The Sentinel: Illini Prairie

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Strong first half cements victory for SJO at Monticello

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

After hauling in a screen pass on the first play of St. Joseph-Ogden's road game at Monticello, Tim Blackburn-Kelley races down the field for the first TD of the season while playing running back in Saturday's 40-28 win. The quick score that burned just 20 seconds off the game clock set the tone for the first half before the Spartans ripped off three more scores before halftime.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO's Ryker Lockhart nails Monticello's Matt Swartz to the turf during first quarter action on Saturday. The first game for the two Illini Prairie Conference members was postponed until noon due to a large storm system passing through Piatt and Champaign county Friday evening.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Spartans' Nolan Earley rushes into the Monticello backfield looking to tackle the Sages' quarterback for a loss.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO's Nolan Earley latches on to Monticello's Ike Young on his way to record a TFL in the first half.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Spartan's Coy Taylor barrels his way into the endzone on a 1-yard play for his team's second touchdown in the first quarter.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Tayton Gerdes celebrates a big play for the Spartans during the third quarter.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO quarterback Kodey McKinney looks to the northeast corner of the field for an open receiver. The junior signal caller scored on 67-yard run in the first quarter and tossed three TD passes in his first varsity start. See all the photos from the game here . . .

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Wyatt Wertz looks for running room while following his blockers on a 37-yard dash through the Sages' defense. The junior running back rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden senior Jared Altenbaumer lunges forward to pounce on Monticello quarterback Ike Young.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Almost a nailbiter as Monticello's momentum grows in the second half after another touchdown, SJO head coach Shawn Skinner strolls down the sideline while the Spartans get a lesson in tenacity during their season opener. See all the photos from the game here . . .

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Sages' Ike Young unloads a pass before Spartans' Gabe Mata can disrupt the third-quarter pass play.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJ0 linemen Cameron Wagner and Brodie Harms stack pancakes in the trenches with Monticello's Ryan Frazee and Brody Billedo during fourth-quarter action. See more photos from the game here . . .

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Monticello's Ike Young looks for running room on a keeper. The senior finished 27 of 44 for 292 yards and threw two second-half touchdown passes in his first varsity start at quarterback. He also led Monticello in rushing with 18 carries for 66 yards and scored two of the Sages' four touchdowns.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Leaping above Sages' Zeke Young, Spartan Coy Taylor hauls in a pass for second-half touchdown in the southeast corner end zone at Wilkey Sports Complex. See more photos from the game here . . .

Ruby Tarr hits homer, leads Rockets in 14-4 win over Prairie Central

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

FAIRBURY - Ruby Tarr swings at a Cissna Park pitch on Tuesday, April 11. The senior led the Rockets' offense in their Illini Prairie Conference road game last Friday at Prairie Central with two hits, including a home run, and four RBI in a 14-4 drubbing. The league victory extends the Unity softball team's current win streak to nine games. Tarr and Rockets (18-1 overall, 5-1 conference) are back on the home turf on Tuesday in a make-up contest against St. Anthony.

Wells delivers buckets of points

Taylor Wells came off the bench Monday to lead all scorers in the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team's second home game of the year. The sophomore led all scorers with 12 points to help SJO roll past St. Thomas More, 42-25.

After a dismal first quarter, the Sabers showed a brief spark of scoring brilliance, dropping 15 second quarter points building a modest lead three-point lead at the half, up 19-16.

The Spartans returned to the floor to match STM's first half scoring output under the leadership of Wells and her six points along with the combined efforts of four other SJO players in the third quarter.

Sabers' Maddie Swisher tapped a solo field goal in the same period making it all her team could muster against the 15-4 Spartans, who also picked up their second conference win of the season. Held to just six points in the second half, St. Thomas More dropped to 0-2 in the conference and 3-9 overall.

After Wells' contribution, St. Joseph-Ogden's top three scorers were sophomores Ashlyn Lannert with eight points, Payton Jacob with six and Ella Armstrong added another five to the mix. The Spartans received 33 of their scoring total from five of the six sophomores on this season's varsity roster.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	7	9	19	7	- 42
St. Thomas More	4	15	2	4	- 25

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 8, Payton Jacob 6, Taylor Wells 12, Atleigh Hamilton 2, Katie Cramer 3, Abby Behrens 2, Taylor Barnes 4 and Ella Armstrong 5.

St. Thomas More: Kennedy Ramshaw 6, Alaina Bowie 1, Tatum De Vries 5, Ava Dickerson 4, Bridget Delorenzo 2, Maddie Swisher 2 and Sarah Gibas 5.

Payton Vallee's free throw beats Comets, Armstrong leads scoring effort

With the scored tied at 40-all and just four seconds left in regular time, Payton Vallee hit a game winning free throw to give the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team a one point victory over their host Oakwood on Saturday.

Trailing 13-6 after one quarter against the Comets, the Spartans roared back scoring 18 points in the second frame courtesy of 10 unanswered points.

