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Girls Basketball Preview
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1 SPORTS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009 DECATUR, ILLINOIS www.herald-review.com
By LEROY BRIDGESH&R Staff Writer
PANA — A penny for a hard dayof practice is all Pana’s girls bas-ketball team wants.
Monetarily it’s nothing, but men-tally it’s everything.
When the Panthers take the floorfor their first game againstBelleville East on Friday, theywant to know they did everythingpossible in practice. That’s whycoach J.R. Boudouris gives histeam a penny with the hope thatthe Panthers are doing at leastwhat Belleville has done in prepa-ration for the season opener.
“It’s hard to quantify whetherthings are going well or not inpractice,” Boudouris said. “It’s asource of pride.”
Boudouris knows earning 17 pen-nies — the number of practicesfrom the beginning until Friday —doesn’t guarantee a win. But heknows it means his team did whatit could to be ready for a gamethat the Panthers will be theunderdog in as the smaller school.
“It’s with that underdog mentali-ty,” Boudouris said about histeam’s preseason preparation. “Wehave to make sure we’re doingeverything work ethic wise.”
Hard work is somethingBoudouris is starting to expectfrom the group he has. After fin-ishing 27-4 and making the Sweet
16 in 2008, last season was onegiant learning experience. Theteam had only two seniors andhard work was one of the thingsBoudouris could count on fromgame to game.
“I could count on one hand thenumber of times where I felt likewe weren’t in a game last year,”Boudouris said. “We were just verycompetitive.”
After going 7-8 before January,the Panthers finished the season 7-6, including a two-point winagainst Nokomis in regionals. Dur-ing that time, then-sophomore Alli-son Allen established herself as alegitimate post player and earnedsecond team all-South Central Con-ference honors.
“She has really come a longway,” senior guard Megan DeWerffsaid about Allen. “She started outtimid, but she has gotten so muchstronger and this season we’recounting on her.”
Allen, DeWerff and junior point
guard Jessica Etter are threestarters who anchor Boudouris’lineup and were direct recipients ofavailable playing time last season.Now, the trio leads a team hopingto make a postseason run similarto 2008’s team.
“Megan’s a hard-nosed kid who’sworked extremely hard the lastthree years at making herself bet-ter offensively,” Boudouris said.“And Jessica leads the break aswell as anybody I’ve ever had.
“They know we have the poten-tial to be even more successfulthan last year,” Boudouris said.
The list of contributors doesn’tstop there. In six years of coach-ing, this is Boudouris’ deepestteam. He believes he can count on10 girls to play consistent minutes,which will allow him to push theball offensively and pressure theball defensively.
“There have been times where,due to foul trouble, we have had toback off the pressure, but it’s goingto be a situation where we can gofull throttle,” Boudouris said. “Weconstantly preach to our kids, goas hard as you can as long as youcan and we will get someone elsein to do the same thing.”
The Panthers will put their 17-pennies worth of hard work to thetest in their opener Friday atBelleville East.
[email protected]|421-6970
Herald & Review/Kelly J. Huff
Megan DeWerff is back for another season at Pana and will be one of the veterans trying to keep the momentum the
Panthers gained during the second half of last season.
Pana making centsExperienced Panthers will rely on hard work to again be competitive
‘We constantly preachto our kids, go as hardas you can as long as
you can ...’J.R. Boudouris, Pana coach
www.hrpreps.comprepsprepshr
www.herald-review.com TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009 DECATUR, ILLINOIS SPORTS 2
www.hrpreps.comprepshr
Apollo
1. Salem
2. Charleston
3. Robinson
4. Paris
5. Olney
6. Mount Zion
7. Effingham
8. Newton
Little Okaw
1. Hume Shiloh
2. Cerro Gordo
3. Arcola
4. Heritage
5. Tri-County
6. South Piatt
7. Villa Grove
8. Okaw Valley
9. Martinsville
10. Arthur-Lovington
Okaw Valley
1. Tolono Unity
2. Warrensburg-Latham
3. Central A&M
4. Monticello
5. St. Teresa
6. Tuscola
7. Maroa-Forsyth
8. Sullivan
9. Shelbyville
10. Meridian
11. Argenta-Oreana
12. Clinton
Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City —
Though young, the Hornets have
the talent to surpass last year’s 18-
win season with a group of offen-
sive-minded sophomores. The key
will be how the Hornets take to
coach Carolyn Wendte’s pressure
defensive system. Senior Hillary
Shelton’s leadership will be key for
an otherwise youthful group that
includes potentially dominating
freshman center Micah Jones.
