Bruce Thornton scored 20 points, fellow freshman Brice Sensabaugh scored 14, senior Justice Sueing contributed a double-double, and Ohio State defeated Illinois 72-60 on Sunday, snapping a nine-game losing streak.

The Buckeyes had lost 14 of their past 15 games coming in but have showed signs of improvement since starting four true freshmen - Thornton, Sensabaugh, Felix Okpara and Roddy Gayle - in back-to-back games.

Ohio State led 41-29 at halftime before Illinois rallied in the second half. Terrence Shannon scored eight straight Illinois points, including back-to-back three-point plays, during a 12-2 run that got the Illini within 45-41 with 15:11 remaining.

Illinois, which erased an 18-point deficit against Northwestern last time out, got within 53-52 on a 3-pointer by Jayden Epps. Ohio State came right back with a putback layup by Sueing, followed by a thunderous dunk from Sensabaugh and a jumper by Sensabaugh. The Buckeyes did not miss another shot, finishing 7-for-7 over the final 6:21.

The Buckeyes pushed their lead to 64-53 when Thornton finished off a three-point play with 3:57 remaining. Ohio State maintained a double-digit lead over the last 2:35.

Sueing had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Buckeyes (12-17, 4-14 Big Ten). Thornton made 8 of 11 shots and Sensabaugh was 5-for-11 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.

Coleman Hawkins had 14 points and seven rebounds for Illinois (19-10, 10-8). Matthew Mayer scored 11 points, and Shannon and Epps had 10 points each.

Thornton made 6 of 7 shots and scored 13 points to lead Ohio State to a 41-29 halftime lead. The Buckeyes hit on 60.7% of their shots to 36.7% for Illinois in the first half. Ohio State finished at 53.6% and Illinois hit 36.1% for the game.

Illinois had won 10 of 14 games after starting Big Ten play 0-3.

The Illini will be at home against Michigan on Thursday and at No. 5 Purdue on Sunday.

Seneca Knight had 26 points in Illinois State's 72-53 win over Evansville on Sunday.

Knight also contributed five rebounds for the Redbirds (11-20, 6-14 Missouri Valley Conference). Darius Burford was 4 of 8 shooting, including 1 for 3 from distance, and went 6 for 6 from the line to add 15 points. Kendall Lewis finished 6 of 10 from the field to finish with 13 points, while adding 11 rebounds. The Redbirds broke a six-game slide.

The Purple Aces (5-26, 1-19) were led by Kenny Strawbridge, who recorded 12 points and six rebounds. Gabe Spinelli added 10 points for Evansville. In addition, Marvin Coleman had nine points and three steals.

Illinois State took the lead with 1:17 remaining in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 31-28 at halftime, with Knight racking up 13 points. Illinois State outscored Evansville by 16 points over the final half, while Knight led the way with a team-high 13 second-half points.

Connor Hickman's 19 points helped Bradley defeat Drake 73-61 on Sunday night to win the Missouri Valley Conference's regular season title.

Hickman shot 7 for 11 (4 for 5 from 3-point range) and 1 of 3 from the free-throw line for the Braves (23-8, 16-4). Rienk Mast added 12 points while shooting 5 of 7 from the field and 2 for 3 from the foul line, and he also had 13 rebounds. Malevy Leons shot 3 of 3 from the field and 4 for 4 from the charity stripe to finish with 12 points, while adding three steals. The Braves extended their winning streak to 10 games.

D.J. Wilkins finished with 14 points and two steals for the Bulldogs (24-7, 15-5). Drake also got 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals from Roman Penn. Darnell Brodie also had 12 points. The loss broke the Bulldogs' 10-game winning streak.

The game was tight going into the half, as Bradley held a three-point lead, 37-34. Hickman paced their team in scoring through the first half with 11 points. Bradley took the lead for what would be the final time on Hickman's layup with 15:17 remaining in the second half. His team would outscore Drake by nine points in the final half.

Bradley, the No. 1 seed, and second-seeded Drake, earned a first-round bye the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The teams play Friday in the quarterfinals.

The Illinois Fighting Illini baseball team (4-3), backed by a strong 5.2 innings from Jack Wenninger and a seven-run sixth inning, notched a series win after defeating No. 18 Southern Miss (5-2) 9-4 on Sunday.

Illinois opened the scoring in the first inning for the second-straight game, with a two-out rally. Cam McDonald got things started with a base hit, Drake Westcott and Camden Janik then followed with back-to-back walks. Ryan Moerman then brought home McDonald and Westcott with a single of his own to make it 2-0.

Those were more than enough runs for starter Jack Wenninger, keeping the Golden Eagles off the board over his first 5.0 innings of work, racking up two strikeouts along the way. Wenninger worked around a lead-off walk in the third and a lead-off double in the fourth to keep the Illini in front.

The Illinois offense then exploded for seven runs on eight hits in the sixth to take a commanding 9-0 lead. Cal Hejza led off with a double and then scored on Danny Doligale's triple. Branden Comia followed with a double of his own and McDonald also lined a triple down the right-field line to make it 5-0. Westcott singled, which was followed up with a Janik double and a Moerman single. Coltin Quagliano roped a ground-rule double and Brody Harding capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly, making it 9-0.

McDonald's triple was the 200th hit of his Illini career, taking the Ladd, Ill., native, 174 career games to reach that mark.

Wenninger recorded two more punchouts in the sixth, but was chased out of the game after surrendering a three-run home run. The Cary, Ill., native finished with a final line of 5.2 IP, five hits, three runs/earned runs, three walks and four strikeouts.

Southern Miss would push one more run across the plate in the seventh, but Julius Sanchez and John Lundgren combined to toss 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out two, to give Illinois the 9-4 win.

The Illini are the first non-conference team to win a three-game series at Pete Taylor Park since Oakland on March 6-8, 2015.

Ryan Moerman went 3-for-5 with a run and three RBI and collected seven RBI in the series, a joint team-high mark. Cam McDonald went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a triple, one RBI and was hit by a pitch. Cal Hejza went 2-for-4 with a run and a double in today's series finale. 

Illinois went 7-for-14 (.500) with runners in scoring position.

The Illini won 13-5 on Friday and fell 14-13 in 11 innings on Saturday.

The Illini head back south again starting Friday for a three-game set with Sam Houston State.

The Illinois State baseball team dropped the series finale at Arkansas State with a 14-10 final at Tomlinson Stadium.

Senior Connor Olson delivered a key three-RBI, pinch-hit double for the Redbirds (4-3 overall) but the Red Wolves move to 4-3 in 2023.

ASU scored twice in the opening frame but a single by sophomore Blake Stenger in the 2nd inning even the game at 2-2.

Junior Adrian Flores drew a bases-loaded walk in the 3rd inning to give ISU the lead ASU scored the game's next four runs to lead, 6-3.

Flores doubled in a run in the 5th inning before junior Auggie Rasmussen doubled home two runs to tie the game before third-year junior Luke Cheng drove in another run to put the 'Birds up, 7-6. The Red Wolves countered with five runs in the bottom of the inning.

A pinch-hit, bases-clearing double by Olson drew the 'Birds to within 11-10. ASU responded with three runs to extend the lead to 14-10.

The Redbirds won 6-2 Friday and 12-8 Saturday. 

Illinois State has now scored 10 or more runs in four games in 2023.

Illinois State is scheduled to play at third-ranked Arkansas on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. CT.

DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, Zach LaVine added 27 and the Chicago Bulls overcame their shooting woes from long range Sunday to beat the Washington Wizards 102-82.

Alex Caruso and LaVine each sank 3-pointers midway through the third quarter to turn a one-point deficit into a 57-52 lead the Bulls wouldn't relinquish. Before the consecutive 3s, the Bulls converted only one of their first 16 3-point attempts.

The Bulls (28-33) won their second game in a row after losing six straight to close the first half of the season. They finished shooting 8 of 30 from 3-point range, while the Wizards shot only 6 of 28 from long range.

Bradley Beal scored 18 points for the Wizards (28-32), who lost their second consecutive game. They played without forward-center Kristaps Porzingis due to left knee soreness and guard Monte Morris was scratched less than an hour before tip off because of lower back soreness.

The Wizards managed to stay close for three quarters thanks to balanced scoring by Beal, Daniel Gafford (15) and Delon Wright (14). Washington also managed 44 points in the paint.

Beal, however, missed three free throws to start the fourth quarter, and Andre Drummond's putback extended the Bulls' lead to 81-72.

Despite the Bulls' struggles from long range, they had an 11-0 spurt, punctuated by a 3-pointer by Patrick Williams, to take a 32-27 lead nearly three minutes into the second quarter.

DeRozan and LaVine combined to shoot 22 for 33 from the field.

LaVine made eight of 10 shots en route to a 17-point first half. Coby White came off the bench to score 17 on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers.

The Bulls travel to Toronto to play the Raptors on Tuesday night.

Kyle Busch stormed up from the back after an early speeding penalty to earn his first victory for Richard Childress Racing, winning on this two-mile Southern California track for the fifth and final time.

Busch held off Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series’ final race on the gloriously weathered asphalt at Auto Club Speedway, which will soon be demolished to make room for a proposed half-mile track. Busch asked Fontana officials for a chunk of that asphalt as a souvenir after he burned it up one last time on his way to Victory Lane.

Busch drove his Chevrolet to victory in only his second race with RCR, which scooped him up in December after his 15-year tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing ended. This win was Busch’s first since Bristol last season on a dirt track, and his first on pavement since Pocono in 2021.

With his 61st career victory, Busch earned a win in his record 19th consecutive Cup season, breaking a tie with Richard Petty.

The victory also was the combined 95th win by Kyle and Kurt Busch, breaking the NASCAR record for brothers previously held by Bobby and Donnie Allison.

Elliott finished 2.998 seconds behind Busch in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Daniel Suárez finished fourth, and Kevin Harvick was fifth in the Bakersfield native’s 750th Cup start.

