Spartans win Game 1 at Toyota of Danville Classic

Luke Landrus

ST. JOSEPH - St. Joseph-Ogden's Luke Landrus goes up for a shot past Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond's Colin Smith during the second game on opening night of the Toyota of Danville Classic Tuesday. Landrus led the Spartans with 16 points in the team's first game of the 2023 season. A total team victory, 12 of 14 players on the SJO roster contributed points in the 80-21 win. The Spartans play their next tournament game on Thursday at 5 pm against Watseka.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Prep Sports Notebook | Spartans beat Tuscola, Urbana still looking for first win

Unity's Addison Ray
Unity's Addison Ray
Ray rains treys in Rocket home win

TOLONO - Unity downed visiting Clinton 50-43 behind double-figure production from three seniors. Addison Ray led all scorers with 14 points. Ray drained three three-pointers to help the rally in the third quarter. Raegen Stringer finished with 13 points, and Reagan Little added another 12 points in the non-conference win. The Maroons were paced by starter Clara Dempsey, who scored 11 points in the first quarter, with 12 points.


SJO first half lead results in win over visiting Tuscola

ST. JOSEPH - Addison Seggebruch led St. Joseph-Ogden's scoring effort with a team-high 14 points in their 61-47 non-conference win over Tuscola. Addisyn Martinie added another 12 points, and Addison Frick finished with 10 points. Warriors' Sicily Moss led all scorers with a game-high 16 points.


Tigers improving

MONTICELLO - Aziyiaha Davis finished with a team-high eight points in Urbana's 42-22 road loss at Monticello. Zion Reid added another seven points to make up the bulk of their team's scoring effort in their best outing this season. The Tigers are at home on Thursday against Charleston.


Hoopeston's Root scores 31

HOOPESTON - Owen Root made 12 of his 20 shots to score 31 in Hoopeston Area's 68-40 win over Judah Christian on Monday. Kendrick Sigerill finished with 12 points. Junior Trenton Montez, who led the team with six assist, rounded the team's top three scorers with nine points. Root also had six rebounds and three steals for the Cornjerkers.


Ray drains 14 points in Rockets home win over Clinton

Addison Ray
TOLONO - Unity's Addison Ray looks to pass the ball back to an open teammate during third-quarter play against Clinton on Monday. Ray scored 14 points, 12 in the second half, to propel the Rockets past the visiting Maroons, 50-43. Unity (4-2) travels to Cissna Park tonight for a tough matchup against the Timberwolves. More photos and a game story coming soon.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Smith and Suding recognized at state football championships

NORMAL - On Friday, Unity's Brock Suding (left) and St. Joseph-Ogden's Logan Smith were honored prior to the start of the Class 3A state championship football game between Byron and Mt. Carmel as All-Staters by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Toyota of Danville Classic basketball tournament tips off at SJO tomorrow

ST. JOSEPH - Formerly known as The Leader Classic, the annual Toyota of Danville Classic boys basketball tournament will tip off at 5pm tomorrow with the opening game between the Timberwolves of Cissna Park and the Panthers of Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

Now playing at Illinois State University, St. Joseph-Ogden's Ty Pence goes up for a dunk over Oakwood's Dalton Hobick during last year's Toyota of Danville Classic championship game. Pence, who finished with 33 points and was named All-Tournament MVP, won't be back this season. What will be new this year is the use a 35-second shot clock for all 16 tournament contests.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
This year's eight teams include 2022 runner-up Oakwood, Cissna Park, PBL, and St. Teresa in Pool A.

Pool B teams include Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, Charleston, Watseka, and the hosts and 2022 champions, St. Joseph-Ogden.

St. Joseph-Ogden will play their first pool game on tomorrow evening against Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at 6:30pm. After a day of rest, SJO are on the hardwood three consecutive days starting on Thursday with the day's matinee against Watseka at 5pm. The Spartans will play their final pool game against Charleston, who make their first appearance in the holiday tournament on Friday.

