Prep Sports Notebook: Rockets pick up two basketball wins, SJO celebrates all-conference players

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Kimball averages 10pts a quarter

Senior Blake Kimball scored 31 points in the first three quarters of Unity's game at Arcola on Monday. Kimball's strong performance, along with Will Cowan's 12 points in the last three periods, the boys' basketball team won the away game, 69-41.

Jacob Maxwell hauled in 10 boards for the Rockets and Cale Rawdin snagged another seven for the cause.

Despite a scoreless first quarter against the Rockets, Arcola saw a balanced scoring effort with points from eight players. Beau Edwards led the Purple Riders' offense with 10 points.

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SJO girls fall short on the road

Peyton Jones goes up for a shot in SJO's Turkey Tournament game against Centennial. The junior sunk five three-pointers at Mahomet-Seymour on Monday. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Peyton Jones had a huge night against Mahomet-Seymour hitting five treys and finishing with a team-high 19 points. Unfortunately, it was enough as the Spartans fell to the host Bulldogs, 58-46.

Payton Jacob and Ashlyn Lannert came alive in the fourth quarter to finish the night with eight points apiece.

The Bulldogs' Cayla Koerner led all scorers with 26 points. The 5-5 senior buried four three-pointers and was 6-for-8 from the free throw line against SJO.

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Rockets pick up road win at Urbana

Erika Steinman and Lauren Miller scored eight points each in Unity's road game at Urbana. Raegen Stringer and Katey Moore chipped in another six apiece in the Rockets' 43-22 non-conference win.

Taylor Henry led the squad with a team-high 12 rebounds and a pair of assists. The Rockets also saw good rebounding numbers from Hailey Flesch (6), and Miller (5), also credited with four steals.

Stringer distributed six assists and harassed the Tigers taking the ball away with three steals.

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Mboyo-Meta leads all scorers

Urbana's Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta scored a game-high 10 points against visiting Unity. Five other players contributed to the Tigers' 43-22 loss at home to the Rockets. Zineria Edwards was the second-leading scorer on her team with five points on Monday.

Urbana travels to Peoria on Thursday to face the Lions in their den and then host Peoria Manual on Saturday in Oscar Adams Gym at 2:30pm.

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Wrestling results wanted

High school and youth wrestling coaches send us your meet results to editor@oursentinel.com.

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Other area basketball scores

Uni-High girls defeated Arthur-Okaw Christian, 41-21.

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St. Joseph-Ogden football players earn all-conference recognition

Joe Frasca boots and extra point during SJO's home game against Rantoul. The sophomore earned all-conference honorable mention for his efforts during the 2021 season.

Last week, St. Joseph-Ogden football player Tyler Burch earned First Team recognition from the Illini Prairie Conference. The junior defensive back was the only Spartan named to the top team.

Seven other SJO football players also receive recognition this season.

Conrad Miller (Lineman), Keaton Nolan (Running Back), and Griffin Roesch (Wide Receiver) were named on Second Team offense.

Lineman Owen Birt, linebacker Coby Miller and Ethan Vanliew at defensive back made the cut for Second Team defense.

Sophomore Joe Frasca, who handled kicking duties for SJO, earn honorable mention.

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Correction: When this story was originally published it said Tyler Burch was a senior. The story was changed to reflect his actual status as a junior at St. Joseph-Ogden.

The drought ends, Urbana girls enjoy first win of the season

RANTOUL -- It finally happened. The Urbana girls basketball team earned their first win after beating Rantoul Township, 38-35. It took 14 games this season for the Tigers to finally sample the taste of victory.

"It is a great feeling for all of the team," said head coach Bobby Boykin. "They have worked so hard, and their dedication finally paid off. We are hoping to build upon this win, and just continue to work as a team to get better."

Urbana used a 14-point second-quarter run to erase a two-point deficit in the first quarter. Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta, Zineria Edwards, and Jasmine McCullough contributed two points each in the frame. Kenzie Sprague and Destiny Barber dumped four points apiece during the quarter to give the Tigers a 21-14 halftime lead.

Rantoul's Tashay Jackson-Roper was the leading scorer in the non-conference matchup with 13 points, 11 manufactured in the second half. Sheila Navarette buried three treys for nine points to help the Eagles' cause.

Barber led the Urbana (1-13, 0-6 Big Twelve) offense with 11 points. Mboyo-Meta chipped in nine points, and Edwards was good for another eight points.

Rantoul (0-9, 0-3 IPC) went to the free-throw line 31 times. Jackson-Roper, who found herself on the charity stripe 22 times, made seven of the team's 10 free throws.

