CHARGER LIGHTNING BOLT Illini West High School 600 S. Miller Carthage, IL 62321 Troy Noble, Athletic Director tnoble@illiniwest.org THIS WEEK S RESULTS GIRLS BASKETBALL Chiefs hand Chargers 20-point loss By Doug Endres, Staff writer Tuesday, January 13, 2009 5:22 PM CST The Keokuk Chiefs used a strong first quarter to pass a key test in its season. Keokuk ran out to a 25-10 first quarter lead, then built a bigger lead in the second half to defeat the Chargers 69-49 at Carthage. Keokuk coach Mike Davis was pleased to see his team able to run with another uptempo team. We wanted to see how we played with another team that plays as uptempo as we do, said Davis. We knew Illini West played that type of game. It was nice to play a team that plays an uptempo game as much as we do and do well against them. Each team struggled in the first minute, but Keokuk found its footing to take a 14-1 lead with 3:15 remaining in the quarter. The Chiefs scored in transition, in half court sets and with offensive rebounds. The Chargers did not score a field goal until Mackenzie Carroll's basket at the 2:06 mark. Illini West added two more baskets in the final minute by Jaclyn Duffy to cut the Keokuk lead to 25-10. We didn't come ready to play, said Illini West coach Zach Keene. Keokuk came out with intensity and energy We're playing a home game against a rival that is only 20 miles down the road and we were not ready to play. Each team turned the ball over numerous times in the second quarter before Illini West found some offense. A three-pointer by Danielle Gronewold and a basket by Caitlin Robertson cut the Keokuk lead to 36-22. A basket by Carroll and a free throw by Duffy trimmed the lead to 36-25. Duffy scored on a layup with 20 seconds remaining in the first half to make it 37-27, but Shelsey Stanley answered for Keokuk with a layup with nine seconds remaining to push the lead back to double digits, 39-27. It was the final time in the game the lead would be single digits. Illini West scored three points in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Keokuk took advantage with three baskets by Stanley and a basket by Lindsay Nash to take a 49-30 lead. We want the third quarter to be our biggest quarter in a game, said Davis. I think tonight the first quarter was our biggest, with the third quarter close behind. We didn't start the (third) quarter very well, but by the end we were starting to make some runs. We keep rolling in fresh players in hopes of wearing them down.
Illini West was short-handed with two players not dressing varsity. Point guard Kelly Ard spent most of the game on the bench in foul trouble, finishing with zero points. Carroll then got hurt during a scramble for a loose ball and was slowed during the fourth quarter. The defensive effort was what Keene was not happy about. When you have three or four girls working hard and two or one girl who isn't, it's not going to work, said Keene. Everybody has to work hard and do their job for our defense to work. It hurts that we only have eight players, but those are the breaks. You have to suck it up and deal with it. Keokuk built a bigger lead early in the fourth quarter after four consecutive baskets by Ollie Vandenberg gave them a 60-38 lead. Erin Uhlmeyer and Stanley added the next six points for a 67-39 lead. The Chargers closed the score in the final minutes with a couple of layups off turnovers and two free throws by Lea Brodie. Stanley had 21 points, including two three-pointers, to lead the Chiefs, 8-4. Gronewold had 14 points to lead Illini West, 7-9. Carroll had 11 points. Brodie and and Duffy each had seven points. Bali Campbell had five points. Robertson had four points. Nicole Junk had one point. Check out Matt Goldberg s Illini West Girls Basketball blog at: http://qni.typepad.com/matt_goldbergs_blog/bkgiw.html BOYS BASKETBALL Ten three-pointers lift Chargers to opening round win By Doug Endres, Staff writer Tuesday, January 13, 2009 5:22 PM CST Illini West found a home away from home Saturday night. The Chargers finished 10-of-21 from the three-point line Saturday night in the first game of the 2008 Hancock County Tournament. Illini West, seeded third, knocked off the No. 2 seed Southeastern Suns 69-60 at the former Dallas City High School gym. It was the first high school boys basketball game played at the gym since Avon defeated Dallas City 65-61 in February 2001. The two teams met two days earlier on Thursday, Jan. 8, with Southeastern winning 53-43. Illini West coach Troy Noble said there was only one change between the two games. The one difference was we attacked the rim early in