Cumberland — Only two players
are gone from last year’s 20-game
winner, which was the best team in
Cumberland history. The Pirates
will have height and the area’s top-
scoring guard combination in Macy
Shupe and Kennedy Gabel.
Olney — A program that has
been one of the strongest in the
area for 20 years made just its sec-
ond state tournament appearance
last year behind some good senior
leaders and a pair of talented
sophomores in Ebany Brumfield
and Taylor Stevenson. They’ll have
to provide the leadership this year
if the Tigers want to make a repeat
trip.
Pana — The Panthers return
three starters and five other players
who saw playing time last season
in what was a rebuilding year — a
15-14 record with no regional title
for the first time since 2000-01.
This year, behind junior Allison
Allen and a deep group of guards,
Pana will compete for a conference
title in the tough South Central
East, and one area coach predict-
ed a long postsesaon run for the
Panthers.
South Central — A talented group
of juniors broke out last season
and led South Central to a 19-win
season and a regional title. This
year, they’re seniors and looking
for an even bigger season. For-
ward Audrey Matheney and guard
Abbey Jones lead a team that will
be even more dangerous this year
with the emergence of junior guard
Ashley Pollard.
Teutopolis — No T-Town team
has failed to win 20 games since
1990-91, and though its streak of
17 straight years with a regional
title ended last season, this year’s
team has the talent and versatility
to start a new streak. Five Wooden
Shoes return with varsity experi-
ence, including leading scorer
Megan Kroeger. Expect the Shoes
to have a deep bench and several
players with the ability to play both
down low and out on the floor,
which should cause mismatches
against most teams.
Warrensburg-Latham — No area
team has deployed a better full-
court pressure defense than the
Cardinals the past two seasons,
and last year it began to pay off.
Warrensburg won its first 12
games before struggling at times
late in the season and falling in a
regional title game matchup
against Virginia/A-C Central. What
the Cardinals lack in height, they
make up with quickness and expe-
rience. The key will be how well
they can score in the halfcourt
offense.
Altamont — Former Teutopolis
player Nikki Bloemer inherits an
undersized but experienced team
that will push the ball when possi-
ble. Defense could be an issue, but
the talent is there for at least 15
wins.
Central A&M — The Raiders lost
five seniors who all contributed to
the team’s success the last two
years, but coach Brianna Morrow
still has some pieces to work with.
Though this year’s team may lack
the depth of the last two, Shelby
Jackson is a prolific scorer with the
ability to take her game up to an
even higher level. She’ll have help
on the perimeter in Carissa Burge
and a freshman class that should
yield some varsity players.
Cerro Gordo — If a large group of
underclassmen can mature quickly
and mix with a group of three sen-
iors led by Tara Phelps, the Bron-
cos could surpass their 10-win sea-
son from last year.
Charleston — Stephanie Harper
— the school’s all-time leading
scorer and rebounder — is defi-
nitely a major loss. But players like
Holly Wohltman and Brittany
O’Dell have the talent to keep
Charleston winning games. The
Trojans will need someone to step
into Harper’s role as leader to
repeat last year’s success.
Effingham — The Hearts have no
replacements for last year’s top
post players Kelsey Mosher and
Brittany Shadowens. But Effing-
ham will still be a tough out with
sharpshooter Sam Zerrusen lead-
ing the way.
Effingham St. Anthony — The
Bulldogs lost four starters from last
year’s 20-game winner, but should-
n’t suffer a major falloff with the
return of Victoria Wolke, Kelly
McHugh and Lena Grunloh. Lack
of height will be St. Anthony’s
biggest concern, but the Bulldogs
counter with good shooters and a
tough defense.
Flora — The Wolves had an out-
standing 21-win campaign last
year, but lost three all-conference
players to graduation. Some
younger players will have to step
up, but they should still post their
seventh straight winning season
with junior Hannah Golden leading
the way.