Meanwhile, Urbana's McCullough was the only player who made 100% of her free throws, draining both in the second quarter. Mboyo-Meta was 3-for-6 from the line, and Barber found the net during three of her eight trips to the line.

While pleased with the outcome, Boykin knows there is a lot of work to be done and hoops to be played.

"We still have a ways to go and are going to face some great teams down the home stretch of our season."

Box Score

Final: Urbana 38 - Rantoul 35

	1	2	3	4	F
Urbana	7	14	7	10	38
Rantoul	9	6	10	10	35

Urbana --
Mboyo-Meta 3 (0) 3-6 -- 9, Sprague 4 (0) 3-8 -- 11, J. Hall 0 (1) 1-4 -- 4, McCullough 0 (0) 1-4 -- 1, T. Hall 4 (0) 0-3 -- 8, Blanden 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Blanden 0 (0) 0-1 -- 0, McCullough 0 (1) 2-2 -- 5, T. Hall 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Blanden 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

Rantoul --
Walton 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Emery 0 (0) 0-2 -- 0, Jackson-Roper 3 (0) 7-22 -- 13, Polk 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Dixon 0 (0) 3-6 -- 3, Sutherland 0 (1) 0-0 -- 3, Autman 1 (1) 0-1 -- 5, Martin 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Sheila 0 (3) 0-0 -- 9, Naverette 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Ortiz 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

Missed opportunities fuels Urbana's home loss to Richwoods

Urbana took control of the opening tip on Judge Green Court against visiting Peoria Richwoods on Saturday, however was the Knights who lit up the scoreboard first in the early season meeting between the Big 12 conference schools. Despite aggressive rebounding and forced turnovers, the Tigers came up short, 42-20.

Despite several missed opportunities by both teams, it took just over a minute and a half for the Knights to drop the game's first field goal.

After another minute and a half passed, on the team's sixth possession, Urbana's Destin Barber scored on a putback to tie up the score. Fouled on the play, she missed her chance at the free throw line.

Forty-six seconds later, junior McKinzie Sprague found herself at the same line. She missed the first shot but sank the second to give Urbana their first and only lead of the game at 3-2. Sprague then added another field goal to her total after hitting a shot near the basket on an inbound pass play for a 5-2 lead.

Richwoods fought their way back immediately replying with a three-pointer from Alyssa Ross to tie up the score at 5-all. The Knights would score again to end the quarter with the scoreboard in their favor, 7-5.

Much of the second quarter, thanks to controlling the paint, was a pretty even ball game until the Richwoods' Kamryn Heider sank a three-pointer for the last score in the half with 55 seconds left on the clock. Heider would go on to score a game-high 16 points after hitting three more shots from outside the arc in the second half. For the moment, heading into the locker room for the mid-game break, her team would enjoy a 20-10 advantage.

The second-half point production was identical to the first half for Urbana scoring another ten points against the Knights' 22 in the ledger.

After the final buzzer, Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta's seven points were a team-high. Junior Destiny Barber added six points, all from the first half. Meanwhile, Zineria Edwards had drilled a couple of field goals for four points and senior Thiah Butler found the net in the third quarter to finish with two. McKenzie Sprague rounded out the team's scoring effort with a free throw during the first quarter.

Box Score

Final: Richwoods 42 - Urbana 20

Urbana --
Barber 6-0-6, Mboyo-Meta 5-2-7, Sprague 0-1-1, Edwards 4-0-4, Butler 2-0-2.

Richwoods --
Spratttling 2-1-3, Thomas 4-0-4, Alyssa Ross 7-0-7, Alana Ross 3-0-3, Heider 16-0-16, Lana 2-0-2, Haines 4-0-4, Hickson 0-3-3

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Urbana falls at Prairie Central

Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta dribbles the ball during Urbana's road game at the Toyota of Danville Classic against Tri-County. The junior socred at team-high seven points at Prairie Central on Thursday.

Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta led the Tigers against Prairie Central with seven points on December 2. Five other players contributed another 14 points in Urbana's scoring effort in the non-conference 48-21 loss.

Zineria Edwards, one of the five, drained one of two of UHS' three-pointers to finish with five points.

The Hawks led at the half 23-9 and added another 18 points in the third quarter to hold off the Tigers, who mustered six.

Still looking for their first win of the season, Urbana dropped to 0-5 on the season.

Box Score

Final: Prairie Central 48 - Urbana 21

Urbana --
Mboyo-Meta 7-0-7, Sprague 2-0-2, McCullough 2-0-2, Edwards 5-0-5, Davis 2-1-3, Howard 2-0-2.

