season.

The Sages improve to 17-13 overall. Monticello advances to take on Tolono Unity for the Regional Championship Friday night in Westville.

Game time is 7 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms, the Clinton Maroons played strong defense through the first half but wasn't quite enough, and fell to the Peoria Manual Rams by a final score of 62-45 in the semifinal round of the Tremont Regional.

The Maroons were led by Servpro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of The Game Colton Walker who scored 21 points, 11 coming in the first half. Keaton Graves added 13 points while Dalton Bell added seven.

The number one-seeded Rams were led by Amare Breedlove who put up 22 points. Joshua Humbles added 13, all of which came in the second half. 

With the loss, the Maroons end their season with a record of 18-15. The Rams improve to 19-12 and move on to the Regional Championship. 

Tune into WHOW and all its digital platforms when the Maroons baseball season begins on March 20th. They'll take on Tolono Unity, first pitch will be at 4:30.

Class 1A girl's basketball sectional semifinal action from Tuesday

At Arcola

Salt Fork        32

Decatur St. Teresa    38

Effingham St. Anthony    45

Arcola        34

At Midland

Roanoke-Benson        50

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley    29

Class 2A girl's basketball sectional semifinal action from Tuesday

At Dee-Mack

Dee-Mack        41

Monmouth-Roseville    38

Peoria Notre Dame        65

Bloomington Central Catholic    28

At Paris

Mt. Carmel        39

Sullivan        37

Class 3A girl's basketball sectional semifinal action from Tuesday

At Chatham-Glenwood

Mahomet-Seymour    54

Rochester        32

Quincy Notre Dame    62

Decatur MacArthur    53

At Ottawa

Washington    55

Galesburg    47

Morton    59

Ottawa    46

Class 4A girl's basketball sectional semifinal action from Tuesday

Alton Sectional @ Normal West

Pekin        47

Normal Community    39

Class 1A boy's basketball regional semifinal action tonight

At Bushnell-Prairie City

Delavan         7:30pm

Rushville-Industry

At Chrisman

Tuscola         7:30pm

Martinsville

At Danville Schlarman

Georgetown La Salette    7:30pm

Fisher

At LeRoy

LeRoy         6:00pm

Streator-Woodland

St. Anne         7:30pm

Heyworth

At Illini Central

Illini Central     7:30pm

Midwest Central

At Milford

Lexington         6:00pm

Cissna Park

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley    7:30pm

Kankakee Grace Christian Academy

At Central A & M

Arcola         7:30pm

Bethany-Okaw Valley

At Mt. Pulaski

Catlin Salt Fork     6:00pm

Decatur Unity Christian

Argenta-Oreana    7:30pm

Mt. Pulaski

Class 2A boy's basketball regional semifinal action tonight

At El Paso-Gridley

El Paso-Gridley    6:00pm

Bloomington Central Catholic

Tri-Valley         7:30pm

Normal U-High

At Hoopeston

Paxton-Buckley-Loda    7:30pm

Hoopeston

At Meridian

St. Joseph-Ogden     6:00pm

Maroa-Forsyth

Warrensburg-Latham     7:30pm

Shelbyville

At Tremont

Peoria Manual    5:30pm

Clinton

Tremont         7:00pm

Peoria Notre Dame

At Westville

Tolono Unity     6:00pm

Fithian-Oakwood

Monticello         7:30pm

Westville

Class 3A boy's basketball regional semifinal action

At Champaign Centennial

Decatur MacArthur     6:00pm

Urbana 

Champaign Central    7:30pm

Champaign Centennial

At Dunlap

Morton         6:00pm

Galesburg

Metamora         7:30pm

Dunlap

At East Peoria

Peoria         6:00pm

Limestone

East Peoria         7:30pm

Peoria Richwoods

At Mt. Zion

Mt. Zion         6:00pm

Danville

Decatur Eisenhower    7:30pm

Mahomet-Seymour

At Springfield Lanphier

Springfield Lanphier     6:00pm

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin

Chatham-Glenwood     7:30pm

Springfield

At Springfield Southeast

Lincoln         6:00pm

Springfield Southeast

Rochester         7:30pm

Taylorville

Class 4A boy's basketball regional semifinal action tonight

At Normal West

Normal Community     6:00pm

Normal West

Tomislav Ivisic scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half and Illinois recovered from its beat down at the hands of Duke by beating Iowa 81-61 on Tuesday night.

Kylan Boswell and Will Riley each scored 15 points and Tre White had 14 for Illinois (18-11, 10-8 Big Ten), which shot 50.8% (32 for 63).

The Illini ended a three-game losing streak which occurred against teams that were all ranked (No. 11 Michigan State, No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 3 Duke.). The average margin of defeat was 26 points including the 110-67 loss against Duke in New York's Madison Square Garden.

Brock Harding scored 16 points and Josh Dix 11 for Iowa (15-13, 6-11).

The Illini built a 19-6 lead and went to intermission up 37-30 in a first half in which they never trailed. They started the second half in near identical fashion as the first by outscoring the Hawkeyes 19-8 in the first five-and-a-half minutes and led 56-38.

Illinois takes to the road to face 15th-ranked Michigan on Sunday.

Kennard Davis had 24 points in Southern Illinois' 88-79 victory over Illinois State on Tuesday night.

Davis also contributed five assists for the Salukis (13-17, 8-11 Missouri Valley Conference). Ali Abdou Dibba scored 22 points and added six rebounds. Drew Steffe had 18 points.

Dalton Banks led the Redbirds (17-13, 9-10) in scoring, finishing with 18 points and three steals. Illinois State also got 13 points and six rebounds from Johnny Kinziger. Malachi Poindexter also recorded 12 points.

Southern Illinois took the lead with 15:02 remaining in the first half and did not relinquish it. Jarrett Hensley led his team in scoring with 14 points in the first half to help put them ahead 43-35 at the break. Kennard Davis Jr.'s 18-point second half helped Southern Illinois close out the nine-point victory.

Illinois State plays Evansville at home on Sunday.

Illinois (5-2) opened the 2025 baseball home slate with a 19-8 victory today over Aurora at Illinois Field.

Jack Zebig provided some loud offense in the ballgame, going 2-for-4 with a run, double, grand slam and six RBI. Greg LaChance and Kyle Schupmann also homered in the contest.

The Illini used nine pitchers in the game, with Brayden Mazzacano getting the ball first, making his first career start, and Reed Gannon picking up his first-career win in relief by tossing a scoreless inning in the fifth.

Illinois went up 5-1 in the third when LaChance's two-run homer capped a three-run frame.

After Aurora cut the deficit to 5-4, Zebig's grand slam in the bottom half of the frame began to put the game out of reach, as his second home run of the season made it 12-7.

Illinois added two more runs in the seventh and Schupmann's three-run blast in the eighth capped off a five-run frame as the Illini ultimately went on to win 19-8.

LaChance finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored, a home run, two RBI and a walk. Schupmann was 2-for-3 with four runs scored, a double, home run, three RBI and three walks.