LSA — The Lions are looking for
their fourth 20-win season in five
years, and have a good nucleus
with Whitney Thompson and Jeri-
ca Hawkins. But the losses of
Rachel McBride and Christi Rever
on the inside will hurt unless LSA
can find replacements.
MacArthur — The Generals have
offense from their backcourt in
Lexy Carson and Miranda Murry,
but will have to find a couple of
frontcourt presences or rebounding
could be a problem. If those con-
cerns are addressed, MacArthur
could record its fourth straight win-
ning season.
Maroa-Forsyth — If the Trojans
can find some players to build
around the inside-outside combina-
tion of guard Val Sobol and forward
Amy Mandrell, they can compete
in the upper portions of the Okaw
Valley. Hannah Ford, who has
been injured the past two seasons,
could be a pleasant surprise for
the Trojans.
Mattoon — Kayla Patrem and
Paige Roytek lead a Green Wave
team capable of eclipsing its 16-
win total from last season.
Mount Zion — The Braves have a
legitimate post threat in Jade Beck-
er and some players who flashed
some shooting touch last year in
Liz Barter and Madison Huskey.
They’ll have to show consistency
and the ability to handle pressure
defense in order to take the next
step up from last year’s nine-win
season.
St. Teresa — The Bulldogs have
limited experience outside of Haley
Fitzgerald, Holly Haskins and Mary
Walker, but they’ll make up for it
with a deep and talented group of
newcomers ready to step in.
Expect a breakout year from Hask-
ins, and even bigger rebounding
numbers from the undersized
Fitzgerald.
Taylorville — The Tornadoes will
be small, but they have the shoot-
ers to be dangerous — particularly
with a defense that will be applying
constant pressure. If Taylorville can
make the game a scramble, play-
ers like Emily Menichetti will be
dangerous pulling up from the out-
side in the open court.
Tuscola — Lindsay Troike in the
post and Raechel Buckner in the
backcourt provide the Warriors with
some experience, but both will
have to step up their scoring for
Tuscola to go on another postsea-
son run. Defense will definitely be
a strength, but the Warriors will
need to find at least one other
scorer to compete at the top of the
Okaw Valley.
Argenta-Oreana — After going
winless in the Okaw Valley Confer-
ence last year, the Bombers could
string together a good season with
five seniors with a good mix of
height and shooting ability.
Brownstown — Though just a
seven-win team last year, Brown-
stown has quickness and athletic
ability up and down its roster.
Using an up-tempo style, Brown-
stown may have the ability to wear
down its opponents and increase
its win total this season.
Casey-Westfield — The Warriors
have all the pieces for a breakout
year, and should easily top last
year’s nine-win mark. Kara Repp is
a force in the post and Amanda Tif-
fin was an all-conference first-team
selection last year.
Eisenhower — Guard play hasn’t
been a problem for the Panthers in
recent years, and that will continue
this year. Senior Tiara Thomas and
junior Kriza Allen are solid perform-
ers, and the roster is loaded with
capable backcourt players. Eisen-
hower’s weakness has been lack
of height, and though that could
still be an issue this season, 5-foot-
11 sophomore Marshaya Sangster
is a solid start. But she’ll need
help.
Louisville North Clay — After tak-
ing North Clay to its first regional
title two years ago, coach Curtis
Thompson will field a team that
has the potential to do the same.
The key will be how much seniors
Alyssa Fender and Hailey Oliver
can step up their games.
Monticello — The Sages lost five
of their top six players from last
season, and their leading returning
scorer averaged 4.1 points per
game. But Monticello has good
height in 5-10 Karli Harshbarger
and 5-11 Ashley Whitney, and a
potential scoring threat in Sammi
Thompson. Plus, Monticello’s JV
teams recorded 14-0 and 13-1
records, respectively, the last two
seasons.
Mount Pulaski — After winning
10 games a season ago, the Hill-
toppers are ready to burst onto the
scene as one of the area teams to
beat with the duo of Meghan
Moore and Ashley Southerlan.
Neoga — The Indians have been
solid in recent years, but even with
the graduation of 3-point bomber
Jaimee Roy, this could be a break-
out year. They’ll have to grow into
their varsity roles fast, and could
struggle at times early because of
that. But with a front line that goes
5-11, 6-0 and 6-1, a solid point
guard in Molly Tarter and the rest
of the spots filled up from a group
that went 15-1 at JV last year,
Neoga could restart a 20-win sea-
son streak that ended at nine in a
row in 2007-08.
