Unity edges Pontiac 42-41 in conference clash
PONTIAC - Unity held off a second-half surge from Pontiac to secure a narrow 42-41 victory in Illini Prairie Conference action on Monday. Leading 22-17 at halftime, the Rockets clinched the win, positioning themselves in third place behind Central Catholic (6-0) and Illinois Valley Central (7-1).
Lauren Haas led Unity with 11 points, including six of ten successful free throw attempts in the second half despite going 0-3 from the field. Grace Bickers contributed nine points, while Claire Meharry added seven—all scored in the opening half.
Pontiac rallied in the final quarter, taking 23 shots and converting 14 points. Their aggressive play in the paint resulted in 14 free throw attempts, of which they made nine.
Trinity Miller and Grace Lanning paced Pontiac's offense with 13 points each. The loss drops Pontiac to 3-3 in conference play and 11-13 overall. Lanning shot 4-for-6, and Miller went 3-for-5 from the free throw line.
With consecutive victories under their belt, Unity looks to climb to second place as they host Illinois Valley Central at the Rocket Center on Thursday.
Unity says farewell to 2024 with a win a Christmas tournament
BISMARCK - Unity girls' basketball team ended 2024 with a win, defeating Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin (BHRA) 33-26 at the 2024 Blue Devil Classic on Saturday. The victory broke a three-game losing streak after the Rockets' last successful outing in a 36-27 win over Armstrong.
Claire Meharry led all scorers with 16 points and went 2-for-2 from the free throw line to secure Unity's eighth win. Teammate Lauren Haas finished the game strong with eight fourth-quarter points on her way to ten points. Selected to the All-Tournament team, like Meharry, Haas shot 100% from the charity stripe.
Unity also received contributions from Grace Bickers and McKinley Weller, who had four and three points, respectively.
Alivia Reifsteck was responsible for nearly half of BHRA's scoring effort with 12 points. Draycee Nelson added another nine for the Blue Devils. Sophomore Gentry Elson supplied three points, and Sophia Stines rounded out their point production with two.
After taking a much needed rest and get in the gym for quality practice sessions, Unity returns to action on Monday, January 6, with a road game at Arcola. Meharry and the team will play two more contests on the road before taking their home court against St. Thomas More on January 13 for an Illini Prairie Conference matchup.
Meharry leads Rockets at shootout, hard-fought effort falls short
Unity's Claire Meharry drives to the paint in Unity's Country Financial Shootout game against Watseka. Meharry finished the game with 12 points. Combined with Lauren Haas' 12-point output, it was enough to stave off a late fourth-quarter surge of five unanswered scores by the Warriors, who went on to win the non-conference game 52-46 on Saturday. See more game photos here ...
Warriors down the Rockets at Country Financial Shootout
Watseka's Megan Martin goes up for a shot over Unity Emily Decker during fourth-quarter action at the Country Financial Shootout last Saturday. Martin led all scorers with 13 points in the Warriors 52-46 victory. See more pictures from the game here: Watseka vs Unity.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Haas and Meharry lead Unity in tough loss at Clinton
CLINTON - In their first game following the Thanksgiving holiday, the Unity girls basketball team struggled to gel on offense, falling 54-30 on the road to Clinton on Monday night. The Rockets were unable to contain the balanced attack from Clinton's offense while facing difficulty generating scoring opportunities.
After trailing 19-7 after the first quarter, the Unity was unable to generate enough momentum to close the initial gap on the Maroons. The loss drops the Rockets to 4-2 on the season, ending a three-game win streak. Meanwhile, Clinton improved to an identical 4-2 record. The victory marks the second straight win for the Maroons after a pair of tough losses to Deer Creek-Mackinaw and Decatur MacArthur.
The deficit was engineered by Clinton's Clara Dempsey, who poured in a game-high 16 points. Teammates Regan Filkin and Avery Smith added nine points each, while Lilah Cluver contributed eight to round out the team's scoring effort. The victory marks Clinton’s second consecutive win after two earlier losses against Deer Creek-Mackinaw and Decatur MacArthur.
For Unity, seniors Lauren Haas and Clair Meharry each scored nine points, providing much of the Rockets' offensive output. However, the team couldn’t find consistent scoring support, with McKinley Weller and Mackenzie Pound adding three points each. Josie Cler, Grace Bickers, and Emily Decker scored two points apiece.
The loss marked a temporary setback for the Rockets, who now turn their focus to a four-game home stand starting tonight against Cissna Park. The Rockets look to rebound by capitalizing on their home-court advantage, facing Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond on Thursday before hosting Urbana next Monday and Watseka the following Saturday.
Girls' regional basketball scores for February 12
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
Champaign Central 62
Eisenhower 26
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
Mt. Zion 66 - Centennial 27
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
Salt Fork 49 - Chrisman 15
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
Paris 42 - Monticello 37
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
Unity 49
Warrensburg-Latham 34
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
St. Joseph-Ogden 43
Prairie Central 29
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
Watseka 48 - Oakwood 26
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
St. Thomas More 40 - BHRA 35
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
MacArthur 61 - Rantoul 32
Unity girls advance to regional title game after win on Monday
MONTICELLO - Their second game of the season against Warrensburg-Latham was over by halftime. The Unity girls' basketball team enjoyed a 23-9 lead thanks to Addison Ray's three treys in the first two periods en route to a 49-34 regional semifinal win over the Cardinals on Monday.
Illinois College recruit Raegen Stringer (six rebounds, four assists) led all scorers with 17 points for the Rockets. Ray tacked on five points to her first-half total, finishing with 14 points and five rebounds. Clare Meharry came off the bench and contributed double digits, contributing 10 points to the cause.
Unity's Lauren Haas and Meredith Reed finished the game with four points each. Haas, who dished out three assists, led the team on the boards with eight rebounds.
Two weeks ago, the Rockets beat the Cardinals at home in their non-conference game, 54-46.
Sophomore Delaney Garner paced the Warrensburg-Latham scoring effort with 12 points. Meanwhile, Breanna Dutcher went four-for-four from the free-throw line to finish with seven points.
Advancing to the Monticello regional title game, Unity will face Paris, who are also 19-11. The Tigers advanced after knocking off the host Sages, 42-37.
Prep Sports Notebook | Spartans beat Tuscola, Urbana still looking for first win
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
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
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