By Ben Cox
The first full week of December brought plenty of excitement for area sports fans, as Jacksonville area teams filled the schedule with conference battles, tournament runs and standout individual performances across multiple levels of competition.
Virginia 7th grade girls make deep state run
The Virginia 7th grade girls basketball team capped off an impressive postseason run with a sectional championship and a trip to the state tournament. The Redbirds defeated Williamsville 30-16 at Williamsville to claim the sectional title before advancing to the state semifinals.
Virginia ran into a tough Teutopolis squad in the semifinal, falling 31-17. Despite the loss, the Redbirds were led by Mayla York, who poured in 21 points. Kora Kinstle added 14 in the effort. Virginia will close out their season with a third-place game against Downs Tri-Valley on December 11.
Meanwhile, the 8th grade girls postseason takes center stage this week. The Virginia Elementary Redbirds will compete in the sectional championship, taking on Springfield Lincoln at Williamsville, with play beginning Wednesday, December 10.
Jacksonville High School boys face tough conference tests
The Jacksonville High School boys basketball team battled through a challenging week against strong competition. The Crimsons dropped a close Central State 8 Conference decision to Chatham-Glenwood, 45-43, on the road on December 3.
JHS then traveled to Springfield for the Capital City Showcase at the BOS Center, where they fell to Lincoln, 50-38, on December 6. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, as the Crimsons continue conference play this week with road trips to Springfield on December 9 and Lanphier on December 12.
Routt dominates at Bergschneider tournament
Winter weather may have delayed the action, but it didn’t slow down the Routt Catholic boys, who closed out the Gene Bergschneider Turkey Tournament in New Berlin in dominant fashion. Routt went undefeated at 4-0 to capture the tournament championship, showcasing depth and consistency throughout the delayed schedule.
Triopia also competed in the tournament, finishing fifth with a 1-3 record.
Routt carried that momentum into their home opener, topping Litchfield 67-49 on December 5. Bryson Mossman was named to the Bergschneider all-tournament team and followed that up with a strong performance in the win over Litchfield, scoring 25 points.
Hard-fought games for area boys teams
Brown County opened its season with a dramatic finish, rallying from a six-point deficit in the final four minutes against West Central. The Hornets made key defensive stops down the stretch to secure a 47-46 season-opening win, just a few weeks shy of turning in a runner-up finish in the state football tournament. Despite the loss, West Central senior guard Ryker Ford led his team with 15 points. West Central is now 1-2 on the season.
South County continued its strong start to the season and remained unbeaten after knocking off New Berlin, 62-59, on December 5. The win was especially impressive as New Berlin had just finished runner-up at their own home tournament. South County now sits at 3-0 on the young season.
Triopia girls get redemption
On the girls side, Triopia earned a satisfying victory in their home opener, defeating Auburn 55-41 on December 4. The win avenged a loss to Auburn earlier this season at the Waverly Thanksgiving Tournament. Addilynn Tracy led the Trojans with 21 points, while Ava Petefish added 20. Triopia now turns its attention to a WIVC matchup with West Central this week.
New Berlin-South County endured a split week, earning a road win over Sangamon Valley-Tri City, 56-33, on December 4 before suffering a narrow 45-43 loss to Piasa–Southwestern the following night. The Lady Pretzels will continue MSM Conference play this week with games against South Fork and Raymond-Lincolnwood.
West Central’s girls improved to 4-1 on the season, despite suffering their first loss of the year at home to Havana, 60-50, on December 6. Earlier in the week, the Lady Cougars picked up an impressive 52-30 road win over Pittsfield, a larger 2A school.
A special note for the West Central program: Braylee Littig has returned to the bench this season. Littig, who was sidelined last December following a leukemia diagnosis, has been part of several games so far and continues to inspire teammates and fans alike with her perseverance.
Illinois College Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Illinois College men’s basketball endured a challenging stretch in Midwest Conference play. The Blueboys dropped a tight overtime contest at Monmouth, 74-72, on December 3, and followed that with a 92-68 loss to Grinnell on December 6 after the Pioneers jumped out to an early lead.
They now sit at 3-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play, and will look to get back on track when Beloit visits Jacksonville this Saturday.
The Illinois College women earned a strong 84-58 road win at Monmouth on December 3, using a dominant second quarter to take control. The Lady Blues then suffered a 75-66 home loss to Grinnell on December 6 after a second-half rally by the visitors.
They are now 4-6 overall and 1-3 in conference action, and will also host Beloit this Saturday at Sherman Gymnasium.
IC swimming remains perfect
The Illinois College men’s swimming team stayed red-hot with two dominant home wins on December 6. The Blueboys crushed Beloit 202-36 and rolled past North Central 162-87 to improve to 6-0 on the season. The program has now won 16 straight dual meets dating back to last year.
The IC women’s swimming team also swept their competition, defeating North Central 162-87 and Beloit 164-86. The Lady Blues improved to 4-2 on the season and continue to build momentum moving forward.
Record-setting night for IC track and field
Illinois College track and field opened the indoor season in memorable fashion at the Illinois Wesleyan First Chance Meet on December 5.
On the men’s side, Melvin Hodge set a new school record in the weight throw, winning the event with a toss of 18.85 meters.
The women’s team also turned in several historic performances. Natalie Hasting won the weight throw with the second-best mark in school history at 15.34 meters, while Riley Gardner captured first place in the high jump with the second-best jump in school history at 1.66 meters.
Auburn graduate Aleese Trimingham recorded the second-best time in school history in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.14 seconds. North Greene graduate Delanie Teno added a pair of second-place finishes, throwing 14.29 meters in the weight throw and 10.66 meters in the shot put.
Both IC track and field teams are scheduled to compete next at the IC Snowbird Invite on January 24 at the King Fieldhouse.