Robinson — The Maroons will
miss Morayo Akande on their mis-
sion to post a winning record for
the first time since 2003-04. But
with the inside-outside combination
of 6-4 sophomore Kelsey Dirks and
senior Jordan Connelly returning,
Robinson could be the Apollo’s
dark horse.
Arcola — The Purple Riders will
have one of their youngest teams
in recent memory, with just two
returning letter winners. Arcola
coach Nancy Stiff will dig deep in
the roster early in the season to
hopefully find the right combination
come postseason.
Arthur-Lovington — The Knights
boast some experience and quick-
ness, but will have eight freshmen
on varsity and not much height.
Clinton — Josh Williams takes
over for a team that won three
games last season, but returns
four experienced players including
Meghan Matthews. Williams’ first
goal is to improve the Maroons’
defense.
Lincoln — Since posting back-to-
back regional titles in 2005 and
’06, the Railers have just 16 total
wins, and only one of those came
last season.
Meridian — The good news for
Meridian is that it loses just two
seniors from last year's team. The
bad news is that one of them was
the Hawks' best player, Lauren
Doyle. Meridian has no one player
to replace her, but has several
capable of more production, includ-
ing Kristen Doyle and Erica Funk.
Newton — The Eagles could
have a tough time topping 10 wins
again this season with a roster that
features as many freshmen as
upperclassmen.
Nokomis — Rachelle McDowell
takes over a young team that does
boast some quickness, including
leading returning scorer Mandy
Smith.
Okaw Valley — With 75 percent of
its scoring from last year gone,
Okaw Valley will have to dig in on
defense and control tempo until it
finds out where its points will come
from.
Sangamon Valley — The Storm
went winless last season and could
struggle again this season with a
young team and low numbers. But
Sangamon Valley will use it as a
building year, getting valuable var-
sity experience for its younger play-
ers.
Shelbyville — The Rams lost 90
percent of their scoring from last
year. Five-foot-10 sophomore
Amanda Finley will provide some
scoring punch, but the team is
mostly freshmen and sophomores
and will have to do the little things
— minimizing turnovers and keep-
ing teams off the offensive boards
— to compete.
Sullivan — The Redskins gradu-
ated most of their experienced
players, including leading scorer
Lauren Taylor, from last year’s 14-
win team. Seven of the team’s 14
members are freshmen, sopho-
mores or juniors playing their first
year on varsity.
Vandalia — Following an out-
standing 28-2 season, the Vandals
graduated eight seniors and will
field a team with little to no varsity
experience. There is some young
talent that will benefit from some
early playing time.
TEAMS MOST LIKELY TO REACH 20 WINS
BIGGEST SLEEPER TEAMS
TEAMS ONE PIECE AWAY
TEAMS STILL A YEAR AWAY
They are expected a good year in Cerro Gordo where Tara Phelps is
one of three experienced seniors.
Tiara Thomas is back to provide
some punch for Eisenhower.
Alyssa Riley, above, is one of the players expected to lead another run by the Warrensburg-Latham
club. Olney coach Brent McKinney, below, again has enough impact players to win at least 20 games.
From the coaches
Here’s a look at conference
predictions as voted on by area
league coaches.
Rosters and schedules for
all of our teams can be found
at: www2.herald-
review.com/scoreboard
SportsHerald&Review
BSIDELINES
www.herald-review.com
Monday, November 16, 2009
Blackhawks end
tough homestand
with OT win/B3
Compiled from H&R staff and news service reports
Closing the gapRams improving,but still fall shortagainst Saints/B6
Questions or comments regarding this section? Contact Sports Editor Mike Albright at 421-7909
Speak up
Vote online at:
www.herald-review.com/sports
Gamble keeps Colts unbeatenBill Belichick’s stunning gamble
failed, and Peyton Manning took
advantage by throwing a 1-yard
touchdown pass with 13 seconds
left that rallied the unbeaten Indi-
anapolis Colts over the New Eng-
land Patriots 35-34 Sunday night.