After that teenage trouble, the Las Vegas native has enjoyed plenty of highlights down the I-15 at Fontana. Busch got his first Cup victory at this speedway back in 2005 in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and only Jimmie Johnson (6) earned more Cup victories here.

Even the California fans appreciate a driver who typically gets boos after his triumphs: Fontana serenaded him with cheers as he claimed another surfboard trophy.

Busch was sent to the back early in the race for speeding on pit road, and the penalty infuriated him. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, he roared through the field in response, passing Michael McDowell for the lead with 20 laps to go.

A week of unusual rainstorms and occasional snow finally abated Saturday night, and NASCAR dried the asphalt impressively before the race. Although sand and debris bothered some drivers, the track even managed to avoid any major problems from collected rainwater weeping out of cracks in the track.

Defending champion Kyle Larson was out of contention after developing engine trouble on the opening laps. Shortly after Brad Keselowski spun from contact with Corey LaJoie, Busch was sent to the back.

The series shifts to Las Vegas this weekend.

Class 2A Regional final action Friday night

At Auburn

Pleasant Plains, PORTA 40-30

At Bismarck

St. Joseph-Ogden, Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin 74-51

At Momence

Pontiac, Peotone 54-39

At Normal U-High

Normal U-High, Williamsville 82-54

At Armstrong

Catlin Salt Fork, Champaign St. Thomas More 56-42

At Cerro Gordo

Decatur LSA, Decatur St. Teresa 58-46

At Ridgeview

Lexington, LeRoy 48-38

At Toledo-Cumberland

Casey-Westfield, Meridian 52-46

At Tuscola

Tuscola, Arcola 63-46

Class 3A Regional Final Action

At Champaign Central

Lincoln, Mahomet-Seymour 33-35

At Mattoon

Decatur MacArthur, Mt. Zion 66-64 OT

At Normal West

Morton, Normal West 53-62

At Peoria 

Peoria Richwoods, Peoria Manual 64-56

At Rochester

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, Springfield Southeast 56-32

At Washington

Metamora, East Peoria 60-44

The Maroa-Forsyth Trojans fell to Bloomington Central Catholic 80-54 Friday night in Class 2A Regional finals.

The Trojans were led by Kaiden Maurer and AJ Massey with 15 points apiece.

BCC was led by Cole Certa with 31 points.

The Trojans finish the season 17-17 overall. 

n a game heard on WEZC, the Monticello Sages fell to the Prairie Central Hawks by a score of 38-72 in Class 2A finals Friday night.

The Sages were led by Servpro Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game Drew Sheppard with 8 points. Tyler Blythe chipped in with 6.

Prairie Central was led by Tyler Curl with 22 points.

Sages end the season 17-14 and Praire Central improves to 30-2.

Terrence Shannon Jr. shook off a slow start in his return from a concussion, scoring 24 of his 26 points in the second half as Illinois rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to beat No. 21 Northwestern 66-62 on Thursday night.

Shannon did not start and found himself back on the bench with three fouls as Northwestern (20-8, 11-6 Big Ten) closed on a 13-2 run to take a 37-19 lead into halftime.

But he picked up steam after the break and scored 15 of the Illini's last 24 points as they erased a 14-point deficit in the final 10:07. His tiebreaking drive with 1:16 left put Illinois (19-9, 10-7) ahead 63-61, and he scored the team's last five points - including a pair of free throws that sealed it with two seconds to go.

Boo Buie led Northwestern with a career-high 35 points, hitting six 3-pointers and going 12 of 24 from the floor.

Illinois opened 0 for 11 from 3-point range before Shannon nailed two 3s early in the second half. Matthew Mayer added a 3 and hit three free throws after being fouled during a 14-1 run that winnowed the deficit to four with 15:06 left.

Mayer gave Illinois its first lead on two free throws with 2:36 remaining. He finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Buie kept chugging away for the Wildcats after scoring 22 in the first half, including five 3s, by hitting his first four shots after halftime to push Northwestern's lead back to 14.

Illinois climbed into a four-way tie for third place in the conference with three games left in the regular season. Northwestern remains in second but fell two games behind Purdue.

Illinois plays at Ohio State on Sunday.

For the second straight year, Monticello will meet Prairie Central for a Regional title in Class 2A high school boys' basketball postseason action tonight in Fairbury.

The top-ranked Hawks beat Monticello 65-56 in late January and will look to avenge last year's overtime loss in a Regional final at GCMS. The Hawks led late but Monticello rallied to win 55-51 last February. 

Prairie Central enters play 29-2 overall while Monticello is 17-13 overall. 

Game time is 7 pm and can be heard on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Class 2A Regional final action tonight

At Clinton

Bloomington Central Catholic 7:00pm

Maroa-Forsyth

At Auburn

Pleasant Plains 7:00pm

Petersburg PORTA

At Bismarck

St. Joseph-Ogden 7:00pm

Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin

At Momence

Pontiac 7:00pm

Peotone

At Normal U-High

Normal U-High 7:00pm

Williamsville

At Armstrong

Catlin Salt Fork 7:00pm

Champaign St. Thomas More

At Cerro Gordo

Decatur LSA 7:00pm

Decatur St. Teresa

At Ridgeview

Lexington 7:00pm

LeRoy

At Toledo-Cumberland

Casey-Westfield 7:00pm

Meridian

At Tuscola

Tuscola 7:00pm

Arcola

Class 3A Regional Final Action

At Champaign Central

Lincoln 7:00pm

Mahomet-Seymour

At Mattoon

Decatur MacArthur 7:00pm

Mt. Zion

At Normal West

Morton 7:00pm

Normal West

At Peoria 

Peoria Richwoods 5:30pm

Peoria Manual

At Rochester

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 7:00pm

Springfield Southeast

At Washington

Metamora 7:00pm

East Peoria

Elias Pettersson scored 4:45 into overtime, and the Vancouver Canucks rallied for a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.

Pettersson picked up his 28th goal when he beat goalie Jordan Binnington with a wrist shot.

St. Louis led 2-0 before Miller scored his 20th goal 9:08 into the third, and Kuzmenko tied it on his 27th in the final minute.

Rookie Tyler Tucker scored his first career goal for the Blues, and Alexey Toropchenko had a short-handed goal. Binnington made 38 saves.

Vancouver rookie Arturs Silovs had 20 stops in his third career NHL start.

Vancouver had a goal disallowed in the first period. Miller scored on a delayed penalty at 14:27, but it was waved off after St. Louis challenged for goaltender interference.

The Blues scored a short-handed goal when Toropchenko beat Silovs on a breakaway at 15:29. Pavel Buchnevich intercepted a pass and fed the streaking Toropechenko for his fifth of the season.

St. Louis went up 2-0 on a wrist shot by Tucker at 6:45 of the second. The Canucks challenged the play, arguing the goal was scored on a high stick by Ivan Barbashev, but the original call stood. Barbashev got his 100th career assist.

Miller scored a short-handed goal on a wrist shot. He has 11 points in his last 10 games.

St. Louis forwards Brandon Saad (upper body) and Pavel Buchnevich (lower body) returned to the lineup. It was Saad's first game since Feb. 14. Buchnevich got hurt Saturday against Colorado.

The Blues host Pittsburgh on Saturday.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello opened the second half on a 12-3 run and finished the frame on a 9-0 run, and rolled past Iroquois West 63-38 in Class 2A high school boy's basketball Regional semifinal action Wednesday at Prairie Central High School.

The game was tied at 24 at the intermission and after the score was tied at 27, the Sages finished the quarter outscoring the Raiders 18-5. 

The final 25-point margin was the biggest lead Monticello would hold.

Trey Welter and Tylor Bundy led the Sages with 13 points. Welter scored 10 of 13 points in the first half and had seven assists with some brilliant plays to help Monticello pull away in the second half. 

Bundy grabbed five rebounds. 

Raiden Colbert finished with 11 points, knocking down three three-pointers. 

Welter was named the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game. 

Sam McMillan had 15 points and Cannon Leonard scored 13 points for Iroquois West.

The Sages shot 53 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Raiders 26-21. 

The Raiders finish the season 23-7 overall. 

Monticello moves to 17-13 overall and will get a rematch of last year's GCMS Regional championship with Prairie Central Friday night at 7 pm.

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

Tucker DeVries had 18 points in Drake's 82-51 win against Illinois State on Wednesday night.

DeVries shot 5 for 11 (2 for 8 from 3-point range) and 6 of 6 from the free throw line for the Bulldogs (24-6, 15-4 Missouri Valley Conference). Garrett Sturtz added 14 points while going 4 of 9 and 6 of 6 from the free throw line, and he also had five rebounds. Roman Penn finished 5 of 10 from the field to finish with 12 points. D.J. Wilkins hit four 3s and had 12 points. It was the 10th win in a row for the Bulldogs.

Darius Burford led the Redbirds (10-20, 5-14) in scoring, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds. Seneca Knight added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois State. The loss is the sixth straight for the Redbirds.

ISU finishes the regular season Sunday afternoon hosting Evansville at 3 pm.

Rienk Mast's 18 points helped Bradley defeat Valparaiso 76-66 on Wednesday night.

Mast had nine rebounds for the Braves (22-8, 15-4 Missouri Valley Conference). Ja'Shon Henry scored 15 points while shooting 7 of 11 from the field and 1 for 3 from the line. Ville Tahvanainen recorded 11 points and shot 4 for 7, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc. The Braves picked up their ninth straight win.

The Beacons (11-19, 5-14) were led by Ben Krikke, who posted 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Quinton Green added 16 points and seven rebounds for Valparaiso. In addition, Kobe King had 10 points.

Bradley finishes the regular season hosting Drake Sunday afternoon at 4 pm.

Patrick Kane keeps scoring as the trade talk keeps swirling.

Kane and Max Domi scored two goals apiece, and the Chicago Blackhawks erased a three-goal deficit in a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.

Playing without the Western Conference lead for the first time in more than a month, the Central Division-leading Stars lost their fifth consecutive game - the past two against last-place teams - and have just two wins in 10 games.

