Looking Back | St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team rolls over Nashville 24 points

With the hectic 2022-23 season behind us, we want to use the summer to catch up publishing some of the great moments we captured this season but didn't have the time or resources to publish. Here is The Sentinel's next installment of our summer feature called Looking Back. Visit our website weekly for more photo features.
Ty Pence has his shot blocked in the Nashville game
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Nashville senior Aidan Heiman tries to block a shot under the basket by Ty Pence. The Spartans defeated the visiting Hornets, 59-35. See more photos from this game here. Heiman finished the game with 4 points and 6 rebounds.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
SJO's Coy Taylor tries to get around Nashville's Carter Schoenherr during a first-half free throw.

Rylan Hammer and Maddux Carter
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Nashville's Rylan Hammer brings the ball down the court to a waiting St. Joseph-Ogden senior Maddux Carter playing defense in first half.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
McGwire Atwood pulls down a rebound in the second half. Atwood helped the Spartans break a two-game skid with their first win of 2023.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Spartan senior Ty Pence looks for an open path into the lane during in the fourth quarter.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden cheerleaders lead student fans in a cheer during a timeout.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
SJO sophomore Tanner Siems barrels his way into the paint against Nashville sophomore Isaac Blazier in the team's 59-35 win. See more photos from this game here.

Looking Back: Spartans defeat Indians by 10 in conference showdown

With the hectic 2022-23 season behind us, we want to use the summer to catch up publishing some of the great moments we captured this season but didn't have the time or resources to publish. Here is The Sentinel's first installment of our summer feature called Looking Back. Visit our website weekly for more photo features starting next week.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden's Addison Frick puts the ball up for a first half shot during the Spartans' home basketball game against Pontiac. Frick finished the game with a team-high 17 points powering SJO to a 57-47 victory. See more photos from this game here.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
SJO senior Taylor Hug fires a jumper from outside the arc for one of her four treys against the visiting Pontiac Indians.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Driving past Pontiac's Makyah Hartfield, SJO's Addie Seggebruch attacks the paint in January 5 home game at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Freshman point guard Katie Ericksen moves the ball around during the second half against Pontiac.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Surrounded by Pontiac players, Spartans' Kaytlyn Baker protects the ball during second half action. Baker, a senior, contributed a field goal and one free throw in the Illini Prairie Conference win for the St. Joseph-Ogden program on Saturday.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Spartan Katie Ericksen loses control of the ball after colliding with Pontiac senior Mackenzie Coates in the second half. View 14 more photos from the SJO girls' first game of 2023 here.



Watch tonight's area basketball teams play online

The St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team hosts Prairie Central (12-5) in their second Illini Prairie Conference match-up in the new year.

Coming off a 57-23 road win over Pontiac, the Spartans are 11-5 for the season.

Meanwhile, the Unity girls' basketball squad, who were supposed to play Tuscola on Saturday, make a short trip to northwest Champaign to take on St. Thomas More. The non-conference contest was canceled due to freezing rain and icy road conditions.

In the Rockets' last outing, Maddie Reed and Taylor Henry combined efforts to produce 20 of Unity's 37 points in the home win over Paxton-Buckley-Loda's girls' team.

Below is tonight's line-up on the NFHS Network.


Watch Live High School Sports Today

Tonight's Live NFHS Broadcasts

January 10, 2022

** Just so you know: The Sentinel is reader-supported. When you make a purchase via a link on our site, we might earn an affiliate commission that we will use bring you more area news and sports coverage.

Prep Sports Notebook: SJO stays undefeated


Comets give Spartans a scare

St. Joseph-Ogden pulled away in the fourth quarter against Oakwood in their second Toyota of Danville to pull out a 62-57 win on Wednesday.

Ty Pence led SJO's scoring effort with 34 points and 5-for-7 free throw shooting. Senior Evan Ingram also notched another double-digit performance adding another 16 to help the team improve to a 3-0 record.

Oakwood's Josh Young finished the game with a team-high 23 points and Dalton Hobick buried 19 for the Comets.

