Spartan basketball team takes on Teutopolis for sectional title tomorrow


SJO SPORTS ST. JOSEPH - The bracket is set. St. Joseph-Ogden (27-6) will face Teutopolis (21-10) for the Shelbyville sectional championship game tomorrow at 7 p.m.

The boys' basketball team needs all the support they can get in their second meeting of the two teams this season. The Wooden Shoes prevailed at home in early January with a 13-point victory, 53-40, over the SJO.

"We want to try to get as many people as we can to this game to support our team," St. Joseph-Ogden athletic director Justin Franzen told The Sentinel earlier this week.


SJO student fans
The St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team hopes to have, as they enjoyed at Unity on February 9, hundreds of supportive fans on March 1 for their sectional title game against T-town. The Wooden Shoes will be well-represented for the game just 35 miles from their home. (Photo: PhotoNews Media)

Ticket info:

Tickets for the game are available online now for just $7. Fans attending the game can order them at https://gofan.co/event/1410359?schoolId=IL15331. Spartan fans can also buy tickets at the door for $8 at Shelbyville High School.

Teutoplis advanced to the title game after defeating Unity last night in a close game, 48-39. The Rockets, who beat the Wooden Shoes back on December 2 by 12, closed their season with a 26-5 record.


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St. Joe-Ogden Athletics

Postseason basketball: Landrus propels SJO to Friday's sectional title game


SHELBYVILLE - The St. Joseph-Ogden boys' basketball team took a step closer to becoming a Final Four team, defeating Flora in their sectional semifinal game last night, 50-40.

Senior Luke Landrus was on fire, converting 71% on his shot attempts, leading the Spartan scoring effort with 22 points.

Up 21-17 at the half, SJO scored another 29 to advance to Friday's title game against the winner of tonight's contest between Unity and Teutopolis.

Logan Smith, also a senior, finished the night with 16 points and had a pair of steals. Meanwhile, Coy Taylor led the team in rebounds with five and distributed six assists. He and Tanner Jacobs finished with four points each.

Tanner Siems and Collin Thomey rounded the Spartans' offensive effort with two points each in win number 27 of the season.


St. Joe-Ogden Athletics

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Celebration of Black voices tonight at Champaign's Douglass Annex


CHAMPAIGN - As Black History Month comes to a close, a celebration of Black voices will be held at the Douglass Annex in Champaign tonight from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

A celebration and commemoration of global Black literature, the program includes members of the community sharing a favorite speech, poem, novel, or comical musing from Black writers around the world with the audience.

The Douglass Annex is located at 804 North Fifth in Champaign.

"People should attend this program because it commemorates and celebrates global African(a) literature past and present," said event organizer Adéyínká Àlásadé Davis. "They can enjoy good company, good food, and good music."

"It is important to remember the voices that came before us," Davis added.

Headlining the event is Bourema Ouedraogo, a Sahelian/African Blues artist from Burkina Faso. Ouedraogo is a guitarist and lead vocalist who grew up in West Africa. A local performing artist, Ouedraogo is the UPTV Production Coordinator for the City of Urbana. In 2020, he was recognized at the 7th Annual Immigrant Welcome Awards for leadership by the CU Immigration Forum. He regularly shares his music and culture in the Champaign-Urbana community.


Bourema Ouedraogo performs with Jason Finkelman at the 2022 CU Folk & Roots Festival in Urbana.
from YouTube


No sweat;
Moline's Maryam Ndiaye dominates all opposition to win state title


Maryam Ndiaye celebrates her title
BLOOMINGTON - Moline wrestler Maryam Ndiaye celebrates her championship win at 155-pounds on Saturday at Grossinger Motors Arena. Last year's runner-up at the state tournament, she defeated Richwoods' Jaida Johnson by major decision, 14-5, to become the first female high school wrestler to win a state champion title in the Quad City area. The senior, who finished undefeated this season at 31-0, ended her prep career of two years with an impressive 47-4 record.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

BLOOMINGTON - Maryam Ndiaye effortlessly pinned her way into the 155-pound title bout on Saturday. Once there, she was also in complete control of the outcome, defeating Jaida Johnson 14-5. Here is a recap of the Moline High School senior's title run at the 2024 IHSA Girls' Individual Wrestling State Finals.

First Round:
Ndiaye opened her state tournament run with a quick pin, sticking New Trier's Nina Aceves (28-8) in 48 seconds for her 28th victory of the season.

Quarterfinal:
Up 5-0 in the second period, Ndiaye tied up Alton's Elanna Hickman (29-5) for the fall at 3:09.

Semifinal:
Facing Clifton Central's Payton Temple (8-4), Ndiaye ran the score up with two takedowns and near fall, going up 8-1 in the second period. At 2:54, the Maroon's star recorded her third state tournament pin, and secured her a spot in the 155 championship match.

Championship Match:
In her only six-minute match as she marched through the 155-pound bracket, Ndiaye, scoring with a pair of takedowns and nearfalls, racked up an 8-2 lead in the first period against Richwood's Jaida Johnson (25-4).

With 30 seconds into the second period, the Moline grappler earned points on another takedown. With 19 seconds left in the frame, Johnson was on her back again, giving up another takedown and nearfall to Ndiaye, who stretched her lead by 10.

There was a lot of action in the third and final period of the match but almost no scoring except for an escape from Johnson on a restart. At the final buzzer, Ndiaye took the bout by major decision 14-5 and became the first Quad City area female wrestler to win an individual state title on Saturday.