The Central cellar-dwelling Blackhawks won their fourth in a row, rallying from a 3-0 deficit in the second period. The first two goals came when Kane and Domi assisted on each other's tallies.

Both finished with three points, and Seth Jones had two assists against his hometown team.

The Stars are among the teams presumably interested in trading for Kane before next week's deadline. It isn't affecting the 34-year-old who has spent all 16 of his NHL seasons with the Blackhawks. Kane has three multi-goal games in the past four for seven total.

Tyler Seguin and captain Jamie Benn scored 79 seconds apart in the first period for the Stars before Jason Robertson ended an 0-for-21 skid on the Dallas power play with his team-leading 35th goal just six seconds into the man advantage in the second.

The Stars had a rush in the final seconds after pulling goalie Jake Oettinger, and a shot from Seguin went in. But replay showed it was clearly after the clock ran out.

A night earlier, Kane had a breakaway in the closing seconds of overtime against Vegas, but the goal was ruled to have been after time expired. The Blackhawks won in a shootout.

Domi's tiebreaking goal early in the third period was unassisted after he blocked a shot from Colin Miller near the blue line, chased down the ricochet and beat Oettinger on the breakaway.

Domi started the rally when the Blackhawks had 30 seconds of a power play after a 4-on-4. Kane was alone behind the net with the puck and slipped a pass to Domi for his 16th.

Five minutes later, Domi stole a puck near center ice, went in 2-on-1 and passed to Kane behind Oettinger for the easy goal.

Kane beat Oettinger on the stick side again for the tying goal on a pass from Philipp Kurashev with 1:55 remaining in the second.

The Blackhawks acquired defenseman Nikita Zaitsev and draft picks from Ottawa for future considerations. Chicago got a 2023 second-round pick and 2026 fourth in exchange for taking on the remainder of Zaitsev's contract.

The 31-year-old Russian is signed through next season at a salary cap hit of $4.5 million. Chicago can send Zaitsev to another team before the March 3 trade deadline or any time over the next year.

The Blackhawks play the second game of a four-game trip Saturday in San Jose.

In a game heard Wednesday night on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons fell to the Maroa-Forsyth Trojans, 54-51, in the Class 2A Regional semis at Clinton High School. 
 

Maroa jumped out to an early lead thanks to Grant Smith's 13 first quarter points.  The Trojans held a four point lead after the first, and it looked like they would hold on to it going into the half, however a balanced late second quarter surge from the Maroons put them in front at the break, 32-31.  
 

Maroa-Forsyth would go back to Smith in the third quarter, and build a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Trojans held Clinton to only 6 third quarter points, and led 44-38 going into the fourth.  The Maroons fought back and outscored Maroa, 13-10 in the final quarter, but came up just short.  Clinton's outside shooting cooled off in the second half, and the Maroons were only able to manufacture two trips to the free throw line all night compared to Maroa's 7 of 10 night at the line. 
 

Smith led all scorers with 26 points, while Kaiden Maurer added 21 for the Trojans.  They improve to 17-16 overall, and advance to face Bloomington Central Catholic Friday night for the Regional Championship at Clinton.   
 

Mason Walker led Clinton with 16 points, and was named the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game.  Brooks Cluver and Dawson Graves both added 14 for the Maroons. 
 

The Maroons end their first season under Head Coach Vic Binkley with a 24-8 record.  Quite the improvement over last season's 11 wins.  
 

In the early game at the Clinton 2A Regionals, BCC downed Riverton, 67-31.   

The Clinton Maroons begin the 2023 Class 2A high school basketball playoffs tonight hosting Maroa-Forsyth.

The Maroons program has been turned around by first-year hall-of-fame basketball coach Vic Binkley with the team's first 20-win season since the mid-90s. 

Clinton is out to prove the 20-win campaign is no fluke and reverse a long trend of postseason frustration. The Maroons haven't won a Regional since 2001. 

The Trojans last year had a magical run to a Sectional semi-final, winning its first Regional title since its state championship team of 2007.

Clinton and Maroa-Forsyth met once in the second game of the season for the Trojans, a 62-55 win for Clinton at Maroa-Forsyth High School.

Game time tonight is 7:30 pm from Clinton High School and action can be heard on WHOW its many digital platforms.

The Monticello Sages enter action tonight with a matchup against Iroquois West. 

The Sages enter action winners of two straight following its first four-game losing streak in nearly a decade and a stretch where they lost six of nine.

The Indians are 23-6 overall. 

Monticello was last year's 2A runner-up but graduated nearly all of its production from last year's team and found itself going through some growing pains with a younger, inexperienced roster this winter. 

The Raiders and Sages have not matched up. 

Game time tonight is 7:30 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

A 9th-inning home run by freshman Daniel Pacella tied the game but SIUE ultimately won, 6-5, in 10 innings as a two-out ground ball went under the glove of a Redbird infielder, plating the runner from second base.

SIUE scored twice in the 1st inning before senior Dylan Swarmer knocked in junior Adrian Flores in the 3rd inning.

In the 6th inning, junior Luke Cheng singled home junior Auggie Rasmussen prior to two more Redbirds scoring on RBI outs, yielding a 4-2 ISU lead.

The Cougars responded with three runs in the 7th inning to retake the lead.

Pacella's home run to left-center to tie the game in the 9th inning was the first of his career but SIUE walked it off in the 10th inning.

Freshman Thomas Harper made his first career start, settling in with three-straight scoreless innings after conceding two runs in the 1st inning.

The Redbirds fall to 2-2 and the Cougars improve to 3-1.

Illinois State is scheduled to play Friday-Sunday at Arkansas State.

Andrei Svechnikov scored twice in the first eight minutes to break a 19-game goal drought and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the St. Louis Blues 4-1.

Sebastian Aho had a second-period goal, Seth Jarvis added a goal and two assists and Brent Burns had two assists. Svechnikov also had an assist as the Hurricanes won their fourth game in a row and for the 11th time in their last 12.

Frederik Andersen stopped 35 shots for his fifth consecutive victory.

Justin Faulk scored for St. Louis. The Blues lost their third in a row and haven't won a road game since Jan. 8. They've dropped five straight away from home.

Jordan Binnington made 33 saves.

The Blues host Vancouver on Thursday night.

Tyler Johnson scored the lone goal in a shootout to give the Chicago Blackhawks their third straight victory, 3-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.

Johnson beat Laurent Brossoit with a low shot in the third round of the tiebreaker after scoring a power-play goal with 55 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

Johnson tied it on a screened shot from the high slot after Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was penalized for delay of game for lofting the puck over the glass and goalie Petr Mrazek was pulled for an extra attacker.

Johnson was set up on a cross-ice pass from Patrick Kane.

Jack Eichel scored his 18th goal and Keegan Kolesar also connected for the Golden Knights, whose five-game winning streak ended. Vegas has points in seven straight game, however (5-0-2) and remained in first place in the competitive Pacific Division.

Rookie Cole Guttman scored in his second straight game for Chicago, who have 43 points and climbed out of last place in the NHL. Guttman netted his first NHL goal Sunday.

Kane appeared to score on breakaway as overtime ended, but a video review showed his high shot sailed past Brossoit just after time expired.

Brossoit made 37 saves through overtime in his first start for Vegas this season. The 29-year-old goalie appeared in 24 games for Vegas in 2021-22.

Mrazek blocked 34 shots through overtime and all three in the shootout.

The Golden Knights failed to score on their lone power play, extending their dry spell to 24 straight chances dating to Jan. 22, a span of nine games.

Kolesar opened the scoring 3:26 in, whipping in a shot from the slot after Kane turned the puck over to Nicolas Roy deep in the Chicago zone.

Guttman broke in behind the Vegas defense and tied it 1 at 12:39 of the first, beating Brossoit between the pads.

Eichel put Vegas back in front 2-1 at 11:32 of the second period with his third goal in five games. He fired a shot under Mrazek's blocker from the right circle.

The Blackhawks are at Dallas tonight to start a four-game trip.

Matthew Mayer scored 22 points and Illinois handed Minnesota its 10th straight loss with a 78-69 victory on Monday night.

Mayer made 7 of 14 shots with two 3-pointers and grabbed seven rebounds for the Fighting Illini (18-9, 9-7 Big Ten Conference), who snapped a two-game skid. Jayden Epps sank 4 of 6 from beyond the arc and scored 17. Coleman Hawkins added 16 points and seven boards, while Dain Dainja scored 12. RJ Melendez pitched in with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Jamison Battle scored a season-high 31 for the Golden Gophers (7-18, 1-14). Battle hit 11 of 20 shots with four 3-pointers, adding six rebounds and three assists. Dawson Garcia added 18 points and eight rebounds, while Joshua Ola-Joseph scored 11 on 5-of-6 shooting.

Hawkins hit two-3-pointers and scored 11 to help Illinois lead 35-29 at halftime. Garcia scored 12 on 6-of-10 shooting to keep Minnesota close. Mayer's layup gave Illinois a 4-2 lead 91 seconds in and the Fighting Illini upped their advantage to 26-14 with 5:50 left.

Battle answered with a 3-pointer and Garcia sank a jumper to cap a 15-6 run as the Golden Gophers pulled within three before Hawkins buried a 3-pointer for the halftime margin.

Epps hit two 3-pointers and scored the first eight points of the second half to push the Illinois lead to 43-29 with 17:29 remaining. Jaden Henley ended Epps' run with a dunk, but Minnesota would get no closer than eight from there.

The Fighting Illini host No. 21 Northwestern on Thursday.

Kaiden Maurer scored 24 points leading Maroa-Forsyth to a 66-38 Class 2A Regional quarterfinal romp over Buffalo Tri-City from Maroa-Forsyth High School Saturday evening.

Maurer scored 11 points in the first half to help the Trojans jump out quickly and never look back. Mitch Williams added 14 points and Zayne Giles added ten for the Trojans.

Maroa-Forsyth advances to take on Clinton Wednesday night at 7:30 pm in Regional semifinal action at Clinton High School.