Nick Groves went 2-for-5 with two runs, a double, three RBI and a walk while Cameron Chee-Aloy stole five bases - setting a new program record.

Illinois Slams DIII Aurora

Illinois heads to the Las Vegas College Baseball Classic starting Friday with a matchup against Texas Tech. The round-robin tournament also features matchups against Washington and nationally-ranked Texas.

Mitch Williams scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the first half and Maroa-Forsyth used a big start to roll past Meridian 65-43 in high school boy's basketball Class 2A Regional quarterfinal action Monday in Maroa.

Williams and Caebrin Lee scored eight first quarter points apiece to propel the Trojans to a 23-7 first quarter lead and a 42-19 halftime advantage thanks to seven more from Williams in the second quarter.

Lee finished with 12 points for the game. Brady Doss added 12 points and Kenny Morris scored eight points.

The Trojans are 14-14 overall. They take on St. Joseph-Ogden from the Meridian Regional Wednesday night at 6 pm.

Argenta-Oreana escaped a three-win Decatur St. Teresa 60-58 in Class 1A high school boy's basketball Regional Quarterfinal action Monday night in Argenta.

MJ Hall scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Bombers. Carter Logue chipped in with ten points.

Brett Cleary led St. T with 16 while Eli Etchason scored 11 points. Tommy Herman added ten for the Bulldogs.

St. T finishes its season 3-27 overall.

Argenta-Oreana is 17-13 overall and will take on Mt. Pulaski Wednesday night in Mt. Pulaski. The Hilltoppers defeated Blue Ridge on Monday. 

In a game heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms, The Clinton Maroons Defeated The Deer Creek-Mackinaw Chiefs by a final score of 61-55 on Monday night in the first round of the post-season.

The Maroons were led by The Serv Pro of Piatt/Dewitt Counties player of the game Colton Walker’s 21 points 13 of which came in the fourth quarter along with his clutch blocked corner three attempt in the final seconds. Keaton Graves pitched in 19 and Dalton Bell had 17. 

The Chiefs were led by 6 foot-five center Jerry Hahn’s 17 points and Coen Gilbert pitched in 14.

With the win, the Maroons move to 17-14 on the year and advance to the next round of the post-season when they face Peoria Manual on Wednesday in Tremont with tip-off being at 5:30 pm. Hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

The high school boy’s basketball season begins the journey to the state championships in Champaign tonight.

Clinton plays host to Dee-Mack in a Regional quarterfinal matchup. Game time tonight is 6:30 pm. Hear all the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

Class 1A Regional Quarterfinal action

Arcola         6:00pm

Beecher City

Argenta-Oreana    6:00pm

Decatur St. Teresa

Bethany Okaw Valley     6:00pm

Central A & M

Salt Fork         6:00 pm

DeLand-Weldon

Cerro Gordo     6:30pm

Decatur Unity Christian

Danville Schlarman     6:00pm

Champaign St. Thomas More

Delavan         6:00pm

Camp Point Central

Fisher         6:00pm

Champaign Judah Christian

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley    6:00pm

Donovan

Heyworth         6:00pm

Ridgeview

LeRoy         6:00pm

Normal Calvary Christian Academy

LeRoy         6:00pm

Normal Calvary Christian Academy

Midwest Central     6:00pm

Hartsburg-Emden [Hart-Em]

Illini Central     6:00pm

Astoria

Mt. Pulaski         6:00pm

Blue Ridge

Tuscola         6:00pm

Villa Grove

Class 2A Regional quarterfinal action

Bloomington Central Catholic     7:00pm

Eureka

Prairie Central    6:30pm

Herscher

Fithian-Oakwood    6:00pm

Sullivam

Maroa-Forsyth    6:00pm

Meridian

Normal U-High     6:00pm

Illinois Valley Central

Peoria Notre Dame     7:00pm

Olympia

Shelbyville         6:30pm

Pana

Westville         7:00pm

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond

Class 3A Regional Quarterfinal action

Limestone        6:00pm

Washington

Danville    6:00pm

Bloomington

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin     6:00pm

Jacksonville

Urbana     6:00pm

Rantoul

In a gem of a high school basketball heard on WEZC, Monticello was able to take the no. 2 team in Class 2A to double-overtime, but Bismarck-Henning outlasted the Sages 56-49 at the Sievers Center in Monticello.

The Sages controlled most of the game, leading for 25 minutes and 21 seconds to the Blue Devils five minutes and 11 seconds. 

Monticello led by as many as nine points in the second quarter. The game was also tied for eight minutes and 17 seconds thanks largely to stall offense run by both teams late. 

Only four players scored for Bismarck-Henning and all four reached double figures. Micah Stanford led all scorers with 17 points. Chaz Dubois added 16 points. Keison Peoples scored 13 points and Caden Keleminic added ten points.

The Sages were led by Gatsby Grant's 12 points. Matthias Rudolph added ten points and Ike Young finished with nine points.

Young's defensive effort on the Blue Devils two guards - Stanford and Peoples - earned him the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game. 

Monticello shot 47.5 percent from the floor but finished 4-of-9 at the foul line. 

Bismarck-Henning finished 17-of-23 at the foul line and shot 39 percent from the floor. 

Each side made seven three-pointers.

Monticello was outrebounded 27-24. They finished with 22 points in the paint. 

The Blue Devils turned 16 turnovers into 13 points. 

Monticello had 12 assists on its 19 field goals made.

The Blue Devils finish the regular season at 30-1 overall. 

Monticello finishes the regular season at 16-13 overall. They will await the winner of Monday's Regional quarterfinal matchup between ALAH and Westville for a Wednesday 7:30 pm game in Westville. 

Caebrin Lee scored 23 points and carried Maroa-Forsyth to a 40-33 win in the regular season finale of high school boy's basketball action Friday night in New Berlin.

The score was just 7-3 Trojans after the first quarter and 20-13 at the half.

Lee helped Maroa-Forsyth put it away in the fourth quarter with ten points.

The Trojans finish the regular season 13-14 overall and 4-5 in the Sangamo Conference.

Maroa-Forsyth hosts Meridian Monday night in Class 2A Regional quarterfinal action. 

In a game heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms, the Clinton Maroon defeated the Argenta-Orenea Bombers 78-29 Friday night in Clinton in the final game of the regular season. 

The Maroons were led by 27 points from Keaton Graves who led all scorers. Dalton Bell pitched in 14 while Colton Walker had 12. The award of Servpro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game was awarded to all 6 of the Maroons Seniors in Honor of Senior Night. 

Leading the scoring for the Bombers was M.J. Hall with 7 and Carter Logue with 6.

The Clinton Maroons were in control since the tip and never looked back winning in the biggest margin of the season for the Maroons 49 points.

With the win, the Maroons end their regular season with a record of 16- 14.

The Bombers fall to 16-13 with this loss.

