Galesburg High School
UT edges Galesburg boys in Western Big 6 clash
United Township erased a double-digit deficit and held off Galesburg for a 46-43 Western Big 6 victory on Dec. 12 at Galesburg.
The Silver Streaks led most of the way and appeared in control midway through the third quarter before the Panthers closed the game at the free-throw line.
“That was the first close game we’ve been in all year,” Galesburg coach Taylor Thiel said. “Handling pressure in those situations is something we have to learn. That was a winnable game on our home court, and we didn’t find a way to finish it.”
Galesburg built a 19-13 lead in the first quarter and took a 28-22 advantage into halftime. The Streaks pushed the margin to 32-22 with about five minutes left in the third quarter before United Township began chipping away.
The Panthers took a 39-38 lead with just over three minutes remaining, setting up a tense final stretch.
Stone Thiel tied the game at 43 on a jump shot with about 30 seconds left, but a missed free throw kept the score even. Jassiah Massey then gave United Township the lead at the line, and Jordan Massey added two more free throws moments later to seal the win.
Galesburg turned the ball over on its final possession with four seconds remaining.
United Township scored eight of its 16 fourth-quarter points from the free-throw line. Thiel said the outcome ultimately came down to execution.
“We didn’t really have one guy step up late and take over,” he said. “We drew up a couple things coming out of the timeout, but we didn’t execute. It’s a focus thing.”
Despite the loss, Thiel said he was proud of his team’s effort and hopes the experience of a tight game will help the Streaks moving forward.
Galesburg scoring: Cesaire Bile 11, Stone Thiel 9, Jaxon Wyatt 8, Eden Malaka 7, Keigen Crummer 6, Rahkim McCellan 2.
United Township scoring: Octavius Hickman 16, Tyler Horvath 8, Jordan Massey 7, Max Colgan 6, Jassiah Massey 6, Joseph Morrow 3.
Streak girls roll past United Township
Galesburg’s girls basketball team followed a double-overtime win earlier in the week with a dominant 62-17 victory at United Township on Dec. 13.
The Silver Streaks controlled the game from the opening tip, holding United scoreless until the final seconds of the first quarter and taking an 11-2 lead. Galesburg extended the margin to 33-7 by halftime and led 53-17 after three quarters.
The Streaks’ pressing defense forced more than 30 turnovers and kept the Panthers off balance throughout the game.
Zaniyah Carter led Galesburg with 16 points, and Ellie Johnson scored 15 off the bench. Lily Furrow and Ella Herchenroder added eight points each, Taylor Herchenroder scored five and Jozalyn Kilgore finished with four.
Galesburg improved to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in the Western Big 6. The Streaks will host Peoria Notre Dame at 7 p.m. before returning to conference play at Geneseo on Dec. 18.
Carl Sandburg College
ICC pulls away in second half to defeat Charger women
Third-ranked Illinois Central broke open a close game in the second half to defeat the Carl Sandburg women’s basketball team 112-49 on Dec. 14 in East Peoria.
Sandburg trailed 38-27 at halftime after outscoring the Cougars 20-18 in the second quarter, but Illinois Central took control after the break and pulled away behind efficient shooting and rebounding.
Antonia Kisler led the Chargers (6-5) with 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds. Tiera Hall added nine points and five rebounds.
Kaitlin White scored a game-high 22 points for ICC, going 9 of 14 from the field. Larissa Taylor added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars (9-1).
The game was originally scheduled to be played at Sandburg but was rescheduled and moved because of inclement weather.
Sandburg will play at McHenry County at 1 p.m. Dec. 16.
Knox College
No. 10 UW-Whitewater pulls away from Knox women
Knox College couldn’t sustain a halftime lead as No. 10 Wisconsin–Whitewater used defensive pressure and free-throw shooting to pull away for a 77-66 women’s basketball victory on Dec. 13 at Memorial Gymnasium.
The Prairie Fire led 37-35 at halftime, but the Warhawks forced 23 turnovers and converted them into 26 points to take control in the second half. Knox dropped its fourth straight game and fell to 3-6.
Junior Bria Medina led Knox with 20 points, her ninth straight game with at least 20 points. Senior Kylee Callahan added 19, and Carly Smith led the Prairie Fire with nine rebounds.
Wisconsin–Whitewater (6-1) placed four players in double figures, led by Renee Rittmeyer’s 20 points. The Warhawks went 23 of 30 from the free-throw line, compared with 10 of 19 for Knox.
Knox opened the game with a 13-3 run before Wisconsin–Whitewater answered with a turnover-fueled surge to even the score late in the first quarter. The Warhawks took control for good with an early third-quarter run.
Knox will travel to Hawaii for the Hoops in Hawai‘i Classic on Dec. 21-22, opening against Albion before facing Linfield.
On the schedule
Tuesday, Dec. 16
• Sandburg women’s basketball at McHenry County, 1 p.m.
• Sandburg men’s basketball at McHenry County, 3 p.m.
• GHS wrestling — triple dual vs. Peoria and Morton, 5 p.m.
• Knox men’s basketball vs. Coe College, 5 p.m.
• GHS boys basketball vs. Burlington, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 18
• GHS boys swimming at Peoria Richwoods, 4:30 p.m.
• GHS boys wrestling vs. Geneseo, 6 p.m.
• GHS girls basketball at Geneseo, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 19
• Sandburg women’s basketball vs. DuPage, 1 p.m.
• Sandburg men’s basketball vs. DuPage, 3 p.m.
• Knox men’s basketball vs. Williams College, Daytona Beach Shootout, 3 p.m.
• GHS boys basketball at Quincy, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 20
• GHS boys swimming at Midwest Invite, 8:30 a.m.
• GHS girls wrestling at Metamora Invite, 9 a.m.
• GHS boys basketball vs. Bettendorf, Iowa/Illinois Shootout, 1 p.m.
• Sandburg women’s basketball at Harper, 1 p.m.
• Sandburg men’s basketball at Harper, 3 p.m.