Hear the game Wednesday on WHOW in Clinton and its many online platforms including Amazon Alexa and dewittdailynews.com. 

Rienk Mast had a go-ahead four-point play with 20 seconds left and Bradley notched its eighth straight win with a 50-48 victory over Southern Illinois on Sunday.

Mast finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Braves (21-8, 14-4 Missouri Valley Conference). Ja'Shon Henry added 12 points and five rebounds. Zek Montgomery scored nine.

Marcus Domask finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Salukis (20-9, 12-6).

Bradley visits Valparaiso Wednesday.

A 10th-inning home run by junior Greg Nichols pushed the Illinois State baseball team past Austin Peay in a 14-13 slugfest at Raymond C. Hand Park on Sunday.

The Redbirds trailed 10-5 after five innings and 13-12 after eight innings.

Nichols (3-5, HR, 2B, three RBI, two runs, BB) was one of five Redbirds with multiple hits and RBI - junior Auggie Rasmussen - 2-4, 2B, three RBI, run, BB, junior Luke Cheng - 2-5, two 2B, two RBI, two runs, BB, freshman Daniel Pacella - 2-5, three RBI, junior Adrian Flores - 4-6, HR, two RBI, two runs.

Junior Elijah Dale was credited with the win after holding the Governors scoreless in the final three innings after he surrendered the lead in the 7th inning.

The Redbirds took game one Friday afternoon 13-2 and lost Saturday, 9-1.

Illinois State is scheduled to play on Tuesday at SIUE at 3:00 p.m. CT.

The Fighting Illini baseball (2-2) team fell to No. 6 Wake Forest (4-0), 10-1 Sunday afternoon at David F. Couch Ballpark.

Illinois went 2-2 in its four-game season-opening series, with both wins coming against Youngstown State and both losses coming against Wake Forest.

Wake Forest put runs on the board in both the first and second innings with a pair of solo home runs to open an early 2-0 lead, but Cam McDonald led off the fourth inning with an opposite-field solo shot of his own to halve the deficit.

The Demon Deacons extended their lead back to two runs in the fourth, before beginning to pull away in fifth, scoring twice to make it 5-1.

Illinois threatened to get back into the game by placing two runners on base in the sixth and seventh innings, but were unable to cash in any runs. The Illini offense stranded a season-high 10 runners in the ballgame.

Wake Forest would go on to add two runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to cap the scoring in the contest.

Julius Sanchez got the start for the Illini, making his collegiate debut. He struck out the first batter that he faced before conceding the first of his two home runs allowed. He ended his outing with 4.1 innings of work and allowed five runs on six hits to go along with four strikeouts and two walks.

Danny Doligale went 2-for-4 in the leadoff spot for his second-straight multi-hit game and Branden Comia went 1-for-3 to extend his on-base streak to 44 games.

Camden Janik went 1-for-3 with a walk and extends his hitting streak to four games.

Illinois begins a three-game set in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Friday, where they will face the No. 18 Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk had three-point games to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.

Stutzle had two goals and an assist and extended his point streak to four games (four goals, six assists).

Tkachuk extended his career-best point streak to seven games (5 goals, 6 assists) with a goal and two assists.

Shane Pinto, Alex DeBrincat, Drake Batherson and Ridley Greig also scored for Ottawa. Mads Sogaard made 30 saves.

The Senators were coming off a disappointing 4-3 overtime loss to Chicago on Friday. They also wanted to take advantage of the fact the Blues were coming off a 4-1 loss to the Avalanche on Saturday and traveled from Colorado, not to mention the trade of some key players in the past 48 hours.

Colton Parayko and Tyler Pitlick scored for the Blues. Thomas Greiss stopped 27 shots.

The Blues are at the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Patrick Kane had his ninth career regular-season hat trick, rookie Cole Guttman scored the game-winner and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 Sunday night.

Max Domi had a goal and three assists for the Blackhawks, who won their second straight following a three-game losing streak and climbed out of last place in the NHL. The Maple Leafs had won two straight, including a 5-2 romp over the Blackhawks on Wednesday in Toronto.

Guttman scored his first NHL goal by beating Ilya Samsonov over the blocker with a hard wrist shot from the right wing with 8:18 remaining to break a 3-all tie.

Mitch Marner had tied it at 3 on a set play 7:38 into the third period. He raced into the Chicago zone when Morgan Rielly sent a hard dump-in off the boards. Marner picked it up, cut hard to the net, and swung a backhand past Jaxson Stauber before he could react.

Kane has been the subject of trade rumors all season as the Blackhawks try to position themselves to win the draft lottery. He had been goalless in seven games before scoring twice at Ottawa on Friday and followed that up with his ninth three-goal game in regular-season play. He has 14 goals in 52 games.

Kane opened the scoring with a 70 mph wrist shot 10:44 into the first period beating Samsonov from the left-wing circle.

It was the Blackhawks' eighth shot on goal, and they didn't get another until 7:57 of the second period when Kane took a pass from Domi and beat a screened Samsonov from 20 feet.

Kane completed the hat trick 12:49 into the second, corralling a puck behind the Toronto net and caroming it off Samsonov's backside. A replay review proved the puck crossed the goal line completely, which set off a cascade of hats from the standing-room crowd of 20,979 at the United Center.

Domi, who scored an empty net goal with 1:16 to play, matched a career-high with his assists on Kane's three goals. Kane set up the empty netter.

Chicago hosts Vegas on Tuesday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues on Friday night in a three-team trade with the Minnesota Wild.

Toronto sent forwards Mikhail Abramov and Adam Gaudette, a 2023 first-round draft pick, Ottawa’s 2023 third-round selection and the Leafs’ 2024 second-round choice to St. Louis.

Minnesota received Toronto’s 2025 fourth-round selection. The Blues will retain 50% of O’Reilly’s salary, while the Wild will take on 25% as part of the trade.

The 32-year-old O’Reilly had 12 goals and seven assists in 40 games for St. Louis this season. He was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after leading the Blues to the Stanley Cup title in 2019. O’Reilly also won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward in 2018-19.

Acciari, 31, had 10 goals and eight assists in 54 games with St. Louis this season.

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. won the Daytona 500 in double overtime and under caution on Sunday in the longest running of “The Great American Race.” The two overtimes pushed the 65th running of the race to a record 212 laps — a dozen laps beyond the scheduled distance and a whopping 530 miles.

Stenhouse’s win for JTG Daugherty Racing was the third of his career. JTG is the first single-car team to win the Daytona 500 since The Wood Brothers Racing did it with Trevor Bayne in 2011.

Stenhouse’s only other victories came in 2017, at Talladega and the summer race at Daytona.

Kyle Larson was collected in the race-ending crash after he jumped out of line too early in an attempt to win the race. His disappointment was alleviated by Stenhouse’s victory.

Reigning Cup champion Joey Logano finished second in a Ford for Team Penske, which won the race last year with Austin Cindric.

Christopher Bell was third in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing and followed by Chris Buescher in a Ford for RFK Racing and pole-sitter Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports in a Chevrolet. It marked the first time the pole-sitter has finished in the top five since Bill Elliott in 2001.

AJ Allmendinger was sixth for Kaulig Racing, Daniel Suarez seventh for Trackhouse Racing, and Ryan Blaney eighth for Team Penske. Ross Chastain of Trackhouse and Riley Herbst of Rick Ware Racing rounded out the top 10.

Action sports star Travis Pastrana finished 11th in his Daytona 500 debut, and Kevin Harvick was 12th in his final Daytona 500. Harvick is retiring at the end of the year.

Kyle Busch dropped to 0 for 18 in the Daytona 500, but contended for his new Richard Childress Racing team. He was the leader ahead of teammate Austin Dillon with three laps remaining in regulation when a spin by Daniel Suarez brought out the caution and sent the race to overtime.

Busch wound up 19th after the race-ending crash in second overtime.

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson made his return to the series and ran inside the top 15 for most of the race. He was collected in one of the crashes in overtime and finished 31st. Johnson has returned from two years racing in the IndyCar Series as part owner of Legacy Motor Club and he plans to enter a handful of races.

Brad Keselowski led a race-high 42 laps, but finished 22nd. He declined to speak to reporters after dropping to 0 for 14 in a race he desperately wants to win.

The Cup Series races at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, next Sunday in the final race in the track’s current configuration. It will be renovated into a short track after the race — a project that will prevent the track from hosting any racing in 2024. Kyle Larson won last year’s race.

In a game heard on WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com, four players scored in double-figures leading Monticello over Paxton-Buckley-Loda 65-33 in Class 2A Regional quarterfinal high school boy's basketball action from the Sievers Center at Monticello High School Saturday afternoon.

Tylor Bundy had a career-high 13 points and six rebounds for the Sages. Trey Welter scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half for Monticello.

Drew Sheppard recorded his third double-double this season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Tyler Blythe came off the bench again Saturday and finished in double figures again with 10 points. 

Bundy's performance earned him his first ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County player of the game. 

Monticello dominated in nearly facet of this contest, controlling the boards 36-19, scoring 26 points in the paint, and turned 18 PBL turnovers into 13 points.

Perhaps the most impressive stat of the day was the Sages had 22 assists on its 23 field goals.
 

Monticello shot an even 50-percent from the floor for the game and finished 11-for-13 from the foul line and went 8-for-14 from distance. 

Kayden Snelling scored 13 points to lead the Panthers.

PBL finishes the season 4-25 overall.

Monticello moves to 16-13 overall and will move on to take on Iroquois West Wednesday night at 7:30 pm at the Prairie Central Regional. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard on WHOW and its online platforms, the Clinton Maroons fell short 72-61 in Central Illinois Conference high school boy's basketball action Thursday night at Clinton High School.

Ryheem Tyus scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, Shadow Sumner had 13 of his 18 points in the first half, pacing a balanced Bulldogs attack that would not let Clinton get closer than seven in the second half. 

Billy Guyse added 13 points for the Bulldogs and Dylan Geiser added nine.

