Galesburg boys roll past Normal West
The Galesburg boys basketball team picked up its 15th win of the season with a 60-47 nonconference victory at Normal West on Feb. 3.
The win improved the Silver Streaks to 15-11. The Wildcats fell to 7-17.
Galesburg went to work early, building a first-quarter advantage as Normal West struggled offensively. The Streaks opened a 16-8 lead before the Wildcats closed within 16-12 on a four-point play to end the quarter.
The Streaks carried that momentum into the second quarter, scoring the first nine points to extend the lead to 25-12. A pressing defense and points off turnovers helped Galesburg take a 35-19 lead into halftime.
Galesburg maintained its cushion through the second half and secured the 13-point victory.
The game was the final nonconference contest of the regular season for the Silver Streaks, who finish with two home games and two road games. Quincy, which defeated Galesburg 45-41 in December, visits for a 7 p.m. game Friday, Feb. 6. The Streaks travel to Sterling for a 7 p.m. tipoff Feb. 10.
Redding’s 26 points pace Sandburg women past Kishwaukee
Hailey Redding scored 26 points to lead the Sandburg women’s basketball team to an 86-51 Arrowhead Conference win over Kishwaukee on Tuesday night in Galesburg.
Redding, a freshman from Abingdon-Avon High School, came off the bench and hit 5 of 10 3-pointers. She finished 9 of 16 from the field and 3 of 4 at the free-throw line, ending one point shy of her season high. She also was one of six Chargers who shared the team lead with six rebounds.
Eleven of Redding’s points came in the second quarter. She hit three 3-pointers in the period as Sandburg built a 40-27 halftime lead.
Freshman guard Lajaya Angel also reached double figures off the bench. She scored a season-best 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. Her previous high was 10 points, most recently Dec. 16 at McHenry County.
Antonia Kisler added 10 points, including two 3-pointers. Kisler joined Redding, Angel, Camryn Atterberg, Tiera Hall and Ryleigh Clark with six rebounds.
Hall led the Chargers with four steals. Janessa Wallace had a team-high eight assists.
Sandburg outscored Kishwaukee 22-10 in the first quarter and pushed its lead to 65-39 after a 25-12 third quarter.
The Chargers improved to 17-8 overall and 5-1 in conference play. They have won four of their last five games and eight of their last 10.
Sandburg men extend win streak to six
Ashton Grieves scored 26 points as the Sandburg men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to six games with a 73-56 Arrowhead Conference victory over Kishwaukee on Tuesday night in Galesburg.
Grieves caught fire late in the first half, hitting four consecutive 3-pointers. He scored 14 points in the opening period and helped the Chargers take a 35-28 halftime lead.
The freshman from Metamora set a season high. He surpassed his previous best of 20 points against Spoon River on Nov. 12. Grieves also went 6 for 6 from the free-throw line as Sandburg handed Kishwaukee its first conference loss.
Sophomore Matt Bockman hit two 3-pointers and matched his career high with 16 points. He also scored 16 twice last season. His previous season high was 15 points, set Dec. 20 at Harper and Jan. 8 at Kishwaukee.
Freshman Rylan Carton added 12 points, including 10 in the second half.
Sandburg never trailed after halftime. The Chargers won for the eighth time in their last nine games and improved to 17-8 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
Up next: 6:15 p.m. Friday at Blackhawk Technical.
Knox men start, finish strong at Cornell
A fast start and a strong finish lifted the Knox College men’s basketball team to an 85-73 road victory Feb. 4 at Cornell.
The Prairie Fire (8-12 overall, 4-7 Midwest Conference) hit eight of their first 10 shots to build a 19-7 lead. Knox also limited Cornell to 2-of-17 shooting over the opening eight minutes.
Knox stayed sharp offensively in the first half. The Prairie Fire shot 16 of 26 (61.5%) from the field and carried a 40-33 lead into halftime.
Cornell made several pushes in the second half, cutting the deficit to five points multiple times. Each time, Knox responded and never surrendered the lead. The Prairie Fire trailed for just one minute in the game.
Noah Campbell led a balanced scoring effort with 17 points.
Aydan Ayer finished with 13 points and six rebounds. Russell Wright posted 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Josh Stewart added 11 points and eight rebounds.
Knox returns home Friday, Feb. 7, to host Beloit at 1 p.m.
Knox women closer to conference tournament berth
The Knox College women’s basketball team took a significant step toward a Midwest Conference Tournament berth with a 62-55 win Feb. 4 at Cornell.
The victory moved the Prairie Fire (10-10 overall, 8-3 MWC) into a tie for second place with Lawrence. Knox sits one game ahead of fourth-place Cornell and 1½ games in front of fifth-place Grinnell. The top four teams qualify for the conference tournament.
After a slow start left Knox trailing by one at halftime, the Prairie Fire surged in the second half. A strong third quarter proved decisive as Knox outscored Cornell 23-17.
Bria Medina led all scorers with 21 points.
Nayeli Nidez Acuña finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Kylee Callahan posted nine points and 11 rebounds. Carly Smith added nine points and six rebounds, and Izzy Robinson chipped in five points and seven rebounds.
Knox controlled the glass throughout the game. The Prairie Fire outrebounded Cornell 51-40.
Knox returns home Friday, Feb. 7, to host Beloit at 3 p.m. The game will serve as Senior Day at Knox College.
