The Galesburg girls basketball team relied on defensive pressure and late-game composure to outlast Morton 38–34 on Jan. 24, closing off a late rally to earn its first win over the Potters since 2017.
The Silver Streaks forced turnovers in every quarter and used timely outside shooting to seize momentum, including an eight-point surge to open the second half and a clutch basket at the end of the third quarter that swung the game.
Galesburg then controlled the final minutes with disciplined defense and free-throw shooting, denying Morton a comeback and securing the hard-fought nonconference victory.
The game featured two of the top-ranked teams in Class 3A. In the Jan. 21 Associated Press rankings, Morton was No. 1 and Galesburg No. 3, with Washington ranked second. Morton has since lost to Metamora and Galesburg.
The victory boosted the Silver Streaks to 21–2 overall and 8–1 in the Western Big 6, good for first place. Morton fell to 18–5.
Galesburg established control early with defensive pressure that disrupted Morton’s rhythm. After the Potters scored first, the Silver Streaks responded with an 8–0 run fueled by forced turnovers, transition opportunities and trips to the free-throw line, taking a 13–7 lead after one quarter.
The Streaks continued to dictate pace in the second quarter but struggled offensively as Morton chipped away and eventually took the lead. Galesburg scored just four points in the period, while the Potters closed the half on a 7–0 run to take a 20–17 advantage at halftime.
Coming out of the break, Galesburg again took charge. Defensive pressure forced three straight Morton turnovers to open the third quarter, and the Silver Streaks scored the first eight points of the half to regain the lead. Morton stayed patient and tied the game at 25 in the final seconds of the quarter, but Zaniya Carter drilled a 3-pointer off the inbounds play at the buzzer to put Galesburg back on top, 28-25.
In the fourth quarter, the Silver Streaks managed the clock, moved the ball and made Morton work deep into possessions. The teams traded baskets before Galesburg built a five-point lead, but the Potters mounted a late push.
With just over two minutes remaining, Isabella Ripka scored to pull Morton within 33–30, and Paige Selke followed with another basket to complete a 7–0 run. Galesburg ended the surge at the free-throw line, as Ella Herchenroder hit one of two foul shots on consecutive possessions.
On Morton’s next trip, Selke traveled, turning the ball over to Galesburg with five seconds remaining. Herchenroder sealed the outcome with two free throws.
Herchenroder led the Silver Streaks with 13 points, while Carter added nine, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers.
Galesburg returns to action Jan. 29 when it hosts Moline at 7 p.m., then travels to Quincy for a 1:30 p.m. game Jan. 31. Both games are conference contests.
It was an uneven performance by the Galesburg boys basketball team, but the Silver Streaks delivered when it counted, defeating visiting Alleman 82-69 in double overtime.
Galesburg appeared to have the game won in regulation, leading by five points with 25 seconds remaining. Adam VanMeighem scored a field goal with three seconds left, but Alleman answered dramatically. The Pioneers stole the ball on the ensuing inbounds play, and Jack Wendt hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 60 and sending it into overtime.
The Western Big 6 Conference victory evened Galesburg’s league record at 4-4, good for fourth place. The Silver Streaks improved to 14-9 overall and have won five of their last six games.
Galesburg was coming off a 15-point loss to East Peoria earlier in the week, and the 6-14 Pioneers appeared to be a chance to get back on track. Instead, Alleman proved to be a feisty opponent.
Alleman jumped out to an early lead as Galesburg came out sluggish in the first quarter. Unhappy with the start, head coach Taylor Thiel called a quick timeout.
“I needed to get their attention early,” Thiel said. “We didn’t come out like we needed to in our game plan. Obviously, they (Alleman) were suffering from some injuries, so they weren’t even a full-strength team today. I was upset that we didn’t take advantage of that early, and I called that quick timeout to get them refocused.”
The timeout worked. Having fallen behind 6-5, Galesburg outscored the Pioneers 18-6 the rest of the quarter to take a 23-15 lead into the second.
The momentum didn’t last. Alleman clawed back during the second and third quarters, trimming the deficit to 31-26 at halftime and pulling even at 42-all by the end of the third.