Spectators and basketball fans can expect lots of fast-paced action. The tournament will be using an IHSA approved shot clock for all 16 contests this year.

Admission fees for this year's tournament are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Tickets will be available at the ticket booth at the main entrance before each game.

2023 Toyota of Danville Classic Schedule

(All games at St. Joseph-Ogden High School)

Tuesday, 11/28/23:
5:00 PM: Cissna Park vs. PBL
6:30 PM: ALAH vs. St. Joseph-Ogden
8:00 PM: St. Teresa vs. Oakwood

Wednesday, 11/29/23:
5:00 PM: Watseka vs. Charleston
6:30 PM: PBL vs. St. Teresa
8:00 PM: Oakwood vs. Cissna Park

Thursday, 11/30/23:
5:00 PM: Watseka vs. St. Joseph-Ogden
6:30 PM: Charleston vs. ALAH
8:00 PM: Oakwood vs. PBL

Friday, 12/1/23: 5:00 PM: Cissna Park vs. St. Teresa
6:30 PM: ALAH vs. Watseka
8:00 PM: Charleston vs. St. Joseph-Ogden

Saturday, 12/2/23:
2:00 PM: 7th Place Game
3:30 PM: 5th Place Game
5:00 PM: 3rd Place Game
6:30 PM: 1st Place Game


Photo of the Day | Dishin' the licks, McDonald can hit

Urbana's Tyreece McDonald flattens Central's Tyriss Hines while returning a kickoff during their regular season game on Friday, September 22. The Tigers (0-9) lost their Homecoming game, 58-6.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Janae Hall hauled in nine of her team's 28 rebounds in Urbana's 51-10 loss to visiting MacArthur on Thursday.

Basketball: Urbana girls fall to 0-2 after loss to MacArthur

URBANA - After falling 36-14 to Lanphier in their return to the hardwood, the Tigers' girls basketball squad suffered their second straight loss, this time at the hands of the MacArthur Generals. With the 51-10 loss, Urbana moves to an 0-2 record.

Senior Janae Hall, who hauled in nine rebounds, and freshman Zion Reid led the team with four points each. Freshman Lai'yonna Harper rounded the entire scoring effort with one basket. Harper also collected three rebounds and a steal in the home game.

After the Thanksgiving weekend, Urbana will have two opportunities to get their first W of the season. On Monday, the Tigers travel to Arthur "Buz" Sievers Center for a non-conference game against Monticello. A week from today, Charleston (1-4), who beat Monticello last week 41-29, will be at Oscar Adams Gym looking for their second win of the season.



Box Score

MacArthur 51 - Urbana 10

  1 2 3 4 F
Urbana  2  2  3  3 10
MacArthur 15 18 11  7 51

Urbana --
Harper 0(0)-12-2--2, Reid 2(0)-5-2--4, Culpepper 0(0)-0-0--0, Smith 0(0)-0-0--0, Hall 4(0)-0-0--4, Shade 0(0)-0-0--0, Blanden 0(0)-0-0--0, Recio 0(0)-0-0--0.

MacArthur --
Not available


Want to see more sports stories like this?

If you enjoy reading stories about our area high school sports programs, the Sentinel can really use your help.

We need the help of passionate sports fans like yourself to help us cover more games, feature more athletes, and give recognition to the hard-working athletes who deserve it. There are several ways you can help.

You can help us by sharing our stories and photos on social media for your family and friends to enjoy. Having more readers helps us convince businesses to advertise with us. The more advertisers we have, the greater our local coverage.

And there are even more ways you can help. We'll tell you about those here.

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SJO girls fall short in first game of the season

ST. JOSEPH - At the end of the first quarter, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team trailed on the scoreboard by four in the season opener at home last Saturday. Despite six different players putting points in the scorebook, the Spartans fell after a gritty effort, 48-41.

Addison Frick led SJO's scoring effort with a team-high 15 points. The senior drained three treys and went 2-for-2 from the free throw line.