Prairie Central --
C. Sisco 9-0-9, Davies 8-1-9, Whitfill 2-0-2, M. Sisco 11-0-11, Strong 2-1-3, Elderman 4-0-4, Ashmon 0-2-2, Curl 7-1-8.

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Prep Sports Notebook: Urbana boys and girls drop games, SJO picks up win

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Edwards leads Tigers in non-conference loss

Zineria Edwards scored seven second-half points to lead Urbana's scoring effort in the road game at the Arthur "Buz" Sievers Center at Monticello on Monday. Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta added another five points in the last half of the game in the 57-17 loss.

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SJO's Jones scores 14

Junior guard Peyton Jones hit a pair of treys in the second on her way to a game-high 14 points in St. Joseph-Ogden's 55-42 win over visiting Tuscola.

Alyssa Hamilton came off the bench for an 11-point finish in the non-conference contest. The senior shot 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Ella Armstrong and Payton Jacob each chipped in seven points apiece.

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Unity suffers first loss of the season

A second-quarter drought dug a hole too deep for the Rockets to climb back in their 38-20 loss in the Rocket Center to Clinton (4-1).

The Unity (4-1) offensive effort was limited to three players. Taylor Henry led the team with 12 points and sophomore Reagen Stringer finished with six points. Katey Moore's first-quarter field goal rounded out the Rockets' effort.

Clinton was led by Mallory Cyrulik's 23 point performance. The senior was sent to the free-throw line 22 times and converted on 17 attempts.

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SJO basketball tournament starts tonight

Boys hoops action starts tonight at the annual The Toyota of Danville Classic at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. Six of the eight teams in the tournament begin pool play for the 2021 title starting this evening.

This evening's lineup includes:

5:00 PM: Danville Schlarman vs. Oakwood
6:30 PM: LaSalette vs. Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond
8:00 PM: Cissna Park vs. SJO

The tournament ends on Saturday with the championship game starting at 8pm.

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Other area sports scores:

Arcola 64 - Uni-High 54

Southeast 75 - Urbana 70

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Sentinel 2021-22 All-Area girls basketball team

Welcome to the Sentinel's 2022 All-Area Girls' Basketball Team. Our list is a compilation of the best players from three of the four area high school programs we cover.

Among the top 15 players selected for the first and second teams, four are from the Class of 2023, and three are sophomores who we expect to rise to prominence this fall.

The performances of our first-team members were the cornerstones to each of their team's success this season. These player's leadership, commitment, and contributions on offensive or defensive was key to earning a spot on this year's Sentinel All-Area Girls Basketball Team.

Sentinel All-Area First Team

       

       

       

First Team

Ella Armstrong, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Taylor Henry, Senior
Unity

Payton Jacob, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta, Junior
Urbana

Lauren Miller, Junior
Unity

Maddie Reed, Senior
Unity

Taylor Wells, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Second Team

Destiny Barber, Junior
Urbana

Zineria Edwards, Senior
Urbana

Addison Frick, Sophomore
St. Joseph-Ogden

Peyton Jones, Junior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Ashlyn Lannert, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Katey Moore, Sophomore
Unity

Raegan Stringer, Sophomore
Unity

Erika Steinman, Senior
Unity

Honorable Mention

St. Joseph-Ogden:
Alyssa Hamilton (Sr), Alison Kearney (Sr), Kaytlyn Baker (Jr)

Unity:
Hailey Flesch (Sr), Gracie Renfrow (Sr), Savannah Alagna (Sr), Calli Chandler (Sr), Bridget Henry (Sr), Addison Ray (So)

Urbana:
Amarah Howard (Sr), McKenzie Sprague (Jr), Teri Hall (So), Savannah Blanden (So)

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Editor's Note:

A Certificate of Recognition is available for each of the players listed above. Players, coaches, or parents/guardians can email us at sports@oursentinel.com to receive their 2021-22 certificate.

Still improving, Urbana Tigers just misses their first win

The Urbana girls' varsity basketball team was just a stone's throw away from winning their first basketball game of the season on Saturday. Though they delivered a solid defensive effort, the Tigers (0-9) fell at home 42-32 to Peoria Manual (2-5).

McKenzie Sprague brings the ball down the court in the fourth quarter of the Tigers' home game against Manual. She finished the game with eight points.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

"Defensively, when you hold a team to 42 points that is a great defensive effort. Throughout the game we had some really great defensive moments with our press where we were forcing turnovers and getting points off of those turnovers," said head coach Bobby Boykin. "We just need to continue to be smarter defensively, and continue to work on our communication."