Tune in on Monday when the Clinton Maroons take on Deer Creek-Mackinaw in the first round of the postseason. Tip-off is at 6:30 PM, hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms   

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello started fast but Paris turned the defense up and stifled the Lady Sages en route to a 45-36 Class 2A high school girl's basketball Regional Championship at Meridian High School Thursday night.

Senior Megan Allen helped Monticello maintain an 18-17 advantage at the half, but the second half was all Lady Tigers. 

Paris would lead by as many as 12 as Monticello had no answers for the Lady Tigers' defensive pressure and their dribble-drive.

Allen led the Lady Sages with 14 points. Ali Weidner added 11 points.

Allen - who finishes a stellar varsity career - was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties player of the game.

Paris will advance and host the sectional next week.

Monticello ends its season at 19-11 overall. 

Class 2A girl's basketball Regional Championship action Thursday

At Bloomington Central Catholic

Bloomington Central Catholic    60

Tremont    43

At Maroa-Forsyth

Maro-Forsyth    35    

Sullivan    37

At Peoria Manual

DeeMack        46

Peoria Manual    40

At St. Joseph-Ogden

Kankakee McNamara    36

St. Joseph-Ogden    28

At Williamsville

Pleasant Plains    38

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin    26

Class 1A

At Decatur 

Decatur St. Teresa    51

Stewardson-Strasburg     38

At Gibson City 

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley    54

Cullom Tri-Point    39

At Heyworth

Flanagan-Cornell    47

Heyworth    43

At Tuscola

Tuscola    57

Arcola    58

Class 3A Regional Championship Action tonight

At Danville 

Mahomet-Seymour         6:00 pm

Danville

At Decatur Eisenhower

Decatur MacArthur         6:30pm

Mt. Zion

At Taylorville

Rochester         6:00 pm

Taylorville

Donovan started fast and didn't look back in beating Blue Ridge 67-53 in non-conference high school boy's basketball action Thursday night at Donovan High School.

Donovan led 23-14 after one and pushed its lead to 37-25 at halftime.

Isaac Price led the Knights once again with 23 points. Corbin Colbert finished with 14 points.

The Knights finish the regular season 11-17 overall. They travel to Mt. Pulaski Monday night for a Regional quarterfinal matchup with the Hilltoppers.

Three players scored in double figures and Argenta-Oreana used balanced scoring to topple Arcola 56-43 in Lincoln Prairie Conference high school boy's basketball action in Argenta Thursday night.

Damian Gude led the Bombers with 15 points while MJ Hall added 12 points and Carter Logue scored 11 points. 

Tyson Oros contributed nine points and Justin Flowers scored seven as Argenta-Oreana upset the Purple Raiders to finish 9-2 overall in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. Arcola is 22-7 overall and also 9-2 in league play.

The Bombers go to 16-12 overall. They travel to Clinton Friday night where Coach Clay Haurberg coached prior to arriving at Argenta-Oreana. 

Game time is 7:30 pm. Hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

Class 2A

At Meridian

Paris         7:00pm    -     Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC &

Monticello                online at dewittdailynews.com

At Bloomington Central Catholic

Bloomington Central Catholic         7:00pm

Tremont

At Maroa-Forsyth

Maroa-Forsyth         6:00 pm

Sullivan

At Peoria Manual

Dee-Mack         7:00pm

Peoria Manual

At St. Joseph-Ogden

Kankakee McNamara         7:00 pm

St. Joseph-Ogden

At Williamsville

Pleasant Plains         7:00pm

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin

At Decatur St. Teresa

Decatur St. Teresa         6:30pm

Stewardson-Strasburg     

At Gibson City

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley    7:00pm

Cullom Tri-Point

At Roanoke-Benson

Roanoke-Benson         6:00pm

Mt. Pulaski

At Tuscola

Tuscola         7:00pm

Arcola

Class 3A

At Peoria 

Morton         7:00pm

Lincoln

At Washington

Washington         7:00pm

Morris

Caebrin Lee scored 22 points for Maroa-Forsyth but it wasn't enough as Rochester toppled the Trojans 79-54 in non-conference high school boy's basketball action Wednesday night in Maroa.

Lee scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half.

The Trojans fell behind big early thanks to Jack Melton for the Rockets who made five first-quarter three-pointers. 

He helped Rochester to a 49-25 lead at the half. Four players scored in double-figures for Rochester.

The Rockets go to 17-10 overall. 

The Trojans drop to 12-13 overall. They are at New Berlin Friday night to wrap up the regular season. 

Carter Logue scored a game-high 22 points and Argenta-Oreana used a big third quarter to get by Cerro Gordo-Bement 67-50 in Lincoln Prairie Conference high school boy's basketball Tuesday night in Cerro Gordo.

The Bombers led 23-22 at the half but came out and scored 29 third quarter points to break the game open.

Damian Gude scored 16 points for Argenta-Oreana. Tyson Oros chipped in with ten points and MJ Hall added nine points.

The Broncos were led by Will Fuson who scored 15 points. 

CG-B drops to 11-19 overall and 4-7 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference.

Argenta-Oreana is 15-12 overall and 8-2 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. They are home Thursday night hosting Arcola.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Tyler Blythe scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, Gatsby Grant scored all 11 of his points in the second half and Matthias Rudolph provided an early spark en route to a game-high 15 points as Monticello toppled Tolono Unity 59-44 in Illini Prairie Conference high school boy's basketball action Tuesday at the Rocket Center in Tolono.

The Sages fell behind 5-2 early and Rudolph came off the bench and scored eight straight points to put Monticello up 10-7.

The score was tied at 12 after one quarter.

The Sages would lead 26-24 at the half.

Grant found his groove in the third quarter scoring eight of his 11 points in the frame, helping Monticello pull out in front 41-36 by the end of the quarter, aided by brilliant passing by Blythe to set up a reverse layup and kicked out to Grant on a drive through the paint for an open three at the top of the key. 

Blythe took over in the fourth quarter hitting a pair of threes and knifed through the paint for a tough layup late that helped keep any hopes of Unity comeback out of reach.

Blythe's fourth quarter performance stood out in a crowded field for the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties player of the game.

Unity was le by Dane Eisenmenger's 11 points and Mason O'Neill had 10 points.

Unity fell 22-8 overall and suffered its first loss in Illini Prairie play to go to 8-1 in the conference.

Monticello moves to 16-12 overall and finishes 5-4 in the Illini Prairie.

Like last year's upset win in the final week of the regular season, the Rockets and Sages could match up again in the Regional as they both head to Westville next week for Regional play.

Monticello wraps up the regular at-home Friday night by hosting second-ranked Bismarck-Henning at the Sievers Center. Game time is 7 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Isaac Price scored a career-best 37 points and led Blue Ridge to a 79-76 win over Tri-County in Lincoln Prairie Conference high school boy's basketball action Tuesday night in Kansas.

The Knights survived late despite shooting just 16-of-30 from the foul line. 

Wesley Clark added 15 points for Blue Ridge while Landon Slade added 11 points.

Blue Ridge goes to 10-16 overall and 3-7 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference.