Box Score

Final: St. Joseph-Ogden 62 - Oakwood 57

St. Joseph-Ogden --
Taylor 4-0-4, Smith 4-0-4, Trimble 3-1-4, Pence 29-5-34, Ingram 11-5-16.

Oakwood --
Treos 5-0-5, Ruch 2-0-2, Powell 6-2-8, Young 20-3-23, Hobick 16-3-19.


Photo-of-the-Day: November 23, 2021

Cole Berry
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden forward Cole Berry guards a Monticello player slashing his way into the paint during their game back on February 3, 2015. Berry and the Spartans won the home game, 70-50.

Basketball player of the week

February 28 - March 6, 2021

Sentinel basketball player of the week February 28-March 6, 2021

~ Boys ~

Ty Pence

St. Joseph-Ogden

SJO may have went 1-3 during the week as a team, but Pence's point production was pure gold. The sophomore averaged 29.75 points per game after collecting 39 game-high against BCC and chilled with 24 points in the Spartans' 81-58 win over Olympia.


Honorable Mention:
Andrew Beyers, SJO
Blake Kimball, Unity
Nate Drennan, Unity

~ Girls ~

Chloee Reed

Unity

Reed put up 23 points for the Rockets in their 57-20 win over Illini Prairie foe Rantoul. Despite the non-conference loss to a good Warrior squad, she led Unity once again on the following Saturday with a team-high 10 points against Tuscola.


Honorable Mention:
Ella Armstrong, SJO
Payton Jones, SJO
Katy Moore, Unity

State Farm Classic basketball tournament is back

After Illinois' pandemic mitigation guidelines and restrictions were put in place by the state and the IHSA, the State Farm Holiday Classic was forced to take an involuntary break. Today, organizers for the annual holiday tournament announced its plans to host the 42nd installment later this year on December 27, 28, 29 & 30.

Last year was the first time since 1989 the Holiday Classic was not played.

Nolan Grindley
Nolan Grindley dribbles the ball down the court during second half action against Teutopolis last month. This December, the Spartans will face tough competition at the State Farm Holiday Basketball Classic.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
The 2021 tournament field will include 15 new teams. Fourteen of the 64 teams slated to play are ranked in the final Associated Press polls for the 2021 season.

East Dubuque and Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin will be joining the boys small school division competition in the state's largest co-ed high school holiday tournament.

Along with these two new programs, St. Joseph-Ogden, led Ty Pence, will face stiff competition from the likes of Annawan, Aurora Christian, Bloomington Central Catholic, Chicago Providence St. Mel, Downs Tri-Valley, El Paso-Gridley, Kankakee Bishop McNamara, Quincy Notre Dame, Rock Falls, Stanford Olympia and Winnebago. Pence, who will be a junior, is ranked #27 in the Class of 2023 recruiting class.

The Spartans finished in sixth place with at 2-2 tournament record in 2019 putting up wins over Annawan in the opener and Bloomington Central Catholic in the championship bracket.

The SJO girls squad, who will be underrated and under the radar going into the 2021-2022 season, will see familiar opponents with Annawan, fellow Illini Prairie Conference mates Bloomington Central Catholic, Camp Point Central/Augusta Southeastern, El Paso-Gridley, Kankakee Bishop McNamara, Normal U-High, Rockford Lutheran, Rock Falls and Sherrard.

New in their division are teams from Aurora Christian, Winnebago, and Stanford Olympia, who were set to join the tournament last winter. They will also be joined Port Byron Riverdale, who will make their tournament debut in December, and the returning Sacred Heart-Griffin program.

In their last appearance, veteran head coach Kevin Taylor's #4 seeded team kicked off the tournament in 2019 with a 46-42 overtime win over Bishop McNamara. The upset victory put the Spartans up against the eventual championship team from Normal University High. The Lady Pioneers prevailed, but that didn't stop SJO from winning their last two contests to finish in 5th place.

The State Farm Classic has awarded $67,000 in scholarships to graduating student-athletes who participated in the tournament. The 2021 scholarship award winners will be announced next month. The tournament has also donated over $70,000 in the recent past to participating high school basketball programs.