Katie Ericksen looks for an open teammate
St. Joseph-Ogden's Katie Ericksen looks for an open teammate to pass the ball around the defensive efforts of Pleasant Plains Bailey Leach during second-quarter action of the Spartans' home opener last Saturday. Ericksen finished the game with four points in the first half.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Addisyn Martinie, also a senior, finished the game with ten points, eight collected in the final quarter. Addison Seggebruch, also a senior, closed-out the game two points shy of reach double-digits with eight points.

The Spartans struggled defensively to contain the Cardinals' young forward Anna Weber. The sophomore, who sank five of her eight free throws, led all scorers with 18 points. Dropping ten points in the first quarter Weber set the tone for the remaining three. With SJO's focused on stopping Weber, it allowed Plains' Bailey Leach and Madison Burke to enjoy a number of open looks. Burke, also a sophomore, scored 13 points, while Leach added another ten.

Three other St. Joseph-Ogden players contributed in the team's scoring effort. Katie Ericksen delivered four points in the first quarter, Addison Brooks came off the bench to hit a three in the third quarter, and Timera Blackburn-Kelley chipped in a free-throw.

Next week, the Spartans host Tuscola on Monday and play their first road game of the 2023-24 season at Danville.



Box Score

Pleasant Plains 48 - St. Joseph-Ogden 41

  1 2 3 4 F
St. Joseph-Ogden 14 9 7 11 41
Pleasant Plains 18 10 10 10 48

St. Joseph-Ogden --
Ericksen 2(0)-0-0--4, Seggebruch 2(1)-2-1--8, Kearney 0(0)-0-0--0, Blackburn-Kelley 0(0)-2-1--1, Frick 2(3)-2-2--15, Brooks 0(1)-0-0--3, Loschen 0(2)-0-0--6, Miller 0(0)-0-0--0, Atwood 0(0)-0-0--0, Martinie 3(1)-1-1--10, Osterbur 0(0)-0-0--0.

Pleasant Plains --
Frasse 0(0)-4-3--3, Leach 0(0)-0-0--0, Crawford 0(0)-0-0--0, Cameron 0(0)-0-0--0, Thenaisie 0(0)-0-0--0, Leach 3(0)-6-4--10, Noble 0(0)-0-0--0, Nestler 0(0)-0-0--0, Dugan 0(0)-0-0--0, Burke 3(1)-6-4--13, Romager 0(0)-0-0--0, Weber 6(0)-8-6--18, Sabatka 2(0)-0-0--4,


Want to see more sports stories like this?

If you enjoy reading stories about our area high school sports programs, the Sentinel can really use your help.

We need the help of passionate sports fans like yourself to help us cover more games, feature more athletes, and give recognition to the hard-working athletes who deserve it. There are several ways you can help.

You can help us by sharing our stories and photos on social media for your family and friends to enjoy. Having more readers helps us convince businesses to advertise with us. The more advertisers we have, the greater our local coverage.

And there are even more ways you can help. We'll tell you about those here.

With no paywall on our site, every contribution helps our readers enjoy our sports and news coverage. Contribute today. It only takes a minute to help make memories in our community last forever.


Urbana girls' basketball squad falls at home to Mahomet-Seymour

Urbana's Zion Reid
Urbana's Zion Reid tries to dribble past Mahomet-Seymour's Kara Carney and Reese Gallier during second half action of their non-conference game. The Tigers' first-half offensive struggles led to a 45-15 loss on Monday. UHS returns to action looking for their first win of the season starting next Monday with a road game at Monticello and are back at home on November 30 against Charleston.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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In pursuit of art, the importance of building your personal collection

by Ian Wang


Ian Wang
Photo provided
People who have experienced living and working far away from their hometown may feel the same: The farther away and the more time since you have left home, the more eager you are to know and to learn any and every detail that relates to your homeland. You feel so dear, so deep, and so emotional towards anything and everything, big or small, from your homeland. That was why I started collecting artworks created by artists of my homeland as a medium or vehicle for communication, expression, and socio-cultural exchange when I studied at Oxford University.

