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
Bradley got off to a hot start, shooting 62.1 percent in the first half; including 7-of-8 on three-point attempts to jump out to an early lead, and never trailed in an 83-77 victory at Illinois Thursday at Assembly Hall. Five Bradley players scored in double figures, paced by Catie O’Leary and Shronda Butts with 15 points each. O’Leary matched a career-high with 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the year. Senior Katie Yohn went to the locker room with 9:42 remaining in the opening period after taking an elbow to the eye with BU holding a 23-19 advantage. Following the Yohn injury, Butts made three of four free throws on an Illinois intentional foul and subsequent technical foul to extend the lead to 26-19. The Braves pushed the lead to as many as many as eight points (29-21), before a 9-2 Illini spurt trimmed the advantage to 31-30 with just under five minutes. Freshman Jenny Smith hit a pair of three-pointers down the stretch and Bradley took a 48-43 lead into the break. Karisma Penn led the Illini with 29 points and 16 rebounds, with Ivory Crawford making 9-of-17 shots and collecting 18 points. Alexis Smith joined the duo in double figures with 10 points and a game-high eight assists.
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-Bob
The Illinois Central College women’s soccer team fell 2-1 in overtime to Kaskaskia College at Eastside Centre. The Blue Devils scored in the first half on a goal by sophomore forward Miranda Burroughs only to have the Cougars even the game on a goal by Princeton, IL freshman midfielder Chelsea Compton. Kaskaskia (5-2) freshman Marissa Burroughs scored the golden goal at 8:58 in the first overtime for game winner.
-Bob
Jerrod Hull (#12) from Sikeston, MO. edged Don Droud Jr. (#71) by four hundredths of a second to win Saturday’s 28th Annual Tom Knowles Memorial at Spoon River Speedway. It was the second year in a row that the defending MOWA champion and current point leader has won the event. Hull led at the outset from the pole position he earned by winning the Dash from row three. Geoff Dodge (#66) settled into second ahead of Droud. By the halfway mark, the leaders were in heavy traffic and Dodge closed on Hull. On lap 16, the lapped machine of Bret Tripplett slowed and Hull made heavy contact with him causing nose wing damage. Dodge made contact as well, as Droud avoided the incident. All would continue on a restart that saw Hull ahead of Dodge, Droud, AJ Bruns (#44) and Ben Wagoner (#84).
MOWA Sprint Series Main Event - 25 laps: 1. 12, Jerrod Hull, Sikeston, MO (1) 2. 71, Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (6) 3. 66, Geoff Dodge, Colorado Springs, CO (2) 4. 65, Jordan Goldesberry, Springfield, IL (13) 5. 22, Robbie Standridge, Springfield, IL (9) 6. 99w, Korey Weyant, Springfield, IL (10) 7. 3Y, Scott Young, Union Grove, WI (12) 8. 44, AJ Bruns, Athens, IL (8) 9. 23, Jimmy Light, West Springfield, PA (19) 10. 10s, Jeremy Standridge, Springfield, IL (7) 11. 84, Ben Wagoner, Emden, IL (4) 12. 35, Jimmy Hurley, Springfield, IL (15) 13. 7, Critter Malone, Speedway, IN (5) 14. 77u, Chris Urish, Elkhart, IL (18) 15. 53H, Matt Harms, Lacon, IL (3) 16. 2K, Ryan Kempin, House Springs, MO (11) 17. 96, Nathan Charron, Lincoln, IL (14) 18. 9, Paul Nienhiser, Chapin, IL (17) 19. 22T, Bret Tripplett, Lincoln, IL (16) 20. 6R, Ryan Bunton, Morton, IL (20). Lap Leaders: Hull 1-25.
Brad Kuhn (#57) of Avon, Ind., found a fast outside line and drove to victory, the 21st of his career in the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series. Kuhn started fourth in the 30-lap feature on the three-eighths mile high-banked track and led the final 17 for his second POWRi win of the season. He finished three car lengths in front of Zach Daum, Davey Ray finished third, Tyler Robbins was fourth and local favorite Jake Blackhurst finished fifth. Evan Fink from Glasford, IL (#1F) dominated and won the late model feature.
-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