Basketball Player of the Week

February 21 - 27, 2021

Sentinel basketball player of the week February 1-6, 2021

~ Boys ~

Blake Kimball

Unity

Kimball dropped an impressive 30 points on Paxton-Buckley-Loda in Unity's 54-57 back on February 20. While he only collected 10 points in the Rockets seven-point victory over Olympia, he was instrumental attracting attention to get teammates into open scoring positions.


Honorable Mention:
Austin Langendorf, Unity
Evan Ingram, SJO
Jackson Rydell, SJO

~ Girls ~

Taylor Henry

Unity

The Rockets leading rebounder recorded a double-double performance in her team's conference game against Prairie Central. Two days later against Olympia, Henry scored 11 points and added another eight rebounds and three steals to her season stats.


Honorable Mention:
Atleigh Hamilton, SJO
Payton Vallee, SJO
Katey Moore, Unity

An unusual season: Coaches describe basketball challenges and success

St. Joseph-Ogden's Nolan Grindley tries to reel in a loose ball in the Spartans' home game against Teutopolis on March 5.
As teams head into the final week of prep basketball, The Sentinel contacted our four area coaches to get their thoughts on probably the shortest high school basketball season in the history of Illinois as it winds down to a close this weekend. Restricted fan access, wearing masks while playing and other health mandates is likely a season student-athletes and coaches won't forget.

Sentinel: This is the last week of the basketball season. What are your thoughts going into it?

Dave Ellars, Unity girls head coach: "Glad we got to play. The girls gave outstanding effort, win or lose. They are a great bunch of girls and glad I have the opportunity to coach them this year."

Kiel Duval, St. Joseph-Ogden boys head coach: "I hope our guys finish strong. It has been tough knowing there is not a post season. I've been proud of the guys daily approach. They have grown as a team. I just wish we could have had them for an entire year."

Kevin Taylor, St. Joseph-Ogden girls head coach: "It’s hard to believe the season is almost over. It has gone really fast. Overall I’m glad the girls got a chance to play But we would like to finish as strong as we can. Even with no postseason I feel it’s important to have a good finish."

Matt Reed, Unity boys head coach: "I'm just relieved that we got the entire season in. We didn't miss any games. We had a few kids get quarantined, but no one was tremendously sick, so that was a blessing."

Sentinel: How well did you and the team handle the COVID protocols? Of all the things required, what was the hardest to adapt?

Ellars: "I think we handled it very well, we were didn’t have any cases. The hardest thing is playing and coaching with a mask. Not having any fans at most away games was tough on the kids."

Taylor: "No question the girls have done an amazing job dealing with all the covid protocols. It is very difficult to play in a mask and try to maintain social distancing. But they have done the best they could."

Matt Reed: "The kids adapted very well. The biggest issue with all teams was the kids wearing the masks properly. Its hard to tell a kid to constantly pull up their mask when they are playing as hard as they can, but that was the mandate."

Sentinel: What did you learn personally coaching basketball this season and what has been the most memorable moment so far?

Matt Reed: "Our team has really improved from the beginning of the season. We have had a chance to win every game since our game with St. Joe. We competed well in that game, beat PBL and Olympia, then lost two straight games by 2 points."

Ellars: "Kids are willing to adjust so they can play. Senior night, In January I never thought we would have a season."

Taylor: "This year, seeing the emotional struggle of the pandemic and seeing how it has affected everyone. The thing I had the chance to realize is how important the team atmosphere is. Seeing everyone go through tough times but In the end how the girls have come together and develop that team bond and support each other has been a really good thing to see as a coach."

Prep Notebook | All four area teams take one on the chin Saturday

The St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team didn't score a single point the first quarter of their road game against Teutopolis in their non-conference game on Saturday. By the end of the first half, Taylor Wells led SJO's scoring effort in the 43-27 loss to the Lady Wooden Shoes on Saturday.

After the final buzzer, it was Payton Jones and her team-high 10 points, all earned in the second half, that was the only bright spot for the Spartans (7-4). SJO received another six points from Ashlyn Lannert.

Still at #2 in the Illini Prairie Conference, St. Joseph-Ogden plays #4 Monticello, in a three-way tie with St. Thomas More and Olympia, at the new Arthur “Buz” Sievers Center tomorrow night.


