TOLONO - In a hard-fought battle at the Rocket Center, the Unity Rockets (21-7) fell 76-69 to the Danville Vikings (8-17) in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday. Despite a strong first-half performance, Unity couldn't hold off Danville’s late surge, fueled by a dominant fourth quarter from CI Dye. The senior guard finished with 21 points—18 in the second half—including 11 in the final period to lead the Vikings’ 23-14 run.
Dye wasn’t the only standout for Danville, as Jerry Reed III added 17 points and went a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, while Javaughn Robinson contributed 16 points, making all four of his free throws.
Unity controlled much of the game, taking a 38-32 halftime lead after hitting all nine of their second-quarter free throws. They entered the fourth quarter ahead 55-53 but couldn’t maintain their momentum. The Rockets shot well from the line overall, finishing 17-for-19. Brayden Henry led the way with a perfect 5-for-5 performance, and Colton Langendorf went 4-for-4. Overall, the Rockets were 17-for-19 from the line.
Dane Eisenmenger led Unity with a team-high 17 points, Henry finished with 13 points, and Langendorf chipped 10 points to lead the team's scoring effort in the loss.
With the loss behind them, the Rockets now turn their focus to a critical road matchup against St. Joseph-Ogden (18-7) tonight at 7 p.m. With an undefeated Illini Prairie Conference record on the line, a Unity win would secure them the outright conference championship. A loss, however, would create a potential tie for the title with the Spartans, who sit at 6-1 in IPC play.
The Rockets have navigated a challenging schedule this season leading up to this game, squaring off against larger programs and top-ranked teams, including three area Big 12 teams: Danville, Centennial, and Central, along with Tuetopolis and Lincoln-Way East. Playing away shouldn't pose a significant challenge for Unity, boasting an impressive 9-1 record on the road this season.
President Trump has made it clear that he’s dead set on attacking our immigrant friends, families, and neighbors — and that the only people he’ll protect are his loyalists and billionaires.
Since day one, Trump has launched a blatantly hateful agenda against immigrants. He’s issued executive orders that would unlawfully shut down asylum at the U.S. southern border, use the military to separate families, and make it easier to detain and deport migrants — including detaining them at the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison.
Undocumented people contributed $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022 — just one tax year, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
These attacks come at an enormous cost to the entire country. The American Immigration Council estimates that mass deportations will cost $88 billion per year over the course of a decade.
There are already 40,000 people locked up in detention centers — and Trump’s detention expansion plan would triple that capacity. Republicans in the Houseand Senate are proposing plans of an eye-popping $175 billion or more to detain and deport undocumented people.
Nor are these the only costs. Undocumented people contributed $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022 — just one tax year, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. That’s nearly $100 billion in lost revenue a year that everyone else would end up having to cover.
But these attacks aren’t going unopposed. People are showing up for their immigrant neighbors and loved ones, making clear they simply won’t accept the nightmare of mass deportations and detentions.
The groups United We Dream, CASA, Make the Road States, and Action Lab recently pledged to build “a strong and sustainable movement to defend ourselves and our neighbors.” With their #CommunitiesNotCages campaign, Detention Watch Network is working with local communities to protest ICE actions and shut down detention centers.
And the list goes on.
On February 1, thousands of people blocked a highway in Los Angeles to protest against ICE raids. Just two days later, many gathered in solidarity for a Day Without Immigrants. On this day, students stayed home from school, employees didn’t show up to work, and over 250 businesses closed nationwide to show how important immigrants are to everyone’s day-to-day lives.
Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union and other major legal organizations sued the administration for seeking to shut down asylum at the border — on the grounds that it’s a violation of long-time international and domestic law.
Finally, my fellow immigrants and I are also standing our ground. We’re stating the facts: Immigration is good for our country, our economy, and our culture — something 68 percent of Americans agree with. And we’re here to stay.
Immigrants are essential to this country. We bring opportunity and possibility to the United States. And not only do we contribute as students and professionals, business owners, and essential workers — we’re also human beings trying to live good and successful lives like anyone else. We’re a part of the American story.
Now and more than ever, we’ll continue to show up for each other — and we hope you will, too. Our lives and families depend on it.
Alliyah Lusuegro is the Outreach Coordinator for the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.
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Dye wasn’t the only standout for Danville, as Jerry Reed III added 17 points and went a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, while Javaughn Robinson contributed 16 points, making all four of his free throws.
Unity controlled much of the game, taking a 38-32 halftime lead after hitting all nine of their second-quarter free throws. They entered the fourth quarter ahead 55-53 but couldn’t maintain their momentum. The Rockets shot well from the line overall, finishing 17-for-19. Brayden Henry led the way with a perfect 5-for-5 performance, and Colton Langendorf went 4-for-4. Overall, the Rockets were 17-for-19 from the line.
Dane Eisenmenger led Unity with a team-high 17 points, Henry finished with 13 points, and Langendorf chipped 10 points to lead the team's scoring effort in the loss.
With the loss behind them, the Rockets now turn their focus to a critical road matchup against St. Joseph-Ogden (18-7) tonight at 7 p.m. With an undefeated Illini Prairie Conference record on the line, a Unity win would secure them the outright conference championship. A loss, however, would create a potential tie for the title with the Spartans, who sit at 6-1 in IPC play.
The Rockets have navigated a challenging schedule this season leading up to this game, squaring off against larger programs and top-ranked teams, including three area Big 12 teams: Danville, Centennial, and Central, along with Tuetopolis and Lincoln-Way East. Playing away shouldn't pose a significant challenge for Unity, boasting an impressive 9-1 record on the road this season.