They travel to Donovan Thursday night to wrap up the regular season. 

Four players scored in double figures and Maroa-Forsyth rolled to a 61-47 win over Riverton in Sangamo Conference high school boy's basketball action Tuesday night in Maroa.

Brady Doss scored 13 of his 18 points in a huge third quarter for the Trojans while Caebrin Lee added 17 points. 

The Trojans blew the game open with a 29-point outburst in the third. 

Mitch Williams added 14 points and Kenny Morris scored 10 points for Maroa-Forsyth.

The Trojans are 12-13 overall and 3-5 in the Sangamo. 

They will host Rochester Wednesday night in a makeup game of an earlier postponement because of weather.

In a game heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms, the Clinton Lady Maroons fell to the Bloomington Central Catholic Lady Saints by a final score of 69-59 in the semifinal round of the girl's regionals postseason in Bloomington Tuesday night. 

The Maroons were led by the Servpro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game Carly Anderson who scored 25 points, nine of those being from beyond the arc. Clara Dempsey added 15 points and was five for six from the free throw line. Avery Smith chipped in with 8.

The Saints were led by Kate Stolfa who scored 16 points. Logan Shanks and Emmy Hurie both chipped in with 12.

With the loss, the Lady Maroons end their season with a record of 25-8. The Lady Saints improve to 23-8 and advance to the championship game on Thursday. 

Tune into the next Maroons Sports broadcast when the Clinton Boys Basketball team takes on Argenta-Oreana on Friday. Tip-off is at 7:30 PM, hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.
 

Class 2A girl's basketball Regional semifinal action Tuesday night

At Bloomington Central Catholic

Tremont 60

Tri-Valley 51

At Meridian

Paris 64

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 19

Monticello 38

Meridian 35

Class 3A Regional semifinal action Tuesday

At Danville

Champaign Central 34

Danville 46

Decatur MacArthur 60

Decatur Eisenhower 28

Mt. Zion 77

Champaign Centennial 21

At Peoria

Morton 68

East Peoria 34

Lincoln 49

Limestone 47

At Peoria Richwoods

Dunlap 63

Peoria Richwoods 53

After a thrilling triple overtime win over Normal U-High Saturday afternoon in Regional quarterfinal action, the Lady Maroons are back tonight when they take on Bloomington Central Catholic from the BCC Regional.

Clinton knocked off the Lady Pioneers as a seven seed and tonight takes on the second-seeded Lady Saints. 

Game time is 6 pm. The winner advances to play in a Regional Championship Thursday against the winner of tonight's nightcap between Tremont and Tri-Valley.

Class 2A Regional semifinal action tonight

At Meridian

Paris         6:00pm

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond

Monticello         7:30pm

Meridian

Class 2A Regional semifinal action from Monday

At Maroa-Forsyth

Maroa-Forsyth    55

Warrensburg-Latham    25

Sullivan    53

Tolono Unity    26

At Peoria Manual

Dee-Mack    66

Fieldcrest    38

At St. Joseph-Ogden

St. Joseph-Ogden    48

Champaign St. Thomas More    32

Class 1A Regional Semifinal Action From Monday

At Decatur St. Teresa

Decatur St. Teresa    45

Argenta-Oreana    22

Stewardson-Strasburg    51

Central A & M    48

At Gibson City

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley    60

Armstrong    34

At Heyworth

LeRoy    42

Flanagan-Cornell     48

Heyworth    37

Lexington    31

At Roanoke-Benson

Mt. Pulaski        80

Henry-Senachwine    74

At Tuscola

Tuscola    49

Martinsville    20

Arcola    45

Casey-Westfield    38

Class 3A Regional semifinal Action Monday

At Danville 

Mahomet-Seymour    63

Rantoul    36

At Taylorville

Chatham-Glenwood    33

Rochester    42

Taylorville    51

Springfield Southeast    19

At Washington

Washington        66

Metamora        47

Morris    56

Bloomington 33

Class 3A Regional semifinal action tonight

At Danville

Champaign Central     6:00pm

Danville

At Decatur Eisenhower

Decatur MacArthur     6:00pm

Decatur Eisenhower

Mt. Zion         7:30pm

Champaign Centennial

At Peoria

Morton         6:00pm

East Peoria

Lincoln         7:30pm

Limestone

At Peoria Richwoods

Dunlap         7:30pm

Peoria Richwoods

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello beat Decatur St. Teresa 50-37 in non-conference high school boys' basketball action in Decatur Saturday evening.

The Sages used a 10-0 run in the first quarter to establish a lead they would never relinquish, although the Bulldogs played close most of the night. 

Gatsby Grant led Monticello with 12 points. Nolan Buehnerkemper added 11 points and eight rebounds. 

After a lackluster performance in a Friday win over Champaign St. Thomas More, Monticello played better Saturday. The Sages outrebounded St. T 33-23 and had 17 assists on its 19 field goals, shooting 45 percent. 

They held the Bulldogs to 28.6 percent shooting for the night. 

Monticello scored 24 of its 50 points in the paint. 

St. T drops to 3-25 overall.

Monticello improves to 15-12 overall. They return to action Tuesday night when they travel to Tolono Unity for a 7 pm Illini Prairie Conference tilt.

Four players scored in double figures as Maroa-Forsyth used a balanced attack to get by Argenta-Oreana 67-62 in non-conference high school boy's basketball action from Maroa Saturday afternoon.

Brady Doss and Kenny Morris each scored 13 points. Caebrin Lee added 11 points while Mitch Williams chipped in with 10 points. 

Damian Gude scored a game-high 27 points. MJ Hall added ten points.

The Bombers held a 30-29 lead at the half and 51-46 at the end of the third but a big fourth-quarter rally sent the Trojans to the win.

Argenta-Oreana falls to 11-13 overall. Maroa-Forsyth is 14-12 overall. 

The Bombers are back in action Tuesday on the road at Cerro Gordo-Bement.

The Trojans host Riverton on Tuesday. 

In a game heard on WHOW and all it's digital platforms, Regan Filkin and Carly Anderson hit clutch threes to keep the Lady Maroons in the game through triple overtime, and beat the Normal U-High Pioneers by a final score of 69-65.

The Maroons were led by Carly Anderson who scored 21 points, even though she fouled out early in the final overtime frame. That earned her the title of Servpro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties player of the game. Regan Filkin scored an impressive 18 points while Lilah Cluver added 12. 

The Pioneers played an impressive game as well. They were led by Kendyl Schroeder who scored 16 points. Kenzie Matejka added 14 points while Grace Groetken chipped in with 10.

With the Win, the Maroons improve to 25-7 and advance to the next round of the postseason. The Pioneers finish their season with a record of 10-21. 

Tune in on Tuesday when the Lady Maroons travel to Bloomington to take on Bloomington Central Catholic, tip off is at 6 PM. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello survived Champaign St. Thomas More 46-39 in Illini Prairie Conference high school boy's basketball from Champaign Friday night.