Katey Moore big on the boards

Unity's Katey Moore was responsible for 12 of her team's 30 rebounds in their 51-40 loss at Tuscola on Saturday. Senior Chloee Reed led the Rockets charge with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Maddie Reed added nine points to the cause with a three-pointer in each of the first three quarters. Meanwhile Lauren Miller tallied 7 rebounds and four assists for the team. She finished with seven points to round out the top Unity scorers.

The Lady Warriors had three players in double figures. Erica Boyer turned in a game-high 16 points with Sophie Kremitzki and Marissa Russo each adding another 13 points apiece in the victory on their home court.


Kimball has another big game

Unity's Blake Kimball scored 24 points in the team's 64-54 loss at home on Saturday to Tuscola. Nate Drennan, who was quiet in the final quarter, managed to finish with nine points and Austin Langendorf buried four field goals for eight points.

The Warriors were led in scoring by Jalen Quinn who poured in 28 points the last three quarters of the contest. Tuscola also had a double-digit performance out of Josiah Hortin with four treys.


Spartans split weekend bill

The St. Joseph-Ogden boys basketball team dropped their home game on Saturday to Teutopolis, 69-48. The loss comes after a dominating 81-58 win over Olympia in Illini Prairie Conference action less than 24 hours earlier. The Spartans are on the road again this Tuesday in a conference game against Monticello.

Area varsity boys teams drop conference games

Unity 48 - St. Thomas More 50

Blake Kimball led the Rockets with a game-high 20 points and Nate Drennen added another 16 in their team's overtime road loss to St. Thomas More. Austin Langendorf, Henry Thomas and Damian Knoll combined their effort for 12 more points for UHS.

Unity's next game is at home against Rantoul this Friday.

Spartans suffer biggest loss of the season

Illinois Valley Central's Mac Parmelee had a banner day against SJO. The 6-foot-3 senior used his size to score 20 points in the paint on his way to a game-high 35 finish for the Grey Ghost in their 77-52 win over St.Joseph-Ogden.

SJO got 27 points from Ty Pence, who notched another double-double with 10 boards on his home court. Evan Ingram contributed eight more points and Jackson Rydell rounded out the top three scorers with seven points.

The Spartans' JV squad defeated IVC's squad, 58-48.

Rydell and the Spartans host Olympia on Friday for another Illini Prairie matchup.


Spartans remain undefeated, Kimball a major threat for the Rockets

In game three of the season, the St. Joseph-Ogden boys basketball team was poked and prodded like a patient with a unexplained, sudden lump on their side by a 16th century physician. Despite giving Unity ample opportunities to end their Illini Prairie Conference contest with a loss, the Spartans hung on to win the thriller at the Rocket Center, 58-51.

The Rockets got the first basket of the game and enjoyed their only lead of the conference contest for a brief moment. It lasted until SJO's Ty Pence took control of the ball in Unity territory, dribbled it down the floor past two defenders to score on a layup making the score 2-all.

SJO went on a scoring spree tallying seven more points for 11-2 run before the Rockets' Austin Langendorf drilled a pair of free throws that marked the start of a short rally for his team.

Blake Kimball, the game's leading scorer, and Nate Drennen scored on the next two possessions to close the scoring deficit to three, 11-8. Kimball, whose was 9-for-18 overall performance proved to be a sharp thorn in the Spartans' side, finished the night with 22 points.

"He got in the lane almost every possession," said St. Joseph-Ogden head coach Kiel Duval about the junior guard's play. "We have to keep guys out of the paint because it never leads to good things for us. Kimball did a great job using his body and change of pace to put us on our heels. He was tough on Friday."

Late in the third quarter the Spartans doubled their five-point, 25-19 lead at half to eleven. Unity whittled it down to nine before the start of the final period of play.

He will not back down and he wants to hit the big shot.
The Rockets did a solid job of neutralizing SJO's primary offensive weapon Ty Pence.

The sophomore, in two games, has established himself as the defensive focal point for future opponent after scoring 24 points in his team's road season opener at Rantoul and easily collecting 40 against visiting Oakwood earlier in the week. He was big on the boards, too, securing 39 of them across two games.