The Maroons were balanced in scoring as well. Mason Walker led the way with 16 points, Dawson Graves finished with 15 points despite struggles at times with open looks.

Colton Walker was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County player of the game finishing with 14 points. Walker impressed with aggressive defense and poise around the rim. 

Brooks Cluver chipped in with 15 points for the Maroons.

It's off to the postseason for both squads. 

Clinton awaits the winner of Buffalo Tri-City and Maroa-Forsyth who battle Saturday afternoon in Maroa. The winner takes on the Maroons at Clinton High School next Wednesday night at 7:30 pm. Hear the action on WHOW and its many online platforms.

The Maroa-Forsyth Trojans fell short to New Berlin 52-46 in the regular season finale in Sangamo Conference high school boy's basketball action in New Berlin.

Kaiden Maurer paced the Trojans with 18 points as the Pretzels used a big second quarter to create the separation they would hold on to the remainder of the game.

Mitch Williams scored 13 points for the Trojans, whose trademark balanced scoring was bottled up Thursday.

The Pretzels finish the regular season 25-6 overall and 8-1 in the Sangamo Conference.

The Trojans finish the regular season 15-16 overall and 3-6 in the Sangamo. Maroa-Forsyth hosts Buffalo Tri-City Saturday afternoon in a Class 2A Regional quarterfinal matchup hoping to advance to take on Clinton next Wednesday in Regional semifinal action at Clinton High School.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello came from behind twice to get by Tolono Unity 50-46 in an Illini Prairie Conference high school boy's basketball classic from Tolono Tuesday night.

The Rockets jumped in front 5-0 less than 90 seconds into the game. Monticello battled back and the score was within one after each quarter. Unity led 10-9 after the first, 21-20 at the half, and 30-29 at the end of the third.

The Sages started the fourth quarter on a 5-2 run after Henry Thomas scored the first five points of the frame to go up 26-20. But the Sages stayed the course and Tyler Blythe's floater from the right elbow put Monticello in front 29-28 with 1:40 to play in the third. 

The Sages scored the first four of the fourth quarter to go up 33-30, a lead they would not relinquish but not without a challenge from the Rockets.

Monticello's Trey Welter and Unity's Will Cowan traded three's and Tyler Blythe got in on the action as well. Welter had 11 of his 13 in the fourth quarter, landing blows efforts for a comeback by knocking down a trio of triples to keep the Rockets at bay. 

Despite being held scoreless in the first half, Welter offered Monticello brilliant passing on the offensive end to keep the Sages close. He finished with five assists and was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game.

The win for Monticello snapped a four-game losing streak and was the 17th straight over Unity. The Rockets' last victory over Monticello came in nearly 11 years ago when the Rockets rolled Monticello 102-70 in a Regional Championship game at the Rocket Center.

Monticello finishes the regular season 15-13 overall and 4-5 in the Illini Prairie Conference. It's off to the postseason now for the Sages who host Paxton-Buckley-Loda in a Regional quarterfinal matchup from the Sievers Center at Monticello High School. Game time is 4 pm and can be heard on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Jalen Pickett scored a season-high 41 points, the first Penn State player with 40-plus points since 1961, and the Nittany Lions beat Illinois 93-81 on Tuesday night to end a four-game losing streak.

It was the most points scored by a Penn State player in Big Ten play and the sixth 40-point game in program history.

Pickett was 10-of-12 shooting with four 3-pointers in the first half, including reaching 2,000 career points on a 3 with 2:54 left. He finished 15 of 20 overall with five 3-pointers and had eight assists. He scored 46 points with Siena in a triple-overtime game against Quinnipiac on Feb. 17, 2019.

Seth Lundy had 11 points in the first half, hitting 4 of 5 shots with three 3s and finished with 15 points for Penn State (15-11, 6-9 Big Ten), which shot 58% overall and was 12 of 28 from distance. Kanye Clary added 12 points and Kanye Clary had 10.

Penn State shot 62.5% (20 of 32) from the floor and hit 10 of 18 from long range in the first half for a 53-40 lead. Illinois cut the deficit to 54-47 with 18:01 left but didn’t get closer.

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 20 points to lead five in double figures for Illinois (17-8, 8-6), which lost the season series with Penn State.

Illinois plays at No. 14 Indiana on Saturday.

Brayden Schenn scored twice and Jordan Binnington made 34 saves to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

Ryan O'Reilly, Jordan Kyrou, Ivan Barbashev and Nick Leddy also scored for the Blues, who won their second in a row following a five-game losing streak.

Carter Verhaeghe and Eetu Luostarinen scored for Florida, which had won four of five.

The Blues scored first when Schenn deflected a shot by Torey Krug that bounced off the back wall and kicked off the skate of goalie Spencer Knight.

Schenn converted on a wrist shot from inside the circle 25 seconds into the second period to make it 2-0.

O'Reilly and Kyrou scored 20 seconds apart in the third period to push the lead to 5-1. Kyrou leads the team with 24 goals.

Barbashev, the subject of trade speculation, also had two assists.

Binnington stopped 17 of 18 shots in the third and improved to 20-18-3 with his second successive win.

The Blues have scored six goals in each of their last two games since trading longtime sniper Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola to the New York Rangers.

St. Louis has killed off the last 13 penalties against Florida.

The Blues host the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

Patrick Kane trade rumors continue to swirl ahead of the NHL trade deadline, but when it comes to any potential suitors, he holds all the cards. 

That's because the three-time Stanley Cup champion has a full no-movement clause, which means Kane has control over where he goes and it sounds like his list of desired destinations is relatively short. 

Former NHL defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo, now a broadcaster on TSN 1050 in Toronto, said Kane has serious interest in two teams.

The New York Rangers seem to be an unlikely destination at this point. They already acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues, and Kane expressed his disappointment when asked about that transaction.

When it comes to the Maple Leafs, it will be difficult for them to make the money work. Toronto has just $296,666 in salary cap space, according to CapFriendly, and Kane carries a $10.5 million cap hit. Even if the Blackhawks were to retain half of Kane's salary, the Maple Leafs would have to jump through financial hoops to acquire him.

In a game heard Saturday afternoon on WHOW, the Clinton Lady Maroons fell to the Maroa-Forsyth Trojans, 53-46, in the Class 2A Girls Regionals at Maroa-Forsyth High School.
 

The Trojans jumped out to a lead early, and steadily built upon it throughout the game.  Clinton trailed 8-6 after the first quarter, but the Trojans extended the lead to five by halftime.  Maroa would build the lead to as many as 10 in the third, but Clinton would cut it to five before another Trojans run.  The back and forth continued into the fourth, but the more experienced Trojans held on for the win.

Maroa-Forsyth was led by Leah Adlaf with 30 points.  Maggie Ravenscraft added 7 for the 18-14 overall Trojans, who advance to face Pana Tuesday night at Warrensburg-Latham.  
 

The Lady Maroons end their season at 15-17 overall.  Clinton was led by Reagan Filkin with 16 points.  She was named the Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game.  Avery Smith added 12, while Heidi Humble contributed 10 points.  The young Lady Maroons squad should return all five of their regular starters next season.  
 

Our next Clinton sports broadcast on WHOW comes your way Thursday night when the Maroons host Decatur St. Teresa for Senior Night.  Varsity action comes your way around 7:30pm Thursday night on all WHOW platforms!

Kaiden Maurer scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and Grant Smith had 18 first-half points but the Auburn Trojans rallied in the fourth quarter to get by Maroa-Forsyth 70-63 in Sangamo Conference boy's basketball action from Auburn Friday night.

Smith helped propel Maroa-Forsyth to a 36-24 lead at the break but Auburn's offense came alive in the second half with a 19-11 third quarter and then a 27-16 fourth quarter. 

Mitch Williams scored 13 points for Maroa-Forsyth. 

Talin Kern scored all 18 of his points in the second half for Auburn. Carter Hunley added 16 points and Nathan Barth finished with 14.

Auburn moves to 20-7 overall and is 5-1 in the Sangamo Conference.

Maroa-Forsyth falls to 13-14 overall and 2-4 in the Sangamo.

Maroa-Forsyth returns home Saturday hosting Argenta-Oreana. 

The Clinton Maroons will be the fourth seed in the Pleasant Plains Sectional and will host Class 2A Regional boys' basketball action starting Wednesday, Feb. 22.

The Maroons will take on the winner of Maroa-Forsyth and Buffalo Tri-City on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 pm at Clinton High School. 

Bloomington Central Catholic, the second seed in the Sectional, will take on the winner of Warrensburg-Latham and Riverton on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6 pm at Clinton High School, with the winners to meet at Clinton High School on Friday, Feb. 24 at 7 pm. 

The top seed in the Section is Pleasant Plains.

In other quarterfinal matchups starting Saturday, Feb. 18, Tri-Valley will host Olympia, Dee-Mack travels to Williamsville, Monticello will host PBL, and GCMS hosts Clifton Central.

In Class 1A, Decatur LSA is the top seed in the Heyworth sub-sectional. They will host DeLand-Weldon on Saturday, Feb. 18.

Other Regional quarterfinal matchups in the Cerro Gordo Regional on Saturday, Feb. 18, Cerro Gordo-Bement hosts Argenta, Decatur St. Teresa is at Blue Ridge, and Heyworth hosts Mt. Pulaski.  In the Ridgeview Regional and the Heyworth sub-sectional, Lexington hosts Cullom Tri-Point and LeRoy will host Ridgeview. 

Tuscola is the top seed in their Regional and sub-sectional. They host Hume-Shiloh on Saturday, Feb. 18. 

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 points in his first game since returning to Brooklyn and the Nets beat the Chicago Bulls 116-105 on Thursday night, hours after trading superstar Kevin Durant to Phoenix.

Joe Harris had 18 points, and Yuta Watanabe chipped in 14 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Dorian Finney-Smith, who came with Dinwiddie from Dallas in the trade for Kyrie Irving, had nine points and nine rebounds in his Nets debut.