Coming off a solid win over Pontiac Tuesday night, Monticello was sloppy on offense and lackluster on defense. The Sages trailed most of the first half before a late rally tied the score at 20-20 at the intermission. 

The Sages started the second half strong, leading by as many as five points but the Sabres stayed close and went ahead 32-31 going to the fourth quarter.

Monticello started the quarter on a 5-0 run and never trailed again.

Ike Young and Gatsby Grant finished with 13 points apiece to pace the Monticello offense. 

Grant had a terrific third quarter with seven of his 13 in the frame, including a layup in transition that put the game out of reach.

Young scored eight of his 13 points in the second half.

The Sages shot 45 percent for the game but finished a dismal 8-of-21 at the free throw line and 2-of-12 from beyond the arc.

Nate Kaufmann, Owen Yeager, and Hayden Bates each scored 11 points for the Sabres. Kauffman did not start the second half due to a cut he sustained above his left eye in a midcourt collision just as time expired in the first half.

Monticello improves to 14-12 overall and 4-4 in the Illini Prairie Conference. They travel to Decatur to take on St. Teresa on Saturday at 6 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Monticello received the fourth seed in its Sectional and will begin Regional play on Wednesday, February 26 taking on the winner of a quarterfinal game between Westville and Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at 7:30 pm.

Auburn started fast and never looked back as they beat Maroa-Forsyth 55-44 Friday night in Sangamo Conference high school boy's basketball in Auburn.

Auburn led 36-16 at the break and held off a second-half charge by Maroa-Forsyth.

Mitch Williams scored 12 of his team-best 17 points in the second half and Caebrin Lee scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.

But the short-handed Trojans did not have enough to claw back.

Kenny Morris scored nine points.

Maroa-Forsyth falls to 10-13 overall and 2-5 in the Sangamo Conference. They host Argenta-Oreana on Saturday afternoon. 

The Trojans drew the ninth seed in its Sectional. They will begin postseason play with a Monday, February 24 Regional quarterfinal matchup against Meridian in Maroa. The winner advances to take on St. Joseph-Ogden in Regional semifinal play.

Tyson Oros hit a game-tying three with 49 seconds left, Carter Logue then gave Argenta-Oreana the lead on a layup with 3.7 seconds to go and the Bombers beat Okaw Valley 59-57 in a Lincoln Prairie Conference thriller Friday night in Argenta. 

Okaw Valley's last-second shot was off preserving the Bombers win.

Damian Gude led all scorers with 19 points. Logue finished with 14 points and Oros had six points. 

Argenta-Oreana goes to 14-11 overall and 7-2 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference.

They visit Maroa-Forsyth on Saturday afternoon. 

Duke Deen's 25 points helped Bradley defeat Southern Illinois 78-64 on Wednesday night.

Darius Hannah scored 15 points and added seven rebounds for the Braves (20-6, 11-4 Missouri Valley Conference). Christian Davis had 15 points.

Ali Abdou Dibba led the way for the Salukis (12-14, 7-8) with 29 points and six rebounds. Drew Steffe added 11 points for Southern Illinois. Kennard Davis had eight points and two steals.

Up next for Bradley is a matchup Sunday with Drake on the road.

Bennett Stirtz scored 25 points as Drake beat Illinois State 84-77 on Wednesday night for their 11th straight win.

Stirtz also added seven rebounds and six assists for the Bulldogs (23-2, 13-2 Missouri Valley Conference). Mitch Mascari scored 18 points. Kael Combs finished with 13 points.

The Redbirds (15-11, 7-8) were led in scoring by Chase Walker, who finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Johnny Kinziger added 22 points and two steals for Illinois State. Ty Pence had 10 points.

Drake took the lead with 8:54 to go in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 40-32 at halftime, with Stirtz racking up 11 points. Drake used a 7-0 run in the second half to build a 14-point lead at 54-40 with 11:35 left in the half before finishing off the win.

Illinois State visits Indiana State on Saturday.

Clinton outscored Cerro Gordo 48-14 after the first quarter en route to an easy 66-29 win Tuesday in non-conference high school girl's basketball in Cerro Gordo.

The Lady Maroons led 18-15 after one frame and pulled away.

Four players scored in double figures led by Reagan Filkin's 20 points. Carly Anderson had 14 points and Clara Dempsey and Lila Cluver each had 12 points. 

The Lady Maroons go to 24-6 overall. They host Decatur St Teresa on Thursday night for senior night and the regular season finale.

Four players scored in double figures and a 15-0 spurt in the first quarter propelled Monticello past Pontiac 67-43 Tuesday night in Illini Prairie Conference boys basketball action at the Sievers Center in Monticello.

The Sages fell behind 5-0 early after Pontiac senior Riley Johnson hit a three and then a turnover in the backcourt after the made basket led to a score after Pontiac missed close to the rim after the quick turnover on the inbound pass. 

Tyler Blythe, Gatsby Grant, and Ike Young sparked the 15-0 run for Monticello and helped the Sages to a much-needed win on Tuesday.

Monticello had lost four of five coming into play Tuesday and had been struggling offensively.

Grant led all scorers with 13 points. Young, Blythe, and Nolan Buehnerkemper each had 11 points. 

Off a career-best 19 points Saturday in Williamsville at the Illini Prairie/Sangamo Conference shootout against PORTA-AC Central, Matthias Rudolph added nine points off the bench. 

The Sages shot 58.7 percent from the floor. They had 40 of 67 points in the paint and dished out 19 assists on its 27 field goals.

They turned 15 Pontiac turnovers into 20 points and had 18 points in transition. 

Monticello controlled the glass 30-21. 

Buehnerkemper returned to the lineup after missing Saturday's game in Williamsville for personal reasons and was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game. 

Pontiac drops to 9-17 overall and 3-4 in the Illini Prairie Conference.

The Sages improve to 13-12 overall and 3-4 in the Illini Prairie Conference. They travel into Champaign on Friday night to take on St. Thomas More in more league action. Tip-off is 7 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Monticello girls stayed hot and rolled Williamsville 51-32 Tuesday night in non-conference high school girls basketball action from Williamsville High School. 

Ali Weidner led the way for the Lady Sages with 16 points. Megan Allen just missed a double-double with nine points and 14 rebounds. 

Sara Cresap added 14 points and Madi Melton added ten points. 

The Lady Sages wrap up the regular season at 19-10 overall. It's off to postseason play for Monticello who awaits the winner of Saturday afternoon's Regional quarterfinal matchup between Meridian and Shelbyville for a Tuesday night contest at the Meridian Regional at 7:30 pm.

Williamsville was able to keep a pesky Maroa-Forsyth team at an arm's length in a 54-44 final in Sangamo Conference boy's basketball action Tuesday night in Maroa.

The Bullets led 13-9 after one quarter and held a 23-16 lead at the half.

Mitch Williams led the Trojans with 19 points. Caebrin Lee added 13 points. Kenny Morris had nine points.

