Galesburg High School
GHS girls notch 16th win by defeating Pekin
Balanced scoring and a dominant second quarter propelled the Galesburg girls basketball team to its 16th win of the season, a 50-23 victory over visiting Pekin on Jan. 3.
The win over the now 9-7 Dragons left the Silver Streaks at 16-1 as they head back into Western Big 6 play with a 7 p.m. game Thursday against Rock Island at John Thiel Gymnasium.
“I’m very pleased with where they’re at right now,” coach Lexi Demott said. “This week we had a long week of just straight practice. I’m trying to clean some things up and talk about some things to get us to that next level. They’re slowly starting to implement them, and we’re getting good things out of them.”
Some of those good things came during the second quarter against Pekin.
After a quiet first quarter that saw Galesburg take an 11-7 lead, the Streaks exploded for 21 points in the second. Tight defense forced the Dragons into numerous turnovers and contested shots, while Galesburg capitalized with transition baskets.
“They were tired,” point guard Ella Herchenroder said. “We ran them down, and they couldn’t keep up with us.”
Herchenroder, who had four steals in the game, said this contest had more of a distribution of scoring rather than one player stepping up to lead.
Lily Furrow led the second-quarter surge with seven of her nine points. The Herchenroder sisters combined for 12 points in the quarter, with Taylor scoring five, Ella four and Grace three.
With a 32-14 halftime lead, Galesburg focused on preventing any Pekin rally, holding the Dragons to single-digit scoring in all four quarters.
Galesburg dominated the stats with 34 rebounds to 17, 10 assists to three and seven steals to four. The team shot 43% from the field and 28% on 3-pointers.
The game marked the Streaks’ first action since winning the Coles County Holiday Tournament on Dec. 26-27. Galesburg won its four tournament games by margins ranging from 11 to 40 points over Danville, Mattoon, Marion and Teutopolis.
“It was fun,” Ella said of the tournament. “We finally got to have a rematch with Teutopolis. We’ve lost to them for the past two years, and we finally got first place.”
Demott praised her team’s effort during the grueling tournament schedule.
“Playing four games in two days is extremely hard. Whether it’s a game that you win by 30 or a game you win by two, it does eventually take a toll on the body. They are still kids and so, getting them out of their routines of being at home and all that stuff plays into it. Overall, I’m very proud of how they handled themselves throughout the whole weekend and how hard they played the whole time.”
The Streaks return to conference play Thursday against Rock Island and will host Alleman on Jan. 15. In between, Galesburg faces Bettendorf (7-1) in the Illinois-Iowa Shootout on Jan. 10. That game is scheduled for 6:20 p.m. at the Carver Center at Augustana College.
GHS scoring: Zaniyah Carter 10, Ella Herchenroder 9, Lily Furrow 9, Taylor Herchenroder 7, Jozalyn Kilgore 7, Grace Herchenroder 5, Eleanor Johnson 2, Keerah Cooper 1.
Pekin scoring: Cadence Covert 9, Amiya O’Neal 6, Ava Stocke 3, Kylea Seidell 3, Leah Brown 2.
GHS boys roll past Jefferson, 65-49
Injuries and illness forced Galesburg coach Taylor Thiel to juggle the Silver Streaks’ lineup, but the adjustments paid off as Galesburg rolled past Rockford Jefferson 65-49 on Jan. 2 at John Thiel Gymnasium.
Galesburg was without starter Stone Thiel, who was injured in the final game of the Coles County Holiday Tournament, along with part-time starter Leslie Kelley and several reserve players who were ill.
“We had a couple injuries, a couple sicknesses,” Thiel said. “Some guys had to step up and play a little different role than they’re normally used to, but I thought they did a great job.
“I told the guys they had to focus. It was going to be a tough game because Rockford is a pretty athletic group and likes to push the ball. We wore them down. I thought we did a good job.”
The Silver Streaks outscored the J-Hawks in every quarter, and the final margin marked their largest lead of the game.
Cesaire Bile, who led Galesburg with 21 points, and Eden Mayala, who has stepped into the starting lineup, sparked the Streaks early. Bile hit three 3-pointers and Mayala added three field goals as Galesburg jumped to a 17-12 first-quarter lead.