Manning’s toss to Reggie Wayne
completed the Colts’ comeback
from a 17-point deficit. A decision
by Belichick put them in position.
The Patriots coach decided to go
for it on fourth-and-2 from their own
28 with 2:08 to go. The pass to
Kevin Faulk came up short.
It was the most improbable victo-
ry for the Colts (9-0) in their 18-
game regular-season winning
streak, tied for the second-longest
in NFL history with New England. It
was the first time Belichick’s Patri-
ots had lost when leading by at
least 13 in the fourth quarter.
TCU stuck in BCS standingsTCU’s big victory wasn’t enough
for the Horned Frogs to make a
move up the BCS standings.
TCU (10-0) remained behind Flori-
da, Alabama and
Texas in the race to
the national title
game.
The Horned
Frogs defeated Utah 55-28 on Sat-
urday night in what figured to be the
most difficult game left on their
schedule. But they remained stuck
in fourth place in Bowl Champi-
onship Series standings.
TCU, from the Mountain West
Conference, last week became the
first team from a league without an
automatic BCS bid to break into the
top five of the standings this late in
a season. BCS standings B2
Kareem appreciates sympathyKareem Abdul-Jabbar is glad he
went public about being treated for
a rare form of
leukemia because it
has given him a
chance to reconnect
with people.
The NBA’s career
scoring leader said
Sunday that since his
recent announcement he has been
stopped by people in public who
wish him well and encourage him
about his condition.
“The response has been really
intense,” he said. “I didn’t expect it
to play out this way, but it’s been
wonderful. I’ve got people’s prayers
and their support and they ask what
they can do. People just want to
connect and it’s been beautiful.”
Their reaction has taken the 62-
year-old six-time NBA MVP by sur-
prise. Abdul-Jabbar was known for
being introverted and sullen during
his 20-year playing career, often
refusing to talk to the media. As a
result, he has been a low-profile
presence since retiring in 1989
despite his stellar basketball accom-
plishments at UCLA and in the NBA.
No ordinary kill shotWho needs a deer rifle when you
have a lawn ornament?
Mark Brye of Viroqua, Wis.,
boasts a freezer full of serendipitous
venison after a love-crazed 7-point
buck dropped dead in his yard after
he rammed Brye’s concrete elk
lawn statue. Talk about a mismatch:
The deer weighed 180 pounds—
and the lawn ornament 640 pounds.
And just to make it legal, wrote Bob
Lamb of the La Crosse Tribune, “Brye
claimed the buck with a tag from the
Vernon County conservation warden.
He laughed at the warden’s tag note:
‘lawn ornament fight — lost.’ ”
How many games
will the Illinois
men’s basketball
team win?
Herald & Review/Stephen Haas
LSA’s Jerica Hawkins helped the Lions to a 22-6 record as a freshman, and this season she should be counted on for more. Hawkins is one of just two LSA players
with significant varsity experience.
With poise comes noiseBy JUSTIN CONNH&R Staff Writer
DECATUR — JericaHawkins didn’t say muchlast season, but she stillmanaged to make a lot ofnoise.
Joining a team with sev-eral established seniors —including H&R All-MaconCounty First-TeamerRachel McBride —Hawkins was careful not
to ruffle feathers as afreshman starting varsity.But once on the court,Hawkins’ game spoke foritself. She scored 17 pointsin her first varsity gameand went on to lead theLions in scoring as theyrecorded a 22-6 season,nearly knocking off Cen-tral A&M in the regionaltitle game.
“I think one of the rea-
sons she did so well lastyear was because she wasa quiet leader,” LSA coachMark Burgener said.“Once our seniors lastyear saw what she coulddo, they had no problemwith her being part of themix.
“I thought that wasimportant,” Burgenersaid. “If you have someonewho comes in and acts
like they know they’regood, there can be a rubthere. But the team chem-istry we had last year witha freshman, a sophomorepoint guard and three sen-iors — it was incrediblethe way they jelled.”