Zach LaVine scored 38 points and DeMar DeRozan had 14 for Chicago, which lost its second straight and fell to 10-18 on the road.

Playing short-handed and in danger of losing more ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race, the Nets snapped a two-game skid with a 20-6 fourth-quarter run, keyed by Dinwiddie and Watanabe. Dinwiddie scored 13 in the fourth and Watanabe hit a pair of 3s.

Brooklyn, which is 29th in the NBA in rebounds per game, also outrebounded Chicago 49-46, winning the rebounding battle for the first time in 16 games.

Brooklyn looked sluggish from the outset, shooting just 28.6% from the field in the first quarter, and Chicago capitalized. LaVine scored 12 in the first quarter, and the Bulls used a 16-2 run to build a 13-point advantage early in the second.

But the Nets heated up from the outside, making 8 of 12 3-pointers, led by Harris' six in the second. Brooklyn led by as many as seven and took a 53-50 advantage into halftime.

Brooklyn built an 11-point advantage early in the third. But Chicago scored 30 of the quarter's final 44 points, keyed by LaVine's 14 in the frame.

The Bulls were one of just two teams that did not make a trade before Thursday's 3 p.m. EST deadline. 

Chicago is at Cleveland on Saturday.

The St. Louis Blues have traded winger Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola to the New York Rangers, New York announced Wednesday. In return, St. Louis will receive Sammy Blais, Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick.

The Blues will also be retaining 50% of Tarasenko's $7.5 million salary cap hit.

As they chase their first Stanley Cup since 1994, the Rangers have been in the market for a top-six winger, and Tarasenko certainly fits that bill. Injuries have limited Tarasenko to just 38 games played this season, but in that time he has scored 10 goals while adding 19 assists.

In 2021-22, Tarasenko was healthy for most of the season and had one of the best years of his career. In 75 games played, Tarasenko scored 34 goals and set a career high in assists (48) and points (82). If he can play anywhere near that level in New York, the Rangers will be a dangerous team in the postseason.

Mikkola, in his fourth NHL season, has primarily played in a third-pairing role with the Blues. He will play a similar role with the Rangers, who waived Libor Hajek to make room for him on the roster.

On the other end of the deal, Blais will be returning to St. Louis, where he played the first four seasons of his NHL career. In 40 games this season, Blais has recorded five assists. Skinner, a low-level prospect for the Rangers, is playing for the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL.

In a game heard Thursday night on WHOW, the Clinton Lady Maroons finished the regular season on a high note, downing Decatur St. Teresa, 52-43, in Central Illinois Conference action at Clinton High School.  
 

The Senior Night contest was a rematch from the second game of the season for both teams.  St. T won the first go around by 19 points.  However, this matchup was a back and forth affair thru the first two quarters.  Clinton led after the first 13-11, but the Bulldogs led at the half 21-19.  The young Lady Maroons turned up the defensive intensity in the second half, which equated to several fastbreak points.  Clinton outscored the Bulldogs, 17-12 in the third, and then 16-10 in the fourth.  
 

The Lady Maroons were led by Clara Dempsey and Reagan Filkin, who each finished with 14 points.  Filkin scored 10 of the Maroons 16 fourth quarter points, and was named the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game.  Heidi Humble also added 13 for Clinton.  
 

St. Teresa was led by Joella Livingston with 13 points; Lucy Corley had 11; and Grace Lees added 10.  The Bulldogs finish the regular season at 16-11 overall, and 4-3 in the CIC. 
 

Clinton ends the regular season 15-16 overall, and also 4-3 in conference.  The Lady Maroons travel to Maroa-Forsyth Saturday afternoon at 1pm to open Class 2A Regional play.  Hear the matchup on all WHOW platforms! 
 

Malevy Leons had 21 points in Bradley’s 79-61 victory over Illinois State on Wednesday night.

Leons shot 7 of 11 from the field and 7 for 9 from the line for the Braves (18-8, 11-4 Missouri Valley Conference). Rienk Mast scored 16 points while shooting 6 for 10, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc, and added 10 rebounds and five assists. Ville Tahvanainen shot 5 for 13, including 3 for 7 from beyond the arc to finish with 13 points.

The Redbirds (10-16, 5-10) were led in scoring by Malachi Poindexter, who finished with 15 points and two steals. Darius Burford added 12 points and five assists for Illinois State. In addition, Kendall Lewis had 11 points and eight rebounds.

The St. Louis Cardinals acquired left-hander Anthony Misiewicz from their cross-state rival Kansas City Royals for cash considerations on Wednesday.

To make room on the 40-man roster, St. Louis designated right-hander James Naile for assignment on the Missouri native’s 30th birthday.

The 28-year-old Misiewicz, who was expected to compete for a spot in the Royals bullpen, split last season between the Mariners and Kansas City. He went 1-2 with a 4.34 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 29 innings.

Misiewicz was expendable when the Royals bolstered their bullpen with a series of recent moves, trading outfielder Michael A. Taylor to the Twins and injury-prone shortstop Adalberto Mondesi to the Red Sox to net a trio of pitching prospects. The Royals also signed reliever Aroldis Chapman to a $3.75 million deal for 2023 in the hopes the seven-time All-Star can bounce back from a disappointing season with the Yankees.

Misiewicz has appeared in 119 games since making his debut in 2020 for Seattle. He is 6-9 with a 4.43 ERA but has been especially effective against left-handed hitters, allowing a .250 average to them.

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Riley Weber scored 14 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter to lead Pontiac passed Monticello 73-61 in Illini Prairie Conference high school boy's basketball action from the Sievers Center at Monticello High School Tuesday night.

Four players scored in double-figures as the Indians held off the pesky Sages on senior night for the winter sports programs. Cheerleading, boy's basketball, and girl's basketball senior players were recognized between a varsity double dip that saw the girl's fall to Williamsville before the boy's varsity game.

Pontiac's balanced scoring was too much for Monticello who stayed with one of the Illini Prairie Conference favorites throughout the game. The Sages even led 36-33 at the half. 

Trey Welter scored 16 of his game-high 28 points in the first half and Monticello was very physical in the first half as they outrebounded the much longer and taller Indians 17-12.

But in the second half, Pontiac upped the defensive intensity and was much more crisp on offense. After senior Will Ross hit a three to open the second half for the Sages, Michael Kuska hit back-to-back corner threes to tie the game at 39-39. 

With the score tied at 45, Henry Brummel got free in transition off a turnover and put Pontiac ahead for good, 47-45. 

Raiden Colbert scored 12 points for Monticello while Ross finished nine points and seven rebounds.

Kuska finished with 15 points for Pontiac. Kerr Baumann scored 14 points and Brummel finished with 13 for the Indians.

Pontiac outrebounded Monticello 17-8 in the second half. The Indians finished shooting 51-percent from the floor and went 17-for-19 at the foul line. 

Pontiac had 12 assists on its 23 field goals and only had seven turnovers for the game.

The Sages also turned the ball over just seven times with 11 assists on its 23 field goals. Monticello shot 43 percent from the floor and finished just 4-for-4 from the foul line.

Monticello also shot an uncharacteristic 25 three pointers, making 11. Six came off the hand of Welter who was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game. Colbert made four threes for Monticello.

The Indians remain in the thick of the battle for the regular season Illini Prairie Conference title, going to 6-1 in league action and 20-6 overall.

Monticello drops its fourth in five games, falling to 14-11 and going to 3-4 in the Illini Prairie.

The Sages hit the road Friday night, finishing its regular season slate with three straight road games. It starts at Champaign St. Thomas More at 7 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Williamsville was able to slow down Maroa-Forsyth in the second half and roll to a 59-36 win in Sangamo Conference boy's basketball action Tuesday night from Maroa. 

Ty Beck scored ten of his 10 of his team-high 14 points in the first half. Jake Seman scored eight of his 12 points in the second half. Colvin Fleck added ten for the Bullets who led 27-22 at the intermission but opened up a 46-27 lead after three, thanks to a 19-5 third quarter.

Kaiden Maurer was the only player to reach double figures for the Trojans with 13 points. Grant Smith scored nine and Mitch Williams added 7 for Maroa-Forsyth. 

The Bullets move to 19-6 overall and 5-1 in the Sangamo Conference. The win Tuesday snapped a two-game slide.

The Trojans are 13-14 on the season and go to 2-4 in the Sangamo. Maroa-Forsyth travels to Auburn Friday night.

Britni Walters scored 22 points leading Williamsville over Monticello 45-26 in non-conference high school girl's basketball action Tuesday night at the Sievers Center at Monticello High School.

It was senior night Tuesday for the winter sports programs. Cheerleading, boy's basketball, and girl's basketball senior players were recognized between a varsity double dip that saw the girl's fall to Williamsville before the boy's varsity game.

The Lady Bullets rebounded from a slow first quarter for both teams. It was 5-4 after the first but Williamsville outscored Monticello 22-9 to take a 27-13 lead into the break. 

Monticello could not recover from there. Maia High led Monticello with six points. Jobi Smith and Lucy Leatherwood each added five points apiece.

Williamsville moves to 11-17. Monticello finishes the regular season 7-22. 

It's off to Regional play Saturday afternoon at Tri-Valley in Regional quarterfinal action.

Frank Vatrano scored 2:15 into overtime, and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Tuesday night in a matchup of two of the NHL's worst teams.

Vatrano got his 12th goal when he beat Petr Mrazek from the left side of the net. Isac Lundestrom set up the game-winner with a cross-ice pass.

Brett Leason and Jayson Megna each had a goal and an assist for Anaheim (17-29-6). John Klingberg had two assists, and Anthony Stolarz made 27 saves.

Chicago's Jason Dickinson had a goal for the third straight game. Seth Jones also scored and Mrazek blocked 23 shots.

With the game tied at 2, the Blackhawks controlled much of the action in the third period. But Stolarz stopped Dickinson's point-blank shot with 7:40 left. Chicago defenseman Jake McCabe missed on a prime chance with just over six minutes remaining.

