The Journal-News

Nokomis' Elijah Aumann goes up for two of his 25 points against Gateway Legacy, with teammates Jake Johnson (left) and Nolan Himes (#22) crashing the boards in case of a miss. While Aumann and the Redskins fell to the St. Louis prep school 50-43 in the third place game of the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational in Litchfield on Jan. 22, Aumann's play throughout the tournament earned him top scorer honors and a spot on the all-tournament thanks.

Almost two years to the day of their first ever meeting, the boys basketball teams from Nokomis and Hazelwood, MO-based Gateway Legacy Christian Academy squared off once again at the Rick McGraw … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 1/24/22

Hillsboro's Jace Stewart dribbles through traffic during the fifth place game at the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 22, in Litchfield. The Toppers finished the 16-team tournament in sixth place, falling to Taylorville 66-34 in their final game.

Toppers Sixth At Litchfield Tourney

by Ron Deabenderfer After defeating Greenville 66-54 in overtime in the Rick McGraw Invitational Basketball Tournament Friday evening, Jan. 20, to earn a spot in the fifth place game on Saturday, … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 1/24/22

Panthers Net Win Over Ramsey For 11th

Litchfield and Ramsey would entertain the crowd Friday evening in Panther gym as they would conclude their part in the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational Tournament with a crowd-pleasing 11th place … more

1/24/22

Litchfield's Clayton Bishop (#1) guards Triad freshman Drew Winslow in the first half of the ninth place bracket semifinal at the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational on Thursday, Jan. 20. Winslow had 12 points for the Knights, who knocked off Litchfield 54-40 to advance to the ninth place game against Father McGivney.

Loss To Triad Sends Panthers To 11th

After stumbling through pool play, both the Triad Knights and the Purple Panthers would look to claim their first win of the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational Tournament. Squaring off in … more

1/24/22

Nokomis' Reece Lohman stretches out to block Brenden Schoonover's layup attempt during the Redskins' battle with Pana on Friday, Jan. 21, at the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational in Litchfield. Schoonover and the Panthers held on for a 44-38 win over the Redskins, punching their ticket to the championship game of the 54th annual tournament.

Pana Holds On To Get Shot At Championship

After playing one another twice already this season, the Nokomis and Pana boys basketball teams had a pretty good idea what to expect going into their championship bracket semifinal at the Rick … more

1/24/22

Lady Panthers Pick Up Road Win Over EAWR

After a two-week hiatus from basketball, the Lady Panthers returned to the hardwoods and the highway as they ventured to East Alton-Wood River on Jan. 20 and posted a 33-19 win over the … more

1/24/22

Panthers Pick Up Wins At Vandalia, Olney As Season Winds Down

With regionals approaching, the Litchfield High School wrestling team is trying to get as many matches in as they can. This week, that meant a trip to Vandalia on Jan. 20, plus a trek to Olney on … more

1/24/22

Lancers Score Traveling Trophy At Tri-City

While most players aren’t happy with a traveling call on the basketball court, that wasn’t the case for the Lincolnwood boys’ basketball team on Friday, Jan. 21. The Lancers … more

1/24/22

Lincolnwood's Haelee Damm (left) tries to slow down Nokomis' Addison Dangbar during the MSM Conference game between the neighboring schools in Nokomis on Jan. 20. Dangbar had 14 points in the Redskins' 55-14 victory over the Lancers.

Redskins Perfect In MSM With Win Over Lancers

The Nokomis High School girls basketball team picked up an MSM Conference win on Thursday, Jan. 20, at the expense of their neighbors at Lincolnwood High School. The Lady Redskins held the Lancers … more

1/24/22

Nokomis Gets Win In Carrollton Opener

One of the marks of a successful team is beating the opponents they should beat. On Saturday, Jan. 22, the Nokomis Lady Redskins completed that task with a 61-26 victory over Calhoun’s JV squad … more

1/24/22

Warriors Come Out To Play Against Lincolnwood

Saturday wasn’t the first time that the Lincolnwood girls basketball team had seen Hardin Calhoun, but after games against the Warriors in two consecutive tournaments, the Lady Lancers may hope … more

1/24/22

With 31 points and two quarter-ending three-pointers, Nokomis' Elijah Aumann helped his team survive a comeback bid by Triad on Tuesday, Jan. 18, at the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational. Down by as many as 13, Triad came back to within one of Nokomis, who held on for a 48-47 victory and a spot in the championship bracket.