Championship Match Gallery


Maryam Ndiaye vs Jaida Johnson

155-pound ~ Championship Match



Sweet revenge; Rockets bump Sages from postseason


MONTICELLO - The Rockets turned the tables on the Sages last Wednesday. Avenging a loss eight days earlier at Arthur Sievers Gymnasium, Unity handed Monticello their season adieu via a 57-41 victory in their IHSA regional semifinal match.

Not wanting history to repeat itself, the Rockets' took a nine-point first-half advantage at the break thanks to four-treys and six-for-six free-throws shooting. Senior Eric Miebach, who finished with a game-high 15 points, led the Unity offensive effort in the first two periods with six points.

The Sages fell further behind in the third quarter, allowing the Rockets an 18-point advantage they could not recover from.

Top contributors in Unity's 25th win of the season were Dane Eisenmenger, who came off the bench to score 12 points. Henry Thomas delivered nine points, Dalton O'Neill added seven, and sophomore Coleton Langendorf finished with six.

The bulk of Monticello's scoring was courtesy of Ike Young and Tyler Blythe. The pair had 11 points each, while Trey Welter and Raiden Colbert mustered six points each. The Sages finished the season 15-15 and 4th in the Illini Prairie standings.

The Rockets advanced to the title game on Friday against Warrensburg-Latham (21-11). The Cardinals moved forward after closing the book on the Maroa-Forsyth season, 67-50.


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Guest Commentary |
What Nikki Haley and Joe Manchin Should Do


by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator


Nikki Haley is overall respected for her political service. She did a good job as Governor of South Carolina for two terms and as an Ambassador for our country. Personally, I can see her as doing a fine job as President of the United States, but it won’t be this time around.

Haley has already lost Iowa, New Hampshire and even her home state of South Carolina. She wasn’t even in the contest when it came to the voting. Outcomes don’t look any more promising for her in the state of Michigan and the following Super Tuesday states.

There are reports that Haley might be a possible contender to run in the Presidential election as an Independent candidate in November.

Senator Joe Manchin is overall appreciated by many Democrats. and even by some Republicans. There is rumored speculation that Manchin might also run as an Independent.

Manchin has done a respectable job in the Senate and most likely would be fine as President. The only problem with Manchin is the same problem with Haley. Neither one has a snow ball’s chance in July of winning the election for President of the United States. Some Republicans would be accepting of Haley and many would be accepting of Manchin but the majority of Republicans aren’t going to vote for either one. Some Democrats would be okay with Manchin but again, he doesn’t have a chance of winning.

The greatest disaster for the Republican party would be for Haley to run in November and siphon off ten percent of the Republican voters for her. This would be enough votes to insure a loss for Trump. Or, if she doesn’t run and Manchin runs, he would surely glean about ten percent of Biden’s votes and insure Biden’s loss.

Manchin and Haley running in November as Independents or or representing some other party is not a good long-term plan for either of them. Both parties will view their runs as selfish acts and probably never elect either one of them to anything again.

Haley has every right to keep slugging in Michigan and even on Super Tuesday if she wishes. However, there comes a time to fold and support her party’s chosen candidate, who will be former President Donald Trump.

Manchin needs to run now and go for his party’s support. There’s nothing heroic about bring a spoiler of Biden’s reelection. The same is true for Haley.

Trump would be smart to make Haley his running mate. A solidified ticket would serve the Republicans better.

Regardless if Biden or Trump is elected President, chances are we could be swearing in the Vice President as President before the next four years are over. Americans surely will be looking closely at the Vice-Presidential contender this November.


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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommon 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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SJO rolls over Sullivan in regional semifinal, Jacob leads with 18 points


ST. JOSEPH - By now, you know that the boys' basketball team at St. Joseph-Ogden won their regional title on Friday. To reach the title game, the Spartans had to win their semifinal contest against Sullivan last Wednesday.

The Redskins, unable to stop SJO from scoring in the paint, found themselves down 15-2 a little more than six minutes after the opening tip.

Coy Taylor led the initial SJO charge with six points under the basket, while Luke Landrus, Logan Smith, Tanner Jacob, and Tanner Siems scored a bucket each in the first quarter. The Spartans continued their scoring onslaught extending their lead to 20 points at the half on the way to a decisive 59-25 win over the Redskins on their home floor.

Jacob led all scorers, averaging one point for every minute he was on the floor, with 18 points. Taylor finished the game with 13 points and led the team's rebounding effort with six boards. Smith was the third-leading scorer with nine points and eight assists.

Sullivan's offensive effort that led to a decent 22-10 record and a second-place finish in the Lincoln Prairie Conference fell short in the postseason against the Illini Prairie Conference champions. The Redskins converted on just 10 of their 43 shots and were 5-for-10 from the free-throw line in the season-ending contest.


St. Joe-Ogden Athletics

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Taking on one of personal care's least-talked-about problems

(PRNewswire) Chicago -- There are products for sweaty armpits, sweaty feet and sweaty faces. But when sweat shows up somewhere a little less comfortable to talk about, the options get limited fast.

Chicago-based Cheek Sheets is looking to change that.
Cheek Sheets today announced the launch of its namesake absorbent sheets, an ultra-thin, dry and discreet personal-care product designed to help absorb sweat and manage unwanted moisture between the cheeks before it becomes uncomfortable, embarrassing or funky.


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