The Trojans are 10-12 overall and are 2-4 in the Sangamo. They travel to Auburn on Friday night. 

Argenta-Oreana started fast and took care of Villa Grove 68-50 in Lincoln Prairie Conference boys basketball action from Villa Grove Tuesday.

The Bombers jumped out to a 38-14 halftime lead. 

MJ Hall led all scorers with 19 points. Carter Logue scored 14 points, Damian Gude had 13 points and Tyson Oros chipped in with 12 points.

Thomas Vandervetenter had 15 points to lead Villa Grove. Lukas Shadwich added 12 points and Cooper Clark scored 11 points. 

Villa Grove is 5-17 overall and 1-7 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. 

Argenta-Oreana is 13-11 overall and 6-2 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. The Bombers host Okaw Valley on Friday night.

Kasparas Jakucionis scored 24 points and Tomislav Ivisic scored 16 points and Illinois held off UCLA for an 83-78 win over UCLA on Tuesday night to end the Bruins' seven-game win streak.

Kylan Boswell scored 11 points and reserve Will Riley 10 for Illinois (17-8, 9-6 Big Ten), which finished shooting 51% (27 of 53).

Tyler Bilodeau scored 25 points for UCLA (18-7, 9-5), Kobe Johnson scored 14 points and reserve Sebastian Mack 11.

Ben Humrichous made 1 of 2 foul shots to give Illinois an 81-78 lead with seven seconds left. He missed the second shot, and off the carom, Ivisic deflected the miss which ended up in the hands of Boswell. Forced to foul, UCLA sent Boswell to the line where he made a pair to secure it.

Jakucionis made an improbable leaping leaner just inside the 3-point arc for a 78-73 Illinois advantage with 38 seconds left. Skyy Clark buried a 3-pointer 10 seconds later to reduce the margin to two.

Humrichous made a 3 with 4:51 for a 76-60 Illinois lead. The Bruins then went on a 13-0 run to get back within range.

The Bruins entered leading the series 6-4.

The Illini host 11th-ranked Michigan State on Saturday.

In a game heard on WHOW and all it's digital platforms, the Clinton Maroons attempted a third-quarter comeback that wasn't quite enough, and fell to the Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals by a final score of 60-51.

The Clinton Maroons were led by Colton Walker and Keaton Graves who both scored 16 points. Dalton Bell put up 13 points before fouling out in the third. Jaeden Bell was the Servopro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game, he scored 4 and boasted a great performance on defense and multiple assists. 

The Cardinals were led by Kaiden Gardner who scored 18 points and passed the 1000 career points milestone. Alex Hardin added 17 while Eastyn McKenzie chipped in with 10. 

With the loss, the Maroons fall to 15-12 while the Cardinals lead the Central Illinois Conference at 23-4. 

Tune into the Next Clinton Maroons Broadcast on Saturday February 15th at 2:00 PM for high school girls basketball regionals. 

Clinton started slowly and could not recover, as Mt. Pulaski defeated Clinton 52-41 in non-conference high school girls basketball action Monday night.

The Lady Maroons fell behind 14-7 in the first quarter but played almost even the entire rest of the way with the Lady Hilltoppers.

Clara Dempsey was the only scorer in double figures with 14 points. Reagan Filkin added nine points.

Clinton falls to 23-6 overall. They have a quick turnaround when they travel to Cerro Gordo tonight.

Monticello picked up a momentous win Monday when it beat Tolono Unity 44-40 in overtime in Illini Prairie Conference high school girls basketball action at the Sievers Center.

Alie Weidner scored 13 points and four steals, three rebounds and two assists. 

Megan Allen added 12 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Lady Sages.

The Lady Sages were an impressive 13-of-17 at the foul line.

Monticello is 18-10 overall and finishes 6-3 in the Illini Prairie Conference. They will travel to Williamsville tonight. 

The signup deadline for the Clinton Girls Softball Association is approaching quickly. The deadline to sign up for this year's season is Friday, February 21st.

Clinton Girls Softball Association is for girls ages 3-15. Kids ages 3-6 will play at Wapella Park, while the 8U, 10U, 12U, and 15U will travel within the Central Illinois Youth Conference League.

The cost is $30 for 4U and 6U divisions. The cost is $80 for the 8U, 10U, 12U and 15U divisions. 

Limited scholarship opportunities are available

If you are interested in playing, there will be uniform try-ons at Wapella Community Center on Saturday, February 15th, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and Thursday, February 27th, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Raffle tickets will also be distributed at these times.

Practices begin in early April. Opening day will be Saturday, May 3rd for all divisions.

To get signed up, visit clintongirlssoftball.com. You can also find the Clinton Girls Softball Association on Facebook. Any questions can be directed there or by email at clinton.cgsa@gmail.com.

Four players scored in double-figures and Clinton easily rolled to an 83-28 victory over Decatur Unity Christian Saturday in non-conference high school girl's basketball action at Clinton High School.

Reagan Filkin scored 25 points while Clara Dempsey added 20 points for the Lady Maroons, who led 41-9 at the half.

Lila Cluver scored 15 points. Alania Helfland and Avery Smith chipped in with ten points.

Clinton improves to 23-5 overall. They travel to Mt. Pulaski tonight (Monday).

Late last week, it was announced Clinton will open Regional play as a seventh-seed taking on Normal U-High on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 pm in Clinton. The winner will advance to take on Bloomginton Central Catholic on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at the BCC Regional.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, the short-handed Monticello Sages could not take advantage of a career night for sophomore Matthias Rudolph as they fell 57-49 in Illini Prairie/Sangamo Conference shootout action Saturday in Williamsville.

Rudolph scored a career-best 19 points as he stepped into the starting lineup for the first time Saturday for Nolan Buehnerkemper who was out for personal reasons. 

The Sages sophomore scored the four points and helped Monticello bounce back from an early deficit to lead 14-13 after the first quarter. He was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game.

Blue Jays' senior Griffin McClure scored 25 points to lead all scorers. The senior hit a big three late in the fourth quarter when Monticello had closed a once 12-point deficit to four. 

A late Sages rally was aided by poor free throw shooting by PORTA-AC Central. They finished 7-of-17 from the foul line. 

Monticello's offensive woes continued as the Sages shot just 38.5 percent from the floor and 3-of-25 from three. 

Gatsby Grant scored 14 points for the Sages, who lost their third straight and have lost four of their last five games.

Saturday's shootout was the final installment of the event that has been taking place for roughly five years.

The Sages will host Pontiac on Tuesday night.

Robert Boyd-Meents scored 19 points and carried Paxton-Buckley-Loda past Maroa-Forsyth 60-35 Saturday from the Illini Prairie/Sangamo Conference shootout in Williamsville.

Brady Doss led the Trojans with 12 points. Caebrin Lee added 11 points.

Maroa-Forsyth is 10-11 overall. They host Williamsville on Tuesday night.

Caebrin Lee hit a layup at the buzzer and sent Maroa-Forsyth to a 58-56 win over Athens Friday night in Sangamo Conference boys basketball action in Maroa.