But Friday, Unity head coach Matt Reed wisely chose to double team him, a move that limited Pence's output - he had just six first half points - to finish with a season-low 20 points.

Reed's strategy however, created an opportunity for SJO's Evan Ingram to step out of the shadows. The team's second leading scorer with 12 points, Duval says the junior guard has what it takes to be a top notch basketball player.

"I have said it from the beginning, I think Evan will be a very good high school basketball player. He has all the tools," Duval explained. Ingram was 2-for-2 from the charity stripe and hit two of his six shots in three-point territory. "Evan doesn't shy away from the big moment. He never has. He doesn't care if he is facing the #1 team in the state, all-state player, or a guy that is six inches taller than him. He will not back down and he wants to hit the big shot."

The coach added: "Those tools are starting to come together one at a time and that is why he is performing this year."

After starting the final quarter down 38-31, the Rockets made a gutsy come-from-behind effort behind Kimball and his two teammates Nate Drennan and Brady Porter. The trio positioned the team within range to tie the game score five times.

If you like reading SJO or Unity sports stories on The Sentinel, click the coffee cup below to buy us a coffee. Every cup gives us the energy to bring you great coverage of area athletics!

Buy us a coffee!
Support The Sentinel!
Buy us coffee
Unfortunately, SJO rebuffed each attempt mainly behind draining 13 of the 19 free throw opportunities in waning minutes of the game. Pence made six of his 11 free throws, including the last four of the game, while teammate Andrew Beyers went 4-for-4 and Ingram, who was successful on both of his opportunities at the line in the fourth quarter.

Drennan finished with 11 points for Unity, and chalked three steals and nine rebounds. Porter rounded out the Rockets' top three scorers with nine points.

Box Score

Unity 8 11 10 22 - 51
St. Joseph-Ogden 17 8 13 20 - 58

Unity
Kimball 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Cowan 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Hensch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Rawdin 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Rutledge 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Knoll 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Porter 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Drennan 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Page 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Langendorf 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Alt 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Jokisch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

St. Joseph-Ogden
Brazelton 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Costa 0 (2) 0-0 -- 6, Hutcherson 2 (0) 0-0 -- 6, Smith 0 (0) 1-2 -- 1, Burch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Grindley 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Wetzel 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Rydell 3 (0) 2-5 -- 8, Beyers 1 (0) 5-5 -- 7, Atwood 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Pence 4 (1) 9-14 -- 20, Ingram 2 (2) 2-2 -- 12.

3rd quarter adjustment saves SJO from Unity upset

For a little more than 19 minutes of clock time, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team's undefeated record was in jeapordy. Entering the game with a three-game win streak to start the season, the Spartans were, by all accounts, the pre-game favorite against the 1 win - 3 loss visiting Unity Rockets.

Taylor Wells takes aim during a free throw attempt in SJO's post-season game against Villa Grove-Heritage in 2020. Wells posted her first double-double of the year against the Rockets.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

With nearly half of the third quarter gone and a 19-17 score in the Rockets favor on the main scoreboard mounted on the gym's north wall, a three-point shot from Ella Armstrong gave SJO their first lead of the contest. The Spartans relenquished it briefly after Unity's Alysson England answered with field goal but regained the advantage with yet another trey from Armstrong on the way to a 47-29 Illini Prairie Conference win last Thursday.

For nearly two quarters Unity out-hustled and out-muscled their host. The three guards, Maddie Reed, Chloee Reed and Lauren Miller were busy bees forcing turnovers and ball control issues for SJO. Miller and Chloee Reed paired up, were credited with five steals.

"The girls came to play tonight," said Rockets' head coach Dave Ellars. "We had a couple days off due to the weather and I believe it helped our legs."

Unity played a solid first half preventing St. Joseph-Ogden from getting any offensive traction. Except for a 6-6 tie midway into the first quarter, the Rockets had the favored Spartans on the rope and kept them there until halftime.

"We did not play well in the first half," said SJO head coach Kevin Taylor concerning how his team started the game. "We were standing around too much against their zone and not moving the ball."