Hawkins was surprisedat how easy the transitionwas.
n More girls coverage inside
See what’s in store for DecaturChristian, LSA, MacArthur,Mount Zion, Eisenhower and St. Teresa with city team previews.
hrpreps/B3
HAWKINS/B3
n Hoops preview schedule
The H&R will kick off thehigh school basketballseason witheight straightdays of previews. SeeTuesday’s edition for a look at some of theother girls teams from aroundthe area.
hrpreps GIRLS BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Herald & Review/Stephen Haas
Quarterback Juice Williams didn’t play in the Illini’s 21-16 loss against
Northwestern on Saturday, but is expected to play Nov. 27 against Cincinnati.
Juice back in fold next game
By MARK TUPPER H&R Executive Sports Editor
CHAMPAIGN — Illi-nois’ revolving door atquarterback is spinningback to Juice Williams.
Coach Ron Zook saidSunday that Williamswill be the starter whenIllinois (3-7) returns toaction on Friday, Nov. 27 at unbeatenCincinnati. Kickofftime for the game maybe announced today byESPN.
Williams, who hasbeen nursing asprained left ankle, didnot play in Saturday’s21-16 loss to North-western. Redshirtfreshman JacobCharest started butstruggled in the firsthalf. Eddie McGeeplayed quarterback fortwo series in the thirdquarter, but Charestreturned and led Illi-nois to a pair of latetouchdowns.
But Zook said heexpects Williams to behealthy and wants hissenior to have achance to beat aCincinnati team that is10-0 and ranked fifth in
the country. “We’ll go into this
game with Juice as thequarterback,” Zooksaid. “We owe Juicemore than that. Juiceis a warrior, a fighterand he’ll be ready togo.
“He probably couldhave played (againstNorthwestern) if wehad forced the issue.The doctors didn’t feelthat was in the bestinterest of Juice andthat’s what you try tolook at.”
Zook said despite thefact that Illinois has nochance to go to a bowlgame, he won’t switch
ILLINI/B4
Zook expectssenior to playagainst Cincy
LSA’s Hawkins steps into leadership role as a sophomore
The champarrives
AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — When afluke accident cost Jimmie Johnson ahuge chunk of his points lead, he knewthere was no more room for error inhis bid to win a NASCAR record fourthconsecutive championship.
But when it came time to plot astrategy for Phoenix InternationalRaceway, playing it safe was neveran option.
Johnson cruised to a dominatingvictory Sunday that moved him to theedge of history, winning the fourthrace of this Chase for the Sprint Cupchampionship in what his rivals con-sidered a “statement” showing.
Associated Press
Jimmie Johnson’s win at Phoenix on Sunday
leaves him needing a 25th-place finish or better to
clinch the Sprint Cup title next week.
Millikin passes first
test in season opener
By MIKE ALBRIGHTH&R Sports Editor
DECATUR — A month ofpractice is great to get inshape and find out what thecoaches expect. But there isnothing like that first gameto really learn what needswork.
Millikin had its share oflessons on Sunday while stillmanaging to do plenty ofthings well in a season-opening 68-58 victory overRose Hulman at the Griswold Center.
“It feels good to get out
and compete,” Millikinsenior guard Charles Warren said. “But itshowed us what we needto work on.”
With a Millikin squadthat could be trying to fig-ure out a starting lineup forawhile, center JoscarDemby called the game atime of “trial and error,seeing what we were goingto do.”
What they did was getthree freshmen involved,get senior leadership andfound a hot-shooting touchin time to win its openerfor the seventh straightseason.
MILLIKIN/B4
Seniors lead wayvs. Rose Hulman
Win at Phoenix putsJohnson on verge of title
JOHNSON/B4
Abdul-Jabbar
www.herald-review.com MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2009 DECATUR, ILLINOIS SPORTS B3
HAWKINSContinued from B1
“As a freshman coming in, Ithought the varsity playersmight give me a hard time,”she said. “There was Rachel— she was so tall and one ofthe best post players in thecounty, so that was kind ofintimidating. And I thoughtthe high school game, in gen-eral, was going to be moredifficult. But it all seemed tocome natural. The seniorswere nice and they acceptedme, and we had a lot of fun.”
This season, Hawkins willbe forced to take a largerleadership role — along withjunior teammate WhitneyThompson — as well as devel-op the skills she’ll need tomaximize her considerablepotential.
Normally, sophomoresaren’t counted on for muchleadership. But Hawkins isone of only two LSA playerswith significant varsity expe-rience.
