Illinois Central College (31-4) women’s basketball team lost in the semifinals of the NJCAA Division II national tournament to Louisburg College (31-3)72-68 on Friday night at Lorene M. Ramsey Gymnasium. Olivia Gaines had a game-high 22 points for the Lady Hurricanes. Jazmine Parker and Tiffany Johnson added 15 points apiece to join Gaines in double figures. Demeisha Morris and Chanta Wright joined ShaVonn Watkins in double figures, with all three scoring 17 points for ICC. The loss puts the Cougars in the third-place game against fourth-seeded St. Clair Community College (21-10) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday
-Bob
Top-seeded Mesa Community College knocked off No. 9 and two-time defending champion Monroe College 53-50 in the first of two quarterfinal games Thursday night at the Lorene Ramsey Gymnasium at Illinois Central College. The Lady Thunderbirds (26-6) started out slow and didn’t even take the lead until a 3-pointer by Mariah Willadsen pushed the Thunderbirds ahead 17-16 with 6:40 left in the first half. Mesa led 27-21 at halftime. Nicole Tsosie led Mesa with 16 points. Willadsen and Mariam Ridgwell each added 10 for the Thunderbirds. Ly’Nasha Frazier led the Lady Mustangs with 16 points. “That was a very, very, very, very good team we just played and who are well coached too,” Mesa coach Kori Stephenson said after the game, a 53-50 victory for her team. “The kids just stepped up and took charge.”
-Bob
Senior Andrew Ribeiro’s goal in the 86th minute Sunday afternoon lifted #12 Creighton University (15-3-2)to a 2-1 victory against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (13-7-0) in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference soccer tournament at Shea Stadium. Ribeiro knocked in a short rebound after Cougars’ junior goalkeeper John Berner stopped Ribeiro’s penalty kick. Berner couldn’t secure the ball and Ribeiro alertly pounced on the rebound for the game-winner. Jared Tejada. The Bluejays clinched the Valley’s automatic berth for the upcoming NCAA tournament. The title is Creighton’s second consecutive tournament crown, fifth in eight years, and 13th in the 22-year history of the event. Final Game Stats.
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-Bob
The Moline Maroons (30-11) were one strike away from a Class 4A state semifinal win and a berth in the title game when the Bartlett Hawks (32-8) mounted a rally and upset the defending state champs 7-3 Friday at Eastside Centre. Moline entered the top of the seventh clinging to a 3-2 advantage. Sophomore pitcher Alaina Hofmann got the first batter of the inning to fly to center, but hit No. 9 hitter Steph Tomazin. Hofmann struck out the next hitter, but a walk brought Temple-bound junior catcher Kaylyn Zierke to the plate. After working the count full, Zierke singled in the tying run. Two batters later, Kayla Haberstich hit a three-run homer that put Bartlett up for good. The Hawks rally erased a record-tying two-homer effort by Moline senior shortstop Brittny Drish. The Illinois State Redbird commit drove in all three Maroons runs, using a bat that wasn’t even hers. “I got mine confiscated in the very beginning of the game,” Drish said. “I ended up using the same bat that (Jordan de los Reyes) does, but its Lecy Walsbusser’s bat.” Bartlett plays Chicago Marist (26-15) in the IHSA Class 4A Championship game at 5:00 p.m. Saturday. Click here for complete game stats.
-Bob
The Nashville Hornettes (34-4) stunned the St. Joeseph-Ogden Spartans (40-1) in there IHSA Class 2A semifinal game 5-2 at Eastside Centre. Nashville jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a three-run homer by Hannah Yung. Sophomore Kiley Pelker belted a two-run double in second inning for an early 5-0 lead and held on with the strong pitching of Maci Ingram. The Freshman pitcher allowed five hits and struck out 14 in handing SJ-O its first loss of the year. Spartans catcher Mickaela Fleming hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning for their only runs of the game. Click here for complete game info and stats.
-Bob
