Sports | The Journal-News

Nokomis' Carsyn Bertolino peers around the outstretched arms of Calhoun's Sadie Kiel in the second half of the Carlinville Holiday Tournament semifinal on Saturday, Dec. 27. The Lady Redskins not only beat the Warriors for the first time in Coach Brandon Engelman's tenure, but the 44-28 win also stopped Calhoun's streak of three straight tournament titles at Carlinville.

Lady Redskins To Play For Carlinville Title

The Nokomis girls basketball team had the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone on Saturday, Dec. 27, in the semifinals of the Carlinville Holiday Tournament. A win over their opponents, the … more

12/29/25

Hillsboro's Amya Greenwood goes up for two of her eight points in the Lady Hiltoppers' 58-13 win over Sangamon Valley/Tri-City in their opening game of the North Mac Holiday Hoopfest on Friday, Dec. 26. Hillsboro also won their second game of the tournament and will play second seeded PORTA in the semifinals on Monday, Dec. 29.

Lady Hiltoppers Start Holiday Hoopfest 2-0

The Hillsboro High School girls basketball team picked up their fourth and fifth consecutive victories and advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural North Mac Holiday Hoopfest with wins over … more

12/29/25

Recent Litchfield High School grad Kendall Stewart wasted no time getting involved at the University of Illinois, successfully trying out and competing with the school’s cheer team.

Stewart Cheering On Fighting Illini

“It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing,” University of Illinois cheerleader Kendall Stewart says. “It sounded fun and a different experience.” The 2024 Litchfield graduate had not … more

by Isaiah Atkins | 12/29/25

Calhoun Makes Short Work Of Hillsboro

When the Calhoun Wariors took the floor for pre-game warmups, an unbiased observer would have said to himself, the Hillsboro Hiltoppers are in for a long night. The 5-1 Warriors (the lone loss was to … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 12/29/25

Rockets Rally To Beat Litchfield At Riverton

Litchfield’s opening game at the Riverton Girls Christmas Classic went down to the wire as the Lady Panthers nearly upended Tolono Unity before falling by a 42-39 final score. The Rockets held … more

12/29/25

Lincolnwood-Morrisonville guard Karissa Ferrill scans the court for an open teammate under the watchful eye of Greenfield-Northwestern defender Adeline Lansaw in the consolation semifinal at the Carlinville Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 27. The Lady Lancers were only outscored by the Tigers by two in the final three quarters, but a 12-2 edge in the opening frame helped Greenfield-Northwestern advance to the consolation championship with a 36-24 victory.

Slow Starts Sink Lady Lancers At Carlinville

A slow start doomed the Lincolnwood-Morrisonville girls basketball team in each of their first two games at the Carlinville Holiday Tournament as the Lady Lancers fell to Williamsville 44-29 on Dec. … more

12/29/25

Hiltoppers To Play For Consolation Title

The tested-by-time expression “What a difference a day makes” applies often as we experience what life has to offer, but it’s seldom as obvious as it was to the Hillsboro boys’ basketball … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 12/29/25

Lincolnwood's Luke Armentrout goes up for a shot during the Lancers' home game against Bunker Hill on Tuesday, Dec. 23. Armentrout and the Lancers were down by just nine early in the fourth quarter, but a surge by the Minutemen kept them undefeated in MSM Conference play with a 57-31 win over the home team.

Late Charge Pushes Minutemen Past Lancers

A 25-10 fourth quarter turned a single digit lead into a rout for the Bunker Hill boys basketball team as the Minutemen defeated Lincolnwood-Morrisonville 57-31 in Raymond on Dec. 23. For the … more

12/29/25

Panthers Get Past Redskins In OT

The Litchfield and Nokomis boys basketball teams turned in an instant classic in their final game before Christmas on Tuesday, Dec. 23, with the Purple Panthers handing the Redskins a 58-55 overtime … more

12/29/25

Lancers Two-And-Out At Waverly

The Lincolnwood-Morrisonville boys basketball team bowed out of the Waverly Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 27, but put in a solid performance against the tournament hosts in the finale. Just … more

12/29/25

From the left are Coach Mason Kerley, Judie Egelhoff, Coach Justin Millburg, Dana Pitchford, Athletic Director Josh Stone, Principal Ken Schuster, Superintendent Aaron Hopper, Patty Clarke, Coach Kimberly Denney, Coach Sam Kratochvil and master of ceremonies Verne Pinkston.