Galesburg opened some distance early in the second quarter. Jefferson did not score for the first four minutes, while the Streaks rattled off nine straight points. Jefferson hurt itself with missed opportunities and was whistled for several traveling violations, an issue that persisted throughout the game.
“We struggled a little in the first half,” Thiel said. “I think Jefferson had nine offensive rebounds. When we went into halftime, that was definitely my focus, along with a few loose balls that were on the floor that we didn’t go get.”
Thiel said his team did a better job in the second half but noted those issues could be costly against stronger opponents.
Although Galesburg built a comfortable lead, Jefferson continued to make runs to stay within striking distance.
“They were good at pushing the ball in transition,” senior point guard Keigen Crummer said. “They got a few transitions. We forgot to get back after they missed a shot or we missed a shot, something like that. It’s just, yeah, the rebounds; we’ve got to box out.”
Crummer noted the team missed a lot of easy shots that could have put the game out of reach.
“I feel like sometimes when we’re up, we get too comfortable and then we start not being in the gaps and simple stuff like that, not boxing all the time,” he said. “They got a lot of rebounds. They were a really good rebounding team.”
Jaxon Wyatt provided a lift in the third quarter, scoring all 11 of his points as Galesburg extended its lead to 49-35.
Crummer and Demetrius Watson scored to open the fourth quarter, pushing the Streaks’ advantage to 54-35. Jefferson again made a push, but Galesburg answered.
As Crummer scored on a driving layup, he was hit by Alejandro Almonaci, who was assessed a flagrant foul. Crummer made both free throws to give Galesburg a 17-point cushion in the closing minutes.
“There were times when we were going to put them away, but they knocked shots down or we made a mistake and they got a run,” Thiel said. “There are things to clean up, but overall, with the guys I had out there tonight, I thought they did a great job.”
Thiel said he hopes to better define player roles as the Streaks head into the heart of Western Big 6 Conference play. He is also awaiting further evaluation of Stone Thiel’s injury.
The coach said his son had not yet undergone a full MRI as of Jan. 2, but X-rays were negative for fractures. He expects Stone Thiel to be out at least seven to 10 days.
Galesburg scoring: Cesaire Bile 21, Eden Mayala 13, Jaxon Wyatt 11, Keigen Crummer 7, Rahkim McCellan 7, Demetrius Watson 4, Tobi Kivunina 2, Day’Vion Jones 0.
Jefferson scoring: Jaden Williams 16, Zyair Hudson 11, Alejandro Almonaci 11, Jeremiah Sweeten 4, Nasir Lewis 4, Sean Anderson 3.
Bloomington fourth quarter holds off GHS boys
Bloomington broke open a tight game with a strong fourth quarter to beat Galesburg 75-63 on Jan. 3 at the six-game Sandburg Shootout at Carl Sandburg College.
Galesburg trailed 46-40 entering the final period, but Cam’ron Dunson-Riggs scored all 12 of his points in the quarter, including three 3-pointers, to fuel a 29-point Purple Raiders surge.
The Silver Streaks answered with a solid offensive quarter of their own, scoring 23 points. Eden Mayala had nine of his team-high 17 points in the period, while Rahkim McCellan added six of his 15. Jaxon Wyatt also reached double figures with 10 points.
Galesburg shot 26 of 52 from the field, went 4 of 10 from 3-point range and hit 7 of 16 free throws. The Streaks finished with 40 rebounds and 14 assists, but 22 turnovers proved costly.
Galesburg was without four players, including starters Cesaire Bile and Stone Thiel.
The loss ended a two-game winning streak for the Streaks, who fell to 8-7. Bloomington snapped a four-game skid and improved to 6-8.
Galesburg has three conference games remaining before heading to the Danville MLK Tournament on Jan. 17. The Streaks travel to Moline on Jan. 9, then host Sterling on Jan. 13 and Geneseo on Jan. 16. All games start at 7 p.m.