“That’s a lot of responsibili-ty for young players, but Ithink Jerica welcomes that,”Burgener said. “I think itcomes natural to her. She’s acompetitor. Neither Jericanor Whitney like to lose. Idon’t have any reservations
about either of their abilitiesto step into that role.”
While off the court Hawkinsadmitted she doesn’t alwayshave a lot to say, that changeswhen she’s competing in thegame she first started playingat 3 years old.
“I’m shy in the classroom,but on the basketball court,I’m a whole different person,”Hawkins said. “I love basket-ball. It means a lot to me andI think that shows when I’mon the floor.”
Hawkins averaged 15.5points per game last year, butBurgener said there’s roomfor improvement.
“She’s got great naturalathleticism,” Burgener said.“There’s so much potentialthere, and I don’t think we’vecome anywhere near seeingthe best that Jerica can deliv-er out on the court. And that’sexciting.”
Burgener said the twoaspects Hawkins needs themost work on are using herleft hand to drive anddefense.
“To be successful at thehighest level in high school,you have to be able to useboth hands. You don’t want tobe predictable,” Burgenersaid. “But I’d say her biggestweakness is defense. You’dnever know it by looking ather stats, because she hadtons of steals last year. And Idon’t think she’d admit tothat. But she gets by a lotwith her athletic ability.
“We’ve been working a loton proper defensive spacingand positioning,” Burgenersaid. “I think if she comesalong and takes that instruc-tion, people are going to see areally complete, dominant all-around player.”
[email protected]|421-7971
DECATUR — The successof the St. Teresa girls fall pro-grams was a delight for BruceMoore to watch.
At the same time, it was abit troubling as last postsea-son runs by the volleyball andcross country teams meant apretty thin roster at times forthe Bulldogs basketball coach.
“It was tough to evaluateplayers,” he said.
But now that they are all inhouse, Moore is starting tolike what he sees despite theloss of a couple of key players.
“I think we’re going to befine this year,” he said. “Wedon’t have a lot of height andyou have to have height to besuccessful in the long run.
“But we do have a lot ofathletic girls. The girls thatwe have are a good group.”
He believes he has just the per-son to take over the spot of AlexReynolds, who was first-team all-Macon County a year ago.
Haley Fitzgerald averagedeight points and eight reboundsas a junior and has been play-ing at the varsity level sinceshe was a freshman.
“If she wants to, she is avery unselfish player. Some-times she passes up too manyshots,” Moore said. “This yearwe’ll ask more of her and askher to be an offensive threat.”
The Bulldogs will surroundher with some role playersand some youngsters.
He said Lizzy York andHannah Richards are danger-ous from the 3-point arc.Mary Walker is a sneakyquick defender and HollyHaskins is capable at thepoint guard spot.
“She is a mismatch for a lotof point guards because herheighth, strength and athleti-cism,” Moore said.
Quick peek
COACH: Bruce Moore
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 13-14
TOP RETURNERS: Mary Walker
(Sr.); Holly Haskins (Jr.); Haley
Fitzgerald (Sr.)
TOP NEWCOMERS: Katie Landry (Jr.);
Claire Raycraft (So.); Erin Hettinger
(So.); Marie Hogan (Sr.); Jamie
Brown (Jr.); Raeshel Braden (Jr.)
Roster
Fitzgerald, Haley 5-9 Sr.
Hogan, Marie 5-7 Sr.
Richards, Hannah 5-4 Sr.
Walker, Mary 5-6 Sr.
York, Lizzy 5-6 Sr.
Braden, Raeshel 5-8 Jr.
Brown, Jamie 5-4 Jr.
Haskins, Holly 5-8 Jr.
Landry, Katie 5-10 Jr.
Hettinger, Erin 5-4 So.
Raycaft, Claire 5-10 So.
Rogers, Jordan 5-9 So.
Duncan, Ann 5-4 Fr.
Schedule
Nov. 18 vs. St. Joseph-Ogden in
Riverton, 5 p.m.
Nov. 19 vs. Clinton in Riverton, 8 p.m.
Nov. 20 vs. Riverton in Riverton, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 23 Sangamon Valley, 7 p.m.
Nov. 24 at Cerro Gordo, 7 p.m.
Nov. 30 Warrensburg-Latham, 7 p.m.
