GHS swim streak continues with Rock Island win
The Galesburg swimming and diving team celebrated senior night with a 119-57 victory over Rock Island on Jan. 27 at Mustain Pool.
The win kept the Silver Streaks undefeated in dual meets at 7-0, with one home meet remaining.
Galesburg swept all three relays and picked up multiple individual wins to control the meet from the opening event. Brayden McGuire won both the 50-yard freestyle and 100 freestyle, while Mahmoud Shehata captured victories in the 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
Cole Furrow added a win in the 200 individual medley, and Mohamed Shehata took first in the 100 breaststroke.
Galesburg closed the night by winning the 400 freestyle relay to seal the team victory.
Head coach Jake Miller said the meet went as expected, with Rock Island bringing only a handful of swimmers, and said he was pleased with both the results and several individual times.
“We did some things with our lineup to generate excitement in the relays,” Miller said. “We had good matchups between our No. 1 swimmer and their No. 1 swimmer, and that went well with two victories.”
Galesburg closes the regular season by hosting Normal Community at 11 a.m. Jan. 31. The Western Big 6 Conference swimming and diving championships follow Feb. 7.
Miller said he expects his team to be among the favorites to win the conference title, which would be its fourth straight.
“After us, Sterling is probably the one that concerns me most,” he said. “They have the top swimmer in the conference. He’s a junior and he’s really good. They’re pretty deep as well. And it’s in their pool. I don’t know if there’s such a thing as home-pool advantage, but it is their pool.”
Miller said most of his swimmers have never competed at the Duis Center pool in Sterling. One exception is Mohamed Shehata, who has been part of a conference championship team in each of his previous three seasons.
Shehata said he is looking forward to the competition.
“From every team, there’s at least one or two kids who can compete with us,” he said. “We swim better with competition. I think everybody’s going to get a race there, and then we’ll try to win the meet and keep it going.”
Along with the conference championships, Shehata has been part of four undefeated Streaks dual-meet seasons. But with the retirement of longtime coach Ray VanHootegem after the girls swimming season in December, he said he wasn’t sure what to expect with Miller taking over.
“But Coach Jake did a great job with us this year,” Shehata said. “I didn’t feel there was much change other than how we run practice.
“After the first couple of weeks, I decided to keep the same standard, try to beat my times from last year and keep it rolling for four years.”
Shehata was one of three seniors honored on senior night, along with Brady Jackson and Silas Descalzo.
Galesburg boys vs. Rock Island results
1-meter diving
Cordae Sanchez placed second (168.25).
Timothy Tudengjiacuo finished third (140.80).
200-yard medley relay
Galesburg A (Cole Furrow, Samuel Puerta, Brody McGuire, Mahmoud Shehata) won (1:49.73).
Galesburg B (Nolan Good, Mohamed Shehata, Brayden McGuire, Brady Jackson) finished second (1:51.89).
200-yard freestyle
Charles Anderton placed second (2:18.81).
Seth Hawkinson finished third (2:27.29).
200-yard individual medley
Cole Furrow won (2:14.55).
Brody McGuire placed second (2:30.64).
50-yard freestyle
Brayden McGuire won (22.85).
Nolan Good finished third (24.52).
Silas Descalzo was fifth (33.98).
100-yard butterfly
Nolan Good placed second (1:01.45).
Brady Jackson finished third (1:02.81).
Mohamed Shehata was fourth (1:06.73).
100-yard freestyle
Brayden McGuire won (50.47).
Samuel Puerta finished third (55.02).
Silas Descalzo was sixth (1:19.18).
500-yard freestyle
Mahmoud Shehata won (5:32.70).
Brody McGuire placed second (6:03.91).
Charles Anderton finished fourth (6:35.60).
200-yard freestyle relay
Galesburg A (Brayden McGuire, Charles Anderton, Seth Hawkinson, Brody McGuire) won (1:48.41).
Galesburg B (Cole Furrow, Timothy Tudengjiacuo, Silas Descalzo, Samuel Puerta) finished second (1:50.17).
100-yard backstroke
Mahmoud Shehata won (1:05.22).
Samuel Puerta placed second (1:06.43).
Seth Hawkinson finished fourth (1:18.81).
100-yard breaststroke
Mohamed Shehata won (1:12.78).
Cole Furrow placed second (1:13.50).
Brady Jackson finished fifth (1:30.78).
400-yard freestyle relay
Galesburg A (Nolan Good, Mahmoud Shehata, Mohamed Shehata, Brady Jackson) won (3:46.80).
Rock Island handles GHS boys, 76-55
Rock Island proved its place atop the Western Big 6 Conference with a 76-55 victory over visiting Galesburg on Jan. 27.