Taylor said he made a simple adjustment in his game plan for the second half.

"We switched up our offense to get more movement and we made an effort to get the ball inside where we had a big advantage in size," he said. "Our post play made really good decisions in the second half. Several times when we went to the post, they kicked it back out for an open shot."

We learned we can compete. I believe we will learn from this game.
The midgame tweak worked and allowed Armstrong score on three baskets for eight points pushing a four point deficit on the Rockets. Ashlyn Lannert extended the lead to nine points on a bucket and trey.

"SJO made a couple of adjustments and they made a few shots," Ellars said, explaining the shift in the game's momentum. "Due to SJO's size we wanted to try to help (our players) inside. She (Armstrong) made some shots in the second half."

Ellars was trying to keep the ball out of the hands of Taylor Wells. Wells finished the game with 12 rebounds and four assists.

"Taylor did a good job tonight using her size. She controlled the lane tonight with her defense and rebounding," Taylor said. "She also had several plays on offense where she found an open teammate when she was doubled-team in the post."

While she contributed just four points, Payton Jacob's presence on the court was crucial for the Spartans.

"Jacob always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. She had several key plays when we needed it tonight," he said about the junior starter. "There were a couple of key offensive rebounds and put backs that stood out to me."

St. Joseph-Ogden's top three scorers were Lannert and Wells with ten points apiece and Armstrong, whose four treys produced a game-high 16 points.

The Rockets offense was compiled by four players. Chloee Reed led the team with 10 points, England added in eight, Miller five and Maddie Reed chipped in three points. Miller led the team in rebounding with four. Miller and Chloee Reed had three apiece.

The loss withstanding, Ellars was happy with the way the team played.

"We learned we can compete," he said about his team. "I believe we will learn from this game. I was extremely pleased with our effort."

If you like reading SJO or Unity sports stories on The Sentinel, click the coffee cup below to buy us a coffee. Every cup gives us the energy to bring you great coverage of area athletics!

Buy us a coffee!
Support The Sentinel!
Buy us coffee
It takes a gritty team to gut check and turnaround a game in the last 11 minutes, especially when you trailed the first two-thirds of it. On the floor, on the bench or in practice, it also takes a group of dedicated fourth-year players willing to do the little things.

"If this team has any mental toughness it is because of the seniors," Taylor said. "Whether they played a lot of mins or just a few, they all are doing a great job trying to lead this team and are doing all the little things that go unnoticed by most.

I can't thank them enough for what they are doing. They were a big part of why we were able to comeback and have that big swing in the score."

Box Score

Unity 16 3 3 7 - 29
St. Joseph-Ogden 9 6 15 14 - 44

Unity
C. Reed 2 (2) 0-3 -- 10, England 4 (0) 0-0 -- 8, Renfrow 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Miller 2 (0) 1-2 -- 5, Stringer 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Steinman 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, B. Henry 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, M. Reed 0 (1) 0-0 -- 3, Moore 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Alagna 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, T. Henry 0 (0) 0-4 -- 0, Flesch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

St. Joseph-Ogden
Lannert 2 (2) 0-0 -- 10, Walden 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Campbell 1 (0) 0-2 -- 2, Jacob 2 (0) 0-2 -- 4, Wells 5 (0) 0-0 -- 10, Hamilton 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Hug 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Behrens 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Smith 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Jones 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Hamilton 0 (0) 0-2 -- 0, Vallee 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Armstrong 2 (4) 0-0 -- 16.

SJO basketball faces Oakwood tonight at home, catch the game online

Bundled up in front of the fireplace and want to catch a local sports team in action? Too sore to move off the couch after shoveling the 10+ inches of snow? Below are the links to each of tonight's available streams.

After weather forced yesterday's home game against Central Catholic to be postponed until later in the season, St. Joseph-Ogden made a last minute addition to their schedule about 16 hours ago. SJO will play host to the Oakwood Comets boys junior varsity and varsity squads tonight. Like all SJO home games this season, the contest will be broadcasted via live stream on the NFHS website.