“It was mainly just our defense and our communication, especially on the help side on defense,” Cesaire Bile, who scored 26 points, said. “They can make tough shots. They’ve got some little, tiny quick guards that move pretty fast, but we’ve just got to have better defensive rotations.”
Thiel said allowing Alleman to hang around nearly cost his team.
“When you let a team hang around, this is what we’ve been talking about all year, that the teams that you’re supposed to put away, you need to put away. And you saw there at the end what happens when you don’t. But luckily, we’ve been in some of those situations this year.”
After Alleman’s last-second basket forced overtime, both teams played cautiously in the first extra period, scoring just four points each. Alleman had a chance to win it in the final seconds, but Bryce Jackson lost the ball out of bounds while driving to the basket.
The second overtime also began slowly, but with Galesburg holding a 68-66 lead midway through the period, the Silver Streaks turned up the tempo, helped in part by free throws.
Eden Mayala, who finished with 26 points, scored eight in the final two minutes of the second overtime. Demetrius Watson added a field goal, while Keigen Crummer and Jaxon Wyatt each contributed from the free-throw line.
The decisive moment came when Mayala scored on an offensive rebound of a missed free throw, pushing the lead to seven with about 1:30 remaining.
“We just keep doing what we did like in the fourth quarter,” Bile said. “We just keep on attacking and getting to the free throw line, just knock down our free throws and try to get this game over.”
Thiel said the overtimes offered a fresh start for the team with the score 0-0.
“I think in that second one, obviously Alleman had been expending a lot of energy, had some guys in foul trouble,” Thiel said. “I think they got finally got enough worn down to where we were able to execute on some over-the-top passes and get some easy buckets there to give us a little bit of a cushion to start it off.
“So, I’m proud of the guys for doing that. They could have gone the other way, and they figured out a way to pull together, communicate well, and execute there in the second overtime.”
Bile and Malaya led the Streaks with 26 points each, Watson had nine, Crummer and Rahkim McCellean each had eight, and Wyatt had five points. For Alleman, Wendt had 27 points and Dereon McDaniel had 23.
Galesburg plays its next three games on the road, beginning at Rock Island Jan. 27, which defeated the Silver Streaks 80-45 in their first meeting. Galesburg then travels to United Township Jan. 30 before closing the stretch at Normal West Feb. 3.
Galesburg placed second overall Jan. 24 at the 44th annual United Township Panther Invite in East Moline, totaling 209 points behind champion Normal Community at the boys swimming and diving meet.
The Silver Streaks were paced by a win from sophomore Brayden McGuire in the 100-yard breaststroke. McGuire touched first in 1:01.42 to claim the lone individual title for Galesburg.
“It was the most exciting race of the afternoon, with Brayden closing a small deficit in the last 10 yards to get a close win,” head coach Jake Miller said.
Galesburg also posted four runner-up relay finishes. The Streaks were second in the 200-yard medley relay (1:46.28), 200 freestyle relay (1:34.85) and 400 freestyle relay (3:33.49).
Other top individual efforts included Samuel Puerta’s fourth-place finish in the 500 freestyle (5:34.07) and Cordae Sanchez placing third in 1-meter diving with a score of 283.95. Brady Jackson finished fifth in the 200 freestyle (2:01.26), while Mahmoud Shehata and Nolan Good placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 100 freestyle.
Normal Community won the meet with 271 points, followed by Galesburg. Sterling placed third with 177 points in the 11-team field.
The Streaks finish their dual season at home with two home meets before the Western Big 6 conference championships. GHS hosts Rock Island Jan. 27 with diving events at 4:30 p.m. and swimming events at 5:30 p.m. Normal comes to Mustain Pool Jan. 31 with the events beginning at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
The conference championships are at 11 a.m. Feb. 7 at Sterling High School.