Urbana took a one-point lead, going up 4-3, midway into the first quarter. The home team later stretched their advantage to as many as three before Manual's Alexis Smith hit a jumper to erase the deficit and tie the score at 11-all with 1:39 left in the period.

After a free throw from Thiah Butler with 7:48 left in the half, the Tigers enjoyed a brief lead for the last time during the conference game at Oscar Adams Gym before falling behind at the end of the second quarter, 22-18.

Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta played her best game of the season, collecting a season-high 12 points. By the end of the first half, she tallied all but two of her game-high finish.

Starting the second half with an 18-22 deficit, Urbana held the Rams scoreless for 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Back-to-back steals, the first by junior McKenzie Sprague followed up another from Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta, helped fuel a 10-point run to put the Tigers up 28-22 with 5:15 left in the third quarter.

Unable to sustain their dominance, Urbana gave up six unanswered points in the last two minutes and 42 seconds of the quarter only to fall behind, 34-30.

"We are improving as a team," Boykin added. "We just need to put everything together for four quarters."

Senior Zineria Edwards pulls down an offensive rebound in the fourth quarter for the Tigers. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Despite their best effort, the Tigers could not get a ball through the rim until Jasmine McCullough came off the bench with almost a minute left on the game clock to hit a field goal for the team's only points in the second quarter. The nearly nine-minute shooting drought starting in the third quarter quashed Urbana's chance to notch their first victory of the season.

"Offensively, we did a great job of getting the ball into their zone and then relocating. We just have to finish our shots." "As a team, this was probably our best performance of the season thus far," Boykin said.

Sprague was 2-for-2 from the free throw line and contributed eight points as the team's second-leading scorer. Butler and Destiny Barber added another four points apiece. Mboyo-Meta was also perfect from the charity stripe sinking the ball on both attempts.

The Rams were led on offense by sophomore guard Antaya Taylor who matched Mboyo-Meta's 12 points. Manual also got double-digit output from senior Jazzlyn Latta.

"This was a game that we were really close to pulling out," the first-year Urbana coach pointed out. "The turnovers at the end really took a toll on us. It just comes down to execution at the end."

Box Score

Final: Manual 42 - Urbana 32

Urbana --
Mboyo-Meta 10-2-12, Sprague 6-2-8, McCullough 2-0-2, Barber 2-2-4, Butler 2-2-4, McCullough 2-0-2, Hall 2-0-2

Manual --
Mack 4-3-7, Bryant 2-2-4, Taylor 8-4-12, Latta 9-1-10, Randle 3-0-3, Hinkle 2-0-2, Smith 2-0-2.

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Prep Sports Notebook: SJO, Unity open girls basketball season with victories

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SJO wins season opener

St. Joseph-Ogden's Abby Behrens attacks the basket while Urbana's McKenzie Sprague guards her during their Toyota of Danville Turkey Tournament game on Monday. The tournament opener was also the first game of the season for both teams. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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St. Joseph, IL - Ashlyn Lannert scored 11 points to lead the Spartans in their 55-8 win over the Urbana Tigers at the First Annual Toyota of Danville Turkey Tournament at St. Joseph-Ogden High School on Monday. Payton Jacob added another 10 points while Taylor Wells hit three second-quarter field goals and one in the first to start the season off with eight points in the season opener.

The Tigers' leading scorer was junior Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta with four free throws. Destiny Barber, who hit the team's only field goal, finished with two points. Mc Kenzie Sprague and Zineria Edwards each made one free throw to round out Urbana's scoring effort.

St. Joseph-Ogden takes Tri-County on Tuesday, while Urbana will face Big 12 rival Centennial on day 2 of the tournament.

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Henry starts 2021-22 season with a double-double

Fisher, IL - Unity cruised to a 52-22 win behind Taylor Henry, who delivered an 18 points, 11 rebound performance in Unity's first game of the season over at the Lady Falcon/Bunnie Tip-Off Classic on Monday. The senior scored all by one of her points in the second and third quarters against Fisher.

Starting at forward, Katey Moore scored nine points in the first quarter and added two more in the third period to finish with 11 points and seven boards.

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Unity football players earn All-State recognition

Wide receiver Dillon Rutledge and defensive lineman Austin McDaniel were named to the 2021 IHSFCA Class 3A All-State team.

The pair will be in action again this Saturday in Unity's home semifinal against Mt. Carmel. Kick-off is at 2pm.