Shooting Stars | Area basketball athletes shined brightly last month

Clifton Central 46 - Hoopeston Area 41

Preston VanDeVeer and Anthony Zamora finished with nine points each in Hoopeston Area's loss at home to the Comets. Kenddrick Sigerill led the Cornjerkers (2-3) on the boards with a season-high 11 rebounds finished with eight points. Hoopeston Area's Owen Root went 3-for-6 from the field putting eight points in the book.



Oakwood's Brody Taflinger
Oakwood's Brody Taflinger shakes hands with St. Joseph-Ogden Athletic Director Justin Franzen after recieving his recognition plaque for the Toyota of Danville All-Tournament team on December 3. Taflinger's efforts lead the Comets to a runner-up finish after falling to the hosts Spartans 66-31 in the championship game on Saturday. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


St. Joseph-Ogden 66 - Oakwood 31

Ty Pence drained 33 points in SJO's title game against Oakwood at the Toyota of Danville Classic on December 3. The senior D1 recruit scored 15 points in the first quarter to put the host Spartans on cruise control to this year's tournament title.

Junior Brody Taflinger led the Comets, who entered the fray with an impressive 8-0 record, with a 13-point effort in the team's first loss of the season.



Teutopolis 56 - Unity 40

Before boasting a four-game win streak, the Rockets suffered their second consecutive loss at the hands of the Wooden Shoes on December 3. Despite nine players contributing with two or more points, Unity fell 56-40.

The Rockets led at the halfway point by five and trailed by one, 38-37, at the end of the third quarter. Jay Saunders, who led the team in the loss with nine points, hit the team's only field goal during a fourth-quarter offensive collapse. Dalton O'Neill sank one of two free throw attempts to round out the scoring in the frame to just three points. O'Neill, Unity's second-leading scorer, finished with seven points. Henry Thomas tallied five points in the third quarter.

Joey Niebrugge, a junior, led all scorers with in the contest with 18 points.



St. Joseph-Ogden 68 - Watseka 28

Junior Logan Smith and senior Ty Pence combined effort produced 48 of SJO's 68 points in the team's romp over the Warriors at the Toyota of Danville Classic.

Pence, an 2023 Illinois State basketball recruit, drained 28 points while Smith rained down 20 more. Six other Spartans including Maddux Carter and Brock Trimble contributed to the victory.



Rochester 56 - Unity 46

Andrew and Henry Thomas sank 11 points apiece in the Rockets' second game of the season. Without home court advantage, Unity (1-1) came out of the locker room cold after the halftime break, scoring just six points to Rochester's 17.



St. Joseph-Ogden 44 - Danville 14

Addisyn Martinie dropped a game-high 16 point in the Spartans' first game during the month of December that snapped a three-game early season slide. Addison Seggebruch supplied 13 points in the non-conference victory.

SJO's improves to 2-4 heading into their next contest against Maroa-Forsyth at home.



URBANA 39 - Charleston 34

Senior Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta led the Tigers girls' basketball effort with 16 points in the team's first win of the season. Junior Jasmine McCullough also delivered a double-digit finish with 13 points. Urbana (1-3) enjoyed a team effort with six points from McKenzie Sprague and two points apiece from Savannah Blanden and Elizabeth Lange.

Trojans' Ally Logsdon all scorers with 19 points, 15 of those delivered in the fourth quarter of the non-conference game on December 1.


Sports Page | Spartans win Toyota of Danville Classic title


ST. JOSEPH - Last Saturday, St. Joseph-Ogden (4-0) won their fourth-consecutive Toyota of Danville Classic title. Piling on 26 points in the first quarter, the Spartans went on to defeat Oakwood with a total-team effort, 74-42. Here is a look at some of the players and moments that made it possible.

Athletes featured in this edition are Tanner Jacob (tournament MVP), Logan Smith, Coy Taylor, Tanner Siems, Luke Landrus and Tim Blackburn-Kelley from St. Joseph-Ogden. Oakwood's Brody Taflinger and Carson Dudley, who led his team with 15 points, are also included.


"A picture is worth a thousand words."

In a time not long ago, before the popularity of online photo galleries and dwindling advertising revenue, newspapers routinely told stories and reported on newsworthy events through photo pages. Full-size 22x17 pages are available for matting and framing for an impressive display in your home or office. Order yours here.

Teams and schedule set for the 2024 Toyota of Danville Classic

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden's Coy Taylor tries to force a turnover while playing defense on Oakwood's Brody Taflinger in the 2023 Toyota of Danville Classic championship game. SJO beat the Comets, the number one team from Pool A, 74-42.

ST. JOSEPH - Months away, the eight-team lineup for this year's Toyota of Danville Basketball Classic was released earlier this week. The annual early season hoops tournament opens at St. Joseph-Ogden High School on December 2, and the championship games will take place five days later on December 7.

New to the tournament this year, Kankakee Bishop McNamara will join Cissna Park, Oakwood, and Paxton-Buckley-Loda in Pool A.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Charleston's Mikey Myers and ALAH's Colin Smith go up for a rebound at last year's pool play. The Trojans defeated the Knights, 59-26.

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, Charleston, and Watseka return to Pool B with last year's champions St. Joseph-Ogden. The Spartans defeated Oakwood in the title game in the high school's main gym, 74-42.

Once again, spectators and basketball fans can expect 16 exciting, fast-paced games with the return of the 35-second shot clock.

Admission fees for this year's tournament are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Tickets will be available at the ticket booth at the main entrance before each game.


2024
Toyota of Danville Classic Schedule

Pool A:
Cissna Park
Oakwood
PBL
Kankakee Bishop McNamara

Pool B:
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond
Charleston
St. Joseph-Ogden
Watseka

Monday, 12/2/24:
5:00 PM: Kankakee Bishop McNamara vs. Oakwood
6:30 PM: ALAH vs. St. Joseph-Ogden
8:00 PM: Cissna Park vs. PBL

Tuesday, 12/3/24:
5:00 PM: Charleston vs. ALAH
6:30 PM: Watseka vs. St. Joseph-Ogden
8:00 PM: Oakwood vs. PBL

Wednesday, 12/4/24:
5:00 PM: Watseka vs. Charleston
6:30 PM: PBL vs. Kankakee Bishop McNamara
8:00 PM: Oakwood vs. Cissna Park

Friday, 12/6/24:
5:00 PM: Cissna Park vs. Kankakee Bishop McNamara
6:30 PM: ALAH vs. Watseka
8:00 PM: Charleston vs. St. Joseph-Ogden

Saturday, 12/7/24:
1:00 PM: 7 th Place Game
2:30 PM: 5 th Place Game
4:00 PM: 3 rd Place Game
5:30 PM: 1 st Place Game



More Sentinel Stories



Photo Galleries


2025 Illinois Marathon Photo Gallery
A couple of runners found themselves in the wrong race at this year's Illinois Marathon. Over 60 photos from the race that you should see.

Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks