Sports | The Journal-News

Litchfield’s Adia Melchert drives past Kylie Smith of Shelbyville during the Lady Panthers’ home game on Monday, Jan. 13. Melchert had six of her nine points and a handful of assists during a 25-6 third quarter that paved the way for a 55-47 victory over the Rams.

After foul trouble for Litchfield helped Shelbyville take a 27-20 halftime lead on Monday, Jan. 13, the Panthers knew they had to do something quickly to avoid their 13th loss of the year. … more

1/16/25

South Fork threw a lot at Nokomis' Alivia Sabol (#45) during the MSM Conference game on Monday, Jan. 13, but not much could stop the Redskin sophomore as she scored 22 points in Nokomis' 67-37 victory over the Ponies.

Nokomis Lives It Up Against Ponies

The Nokomis girls basketball team passed the halfway point of their conference season on Monday, Jan. 13, and are still in contention for their third straight MSM Conference championship. The Lady … more

1/16/25

Lady Hiltoppers Hold Off Late Charge From Wesclin

Three late three-pointers by Wesclin gave Hillsboro a bit of a scare on Monday, Jan. 13, before the Lady Hiltoppers pulled out a 43-41 victory over the visiting Warriors. Hillsboro led by as many as … more

1/16/25

North Mac Beats Lady Lancers At The Line

The start of the week was a border war of sorts for the Lincolnwood basketball programs as both the boys and girls basketball teams squared off against North Mac on Jan. 13 and 14. The Lincolnwood … more

1/16/25

Panthers Put Three On Podium At PIT

Three of the eight Litchfield High School wrestlers who made the trip to the 61st annual Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament finished the weekend on the medal podium on Saturday, Jan. 11. … more

1/16/25

Toppers Drop Two At Home To Jerseyville, Shelbyville

The Hillsboro High School wrestling team was handed a pair of tough losses on Tuesday, Jan. 14, as they fell to Shelbyville 42-36 and Jerseyville 65-18. In the Shelbyville match, Hillsboro picked up … more

1/16/25

Defensive Stand Pushes Lancers Past North Mac

The Lincolnwood boys basketball team allowed just six points in the first half as they defeated North Mac 51-37 on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the Woodshed in Raymond. The Panthers were looking to sweep the … more

1/16/25

Late Surge Can’t Pull Panthers Past Edinburg

Playing a team twice in a season could be used as a measuring tool for a basketball team, a test to see if a team has improved throughout the season. On Tuesday night, the Purple Panthers were handed … more

1/16/25

With his first three wins of his career on the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles Series, 2024 was the best year yet for Hillsboro racer Chase Saathoff. The 19-year-old flat track motorcycle racer recently signed with Rick Ware Racing and will be one of the top contenders for the championship when the series starts back up in Daytona Beach, FL, in March.

Saathoff Takes Aim At Title After Best Year Yet

The 2024 season was the best one yet in the American Flat Track Singles series for Hillsboro’s Chase Saathoff, but an offseason move may have just catapulted the 19-year-old into the next … more

1/16/25

While mechanical gremlins ended his last race of the year earlier than expected, Litchfield’s Bodee Everett still had a successful 2024 campaign, picking up ten top ten finishes, including a win at Coles County Speedway on June 29.

Everett Ready To Run Again For 2025 Season

Bodee Everett’s season came to an end a little sooner than he was hoping, but 2025 is a new year for the 13-year-old sprint car racer from Litchfield. Racing in the A-Class Winged Micros series … more

1/16/25

The Nokomis boys basketball team took time to recognize one of the program's best teams on Saturday, Jan. 11, prior to their varsity game against Litchfield. The 1974-75 team went 27-1 before falling to eventual state champion Venice in the sectional championship game. From the left are Mike Adden, Tony Strazar, Darold Johnson, Steve Gonet, Earl Alexander, Roger Archibald, Ron DeWerff, Mark Kirk, Coach Loren Wallace and Asst. Coach Carl Fieldbinder. Not able to be at the event were Mark Franzen, Randy Frazier, Greg Parsons, Bud Foster and Asst. Coach Roger Craft.

74-75 Redskins Still One Of Nokomis' Greats

Nothing was going to keep Loren Wallace from getting to Nokomis on Saturday night, Jan. 11. Not flight delays, not airplane issues, not anything. “My wife Barbara said, ‘Do you really … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 1/16/25

Mater Dei Surges Past Nokomis In Second Half

A 34-19 second half pushed Mater Dei to their 13th win of the season as they defeated Nokomis 64-46 on the Redskins’ home court. The Redskins trailed by as many as six with 5:10 to play in the … more

1/16/25

Nokomis' Carter Wexstten tries to cut off Brayden Ronco's path to the basket during the Redskins' home game against Litchfield on Saturday, Jan. 11. Ronco had a game-high 14 points for the Purple Panthers, who scored a 36-34 win over Nokomis to improve to 7-9 on the season.

Panthers Steal One From Nokomis

Fans looking forward to the 2025 Rick McGraw Memorial Invite in Litchfield got a preview on Saturday night Jan. 11, as Litchfield faced the Redskins just 24 hours after it was announced that the two … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 1/13/25

Hillsboro Wrestling Sweeps Snowy Week

In between snowflakes, the Hillsboro High School wrestling team managed to get two dual meets in the books as they hosted Sacred Heart-Griffin and Breese Central on Wednesday, Jan. 8, before heading … more

1/13/25

Lady Toppers Score South Central Victory

Hillsboro jumped out to a big lead and never looked back against Southwestern as they defeated the Piasa Birds 42-30 to improve to 11-6 overall and 3-1 in the South Central Conference. The Lady … more

1/13/25

Lincolnwood's Lilly Terneus pops a shot over Pawnee's Clara Brunner during the Lancers' home game on Jan. 9. The Lancers rallied from a 16-point deficit to take a fourth quarter lead, before Pawnee pulled out a 41-32 victory on the road.

Pawnee Slips Past Lancers

The Pawnee girls basketball team went on an 11-0 run to avoid Lincolnwood’s upset bid on Thursday, Jan. 9, as the Indians held on for a 41-32 win over the Lady Lancers. Pawnee, who co-ops with … more

1/13/25

Lady Redskins Roll Past Okaw Valley

The Nokomis girls basketball team shot 42 percent from the field and scored a season high in their 75-19 win over Okaw Valley on Saturday, Jan. 11, as the Lady Redskins moved to 14-3 on the season. … more

1/13/25

Mater Dei Serves Up A Loss To Litchfield

For the Litchfield boys basketball team, one thing for sure is they have been battle tested in their first 15 games. On Wednesday night, Jan. 8, in Breese, Litchfield ran into one of many teams on … more

1/13/25

Litchfield Girls Fall To Comets In SCC Play

Nine days into the new year and 12 days since their last game, the Litchfield girls basketball team got back on the court Thursday, Jan. 9, as they hosted Greenville in South Central Conference play. … more

1/13/25

Walshville racer Travis Lentz picked up his third straight national title in the Grand National Cross Country series, scoring nine straight wins in the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. class. Lentz finished the year in the Super Mini Sr. class, where he hopes to pick up national title number four in 2025.

Lentz Scores GNCC, IXCR Titles

It was a new brand, but the same success for off-road motorcycle racer Travis Lentz in 2024 as the 14-year-old from Walshville won his third straight Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 1/9/25