While serving as the president of Spurlock Museum's Board of Directors, I researched the history of the University of Illinois' first art collection at the museum. I learned how and why the University's first president, John Gregory, collected art and established the first art gallery/museum on campus.

From day one as UI president, John Gregory firmly believed that “man should be primarily educated as a human being and only secondary for his occupation.” Therefore, Gregory called for a university to produce “clear-headed, broad-breasted scholars, men of fully developed minds who would be valuable citizens capable of taking their places in legislative assemblies or other positions to which they might be called from their normal occupations.”

In other words, the University was to cultivate real men rather than technically trained professionals. His desire was to establish an institute firmly grounded in the liberal arts tradition.

Profoundly influenced by Gregory’s vision and deliberation, I started focusing on collecting, researching, and exhibiting UI art (artworks created by University faculty, staff, and students) for the same purpose of cultivating “real men”.

After more than 25 years of pursuit, I have collected multiple thousand pieces of UI art, studied and written/published a few hundred articles in local, national, and international newspapers and magazines. So far, I have curated almost 100 art exhibitions at the University and local community galleries/venues. In the process, I have learned and enjoyed much about art in general and our UI art in particular, and developed a personal doctrine for collecting art. Concisely, my philosophy is:

1. Collect art interactively with artists is the most important and enjoyable way of studying/learning art deeply and directly from its creator.

2. Collect art systematically.

3. Collecting art comprehensively.

4. Collect art creatively.


A long-time resident of Champaign-Urbana, Ian Wang is an art historian and curator. Wang is currently providing an informative lecture series entitled "150 Plus Years UI Art Creation" for Tuesday At Ten at the Champaign Public Library at 10 am on Tuesdays through December 12.

Heading out for Thanksgiving break

Two busses load passengers on Illinois Street on lovely fall morning in front of the Levis Faculty Center on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus on Saturday morning. Nearly a half dozen additional charter busses were waiting along South Gregory between Krannert Performing Arts Center and the faculty center to take travelers to the Chicago area for the week-long Thanksgiving campus break. University of Illinois students will return to campus this coming weekend to resume classes before finals and the fall semester break.
Photo: PhotoNews Media

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Guest Commentary | Any can value their home for whatever they think it is worth

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator


Many years ago I took out a second mortgage on my home. The house had grown in value and had at least $30,000 of equity. At that time, I had multiple reasons. The second mortgage added a second monthly payment to my already very tight budget. I made both the original payment and the second mortgage payment for a couple years until I was able to refinance both loans into a ten-year fixed interest rate loan. Fortunately, I was able to pay off the ten-year loan in about six years.

Let me hasten to say I would never want to do a second mortgage on my house again. Looking back, it was a bad financial decision. This type of loan is an option if you are in dire straits. At the time, I thought It was something I needed to do and it worked out.

My bank did ask what I wanted the money for and I told them my numerous reasons. Essentially, they didn’t care. They only cared that I had the financial ability to pay it back. They cared if my property was valuable enough to cover their costs if I defaulted on my loan. They wanted to verify my income, any other loans, and review my previous three years of income tax reports.

After the deal was made, I didn’t hear anything from the Attorney General or any federal judges about my loan from the bank. No one hounded me about my interest rate or the fixed number of years I would pay back the loan. The arrangement was made between my lending institution and me. It wasn’t anyone else’s business.

Let’s say I determine my house today is worth a million dollars. It’s not, but I can say it is based on what it means to me.

Anyone can value their property for whatever they think it’s worth. Let’s say I go to the bank and want to borrow $600,000 against my one-million-dollar house. At this point the bank has to begin their process of determination. They will do an appraisal of my house. They will then look at my income and any other assets. They will determine if they think the loan is in their favor to make.