the game, said Noble. Drake (Schmudlach) and Jesse (Holtsclaw) got to the rim. Once we established that, it really opened up the penetrate and pitch threes. The Chargers connected on 10 such shots, with Zack Burling hitting 6-of-9 to finish with a game-high 24 points. His offense was welcome after the team lost guard Cody Carson for the season in Thursday's meeting with the Suns. The Chargers (5-6) controlled much of the first half, opening up a nine-point lead two minutes into the second quarter. Zane Schmudlach's three-pointer at the halftime buzzer gave Illini West a 31-22 lead. Southeastern (11-5) stormed out of the gate to start the second half. The Chargers turned the ball over four times on their first seven possessions. Regan Bruenger and Cody Jefferson each had a basket, and Kollin Kerker hit his first three shots of the third quarter to tie the game 32-32 with 4:55 remaining. The teams traded leads for the rest of the quarter. Burling tied the game twice on three-pointers, the final one making the game 43-43 with 20 seconds remaining. Bruenger's traditional three-point play gave the Suns a 47-46 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Jefferson hit two free throws for a three-point lead for Southeastern. Ser Whitaker tied the game 50-50 on a three- A free throw by Jacob Schmudlach gave Illini West the lead for good with 4:03 remaining. pointer. The Suns stayed within three points until a turnover with 42 seconds forced them to foul Burling, who made both free throws for a 63-58 lead. A basket by Jefferson made it 63-60, but the Chargers went 6-of-6 at the free throw line in the final 25 seconds to seal the win. Illini West was 10-of-14 at the free throw line in the second half. The four three-pointers and 10 free throws in the second half helped the Chargers as the Suns were 16-of-20 from the field on two-point shots. Southeastern was 1-of-8 from the three-point line and 3-of-5 at the free throw line in the second half. Jacob Schmudlach and Drake Schmudlach each had 10 points for Illini West. Whitaker had nine points. Holtsclaw scored seven points. Zane Schmudlach had six points. Michael Lafferty had two points, and Carl Hartweg added one point. Southeastern was led by Bruenger with 21 points. Zach Wood had 11 points. Jefferson scored 10 points. Kerker and Sean Grosinic each scored nine points. Chargers clinch Hancock title By Staff reports Macomb Journal Mon Jan 19, 2009, 11:38 PM CST Story Tools: Email This Print This DALLAS CITY - Illini West completed its run to a Hancock County Tournament title by beating West Prairie, while West Hancock clinched second place with a victory over Southeastern. Illini West used a huge third quarter on the way to recording an 82-55 victory. It was the second win for IWHS over West Prairie in as many tries this season. Illini West (7-6) led 39-30 at halftime before rolling up 25 points in the third quarter in building a 64-38 lead. Tournament MVP Jacob Schmudlach led IWHS with 16 points, while all-tournament team selections Zack Burling and Ser Whitaker were also in double figures with 15 and 13 points respectively.
Chargers defeat No. 1 seed to set up title shot The Illini West Chargers all but wrapped up the Hancock County Tournament championship on Wednesday. Illini West never trailed against the tournament's top-seed. The Chargers built an 11-4 lead at the end of the first quarter and held off every West Hancock challenge for a 47-43 win. We thought tonight if we found a way to win, we would play for something on Saturday, said Illini West Head Coach Troy Noble. With these kids, they wouldn't have it any other way. The Chargers, 2-0 in the tournament, could wrap up the county title before Saturday's games. Southeastern and West Prairie were scheduled to play the first game Wednesday, but that contest was postponed and rescheduled for noon Saturday. If the Suns defeat the Cyclones, Illini West wins the championship. The Chargers, seeded third among the four teams, have avenged a pair of losses in the tournament. Illini West defeated Southeastern, seeded second, 69-60 on Saturday after losing to the Suns by 10 points on Jan. 8. The Chargers also lost to West Hancock 50-42 at the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament on Dec. 30. Illini West never led in its first meeting with West Hancock. The Chargers turned the tables on the Titans Wednesday. Ser Whitaker's three-pointer gave Illini West the lead for good at 5-2. Jesse Holtsclaw scored off an offensive rebound, Jacob Schmudlach added two free throws, and Zack Burling turned a steal into a basket to give the Chargers a