Galesburg scoring: Mayala 17, McCellan 15, Wyatt 10, Tobi Kivunina 8, Day’Vion Jones 6, Keigen Crummer 5, Demetrius Watson 2.
Bloomington scoring: Dallas Marshall 19, Carter Tindall 15, Dunson-Riggs 12, Jaden Neaville 10, Brock Holtz 8, KJ Kong-Warr 7, Jaden Fisher 2, Kayontae Hamilton 2.
Knox College
Knox men drop conference game to Lake Forest
Playing its first Midwest Conference game in nearly a month, the Knox College men’s basketball team dropped a 101-67 road decision to Lake Forest on Jan. 3.
The Prairie Fire (5-8, 1-3 Midwest Conference) were coming off a loss Dec. 31 to close out 2025, making Saturday’s contest their first game of the new year.
Ryan Cernos led Knox with 15 points and five rebounds. Noah Campbell followed with 10, building on his career-high performance from Wednesday, while Josh Stewart added seven points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Lake Forest took early control with a 9-0 run, but Knox responded with a 10-3 surge to pull within 12-10 after Stewart’s 3-pointer. The Prairie Fire briefly grabbed the lead at 17-16 when Vladimir Marinov knocked down a 3 with 12:37 remaining in the first half.
The Foresters answered with a strong run of their own and carried a 43-34 lead into halftime.
Lake Forest steadily pulled away in the second half, opening the period with a decisive 13-3 run to extend its advantage.
Knox shot 24 of 66 from the field (36.4%), while Lake Forest finished 36 of 64 (56.3%). The Foresters also held a significant edge from 3-point range, converting 15 of 31 attempts (48.4%) compared to Knox’s 7 of 24 (29.2%).
The Prairie Fire return to action Jan. 7 at Beloit College to open a men’s-women’s doubleheader at 5:30 p.m.
Knox women break losing streak at Lake Forest
The Knox College women’s basketball team snapped a four-game losing streak with a convincing 73-45 win at Lake Forest on Jan. 3.
The Prairie Fire (3-8, 3-1 Midwest Conference) took control early, leading 18-8 after the first quarter. Lake Forest’s only lead came at 3-2.
Knox extended its advantage to 38-22 by halftime and put the game out of reach in the third quarter, outscoring the Foresters 28-9 to build a 66-31 lead. The Prairie Fire pushed the margin to as many as 40 points in the fourth quarter.
Bria Medina led a balanced Knox attack with 23 points and nearly recorded a triple-double, adding eight rebounds and eight assists. Nayeli Nidez Acuña and Izzy Robinson each scored 14, Kylee Callahan finished with nine, and Brook Pieper added seven.
Carly Smith contributed five points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Callahan also recorded four blocks, while Nidez Acuña had three steals.
Knox’s defense forced 23 Lake Forest turnovers and limited the Foresters to 16 of 61 shooting from the field (26.2%). The Prairie Fire converted those turnovers into 20 points and added 17 points in transition.
Knox returns to action Jan. 7 at Beloit College as part of a men’s-women’s doubleheader. The men tip off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the women.
On the schedule
Monday, Jan. 5, 2026
• Sandburg women’s basketball vs. Illinois College, 3 p.m.
• Sandburg men’s basketball vs. Monmouth JV, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026
• GHS bowling vs. Sterling, 4 p.m.
• GHS girls wrestling vs. ROWVA-Williamsfield, 6 p.m.
• GHS boys wrestling vs. Limestone, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026
• GHS bowling at Geneseo, 4 p.m.
• Knox men’s basketball vs. Beloit, 5:30 p.m.
• Knox women’s basketball vs. Beloit, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026
• GHS boys swimming/diving vs. Burlington, 4:30/5:30 p.m.
• Sandburg women’s basketball at Kishwaukee, 5:30 p.m.
• GHS boys wrestling vs. Notre Dame (Wicall Gym), 6 p.m.
• GHS girls wrestling at Farmington, Sherrard, 6 p.m.
• GHS girls basketball vs. Rock Island, 7 p.m.
• Sandburg men’s basketball at Kishwaukee, 7:30 p.m.