TEAM Playday Brings In $30,000 For The Kids

It was an early Christmas present for Lincolnwood Athletics on Tuesday, Dec. 23, as the TEAM Playday Committee announced a $30,000 donation from the proceeds of this year's annual golf tournament and … more

12/29/25

Nokomis senior Daryl Evans goes up for a shot during the Redskins' pool play finale at the Vandalia Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 27. After losing their first two games in Vandalia to Greenville and Flora, the Redskins knocked off the host school 39-29 on Saturday to give themselves some momentum going into their final games in Vandalia on Dec. 29 and 30.

Redskins Bounce Back At Vandalia

After back-to-back losses to start the Vandalia Holiday Tournament, the Nokomis boys basketball team was looking for something to change their luck in their final game of pool play against the … more

12/29/25

Purple Panthers Outlast Bunker Hill

The 2025 version of the Carlinville Holiday Tournament tipped off Friday, Dec. 26, as the Litchfield Purple Panthers looked to travel through the bracket to the championship game. The Purple … more

12/29/25

2025-26 Holiday Basketball Tournaments

Below are the schedules for the holiday basketball tournaments involving the boys and girls basketball teams from Hillsboro, Litchfield, Nokomis and Lincolnwood. Carlinville Holiday Boys … more

12/28/25

Strong Start Pushes Shells Past Panthers

The Roxana Shells had a strong start and finished on a high note to beat Litchfield on Monday, Dec. 22, in Roxana. Hoping to enter the holidays on a high note, Litchfield had a two-game win … more

12/24/25

Hillsboro High School senior Makenzie Jarman, seated, center, made her decision to continue her athletic and academic career at William Woods University official on Thursday, Dec. 18, in front of her friends, family and coaches. Seated with Jarman are her mom Jennifer Jarman and step-father Alex Carter. In the back are Jarman's coaches, Grant Hart and Randy Cherry with Bluff City Softball.

Rejuvenated Jarman Bound For William Woods University

In a world where travel ball horror stories are all too common, Mackenzie Jarman’s experience gives parents and players hope that not all is lost. Jarman, a senior at Hillsboro High School, … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 12/24/25

Litchfield High School senior Alli Frerichs, seated, center, made her decision to continue her athletic and academic career at Lake Land College official on Sunday, Dec. 21, in front of her friends, family and coaches. Seated with Frerichs are her parents, Jessica and Andrew Frerichs. In the back, from the left, are Frerichs’ sister, Amy, Litchfield Head Volleyball Coach Mallory Beechler and Frerichs’ brother, Jacob.

Frerichs Ready To Hit The Ground Running At Lake Land

If you’ve watched Litchfield volleyball any time in the last four years, Alli Frerichs is easy to spot, and not just because of her libero jersey. Frerichs, a senior at Litchfield High School, is … more

12/24/25

After scoring more goals than anyone else at Hillsboro High School, Kinley Richardson tied the program record for career goals at Lincoln Land Community College, netting 20 goals in just 37 games. Richardson, who will continue her education at the University of Illinois-Springfield, also set a record for career points with 49.

Richardson Closes Out Career With Record-Setting Season

The all-time leading goal scorer for Hillsboro High School is now the all-time leading scorer for the Lincoln Land Community College women's soccer team, as well. Kinley Richardson, a 2024 … more

12/24/25

The Litchfield-Mt. Olive wrestling team took fifth place at the Skull and Crossbones Tournament at Cumberland High School on Saturday, Dec. 20, with four wrestlers finishing on the podium and a fifth earning consolation championship honors. In front, from the left, are Head Coach Chance Davidson, Tristan Staggs, Jayden Ellinger, Braxton Kieffer, Nicholas Adam and Assistant Coach Art FullerDee. In the middle row are Rilynn Younker, Vincent Moore, Draven Jones and Thayden Bailey. In the back row are Tommi Law, Kaleigh Morgan and Liana Braisse.

Panthers Fifth At Cumberland

Four of the nine Litchfield wrestlers who competed in this year’s Skull and Crossbones Tournament at Cumberland High School made the podium, with a fifth earning consolation champion honors at the … more

12/22/25

Toppers Take Third At St. Elmo Tourney

Hillsboro’s boys’ basketball team defeated the St. Elmo/Brownstown Eagles on the Eagles’ home court, 59-56, to claim third place in the St. Elmo gym Saturday evening, Dec. 20, ‘25; but it … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 12/22/25