The loss dropped the Silver Streaks to 14-10 overall and 4-5 in conference play. Rock Island improved to 19-3 overall and 8-1 in the league.
It was the second win of the season for the Rocks over Galesburg. Rock Island defeated the Streaks 80-45 on Dec. 9 in Galesburg.
Galesburg continues a three-game road trip with a 7 p.m. game at United Township on Jan. 30, followed by a 7 p.m. game Feb. 3 at Normal West. The Streaks return home Feb. 6 to host Quincy.
Sandburg men roll past Eureka JV with dominant first half
Carl Sandburg used a dominant first half and a deep, balanced rotation to cruise past Eureka JV 72-43 on Jan. 25 in Eureka.
The Chargers improved to 13-8, winning their fourth game in five outings after racing to a 37-14 halftime lead. Sandburg set the tone early with efficient shooting, strong rebounding and steady defensive pressure.
Gavin Grothaus turned in one of his most efficient performances of the season, scoring 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including two 3-pointers. He added seven rebounds and two steals.
Keauntrey Barnes scored seven points with three rebounds and a steal, shooting 3 of 6 from the field. Camron Williams provided a strong interior presence off the bench with 11 rebounds and four points.
Sandburg shot 41.4% from the field and made nine 3-pointers. The Chargers recorded 21 assists on 29 made baskets and limited Eureka JV to just 14 points in the first half.
The early surge put the game out of reach, and Sandburg maintained control after the break, matching Eureka JV’s improved scoring while rotating freely through its bench.
Sandburg will host Eureka JV at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28, then travel to Eureka JV on Jan. 29. The Chargers close the week by hosting Elgin at 3 p.m. Jan. 31.
Medina scores 40 as Knox women top Illinois College
Bria Medina scored a career-high 40 points to lead Knox College to a 98-83 win over Illinois College in a Midwest Conference women’s basketball game Jan. 27.
Medina entered the game needing 50 points to tie the program’s all-time scoring record. While she fell short of that mark, she delivered the most productive performance of her career, shooting 12 of 18 from the field, 5 of 6 from 3-point range and 11 of 14 from the free-throw line. She added nine rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Kylee Callahan filled the stat sheet with 22 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and six steals. Nayeli Nidez Acuña scored 13 points, Sarah Finley added eight, Izzy Robinson finished with seven and Carly Smith scored six.
Knox (8-10 overall, 7-3 MWC) turned in its best offensive performance of the season, setting a season high with 98 points while shooting 57.6% (38 of 66) from the field. The Prairie Fire assisted on 28 of their 38 made baskets and scored 60 points in the paint.
Defensively, Knox forced 21 turnovers, converting them into 21 points, and recorded 16 steals.
The game was close early, with Knox leading 12-11 late in the first quarter. A 14-3 run spanning the final two minutes of the first quarter and the opening six minutes of the second gave the Prairie Fire a 26-13 advantage they did not relinquish.
The win moved Knox into third place in the conference standings and strengthened its position for a Midwest Conference Tournament berth.
Knox hosts Webster at 1 p.m. Jan. 31 in a nonconference game before returning to conference play next week at Cornell.
Late Knox rally falls short against Illinois College
Knox College’s late comeback attempt came up short in a 61-58 loss to Illinois College in a Midwest Conference men’s basketball game Jan. 27 in Galesburg.
Trailing by seven points with under a minute remaining, Knox (7-12 overall, 3-7 MWC) closed within one possession on baskets by Noah Campbell and Josh Stewart.
Illinois College committed an offensive foul with 11 seconds left, giving the Prairie Fire a chance to tie. Campbell’s 3-point attempt missed, and after tracking down the loose ball near midcourt, his final desperation shot hit the side of the rim as time expired.
Knox led 29-23 at halftime after sharing the ball effectively in the opening half, recording 10 assists on 12 field goals. Strong defense and a late 7-0 run helped the Prairie Fire build the six-point lead.
Illinois College seized control early in the second half, using a 26-8 run to take a 49-37 lead at the 9:30 mark.
Knox responded with a 7-0 run capped by a Russell Wright dunk, but Illinois College rebuilt the margin to seven before holding off the late rally.
Wright led Knox with 11 points and nine rebounds. Stewart added nine points and eight rebounds. Aydan Ayer scored seven points and had a team-high four assists. Campbell and Carl Dortch each scored seven, and Vladimir Marinov finished with six.
Knox is off this weekend before returning to conference play at Cornell next Wednesday. The Prairie Fire return home Feb. 7 to host Beloit at 1 p.m.
