The Sentinel

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.

Man claiming to work for the public health district does not, according to CUPHD

CHAMPAIGN – There is a man going door-to-door in Champaign County, identifying himself as an employee of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD). The CUPHD issued a press release today urging residents approached at home by anyone claiming to be a health inspector or working for the public health district to call 9-1-1 and report them to the local authorities.

Press Release ~

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) is alerting residents about a male individual falsely claiming to represent public health while going door-to-door in Champaign County. Both CUPHD and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) have confirmed that they do not have any staff currently conducting door-to-door visits.

Residents are urged to stay cautious. If someone unexpectedly comes to your door claiming to be from public health, do not let them in and immediately call 9-1-1 to report the incident.

Public health officials want to ensure the safety of the community and remind residents that official health representatives will always provide proper identification and will not conduct unannounced home visits.

For any concerns or to verify public health outreach efforts, please contact CUPHD at 217-352-7961 or visit www.c-uphd.org.

Brooks leads Spartan basketball team in loss to Bulldogs

ST. JOSEPH - Twenty-one of the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team’s 28 points came from seven 3-pointers by three players, but it wasn’t enough to hold off visiting St. Teresa (10-6) in Monday’s 40-28 loss.

Addison Brooks led the Spartans in the nonconference contest, making four 3-pointers for a team-high 12 points.

Hayden Dahl, who hit 3-pointers in the first and fourth quarters, finished with six points. Kayla Osterbur contributed five points and went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. Katie Ericksen and Timera Blackburn-Kelley rounded out SJO’s scoring with three and two points, respectively.

Lucy Corley stole the show, scoring 19 points for the visiting Bulldogs. Jalie Eller also finished in double figures with 12 points.

Brooks and the Spartans (9-12, 2-3) travel to Bloomington on Thursday to face Illini Prairie leader Central Catholic. The Saints, undefeated in conference play at 6-0, are 17-7.