It was the first game for the Blackhawks since Hall of Fame forward Bobby Hull died last week at age 84. The organization paid tribute to Hull with a pregame moment of silence and a video of his career highlights.

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews missed the game with a non-COVID-19 illness.

Blackhawks C Tyler Johnson (left ankle) returned after missing three games.

Chicago D Jarred Tinordi, out since Dec. 18 with a broken jaw, has been activated off IR. He could play this weekend

The Blackhawks host Arizona on Friday.

In a game heard Tuesday night on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons dominated Warrensburg-Latham, 59-29, in CIC conference basketball action at Clinton High School.  
 

The Maroons jumped ahead early, and never trailed in what was the first conference matchup between Clinton coach Vic Binkley and his former team.  The two teams met earlier this season in a non-conference game that saw Clinton edge the Cards by two.  The rematch would not be nearly as competitive.  
 

Clinton led 15-6 after one quarter, and built the lead to 16 by half.  The Maroons blew the game open for good in the third, outscoring Warrensburg 24 to 8 in that quarter alone. 
 

The Maroons put four players in double figures in the win.   Dawson Graves and Brooks Cluver led the way with 14 apiece, while Mason and Colton Walker each added 11 points.  Colton was named the WHOW / Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player Of The Game.  

Sophomore Brayden Hickey led Warrensburg-Latham with 12 points.  The Cardinals fall to 13-15 overall, and 1-4 in the CIC.  They'll next host Shelbyville Friday night. 

Clinton improves to 22-6 overall, and 4-1 in conference.  The Maroons travel to Central A&M Friday night.  
 

Our next Clinton High School sports broadcast comes your way Thursday night when the Lady Maroons host St. Teresa for Senior Night.  Varsity action tips around 7:30pm Thursday on all WHOW platforms. 
 

In a game heard on WEZC, Raegan Little and Raegan Stringer scored 20 points apiece leading Tolono Unity to a 58-37 win over Monticello in Illini Prairie Conference girl's basketball action Monday night from the Sievers Center at Monticello High School.

Action was controlled largely by Tolono Unity throughout the night but an 8-0 run by Monticello right after halftime got them within 14 points, but that would be the closest they would be the rest of the night. From there, Stringer and Little combined to take the game back over and lead Tolono Unity to its 19th victory and fourth win in league play on the season.

Lydia Burger led Monticello with 13 points and five rebounds. Lucy Leatherwood added 11 points. Jobi Smith scored nine for Monticello. Maia High grabbed a team-best six rebounds.

Lauren Haas scored eight for Tolono Unity.

Monticello drops to 7-20 overall. They will host Williamsville on senior night tonight at the Sievers Center at 5:30 pm. 

Minnesota’s game at Illinois that was scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols within the Gophers’ program.

The announcement was made Monday by Minnesota, which didn’t specify how many players would have been unable to play. The game at State Farm Center was rescheduled for Feb. 20.

The Gophers (7-15, 1-11) had only eight available scholarship players for their last game, an 81-46 loss to Maryland on Saturday. Dawson Garcia (ankle) has missed the last four games, and Braeden Carrington (leg) has missed the last six. Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen will not play this season while recovering from knee injuries.

Illinois (16-7, 7-5) will host No. 24 Rutgers on Saturday.

Nicola Vucevic had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Drummond set season highs with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Chicago handed San Antonio its ninth straight loss, beating the Spurs 128-104.

Vucevic could be playing for another team by the end of the week. The same goes for Andre Drummond as the NBA's trade deadline approaches.

Despite big questions about their futures, the big men delivered in a big way for the Bulls on Monday night.

Zach LaVine scored 20 points and DeMar DeRozan had 19, helping the Bulls match a season high with their third straight win. Chicago (26-27) also got some payback for a loss at San Antonio in October.

It was tied at 85 late in the third quarter when Chicago went on a 23-3 run that buried the team with the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Two more losses and the Spurs will match their worst skid of the season.

DeRozan started the decisive run with a three-point play and step-back jumper in the final minute of the third, giving the Bulls a five-point lead.

Chicago had seven players score in double figures and shot 56.2% despite making just 6 of 22 3-pointers. It was the Bulls' fourth win in five games overall.

Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 21 points. But the Spurs opened a season-high, nine-game trip on an all-too-familiar note.

The Bulls led by 11 after the first quarter, only to have San Antonio get back into the game in the second. The Spurs led by four late in the third, before the Bulls steadied themselves.

DeRozan's spurt at the end of the quarter helped give the Bulls the spark they needed.

Coby White kept it going when he hit two free throws and fed Drummond for dunk after stealing a pass in the opening minute of the fourth. Doug McDermott hit a 3 for San Antonio, but the Bulls outscored the Spurs 38-19 in the quarter.

Alex Caruso (sore left foot) missed his second straight game. Chicago's best perimeter defender was injured in Thursday's 114-98 victory over Charlotte. 

The Bulls visit Memphis on Tuesday.

A record 50.4 million American adults plan to bet on this year’s Super Bowl, wagering a total of $16 billion, the gambling industry’s national trade group predicted Tuesday.

The American Gaming Association forecasts that 1-in-5 American adults will place a bet on Sunday’s NFL championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The estimate includes legal bets, and those placed with illegal bookies or casually among friends or relatives.

The total amount expected to be wagered this year is more than double the amount from last year as the legal U.S. sports betting market continues to grow.

There are three additional states offering legal sports betting this year — Kansas, Ohio and Massachusetts — compared with a year earlier, for a total of 33 states plus Washington, D.C. Maryland also added mobile sports betting in the past year, but it had in-person wagering for last year’s Super Bowl.

More than half of all American adults live in a market where sports betting is legal.

Hard data is backing up predictions of a record-setting betting market for this year’s game. GeoComply, which handles nearly all the online betting traffic for the U.S. sports betting market to verify a customer is in a particular location where such bets are legal, says it has recorded over 550 million geolocation checks during the NFL playoffs from Jan. 14 to 29.

That’s up 50% from the same period last year, and the group is predicting record-setting volume for this year’s Super Bowl.

Eilers & Krejcik Gaming Research, an independent analytics firm in California, looked solely at legal bets. It predicted a total of just over $1 billion this year, led by Nevada ($155 million); New York ($111 million); Pennsylvania ($91 million); Ohio ($85 million) and New Jersey ($84 million.) Their research was not involved in the AGA predictions.

The company estimated 10 to 15% of that total would be wagered live after the game begins, and that 15 to 20% would come in the form of same-game parlays, or a combination of bets involving the same game, such as betting on the winner, the total points scored and how many passing yards Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will accumulate.

The AGA survey found bettors evenly split, with 44% backing the Chiefs and an identical percentage betting on the Eagles.

The Eagles were 1.5-point favorites as of Monday night on FanDuel, the official odds provider to The Associated Press.

There is a vast array of bets offered on the big game, from the most basic predictions of which team will win and by how many points, to wagering on the total amount of points scored in the game.

Also popular are so-called proposition or prop bets on individual player performances, like whether Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will throw two or fewer touchdown passes or how many rushing yards Eagles running back Miles Sanders will accumulate.

For the Super Bowl, these bets encompass outcomes as unusual as whether the opening coin toss will come up heads or tails; whether the final score of the game has ever happened before as the score of a past Super Bowl, and even what color of Gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach.

The Maroa-Forsyth Trojans held off Champaign St. Thomas 52-47 at the Illini Prairie/Sangamo Conference Shootout from Williamsville High School in high school boy's basketball action Saturday afternoon.

Three players scored in double figures for Maroa-Forsyth led by Mitch Williams' 15 points. AJ Massey added 14 points while Grant Smith scored 13 points.

The Trojans go to 13-13 overall and will host Williamsville Tuesday night in Sangamo Conference play at 7 pm. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Gavin Arthalony had a double-double and scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the second half to propel Petersburg-PORTA over Monticello 47-36 in the Illini Prairie/Sangamo Conference Shootout at Williamsville High School in boy's basketball action Saturday afternoon.

The Sages' offensive sputtered on Saturday despite 18 points from junior Trey Welter, who was the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player of the Game. Monticello shot just 31 percent from the floor. 

The Blue Jays turned ten Sages turnovers into 12 points and shot 44 percent from the floor for the game. 

Arthalony paced the Blue Jays with a game-high 11 rebounds and PORTA outrebounded Monticello 28-23. 

Monticello drops to 14-10 overall while the Blue Jays move to 20-5. 

The Sages host Pontiac Tuesday night for Senior Night at the Sievers Center. Game time is 7 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

In a game heard Friday night on WHOW, the St. Teresa Bulldogs captured the CIC Tournament Championship over the Clinton Maroons, 71-43, at St. Teresa High School. 
 

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 10-0 lead, and never looked back.  Clinton trailed 12-4 after the first, and then 21-13 at half.  The second half saw St. T pull away; pouring in 50 points from all areas of the floor. 
 

The Bulldogs had four players in double figures, being led by senior Martin Velchek's 17 and junior Rhheem Tyus' 15.  St. T improves to 20-5 with the win. 
 

Clinton falls to 20-6 with the loss.  The Maroons were led by Junior Mason Walker, who had 17 points, and was named the Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player Of The Game.  Junior Brooks Cluver added 14; 10 of those in the fourth quarter.  
 

Clinton returns to action Monday against Edinburg.  Our next WHOW Maroons "Game of the Week" broadcast is Tuesday night when Clinton hosts Warrensburg-Latham for Wall of Honor night.  Varsity tip is slated for 7:30pm on all WHOW platforms!

In a game heard on WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com, Champaign St. Thomas More rolled past Monticello 61-30 in Illini Prairie Confernece girl's basketball action Thursday from the Sievers Center at Monticello High School.

Madelynn Swisher scored 14 of her game-high 21 points in the first half. 

STM would have had a 30-point advantage entering the fourth quarter if not for a three pointer from Monticello sophomore Lucy Leatherwood who beat the buzzer with the last-second heave to make the score 50-21.