If in reality my house is only worth $400,000 then they may say we can’t loan you the $600,000 but we can loan you $200,000. It then becomes the decision of the lender as to how they want to proceed with the loan and how much they want to loan. If I falsify my financial records in order to get the loan then that becomes problematic. If the lender does a good job in verifying the value of the property, there shouldn’t be a problem.

If the lender for some unlikely reason determines to loan me the $600,000 because I’m a good customer and they like me, then the deal is between the lender and me. Can you imagine a judge or Attorney General saying they don’t like your loan arrangement?

Are the lending institutions after Donald Trump? No. If they think he has done something bad or they aren’t receiving their money they will go after him. The most recent national courtroom scene in NYC is another political sham.


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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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Holiday celebrations are filled with triggers and temptations for those in recovery

by Lindsey Salvatelli
Rosecrance Health Network

CHAMPAIGN - It’s that time of the year when gift-giving, family gatherings, and cheers for the new year bring people together. Though it is perfectly normal to enjoy celebrations that are common around this time of year, the holidays can also be challenging for those in or new to recovery.

The holiday season is usually packed with social events, but this can cause people in recovery to feel lonely or anxious about the possibility of relapsing. For those who may have those concerns, it’s important they know that they are not alone - millions of Americans who are in recovery are also spending their holidays sober.

Although some individuals may have more experience staying sober than others, everyone needs to start somewhere. Those ready to have a safe, sober holiday should join the festivities with a plan.

During recovery, it is crucial to have a strong support network that includes 12-step meetings, sponsors, treatment centers, and loved ones, especially during the holidays. Individuals can benefit from having a list of AA or NA meetings ready and predetermined check-in calls with a sponsor or loved one to stay on track. Doing so can help establish the lifeline they need to step away from stressful social situations that could put their recovery in harm's way.

Planning how to get to holiday celebrations is crucial. Individuals need to have control over their transportation to leave quickly if needed. For those who don't have access to a vehicle, bringing a plus one who can support their recovery and be the designated sober driver can be beneficial. In an emergency, having a commuter app or a friend on speed dial who can help escape the situation can also be helpful.

Another helpful tip to prevent a relapse is to always have a non-alcoholic drink in hand. Holding a drink means there is less opportunity to be offered one, more control over what is being consumed, and avoiding a potentially awkward conversation about sobriety.

Though holiday celebrations can indeed be filled with relapse triggers and temptations, that doesn't mean that people in recovery should avoid enjoying these celebrations altogether. Spending the holidays with loved ones, free from any substances or alcohol, is worth a try. Still, it’s understandable if those new to recovery think they should avoid holiday celebrations.



Two-vehicle accident on Vine and Pennsylvania

Urbana firefighters and EMS workers responded to an accident involving a white SUV and a black Transit-sized vehicle on the corner of Pennsylvania and Vine at approximately 9 am this morning. Firefighters had to remove the driver from the overturned vehicle. Emergency personnel and police are still at the scene. No other details are available at this time.
Photo: PhotoNews Media

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Stress-free Thanksgiving tips for those short on time this holiday season

While gathering for Thanksgiving is intended to be a joyous occasion, everyone who has hosted the feast knows it can also come with a lot of stress, and expenses.

The good news is that whether you’re a Gen Z-er hosting your first Friendsgiving on a budget or you’re a busy family preparing for guests, there is a lot to be thankful for this year.


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Tipped wage system isn't working, removing taxes won't save it
Both major presidential candidates have called for eliminating taxes on tips. But that won’t help most restaurant workers.

What will? Replacing the subminimum wages that tipped workers make with one fair wage nationwide.

The federal minimum wage for most workers is just $7.25. But for workers who get tips, employers are allowed to pay them $2.13 an hour. If tips don’t raise your hourly pay to at least the ...
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Is it depression, ADHD or bipolar disorder?
Lavender Zarraga, APRN, a behavioral health provider at OSF HealthCare, says it’s not uncommon for her patients to ask for a medication that isn’t the right fit.

The culprit? She says symptoms of common mental health issues like depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder can overlap. So, it’s important to stay in contact with your provider to make ...