A day earlier, the Spartan boys' program added a non-conference game on Saturday, February 20 with Robinson High School. The JV game is scheduled to start at 1:00 PM and the Varsity game after that at 2:30 PM on the road. Both games will be available via live stream.

If you are not already a subscriber, follow this link sign up for a monthly or annual subscription to watch SJO or Unity sports via live stream or archived by the NFHS Network. Monthly passes are just $10.99 each or save 47% and purchase an annual subscription at $69.99.


Sentinel area sports tonight

St. Joseph-Ogden Boys Junior Varsity Basketball vs Oakwood | 5:25 PM Central

St. Joseph-Ogden Boys Freshman Basketball @ Central Catholic | 5:55 PM Central

Unity Girls Middle School Volleyball vs Argenta-Oreana | 6:00 PM Central

St. Joseph-Ogden Boys Varsity Basketball vs Oakwood | 6:55 PM Central

SJO & Unity basketball streaming schedule tonight on NFHS


Games on hold

Update: At 1:16 PM, the St. Joseph-Ogden athletic department announced all games for tonight have been canceled due to weather conditions. New date TBA. At 1:42 PM, Unity games were also been postponed. JV and varsity contests will be played at Prairie Central on February 25.

Catch the Unity boys basketball team or both the boys and girls St. Joseph-Ogden basketball squads in action tonight via the NFHS streaming services.

Payton Vallee looks to make a pass at a SJO home game
SJO senior Payton Vallee looks for an open teammate in SJO's home game against Monticello last year on January 20, 2021. Vallee and this year's undefeated Spartans are on the road tonight against Central Catholic tonight. Fans can enjoy the game from the warmth of their homes via a streaming services.
The Rockets varsity squad (0-4), in search of their first win of the season, take on Prairie Central tonight. In the team's best performance this season, Blake Kimball and Brady Porter led Unity with 21 and 20 points respectively in Unity's 10-point loss to Pontiac on Friday. The pair along with Damian Knoll and Dillon Rutledge are set to come away with a hard-fought win tonight.

Meanwhile, the undefeated St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team, 2-0 in Illini Prairie Conference play and 3-0 overall, travel to Bloomington to take on Central Catholic. The road game was originally scheduled for last night, but Mother Nature had other ideas forcing the Illini Prairie Conference game to be rescheduled for tonight. The Lady Saints are 4-2 after posting wins over Pontiac, Prairie Central and Normal University. The team's two losses were at the hands of larger programs, Redbirds of Metamora and Galesburg's Silver Streaks.

While the SJO girls squad plays to keep their perfect season record intact, the Spartan varsity squad looks to pick up win number 2 after a late start to the 2021 season due to COVID-19 protocols that had to be observed during the first week of play. All eyes will be on Ty Pence who led all scorers in the season opener against Rantoul with an impressive double-double. The sophomore D-I prospect drained 24 points and snag 20 rebounds in the victory.

SJO fans shouldn't let BCC's 2-4 record fool them. The Saints losses have come against Class 3A Normal Community, Moline, Rock Island and Morton leading up to tonight's IPC game in St. Joseph.

Here are the links to each of tonight's streams. If you are not already a subscriber, follow this link sign up for a monthly or annual subscription. Monthly passes are just $10.99 each or save 47% and purchase an annual subscription at $69.99.

Sentinel area sports tonight

SJO Boys Junior Varsity Basketball vs Central Catholic | 5:25 PM Central

Unity Boys Sophomore Basketball @ Prairie Central | 5:30 PM Central

SJO Girls Junior Varsity Basketball @ Central Catholic | 5:25 PM Central

SJO Girls Varsity Basketball @ Central Catholic | 6:55 PM Central

SJO Boys Varsity Basketball vs Central Catholic | 6:57 PM Central

Unity Boys Varsity Basketball @ Prairie Central | 7:00 PM Central


More Sentinel Stories



Photo Galleries


Monticello Basketball vs Seneca
January 11, 2025
30 Photos

January 11, 2025
37 Photos

January 11, 2025
31 Photos

January 4, 2025
42 Photos

December 14, 2024
39 Photos

December 7, 2024
27 Photos