Ben Singleton fought through a double team and made a layup with 0.8-seconds left in regulation to break a 43-all tie and send fifth-ranked Monticello to their fourth straight regional title with a 45-43 win over GCMS in boys 2A regional final action from Hoopeston.
Leading 43-36, Monticello played sloppy basketball the final two minutes and nearly squandered an eight-point advantage late, but made enough plays to hold off eighth-ranked GCMS.
The two top-ten squads traded blows throughout the game swapping runs and trading big baskets all night.
Tied at 13 after the first quarter, Monticello led 23-17 halfway through the second quarter, but GCMS responded with an 8-0 run to close out the quarter and led 25-23 at the intermission.
The Sages opened the second half strong, opening up a 39-32 advantage with 3:15 left thanks to making their first eight shots of the second half.
Ben Freehill made back to back threes to tie the game with 1:07 left and GCMS allowed Monticello to hold for a final shot.
Singleton took the ball in the high post looking for outlets on the wing but when nothing opened up, he drove through a double team and hit a tough floater off the glass, and though the clock expired, officials put 0.8 seconds on the clock.
A last-ditch three by the Falcons as time expired game Monticello their fifth Regional title in six years.
Singleton led all scorers with 17 points. Calvin Fisher added 10 points and Luke Stokowski added nine points.
Fisher and Stokowski each had six rebounds.
The Falcons had three players score in double figures with Freehill leading the way with 13 points, Connor Birky added 12 points and Bryce Barnes added 11 points.
The Falcons end their season 23-5 overall.
Monticello improves to 24-1 and will take on St. Joseph-Ogden Wednesday night at the Maroa-Forsyth sectional.
Game time Wednesday is 7 pm and can be heard on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
In a game heard on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons defeated the Prairie Central Hawks by a score of 58-49 on Friday night. Senior Chase Reynolds led the Maroons with 13 points. Senior Austin Baker chipped in with 9 points. Seniors Austin Rauch and Dalton Smith both added 9 each and Smith was named the Country Financial representative Brad James Maroons Player of the Game.
For Prairie Central, they were led by Jake Bachtold with 12 points and Jake Crane, Eddie Shumaker, and Noah Lewallen all added 8 points.
With the win the Maroons improve to 14-11 overall and Prairie Central falls 8-18 on the season.
Tune in Monday, February 26, as the Maroons take on Decatur Eisenhower in the Regionals. You can hear the game live on the Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM WHOW, online at dewittdailynews.com, and on the WHOW app.
The Monticello girls basketball team could not keep up with Chicago Harlan and fell 55-36 at the Pontiac Super Sectional Monday night in girls Class 2A postseason action.
The Lady Sages trailed 15-8 after the first quarter but found their stride in the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Falcons 18-4 and took a 26-19 advantage to the half.
But in the second half Chicago Harlan stepped up the defense as Monticello managed just two field goals in the third quarter and scored a total of 10 second half points.
Tatum McCall led Monticello with 17 points and Zanna Myers added 12.
The Lady Sages end their season 24-5.
The Olympia made just seven field goals Friday night as Monticello blew out the Spartans 58-17 at Olympia High School in the regular season finale for both squads.
The Spartans shot just 1-for-27 from beyond the arc and as the game was largely decided by the mid-way point of the second quarter.
Olympia made just one field goal in the second half.
Monticello was efficient on offense dishing out 12 assists on their 24 field goals and scored 17 points off 14 offensive rebounds, dominating the boards 48-25.
Calvin Fisher led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed six rebounds. Devin Graham had ten boards and four points. Cam Dyson had 10 points, four rebounds, and five blocked shots.
The Sages wrap up the regular season 22-1 and run the tables in the Illini Prairie Conference, finishing 9-0.
They’ll start postseason play Tuesday night from Hoopston, taking on either Bismarck-Henning or Paxton-Buckley-Loda at 7 pm.
Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
As heard on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons fell to the Sullivan Redskins by a score of 43-37 in overtime on Friday night. The Country Financial Brad James Maroons Player of the Game Austin Rauch led the Maroons squad with 13 points. Senior Austin Baker added 9 points and senior Chase Reynolds chipped in with 7.
For Sullivan, they were led by Caden Ellis with 16 points.
With the loss the Maroons fall to 12-11 overall and end their CIC season 2-5. Sullivan improves to 9-16 on the season and 3-4 in the Central Illinois Conference.
Tune in Friday, February 23, as the Maroons take on Prairie Central. You can hear the game live on the Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM WHOW, online at dewittdailynews.com, and on the WHOW app.
The Monticello Sages jumped out to a 19-2 advantage early in the first half and rolled past Tolono Unity 54-23 and clinched the first-ever Illini Prairie Conference championship in boys basketball action Tuesday night at Unity High School.
Calvin Fisher led all scorers with 13 points and five rebounds. Johnny Dawson scored ten of his 12 points in the first.
The Rockets got only 22 field goals off. The Sages forced 18 Unity turnovers and turned them into 24 points.
The Sages move to 21-1 overall and are 8-0 in conference action.
The Rockets are 14-6 and 3-5 overall.
Monticello will wrap up their regular season Friday night at Olympia. Game time is 7:30 pm. Hear all the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
The Monticello Lady Sages have advanced to a sectional final matchup Thursday night, beating Watseka 54-32 Monday night from the Iroquois West sectional.
Zanna Myers scored 25 points to lead all scorers. Tatum McCall added 11 points.
The Lady Sages closed out the first quarter on a 6-0 run to open up an 18-12 lead and then led 31-19 at the half.
Monticello slowly but steadily increased their lead throughout the second half, forcing Watseka into quick shots dominated the glass, limited the Lady Warriors second chance opportunities.
Watseka ends their season 30-2 overall.
In advancing, Monticello improves their record to 22-4 overall.
Monticello will meet up with Illini Prairie Conference rival St. Joseph-Ogden for a sectional title Thursday night.
Hear the action at 7 pm on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
In a game heard on 92.3 FM WHOW, the Clinton Lady Maroons fell to the MacArthur Generals by a score of 65-33 on Monday night. The Country Financial representative Brad James Maroons Player of the Game Madelyn Stevens led the scoring for the Lady Maroons with 10 points. Seniors Alyssa Saulsbery and Madi Filkin both chipped in with 8.
MacArthur was led by Jayda Dees with 24 points and Quincienia Jackson added 13.
With the loss the Lady Maroons end the year 12-15 and finish 4-3 in the Central Illinois Conference. MacArthur improves to 19-12.
Tune in Friday, February 16, as the Maroons take on Sullivan in the final conference game of the season. You can hear the game live on the Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM WHOW, online at dewittdailynews.com, and on the WHOW app.
It took Decatur St. Teresa 11:27 to get their first field goal, and by that time Monticello led 22-4 and the Bulldogs could not overcome the slow start as the Sages won their 13th straight game with a 57-42 win Saturday night in non-conference boys basketball action from Monticello High School.
The Sages started the game on a 10-0 run and led 18-1 after the first period. The Bulldogs only attempted six first quarter field goals.
After the 22-4 lead for the Sages, St. T outscored Monticello 38-35.
Monticello led 28-10 at the break. Isaiah Bond scored 21 of his game high 24 points in the second half, helping keep the Bulldogs within a reasonable distance but the Bulldogs deficit was never less than 12 in the second half.
Calvin Fisher scored eight of his 17 points in the first quarter, rattling off the first five points of the game, then scored seven more in the third quarter.
Luke Stokowski and Cam Dyson each added 11 points apiece.
Fisher grabbed a game high eight rebounds, Stokowski hauled down seven. Both players had four assists.
The Sages outrebounded St. T 34-24 and forced 13 turnovers but only converted them into seven points.
The Bulldogs forced 11 Sages turnovers and converted them into 14 points.
The Sages are now 20-1 overall. They finish out their regular season next week on the road at Tolono Unity Tuesday night and at Olympia Friday.
Both games tip at 7:30 pm and can be heard on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
The Monticello Lady Sages took home their fifth straight Regional title Friday night with a thrilling 48-46 win in overtime to beat Oakwood in Class 2A girls basketball postseason action from the Georgetown Ridge Farm regional.
Leading 41-38 with under a minute left, the Lady Comets rattled off five straight points, all by sophomore Katelyn Young, to take a 43-41 advantage with 6.1 seconds left in regulation after Monticello led by as many as 12 in the third quarter.
On the ensuing inbound play after Young gave the Lady Comets the lead with a left handed layup, Tatum McCall drove the length of the floor and made a left handed layup almost uncontested as time expired to send the game to overtime.
A pair of free throws from McCall then Young put the score at 45-all. Oakwood’s Kylie Neuman made one of two free throws to give Oakwood a 46-45 lead but Zanna Myers gave the Lady Sages the lead for good with a tough left handed layup, Emily Wilson made one of two free throws in the final seconds for the final tally of 48-46 and a desperation three as time expired was well off the mark by the Lady Comets.
Young finished with a game high 26 points, including 11 between the fourth quarter and overtime to bring the Lady Comets back in the game.
Myers led the Lady Sages with 16 points.
With the game tied at 12 after the first quarter, Myers opened the second quarter with a three to give Monticello their first lead of the game at 15-12, but the Lady Comets rattled off four straight to take a 16-15 lead.