Ella Armstrong's five points along with four from Taylor Wells and a total of nine from the combined efforts of Ashlyn Lannert, Katie Cramer, Taylor Barnes, Abby Behrens and Vallee, erased the early game deficit to put SJO up, 24-23.

Both teams produced an identical number of points in third and fourth quarters of their non-conference matchup.

In the last quarter, the Spartans never trailed on the scoreboard. The Comets tied the contest three times and did not allowed SJO more than a three point advantage in the final eight minutes.

Katelyn Young's final free throw opened the door wide for a possible overtime win for the Comets. Vallee, who finished with just two points, slammed that door shut when she hit the second of her two free throws - and the most important one of the night - with little time on the clock for Oakwood to respond.

Young, who hit eight of her 11 free throws, led the Comets with a game-high 22 points. Aaliyah Denius added another 11 in Oakwood's second loss of the season. The Comets are now 7-2 heading into their next game against Westville on Monday.

While Vallee's clutch shot won the game, the Spartans' win would not have been possible if wasn't for Armstrong's varsity career-high 13 points.

In her best outing playing for the maroon and Columbia blue, the sophomore was 2-for-2 from the free throw line and hit a trey in each of the last two quarters of the game.

Behrens finished with seven points for SJO and teammate Barnes, a senior, contributed six first half points to round out St. Joseph-Ogden's top three scorers on Saturday.

The Spartans, now at 7-1 for the season, are back on the bus Monday where they hope to pick up win number eight at Mahomet-Seymour in another early season non-conference game.

The Bulldogs, who are 4-3 heading into contest with the Spartans, already have one loss against a Illini Prairie team. Prairie Central, powered by senior Elly Haberkorn's 21 points, prevailed in the 48-40 opening loss for Mahomet-Seymour.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	6	18	6	11	- 41
Oakwood	13	10	6	11	- 40

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 2, Payton Jacob 4, Taylor Wells 5, Katie Cramer 2, Abby Behrens 7, Taylor Barnes 6, Payton Vallee 2 and Ella Armstrong 13.

Oakwood: Katelyn Young 22, Ashlynn Pinnick 2, Addie Wright 3, Aubrey Wells 2 and Aaliyah Denius 11.

Spartans step it up in second half to topple Sabers in conference opener

Early on, it looked like it was going to be a runaway game and an easy victory for the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team in their conference opener at St. Thomas More on Monday.

The 11-1 Spartans made all the right moves building an 11 point lead, the largest of the game by either team, when the contest reached the midpoint in the first quarter.

Senior Bree Trimble makes a pass during second half action in St. Joseph-Ogden's road game at St. Thomas More. Trimble finished the night with 17 points in the first Illini Prairie Conference contest of the season. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

SJO, moving the ball well around the perimeter forcing open looks, was fully in control on their way to their 58-43 victory over the Sabers.

Finishing the quarter with 11 points, the table soon turned and STM's giant awoke.

The Sabers stepped up their defensive game creating scoring opportunities for senior NaKaya Hughes to put the ball in the hoop. Hughes' effort, five second quarter field goals and a free throw, erased their early deficit in a palatable momentum shift. The STM starter finished the night with 27 points.

"We came out a little slow and didn't expect them to do what they did," said Peyton Crowe. The senior led the Spartans with 19 points and was perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. "In the second half, we kicked it into gear and played better defense."

Spartan head coach Kevin Taylor praised his opponent's effort in the second quarter when his team's focus seemingly wavered.

"I have to give St. Thomas More a lot of credit," Taylor said. "They came out with energy, which I think we lacked at the start of the game."

With 52 seconds left in the half and STM two points away from taking the lead at the half, senior Bree Trimble, a veteran starter and the team's scoring leader this season, wasn't worried.

"I knew it wasn't our half. I knew in the second half we would be okay," said Trimble, who went on to add 7 second half points to the 10 she delivered in the first to finish with 17 total. "I knew someone would be able to pick us all up and get something going."

Back in the locker room during halftime, Taylor made tactical adjustments and told his team they needed to concentrate on playing more aggressively.

"Just get out there, focus and play harder," he told the team before the second half.

Fortunately in the fourth quarter, after St. Thomas took the lead battling tooth and nail to keep it throughout the third, Taylor's words became action.

Offensively, the Spartans scored seven unanswered points pulling ahead 44-37 at the start of the period before the Sabers' next bucket. They then went on a 10-point run to put the game out of reach late in the final quarter.

Nearly half Crowe's scoring production came in the second half. She thanked her teammates for helping her attack the paint.

"They were setting screens making it a lot easier to cut," she said. "Whenever I saw the open lane I went in."

The SJO defensive effort allowed just three STM field goals in the final quarter.

"In the second half we had some fire," Trimble beamed. "We stepped it up and played a lot better."

Next up, before playing in the annual State Farm Classic Basketball Tournament after Christmas, the 12-1 Spartans will travel to Morton on Saturday to face a 3A program that has won three state titles and suffered just 10 losses in the past four years coming into current season.