But a pair of Swisher free throws moved the lead for STM to 30 and the final six-plus minutes were running clock in the lopsided victory for the Sabres.

Leatherwood would score 11 of her team-high 12 points in the second half and beat the buzzer again at the end of regulation - much to the delight of the Monticello bench and fans. 

Rory Quarnstrom scored 15 points for the Sabres who go to 22-5 overall.

Monticello falls to 7-20. They return home Monday to host Tolono Unity. Hear Monday's action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

Tune in Saturday afternoon on WEZC for boy's basketball action as the Sages travel to Williamsville for the Illini Prairie/Sangamo Conference Shootout taking on Petersburg-PORTA. Game time is 1:30 pm.

Former Illinois standout Ayo Dosunmu matched a season-high with 22 points, Coby White scored 20 points and the Chicago Bulls overcame shaky outings by DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine to beat the Charlotte Hornets 114-98 on Thursday night.

Dosunmu made 9 of 10 shots, and White hit three 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Andre Drummond had 15 points and 11 rebounds in just under 15 minutes.

The Bulls used a big third quarter to turn a four-point halftime lead into an 85-70 advantage heading to the fourth.

They stayed in control the rest of the way and got some payback for a loss one week earlier in Charlotte even with DeRozan and LaVine not performing to their usual standards.

DeRozan finished with 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting, after getting his sixth All-Star selection and second in as many seasons with the Bulls. LaVine scored 10 points. But even with its two best players not scoring the way they normally do, Chicago had six players in double figures and made enough plays to beat the team with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference.

Terry Rozier scored 23 points for Charlotte. LaMelo Ball, coming off a triple-double Tuesday night in a loss at Milwaukee, added 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists before getting ejected with 1:21 remaining. He was furious about a non-call after LaVine blocked his layup and picked up two separate technical fouls. Mason Plumlee had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bulls scored the first 10 points of the second half to bump a four-point lead to 63-49.

Dosunmu started the run and finished it with layups, and Vucevic and Patrick Williams made back-to-back 3-pointers.

Drummond became the first NBA player since Darryl Dawkins in 1978-79 to record at least 15 points and 11 rebounds while playing 15 minutes or less, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The two-time All-Star signed with Chicago last summer to back up Vucevic. He's been in and out of the rotation and been used sparingly of late.

Bulls G Alex Caruso left the game with a sprained right foot. He scored seven points in seven minutes before exiting early in the second quarter.

The Bulls host Portland on Saturday night.

In a game heard Thursday night on WHOW, the Clinton Lady Maroons fell to the Central A&M Raiders, 40-34, in CIC Conference play. 
 

The Lady Maroons last played a week ago, and that layoff may have led to a sluggish start.  Clinton fell behind 10-0 before finally getting on the board. They then trailed A&M 12-4 after the first quarter, and were down 21-12 at half before battling back in the third.   Clinton freshman Clara Dempsey got hot in the third quarter hitting four three pointers.  The Lady Maroons outscored the Raiders 20 to 9 in the third to take a 32-30 lead into the final quarter.  However, the lids would return to the Clinton baskets, as the Lady Maroons only managed 2 fourth quarter points, and they were unable to hold off the more experienced Raiders. 
 

A&M improves to 17-11 with the win, and 6-1 in the CIC.  The Raiders were led by senior Julia Corzine with 16 points, and junior Jilyan Burgener with 13 points. 
 

Clinton falls to 13-16 overall, and 3-3 in conference.  Dempsey paced the Maroons with 14 points, 12 in the third quarter.  Freshman Avery Smith added 12 points, and was named the Serv Pro of Piatt/DeWitt County Player Of The Game.  Junior MaKayla Koeppel added 4 points as well. 
 

The Lady Maroons next host Decatur Lutheran Saturday afternoon. Our next Lady Maroons "Game of the Week" broadcast is next Thursday from Senior Night as Clinton hosts St. Teresa. Hear varsity action on all WHOW platforms. 

A reminder - Tune in Friday night for our Maroons "Game of the Week" broadcast as the Clinton Maroons face St. Teresa in the Championship of the CIC Conference tournament from St. T.  Coverage comes your way just before tip-off at 7:30pm on all WHOW platforms!

The outlook on the Illinois football 2023 recruiting class did not drastically change Wednesday during the official signing period but one thing the transfer portal may have in store for Illinois is stability at the quarterback position for multiple seasons.

Bob Asmussen from IlliniHQ.com believes you have to go back to Nathan Sheelhaase the last time Illinois developed its own quarterback that played for multiple seasons. While he transfers in from Ole Miss, Luke Altmyer could be a long-term solution.

Asmussen had the chance to speak with Altmyer last week and was impressed. While not having the swagger of last year's starting quarterback Tommy DeVito, Altmyer offers a quiet confidence.

The Illini recruiting class turned out to be very strong. Illinois scored big signing in-state wideout Malik Elzy, a 6-foot-2 wide receiver from Chicago Simeon. Additionally, central Illinois product Kaden Feagin from Arthur signed with Illinois. Feagin is a 6-foot-3 athlete that played running back in high school. 

Four-star, 6-foot-3 safety Saboor Karriem from West Orange, New Jersey was the class' top-ranked defensive player. 

Darius Burford scored 18 points and Kendall Lewis added four points in overtime as Illinois State took down UIC 68-62 on Wednesday night.

Burford went 9 of 14 from the field for the Redbirds (10-14, 5-8 Missouri Valley Conference). Luke Kasubke was 4 of 8 shooting, including 3 for 5 from distance, and went 3 for 5 from the line to add 14 points. Lewis was 3 of 10 shooting, including 1 for 3 from distance, and went 5 for 6 from the line to finish with 12 points, while adding 11 rebounds.

Trevante Anderson finished with 29 points for the Flames (9-15, 1-12). UIC also got 19 points and three steals from Jace Carter. In addition, Toby Okani had seven points and two blocks. The loss was the Flames’ 10th straight.

Ja'Shon Henry scored 13 points off the bench to help Bradley to a 62-52 victory over Southern Illinois on Wednesday night.

Henry shot 5 of 7 from the field and 3 for 6 from the line for the Braves (16-8, 9-4 Missouri Valley Conference). Rienk Mast scored 12 points and added nine rebounds. Zek Montgomery recorded 10 points and was 4 of 8 shooting (1 for 3 from distance).

Xavier Johnson led the Salukis (17-7, 9-4) in scoring, finishing with 13 points, four assists and two steals. Lance Jones added 13 points for Southern Illinois. In addition, Jawaun Newton had seven points.

In a game heard on WEZC and at dewittdailynews.com, after a second-quarter where Monticello logged four points and zero field goals, Trey Welter came alive with 13 of his game-high 16 points in the second half leading Monticello past Rantoul 47-39 in Illini Prairie Conference high school boy's basketball action from Rantoul. 

Monticello opened the game strong, 12-6 after the first quarter thanks to five early points from Tyler Blythe and a Welter three-pointer, but the well dried up and the athleticism of Rantoul took over as the Eagles posted a 14-4 second quarter, including a 9-2 run to open the frame.

Welter opened the third quarter, scoring the first nine points to help Monticello go up 27-25 at the 3:40 mark of the third.

The two sides went back and fourth the rest of the way with Monticello leading 30-29 after three quarters. 

In the fourth, Welter hit a jumper then found Drew Sheppard on two nifty passes passes to put the Sages up 36-35. 

Monticello went just 4-for-9 from the foul line in the first half but made just enough free throws down teh stretch to put the game away. 

Welter's 16 points earned him the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties player of the game. Blythe finished with nine for Monticello.

Zues Brundage led Rantoul with 12 points and a game-high eight boards. Jacksen Adkins added 11 points. 

The Eatles fall to 7-18 overall and 2-3 in the Illini Prairie.

Monticello moves to 14-9 overall and 4-3 in the Illini Prairie. Monticello is off until Saturday when they travel to Williamsville for the Illini Prairie/Sangamon Conference shootout taking on Petersburg PORTA.

Tip time Saturday is at 1:30 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. 

The Maroa-Forsyth Trojans started fast, then shut down Illini Central in the third quarter to roll to a 64-48 Sangamo Conference high school boy's basketball win Tuesday from Mason City.

Grant Smith scored eight of his 16 points in the first quarter helping stake the Trojans to a 23-17 lead after one. The Trojans held its six-point advantage going into the break, 36-30. 

The Cougars struggled in the third and Maroa-Forsyth pulled out to a 53-32 lead after three quarters and were uncontested the rest of the way.

Smith's game-high 16 points paced a balanced scoring attack for the Trojans. AJ Massey drilled five three-pointers on his way to 15 points and Kaiden Maurer scored 10.

The Trojans go to 12-12 overall and even its Sangamo mark at 2-2.

Maroa-Forsyth hosts Athens on Friday night in Sangamo Conference action and then takes on Champaign St. Thomas More Saturday in the Illini Prairie/Sangamo Conference shootout at Williamsville High School. 

Matthew Mayer scored 16 points to lead four in double figures as Illinois beat Nebraska 72-56 on Tuesday night.

Illinois (16-6, 7-4 Big Ten) has won seven of its last eight games while Nebraska (10-13, 3-9) has lost four straight.

Illinois pulled away with a 15-4 run for a 63-54 lead with 5:29 to play. Sencire Harris scored six points with a dunk during the stretch and Hawkins had four points.

Mayer was 4 of 14 from the floor and made three of the Illini’s five 3-pointers. Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 13 points, Jayden Epps had 12 and Coleman Hawkins added 10 points and eight rebounds. Harris had eight points.

Sam Griesel scored 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting to lead Nebraska. The Cornhuskers shot 40% and turned it over 19 times.

The Cornhuskers opened the game on a 12-5 run, but Illinois led 38-37 at the break. The Illini forced three turnovers in the opening minutes of the second half and led 48-41. The Cornhuskers answered a pair of 3-pointers from Keisei Tominaga and one from C.J. Wilcher for their last lead at 50-48 with 12 minutes left.

Illinois plays at Iowa on Saturday.