The Lady Sages finished the second quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 26-15 lead at the half and led by as many as 12 in the third quarter.
Wilson finished with nine points, going 5-for-6 at the foul line, Chloe Clark added eight points and McCall finished with seven.
Lady Comets season ends at 24-4. Shaelyn Turner added ten points in the loss.
Monticello improves to 21-4 overall and will take on Watseka in a Class 2A girls basketball sectional semifinal game at Iriquios West High School Monday night at 7:30 pm.
Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
The Monticello Sages sent home a raucous Miller Gym crowd home happy Friday night with a 56-53 win over Bloomington Central Catholic in Illini Prairie Conference action from Monticello High School.
The Sages upped their conference mark to 7-0 in what many were labeling the conference championship as the two state ranked teams in Class 2A have rolled through the first year conference in 2017-18.
Calvin Fisher led all scorers with 24 points and pulled down 12 rebounds and dished out five assists. Luke Stokowski and Ben Singleton added 10 apiece.
BCC was led by Jack Gilmore’s 22 points and Luke Yoder added 12 points and six rebounds.
Monticello led 30-21 with a 1:31 left in the first half but the Sages plans to run out the clock in went sideways on a couple turnovers and the Saints cut the margin to 30-25 at the break.
Monticello would hold on though throughout the second half as BCC would get as close three but never led by more than eight en route to their 12th straight win in what is becoming an impressive stretch by the Sages where they’ve beaten St. Joseph-Ogden and Quincy Notre Dame in road games and knocked off the state-ranked Saints in a stretch of 10 days.
The Sages finish out their home schedule Saturday night with Decatur St. Teresa in town. Game time Saturday is 6 pm for senior night.
Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
The Monticello Lady Sages did just enough Wednesday to hold on a beat Bismarck-Henning 33-23 and advance to a Regional final from Georgetown Ridge Farm in Class 2A girls basketball postseason action.
The Lady Blue Devils slowed the pace of the game down and it reflected in a slow first half, with a score after 16 minutes of 15-12.
The Lady Sages however, turned up the defensive pressure in the third quarter and got some shots to fall, and opened up a 26-15 advantage at one point in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Blue Devils would not go away quietly. Emily Meidel scored eight of game high 17 points in the fourth quarter, to allow Bismarck-Henning to hang around. She shot eight of her 13 free throw attempts in the final period, and finished 9-for-13 from the foul line.
Bismarck-Henning took away leading scorer Zanna Myers for most of the game, however, Jayna Burger and Chloe Clark provided enough offense for the Lady Sages to get by, leading the way with eight points apiece.
Emily Wilson added 7 points, including a crucial takeaway and fast break layup in the final moments of the first half, and expanded the Monticello advantage to 15-12 at the half.
Tatum McCall and Myers each scored four points.
The Lady Blue Devils finis their season 25-7 overall.
The Lady Sages are now 20-4 and will take on Oakwood for the Regional title Friday night at 7 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
The Champaign St. Thomas More Sabres gave the Monticello Sages everything they could handle but the Sages held off the Sabres in the second half for a 62-47 win in Illini Prairie Conference boys basketball action Tuesday night at Monticello High School.
The Sages outscored the Sabres 19-8 in the second quarter to take a 37-17 lead into the half, but the Sabres attacked the basket in the third quarter and shot nine free throws in the third quarter, making eight, and got as close as eight, trimming the deficit to 44-36 by the end of the quarter.
But Monticello rebounded to close the game out with an 18-11 fourth quarter. Calvin Fisher scored eight of his game high 17 points in the fourth quarter. Ben Singleton tied a career high with 16 points. Luke Stokowski added 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Johnny Dawson dished out four assists to zero turnovers and scored five points and grabbed four rebounds.
The Sages dished out 13 assists as a team and committed only five turnovers.
Fisher did not start Tuesday night, battling illness, ending a 58-game streak in his Monticello career.
The Sabres drop to 8-15 overall and 2-5 in the Illini Prairie Conference.
The Sages are now 18-1 overall and 6-0 in conference action.
A showdown with Bloomington Central Catholic awaits Monticello Friday night at Monticello Hig School.
Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
In a game heard on WHOW, the Clinton Maroons fell to the Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals by a score of 50-46 on Tuesday night. The Maroons were without Seth Westfall and Dalton Smith due to injury. The Country Financial representative Brad James Maroons Player of the Game Austin Rauch led the scoring with 18 points. Austin Baker chipped in with 13.
For the Cardinals, they were led by Joe Gustafson with 25 points.
With the loss the Maroons fall to 12-9 on the season and 2-3 in the Central Illinois Conference. Warrensburg-Latham improves to 11-11 overall and 3-2 in conference action.
Tune in Friday, February 16, as the Maroons take on Sullivan. You can hear the game live on the Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM WHOW, online at dewittdailynews.com, and on the WHOW app.