The sophomore finished an eventful week in style on a stellar feed from senior Mitch Williams that set up the game-winner. Lee missed just over a month with a broken wrist and returned to the lineup earlier this week.

He scored 24 points Friday to lead the Trojans to a much-needed win as just a handful of games remain before the postseason begins later this month.

Williams scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half as Maroa-Forsyth suddenly finds itself getting healthy after battling a hellacious rash of injuries most of the season.

The Trojans will be without Coby Lane the rest of the way but in the last month, Williams and Ryne Sheppard have returned from injuries sustained during the high school football postseason that sidelined them for significant time. Additionally, Lee's return to the lineup this week has proved to be hugely beneficial. 

After Friday's win, Maroa-Forsyth is 10-10 overall and 2-3 in the Sangamo Conference. They will host Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Saturday afternoon.

Arcola made easy work of Blue Ridge 76-31 in Lincoln Prairie Conference high school boy's basketball action Friday in Arcola.

The Knights were led by Isaac Price with 10 points. 

Three players scored in double figures for the Purple Raiders. 

Arcola goes to 17-6 overall and 5-1 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. 

Blue Ridge is 9-15 overall and 2-6 in league play. They will host Cerro Gordo-Bement on Tuesday night.

Toledo-Cumberland used a balanced attack to defuse Argenta-Oreana 60-51 Friday night in Lincoln Prairie Conference high school boys' basketball action in Argenta.

Chase Stewart scored 20 points to lead the Pirates in scoring. Cameron Roedl and Zach Harmon each scored ten points in the win. 

Damian Gude had a game-best 21 points for the Bombers, who fall to 12-11 overall and 5-2 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference.

Toledo-Cumberland is 17-9 overall and unbeaten at 8-0 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. 

Argenta-Oreana is at Villa Grove on Tuesday night. 

The signup deadline for Clinton Youth baseball is fast approaching.

The deadline to sign up for this year's season is Monday, February 10. Clinton Youth Baseball is for kids ages 3-14. Kids ages 3-6 play at Wallace Fields in Clinton while the 8-U, 10-U, 12-U, and 14-U do travel.

The cost is $70 for 4-U and 6-U levels. Kids in 8-U through 14-U are $120. The program will be offering raffle tickets to sell to help offset the cost.

If you are interested in playing, there will be a jersey try-on meeting at Clinton Elementary School on Saturday, February 8 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am.

To get signed up, visit clintonyouthbaseball.com. You can also find Clinton Youth Baseball on Facebook. 

Practices for youth baseball begin in early April and games begin in early May.

Clinton used a big first half to make easy work of Central A&M 62-32 in Central Illinois Conference high school girl's basketball action Thursday night in Moweaqua.

The Lady Maroons led 12-6 after the first quarter but pulled ahead 32-16 at the intermission and never looked back. 

Avery Smith led Clinton with 19 points. Clara Dempsey added 16 points while Lila Cluver chipped in with 14 points.

The Lady Raiders drop to 9-17 overall and 2-2 in the CIC. 

Clinton improves to 22-5 overall and 5-0 in the CIC.

Yesterday, it was announced the Lady Maroons are the seventh seed in its sub-sectional. Today (Friday), regional pairings will come out, with Clinton likely headed to Bloomington Central Catholic or Peoria Manual for Regionals.

Blue Ridge downed Okaw Valley 49-38 in Lincoln Prairie Conference high school girl's basketball action in Farmer City Thursday.

Mya Laidley led the Lady Knights with 19 points. Kylie Madden added 13 points. Karlee Fenton scored seven points and Ava Paullin added six.

Blue Ridge gets its first win of the season at 1-15 overall. They are 1-5 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. 

The Lady Knights are the 12-seed in its sub-sectional. Regional pairings are released later today (Friday). 

They host Sullivan on Monday night.

Monticello shut out Champaign St. Thomas More in the first quarter then pulled way out in front in the second quarter rolling to a 45-15 win Thursday in Illini Prairie Conference high school girl's basketball action in Monticello.

The Lady Sages went up by a touchdown 7-0 after one and pulled out to a 28-6 lead at the half. 

Megan Alled led Monticello with 13 points and six rebounds. Ali Weidner added eight points while Pearl Glaze scored six points. 

The Lady Sages are 17-10 overall and 5-3 in the Illini Prairie Conference.

They host Tolono Unity on Monday.

Thursday it was announced Monticello is the fourth-seed in its sub-sectional. The Lady Sages are likely headed to either Meridian or Marao-Forsyth for Regional play.

Dylan Harper returned to score 28 points, fellow freshman Ace Bailey added 18 points and 11 rebounds and Rutgers beat No. 23 Illinois 82-73 on Wednesday night.

Harper made 11 of 12 frees throws and had six rebounds and five assists after missing a 66-63 home loss to Michigan on Saturday because of a sprained ankle.

Jeremiah Williams scored 13 points to help Rutgers (12-11, 5-7 Big Ten) beat a ranked team for the first time since last February against then-No. 9 Wisconsin. The Scarlet Knights have won two of three.

Will Riley led Illinois (15-8, 7-6) with 20 points, and Ben Humrichous had 14. The Illini have lost four of six.

Rutgers raced to a 23-6 lead, with Illinois taking its first lead at 48-47 with 13:06 to play.

The Illini were 6 of 28 from beyond the arc. They have not topped 30% in six straight games.

Bailey is fourth on the Scarlet Knights' season scoring list.

Harper had a steal and hit a 3-pointer to give Rutgers a 66-62 lead with 6:34 left,

Rutgers made 28 of 34 free throws.

Illinois is at Minnesota on Saturday.

Chase Walker's 31 points led Illinois State over UIC 81-79 on Wednesday night.

Walker added nine rebounds for the Redbirds (15-9, 7-6 Missouri Valley Conference). Jordan Davis added 17 points. Malachi Poindexter finished with 12 points.

Tyem Freeman led the Flames (15-9, 7-6) in scoring, finishing with 18 points and two blocks. Jordan Mason added 15 points and four assists for UIC. Javon Jackson finished with 12 points, five assists and two steals.

Walker's 15-point second half helped Illinois State finish off the two-point victory after Poindexter made 1 of 2 free throws with four seconds remaining. Mason's 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark for UIC.

Tyler Lundblade scored 25 points to lead Belmont and Jonathan Pierre secured the victory with a layup with four seconds remaining as the Bruins took down Bradley 80-77 on Wednesday night.

Pierre added 17 points and had seven rebounds and five assists for the Bruins (16-8, 8-5 Missouri Valley Conference).. Carter Whitt had 14 points.

Almar Atlason led the Braves (18-6, 9-4) in scoring, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Duke Deen added 11 points for Bradley. Zek Montgomery finished with 10 points.

Belmont went into halftime ahead of Bradley 39-35. Whitt scored 10 points in the half. Lundblade scored 19 points in the second half for Belmont.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Rantoul rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit to beat Monticello 58-47 in Illini Prairie Conference high school boy’s basketball action Tuesday night in Rantoul.