Redskins Earn Spot In Championship Bracket

The difference between Nokomis playing for first and playing ninth at the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational literally came down to inches on Tuesday, Jan. 18, as the Redskins survived a comeback bid … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 1/20/22

Hillsboro senior Drake Vogel scored 21 points in the Toppers' 76-30 win over Ramsey on Wednesday, Jan. 19, which put the Toppers in the fifth place bracket at the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational in Litchfield. Not only did Vogel's point total help even the Toppers' record to 1-1 in pool play, but it also pushed his career total over the 1,000 point milestone.

Pool Play Wraps Up At McGraw Invite

The first 12 games of the 2022 Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational have had a little something for everyone, including more than a fair share of close games. Five of the 12 games were decided by 10 … more

1/20/22

Hillsboro's Kayden Long shoots in against Highland's William Jones in the 138-pound match on Wednesday, Jan. 19, at Hillsboro High School. Jones was down 7-4 late in the first period when momentum shifted and he picked up a pin over Jones with six seconds left on the clock. Hillsboro went on to win the dual 42-22 over the Bulldogs.

Hillsboro Gets Win On Senior Night

It was senior night for the Hillsboro High School wrestling team on Wednesday, Jan. 19, as the Toppers welcomed Highland to town. Hillsboro would score a 42-22 win over the visiting Bulldogs, with … more

1/20/22

LHS Takes On State Ranked Eagles

With 11 of the 14 weight classes filled, the Litchfield High School wrestling team made their way to Bethalto on Tuesday, Jan. 18, for a duel with Civic Memorial on the Eagles’ senior … more

1/20/22

It wasn't the start they wanted at their home tournament, but the Litchfield boys basketball team still has time to make the 54th edition of the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational a good one. Above, Litchfield's Victor McGill directs traffic on the offensive end during the Panthers' 65-55 closer-than-it-looks loss to Taylorville.

Taylorville Keeps Panthers From Win

After giving a valiant effort on Saturday, the Litchfield Purple Panthers would continue action on Monday afternoon, Jan. 17, at the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational Tournament. After … more

1/20/22

Hillsboro's Will Christian (#3) defends Gateway Legacy point guard Isaac Salas during the Toppers' opening game of the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational on Monday, Jan. 17, in Litchfield. Christian had 11 points against the Lions, who would put together a strong second half to win 68-52.

Hiltoppers Fall To Lions At Litchfield

For the first quarter of play, Hillsboro’s boys were better on the scoreboard than their opponents from Gateway Legacy, a nonboundary (to an extreme) prep school based in St. Louis. The Toppers … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 1/20/22

Hiltoppers Take Two In Cavalier Country

The Hillsboro High School wrestling team picked up a pair of wins in Carlinville on Friday, Jan. 14, beating the Cavaliers 33-30 and Pittsfield 42-18. The Toppers would win five of the seven … more

1/20/22

Litchfield's Carson Saathoff puts up a shot in the lane over Pana's Ace Armstrong during the battle of the Panthers at the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational in Litchfield on Saturday, Jan. 15. The host school gave second seeded Pana all they could handle in pool play, before Panthers of the orange and blue variety pulled away from the Purple Panthers late to win 70-50.

Panthers Kick Off McGraw Invite

On Saturday afternoon, Jan. 15, the 2022 version of the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational tournament tipped off in Simmons Gym. The Litchfield Purple Panthers would enter the 12-team … more

1/18/22

Nokomis' Cooper Bertolino tries to wrestle the ball, and possibly teammate Elijah Aumann's arm, away from Civic Memorial's Aslan Henderson during the first half of the Redskins' opening game at the Rick McGraw Memorial Invite in Litchfield on Monday, Jan. 17. In addition to their defensive tenacity, Bertolino and Aumann also combined for 38 points in the Redskins' 50-36 win over the Eagles.

Redskins Score Win In McGraw Opener

A 10-point run to end the first half helped Nokomis win their opening game of the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational on Monday, Jan. 17, as the Redskins knocked off Civic Memorial 50-36. The second … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 1/18/22