seven-point lead at the end of the first quarter. We came out lethargic again like we did against Western (on Jan. 8), said West Hancock Head Coach Reno Pinkston. We think we can make up for things as time goes on, but you have to establish yourself about how the game is going to be played from the get-go, and we don't do that. If we don't respect the game enough to come out with energy, we don't deserve to win. We need to start to appreciate the game. We get to dress out for our community and play a basketball game in front of people who pay money to watch us play. It's a kids game, but we act like it's a burden sometimes to go out there and play and that is going to stop. The Titans climbed back into the game in the second quarter. Devin Diveney opened the scoring with a three- play to pull West Hancock to within 11-10. The Titans held pointer, and Dylan Morris converted a three-point Illini West scoreless for more than six minutes until Luke Burling scored inside late in the first half. The Chargers went into halftime with a 15-12 lead. Senior Dalton Mann scored nine of West Hancock's 11 points in the third quarter, but the Titans still were unable to take the lead. West Hancock pulled to within one on two occasions, but the Chargers had an answer every time the Titans got close. We did claw back, Pinkston said. I thought Dalton played well in that third quarter to try and take it to the hole offensively, but we would get to one point or nearly to even and it seemed like they hit a shot. They hit a lot of big shots at key times. Illini West opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run to take a 31-23 lead. Mann scored on a drive to the basket with 4:33 remaining, but Jacob Schmudlach hit a three to give the Chargers their biggest lead of the game at 34-25. Look at their guards when they get a drive and kick, Pinkston said. You can almost count on the shot going in. I thought they hit a lot of key shots when it got close at the end of the third and the beginning of the
fourth. Illini West was 10-of-14 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point range in the second half. Saturday, the Chargers were 10-of-21 from three-point range against Southeastern. This is a shooter's gym, Noble said. It's a great venue to play these games. The atmosphere and the intensity in these games have been tremendous. The Titans were able to get close, pulling to within two on two occasions in the final minute, but Illini West made 6-of-7 free throws down the stretch to maintain the advantage. We had to scramble at the end and try to create more possessions than normal, Pinkston said. We had a few situations it looked like it might go well for us and it didn't. I thought we played with energy at the end to try and get back into the game, but we had dug ourselves a hole. Jacob Schmudlach had 18 points and seven rebounds to lead Illini West, 6-6 on the season. Zane Schmudlach and Holtsclaw each scored nine points. Whitaker added five points and four assists. Zack Burling scored four points, and Luke Burling finished with two points. Mann scored 11 points, all in the second half, to lead West Hancock, 10-4 on the season. Morris had eight points and four rebounds. Ryan Brunenn scored six points. Kyle Jenkins had five points. Diveney, Caleb Gray and Ryan Runge each had three points, and Nate Parker and Mac Schlicher each had two points. West Hancock played its second game without senior center Will Carr. The 6-9 center has a sprained ankle. Saturday Illini West (7-6) made it a clean sweep Saturday night with an 82-55 win over West Prairie. The Chargers controlled the game from the start, building a 19-15 first quarter lead. They extended their lead to 39-30 at halftime before outscoring the Cyclones 25-8 in the third quarter. Tournament MVP Jacob Schmudlach scored 16 points. Zack Burling had 15 points. Ser Whitaker scored 13 points. Zane Schmudlach had 10 points. Evan McGaughey scored eight points. Jesse Holtsclaw, Carl Hartweg, and Drake Schmudlach each had six points. Luke Burling added two points. The win moves the Chargers record to 7-6, the first time they have been over.500 since their seasonopening win over Aledo.
Check out Matt Goldberg s Illini West Boys Basketball blog at: http://qni.typepad.com/matt_goldbergs_blog/bkbiw.html NEXT WEEK S SCHEDULE GIRL S BASKETBALL 1-26 VARSITY/ JV @ RUSHVILLE 6:00/7:30 1-28 VARSITY ONLY @ PALMYRA 6:00 1-29 VARSITY/ JV VS CENTRAL 6:00/7:30 BOY S BASKETBALL 1-24 VARSITY ONLY @ ABINGDON SHOOTOUT VS. DELAVAN 6:00 1-26 FRESHMAN VS BROWN COUNTY 6:00 1-27 VARSITY/ JV VS UNITY 6:00/7:30 1-28 VARSITY ONLY @ PALMYRA 7:30