DJ Davis put the Eagles on his back and scored nine of his 23 points in the second quarter to help Rantoul cut into the deficit going into the half. He scored 11 more in the third quarter helping Rantoul storm in front for good.

After a much-needed strong start, Monticello faded in the second half. The Sages shot just 7-of-30 in the second half. 

Gatsby Grant led Monticello with 11 points - seven came in the first quarter. Tyler Blythe chipped in with ten points - seven in the second quarter.

Blythe played much better after struggling the last few games. His bounce-back performance earned him the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game.

The Eagles go to 12-10 overall and 3-2 in the Illini Prairie Conference. Monticello drops to 11-11 overall and 2-3 in the Illini Prairie Conference.

Monticello is off until Saturday when they travel to Williamsville for the Illini Prairie/Sangamo Conference shootout against PORTA-AC Central at 1:30 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Caebrin Lee returned to the Maroa-Forsyth lineup Tuesday night and provided a spark as the Trojans rolled to an easy 80-40 win over Illini Central in Sangamo Conference high school boy’s basketball action Tuesday in Mason City.

Lee scored 14 points in his return to the lineup.

The Trojans have been injury-riddled all season with injuries to start the year from the high school football state championship run then mid-season injuries to leading scorers Lee and Coby Lane. 

Lane is out the rest of the season with a knee injury. Lee broke his wrist in December in practice. 

Brady Doss led the Trojans with 19 points who led 40-16 at the half. Kenny Morris added 14 points while Mitch Williams chipped in with eight points. 

Maroa-Forsyth goes to 9-8 overall and picks up its first Sangamo win to improve to 1-3 in league play.

The Trojans host Athens on Friday night at 7:30 pm.

Damian Gude scored 29 points and led a trio of Argenta-Oreana scorers in double figures as the Bombers rolled to a 66-52 victory over Sullivan Tuesday night in Lincoln Prairie Conference high school boy’s basketball action in Sullivan.

The Bombers used a big second quarter to pull away. They outscored the Redskins 20-9 and led 34-22 at the break. 

Carter Logue scored 15 points for Argenta-Oreana and Tyson Oros chipped in with 13 points.

Sullivan falls to 9-12 overalls and 4-2 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. 

Argenta-Oreana is 11-10 overall and 5-1 in the Lincoln Prairie. The Bombers host Decatur St. Teresa tonight (Wednesday).

Okaw Valley made easy work of Blue Ridge 73-39 Tuesday night in Lincoln Prairie Conference high school boy’s basketball action in Okaw Valley.

Wesley Clark scored 23 points but it wasn’t enough for the Knights who fell behind early - 22-8 after the first quarter.

Leading scorer Isaac Price was held to just eight for Blue Ridge.

Blue Ridge is 9-14 overall and 2-5 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. They return to action Friday night in Arcola.

In a game heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms, the Clinton Maroons defeated the Central A&M Raiders by a final score of 50-33 in the Boys Central Illinois Conference Tournament, Tuesday night in Shelbyville. 

The Maroons were led by Keaton Graves who led all scorers with 21 points, 12 of which came in the 4th quarter. Colton Walker added 10 points, while Jaeden Bell chipped in with 7. 6'4 sophomore Briggs White earned the title of Servpro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the game because while he only scored 2 points, he used his limited minutes to make a big impact on the defense and rebounding for the Maroons. 

The Raiders were led by Ace Spinner who scored 15 points, going 5-10 from beyond the arc. Rhett Mclain followed closely with 13 points. 

With the Win, the Maroons improve to 14-10 and advance to the next round of the Central Illinois Conference Tournament. The Raiders fall to 9-14. 

The Maroons will take on Tuscola Wednesday night at 6:00 PM in Shelbyville. 

Tune in to the next Clinton Maroons sports broadcast when they take on Warrensburg-Latham in high school boys basketball action on February 11. Tip off is at 7:30 PM. 

Former Ball State coach Mike Neu has joined Illinois’ staff as a senior offensive assistant.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema announced the hire Thursday.

Neu went 40-63 at Ball State from 2016-24. He was fired in November when Ball State had a 3-7 record with two games remaining in its season.

His 2020 Ball State team won a Mid-American Conference title and beat San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl, the first bowl victory in school history. That team finished 23rd in The Associated Press Top 25.

Neu previously worked as a quarterbacks coach for Tulane (2012-13) and the New Orleans Saints (2014-15).

Illinois forward Will Riley is Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.

Riley led the Illini in a pair of games last week, averaging 20.0 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 52% from the field, including 45.5% from 3-point range. He scored a team-high 24 points in the comeback win over Ohio State, making 7-of-9 shots and a career-high nine free throws on 12 attempts, along with three rebounds.

His 24 points tie the most by a freshman off the bench in a conference game this season.

He scored 20 of his 24 in the second half, as Illinois overcame an 11-point deficit against the Buckeyes to storm back for the win.

Illinois visits Rutgers on Wednesday. 

Will Riley scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half and No. 18 Illinois rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat Ohio State 87-79 on Sunday.

Morez Johnson Jr. had 14 points and 15 rebounds, Kylan Boswell had 14 points, Tomislav Ivisic had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had 10 points for the Illini (15-7, 7-5 Big Ten), who went on a 15-point run over a five-minute stretch late in the second half.

Devin Royal scored 29 points - 19 in the first half - for Ohio State (13-9, 5-6), which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Bruce Thornton had 22 points and John Mobley Jr. had 18 points.

Ivisic, Illinois’ No. 2 scorer and leading rebounder, returned to action after missing three games with mononucleosis. He played 29 minutes.

The Illini shot 10 of 42 on 3-pointers Thursday in a disappointing overtime loss to Nebraska, which had lost six straight. Illinois was just 4 of 20 on triples against Ohio State but outrebounded the Buckeyes 43-31 and dominated points in the paint 52-30.

Illinois had a nearly seven-minute field goal drought in the first half and fell behind 34-25. The rest of the game was an uphill battle for the Illini until their 15-point run, which began with about seven minutes to go. Illinois led for less than 10 minutes.

Illinois’ bench outscored Ohio State’s bench 43-4.

Illinois is at Rutgers on Wednesday night.

Max Weisbrod hit five 3-pointers and scored 18 to guide Northern Iowa to an 83-69 victory over Bradley on Sunday.

Tytan Anderson totaled 17 points and nine rebounds. Jacob Hutson had 12 points for the Panthers (14-9, 8-4 Missouri Valley Conference).

Jaquan Johnson led the way for the Braves (18-5, 9-3) with 27 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Demarion Burch added 13 points and Ahmet Jonovic scored 10.

Northern Iowa took the lead with 8:11 left in the first half and never looked back. The score was 34-25 at halftime, with Cael Schmitt racking up nine points. Northern Iowa outscored Bradley by five points in the second half, and Weisbrod scored a team-high 15 points.

Bradley is off until Sunday afternoon when they visit Drake.