In Tolono, and still undefeated!
Rockets win Williamsville Holiday Tournament

Williamsville - Three-point shots from Andrew Thomas, Eric Miebach, and Jay Saunders in the first quarter gave Unity a six-point lead over Williamsville on Saturday at the Williamsville Holiday Tournament. Henry added two field goals in the frame to make the score 13-7 going into the second quarter.

Unity's Andrew Thomas brings the ball down the court in last year's home game against Paxton-Buckley-Loda. Thomas and the Rockets won this year's Williamsville Holiday Tournament and play in the Christie Clinic Shootout on Saturday in St. Joseph. The Rocket basketball program is enjoying it best start in decades at 13-0.

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The Rockets kept the six-point or better margin for two more quarters on the way to a 48-45, winning this year’s title, remaining one of the few Class 2A teams in the state with an unblemished record now 13-0.

Miebach and Henry Thomas finished with 11 points each. Dalton O’Neill scored six-for-six at the free-throw line, adding ten to the team’s scoring.

Unity has remained undefeated thanks to the depth of its roster. Six other players also contributed to the title win.

Andrew Thomas added a fourth-quarter free throw to his first-quarter trey, finishing with four points. Saunders and Eisenmenger chipped in three points each, with two points apiece from Tre Hoggard, Dane Langendorf, and sophomore Brayden Henry.

Brayden Scott led the Bullets’ scoring effort with 15 points. Brayden Saling scored one less to finish with 14 points and Carson Kohler had ten points. Brecken Thomas rounded out the team’s scoring with two treys, one in the first and fourth quarters, for six points. Williamsville’s record drops to a still impressive 11 wins against 2 losses.

Unity returns to action this weekend hosting Maroa-Forsyth on Friday at home for Alumni Night. The Trojans are 8-4, including a 55-34 win over St. Teresa (7-7) and posted a 52-42 victory over Monticello on December 9.

Less than 24 hours later, the Rockets travel to St. Joseph to face Quincy Notre Dame (8-6) in the annual Christie Clinic Shootout. The Raiders finished third in the consolation bracket on Friday beating Rockford Lutheran 78-56. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 pm on Saturday.

M&Ms | Moments and memories from The Sentinel

Spartans drop home game to PBL

ST. JOSEPH - Ty Pence dives after a loose ball with Paxton-Buckley-Loda senior Dalton Busboom. Pence, a freshman starter, finished the non-conference game with six points. The St. Joseph-Ogden boys squad drops the home game, after leading by one at the half, 51-42 to the Panthers on January 14, 2019.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Dietitian says we don't need to fear aspartame

by Tim Ditman
OSF Healthcare

URBANA - With the new year starting this week, your mind may wander back to conflicting summer news about aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in things like diet soda, gum, ice cream, yogurt and other sugar-free foods. The World Health Organization (WHO) cited “limited evidence” of aspartame being “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

Not so fast, responded the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply,” the agency said. “FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions.”

Carly Zimmer, a registered dietitian-nutritionist at OSF HealthCare, explains how we got here.

Zimmer says the agency within WHO that researches cancer has four levels of certainty that a substance can cause the disease. Group one is labeled “carcinogenic to humans.” Things like tobacco, alcohol and solar radiation are here. Group 2A is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Group 2B is “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” And group three is “not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans.” Coffee and mercury are in this group.

WHO put aspartame in group 2B along with aloe vera plant extract and traditional Asian pickled vegetables.

“That group B classification means there is a possible risk for that substance to cause cancer, not that it’s necessarily linked to cancer,” Zimmer says.

The other thing to consider: Zimmer says the FDA sets an acceptable daily intake for the six sweeteners it has approved. For aspartame, the limit is 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. For example, someone who is 60 kilograms (or 132 pounds) would have to consume 75 packets of aspartame (think of brand names like Equal, NutraSweet and Sugar Twin) in a day to reach the limit.

“It would be pretty hard to reach those numbers,” Zimmer says.

That’s not a license to add a lot of sweeteners to your drinks or drink soda with every meal. Sugary foods are bad for your heart, among other things, and should be consumed in moderation. But cancer risk from diet soda? It’s not something to lose sleep over.

“Artificial sweeteners definitely have a place [in diets], but we don’t want to consume them in excess,” Zimmer says. For example, sweeteners can add sweetness to foods without raising blood sugar. That’s helpful for people with diabetes or heart disease. Want to cut aspartame out greatly or all together? Try fruit-infused water, which you can make at home or get at the store. But check the label. Zimmer says drink mixes like Crystal Light often have aspartame. Hint Water is a better choice, she says. Also, look for high levels of added sugar on the food label.

And in general, talk to your health care provider or a dietitian if you have questions about what you should eat and drink.