Galesburg High School results
1-meter diving
• 3rd – Cordae Sanchez, 283.95
• 4th – Charles Hayden, 239.30
200 medley relay
• 2nd – GHS (Cole Furrow, Brayden McGuire, Nolan Good, Mahmoud Shehata), 1:46.28
200 freestyle
• 5th – Brady Jackson, 2:01.26
• 9th – Brody McGuire, 2:10.54
200 IM
• 12th – Mohamed Shehata, 2:31.39
50 freestyle
• 9th – Brady Jackson, 25.07
100 butterfly
• 6th – Brody McGuire, 1:03.29
• 10th – Mohamed Shehata, 1:06.52
100 freestyle
• 4th – Mahmoud Shehata, 53.41
• 5th – Nolan Good, 53.73
500 freestyle
• 4th – Samuel Puerta, 5:34.07
200 freestyle relay
• 2nd – GHS (Mahmoud Shehata, Cole Furrow, Nolan Good, Brayden McGuire), 1:34.85
100 backstroke
• 4th – Cole Furrow, 59.39
• 7th – Nolan Good, 1:03.57
100 breaststroke
• 1st – Brayden McGuire, 1:01.42
• 4th – Samuel Puerta, 1:08.90
400 freestyle relay
• 2nd – GHS (Mahmoud Shehata, Brayden McGuire, Samuel Puerta, Cole Furrow), 3:33.49
The Knox College track and field team returned to competition Jan. 24 at the Monmouth College Midwest Invitational after a week off.
The Prairie Fire dominated the 800 meters, with first-year Elsie Conwell winning the women’s race in 2:31.48 and Lance Miller taking the men’s race in 1:58.00.
First-year Delylah Briscoe also turned in a strong day, placing fourth in the women’s 60 meters (8.47), seventh in the 200 meters (28.89), and third in the high jump (1.33 meters).
In the men’s 200, Ryan Lautzenhiser finished fourth in 23.50. He later teamed with Gustavo Souza, Kneko Vazquez and Izayiah Hawes to place second in the 4×200 relay (1:38.19).
Eileen Sheetz added another podium finish for Knox, taking third in the 3,000 meters in 13:20.60.
The Prairie Fire compete next at the Grinnell College Invitational Jan. 31.
With the game on the line, the Knox College men’s basketball team delivered defensively, earning an 81–77 road win over Ripon on Jan. 24 in Ripon, Wisconsin.
Leading 79–77 with 12 seconds left, Noah Campbell hit one of two free throws to give the Prairie Fire (7–11, 3–6 Midwest Conference) a three-point cushion. After a Ripon timeout, Knox forced a turnover on the ensuing possession to seal the win. Ayden Ayer was fouled and made one of two free throws in the final seconds, ending Knox’s three game skid.
Josh Stewart recorded his fourth double-double in five games, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Russell Wright added 15 points and eight rebounds. Ryan Erdos scored 14 points and went 4-for-5 from three-point range. Campbell contributed 10 points and a team-high seven assists, and Ayer added eight points.
The game featured 18 lead changes and 12 ties. Knox’s largest lead was 77–70 late in the second half, and the Prairie Fire never trailed by more than four.
Knox dominated the boards, outrebounding Ripon 41–20 and turning 14 offensive rebounds into 23 second-chance points. Offensively, the Prairie Fire shot 51.8 percent from the field (29–56) and 55.6 percent from three (10–18), one of their most efficient performances of the season.
Ripon led 65–62 with 7:29 remaining, but Knox responded with an 11–3 run over the next three minutes to take the lead for good. Erdos hit two threes during the surge.
Knox returns home Tuesday to host Illinois College at 5:30 p.m.
The Knox College women’s basketball team stayed within reach of conference-leading, nationally ranked Ripon before falling 61–50 on Jan. 24 in Ripon, Wisconsin.
Knox (7–10, 6–3 Midwest Conference) matched Ripon in the second half but could not overcome a 36–25 halftime deficit.
Bria Medina scored 20 points, continuing her climb toward becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer. Xiyah Yarbrough added nine points, and Nayeli Nidez Acuña finished with eight points, six rebounds and six steals.
After falling behind 14–4 in the opening five minutes, Knox cut the deficit to 18–12 after one quarter. Another slow start in the second quarter allowed Ripon to push the lead to 15 before the Prairie Fire trimmed it to single digits at halftime.
Knox pulled within 44–40 early in the fourth quarter, but a 10–2 Ripon run put the game out of reach.
The Prairie Fire host Illinois College on Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Gymnasium.