The Monticello Sages went into Quincy Notre Dame and held serve with a 56-52 win over the Raiders in a rematch of last year’s Springfield Supersectional that sent the Sages to the state tournament in Peoria.
With Monticello on top 50-47, Tommy Ray buried a wing three pointer for QND to tie the game, but Ben Singleton answered with an uncontested layup on the next possession, Devin Graham and Singleton knocked down four straight free throws and Luke Stokowski drew a charge on Ray under the basket, sealing the win in the final 90 seconds of regulation.
Calvin Fisher was a game time decision with flu like symptoms and led all scorers with 20 points. Singleton had 14 points and Stokowski added 12.
QND played well enough to win, turning Monticello over 16 times for 23 points. They outscored the Sages in the paint, 34-26. The Raiders also controlled the glas, 24-20 and had 11 offensive rebounds for 13 second chance points. They also shot 49 percent from the floor, going 22-45 and made six of ten from the free throw line.
The Sages, however, shot 60-percent for the game, going 21-34 and made 11-of-19 foul shots.
QND drops to 14-9 overall.
Monticello improves to 17-1. They continue a tough stretch with matchups against Champaign St. Thomas More, Bloomington Central Catholic and Decatur St. Teresa next week.
Hear Tuesday’s action against Champaign St. Thomas More on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
The Monticello Sages started the second half on a 13-0 run and turned a 24-13 halftime lead into a 37-13 advantage, as they blew by IVC 53-29 in Illini Prairie boys basketball action Friday night in Chillicothe.
The Sages were crisp on offense, relentless on defense and continued to play as good fo basketball as they have all season, improving to 16-1 overall and 5-0 in the Illini Prairie.
Calvin Fisher led a balanced attack with 11 points. Luke Stokowski added ten points and eight rebounds. Alek Bundy had eight points, six in the second quarter. Devin Graham and Noah Wright had seven points apiece. Wright’s seven was a career high.
The Sages dished out 15 assists one 24 field goals made and committed only ten turnovers.
The Grey Ghosts committed 12 turnovers and the Sages turned those into 15 points. The Sages dominated the glass 30-15. They grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and had 17 second chance points.
The Sages Quincy Notre Dame Saturday night at 8 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com
As heard on WHOW, the Clinton Lady Maroons defeated the Sullivan Redskins by a score of 44-42 on Thursday night. The Lady Maroons were led by the Country Financial representative Brad James Maroons Player of the Game Madi Filkin with 16 points. Alyssa Saulsbery added 11 points and Destiny Schlesinger chipped in with 9.
For Sullivan, they were led by Chloe Riley with 20 points and Elizabeth Green with 13.
With the win the Lady Maroons improve to 12-14 overall and 4-3 in conference action. Sullivan falls to 12-12 on the season and 3-4 in the CIC.
Stay tuned to Regional Radio News for the announcement of the Lady Maroons' regional pairings. You can hear the game live on the Big 1520 AM/92.3 FM WHOW, online at dewittdailynews.com, and on the WHOW app.
Archives:
2023-09 | 2023-08 | 2023-07 | 2023-06 | 2023-05 | 2023-04 | 2023-03 | 2023-02 | 2023-01 | 2022-12 | 2022-11 | 2022-10 | 2022-09 | 2022-08 | 2022-07 | 2022-06 | 2022-05 | 2022-04 | 2022-03 | 2022-02 | 2022-01 | 2021-12 | 2021-11 | 2021-10 | 2021-09 | 2021-08 | 2021-07 | 2021-06 | 2021-05 | 2021-04 | 2021-03 | 2021-02 | 2021-01 | 2020-12 | 2020-11 | 2020-10 | 2020-09 | 2020-08 | 2020-07 | 2020-06 | 2020-05 | 2020-04 | 2020-03 | 2020-02 | 2020-01 | 2019-12 | 2019-11 | 2019-10 | 2019-09 | 2019-08 | 2019-07 | 2019-06 | 2019-05 | 2019-04 | 2019-03 | 2019-02 | 2019-01 | 2018-12 | 2018-11 | 2018-10 | 2018-09 | 2018-08 | 2018-07 | 2018-06 | 2018-05 | 2018-04 | 2018-03 | 2018-02 | 2018-01 | 2017-12 | 2017-11 | 2017-10 | 2017-09 | 2017-08 | 2017-07 | 2017-06 | 2017-05 | 2017-04 | 2017-03 | 2017-02 | 2017-01 | 2016-12 | 2016-11 | 2016-10 | 2016-09 | 2016-08 | 2016-07 | 2016-06 | 2016-05 | 2016-04 | 2016-03 | 2016-02 | 2016-01