Dec. 3 Sullivan, 7 p.m.
Dec. 5 at LSA, 7:15 p.m.
Dec. 7 Central A&M, 7 p.m.
Dec. 10 at Argenta-Oreana, 7 p.m.
Dec. 14 Tolono Unity, 7 p.m.
Dec. 17 at Maroa-Forsyth, 7 p.m.
Dec. 19 at Springfield SH-Griffin, 7 p.m.
Jan. 4-9 at Macon County Tournament
Jan. 11 Tuscola, 7 p.m.
Jan. 14 Monticello, 7 p.m.
Jan. 18 at Clinton, 7 p.m.
Jan. 20 at Mount Zion, 7 p.m.
Jan. 21-28 OKAW Tournament
Feb. 1 at Shelbyville, 7 p.m.
Feb. 4 at Meridian, 7 p.m.
DECATUR — MacArthur isthe only area team that canboast three players of the yearin its program, and that shouldhelp the Generals to anothersuccessful season — even iftwo of those three are coaches.
After going 20-10 last seasonwith the program’s first section-al title appearance, the Gener-als graduated four of their sixtop players and also lost theircoach when H&R Macon Coun-ty Coach of the Year Eric New-bon left to become Eisenhow-er’s boys coach.
But last year’s county playerof the year Lexy Carson givesnew coach Gwen Muex — the1983 county player of the year—a major building block. AndMuex will have plenty of helpcoaching an otherwise mostlyyoung team with two-timecounty player of the year Mon-ica Rogers (at St. Teresa in2003 and ’04) coming back toDecatur after a successfulfour-year career at Bradley tobe one of Muex’s assistants.
Muex, a 1983 StephenDecatur grad, previouslycoached the varsity girls atStephen Decatur in theschool’s final season, thencoached several years at thejunior high level.
“I took last year off fromcoaching, but when I heardthey had an opening atMacArthur and people weren’tapplying, I felt bad for thosegirls,” Muex said. “I didn’tfeel like I was done coaching,so I decided to get back in andhelp these young ladies.”
Carson emerged as a legiti-mate scoring threat last yearwith 17.4 points per game, andmay have to score even morethis year to lead a Generalsteam with just one other play-er with significant varsityexperience. That player,Miranda Murry, givesMacArthur an outside scoringthreat. And Muex expectssophomore Sydney Sturdivantto have a breakout season.
Quick peek
COACH: Gwen Muex
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 20-10
TOP RETURNERS: Lexy Carson
(Sr., G); Miranda Murry (Sr., G)
TOP NEWCOMERS: Sydney Sturdi-
vant (So., F)
Roster
Brown, Shay F Sr.
Carson, Lexy G Sr.
Murray, Miranda G Sr.
Parsons, TaCharra C Sr.
Tarvin, Kaylyn F Sr.
Allyn, Maegan F Jr.
Bond, Ashley F So.
Cooper, T’Nasha G So.
Roberts, Natalee G So.
Stanley, Taylor G So.
Sturdivant, Sydney F So.
Prim, Aarhianna C Fr.
Schedule
Nov. 24-28 at Mount Zion Tournament
Dec. 3 Champaign Central, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 5 at Jacksonville, 4 p.m.
Dec. 10 at Normal West, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 11 Eisenhower, 6 p.m.
Dec. 19 at Mattoon, 4 p.m.
Dec. 28-30 at Mattoon Holiday Tourn.
Jan. 7 at Urbana, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 12 Springfield SH-Griffin, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 14 at Bloomington, 7:45 p.m.
Jan. 16 Champaign Cent., 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 21 Normal, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 28 Normal West, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 2 at Eisenhower, 6 p.m.
Feb. 4 Danville, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6 at Normal, 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 at Mount Zion, 7 p.m.
Feb. 11 Bloomington, 7:45 p.m.
DECATUR — LSA coachMark Burgener’s message tohis team this season is: Ifyou’re not moving at break-neck speed, you’re doing itwrong.
With no height to speak ofafter the graduation of 5-11post players Rachel McBrideand Christi Rever, the Lionswill have to rely on theirquickness to get their third 20-win season in the past fouryear and fifth straight confer-ence title.
“We’re not going to havesize, so for us it’s going to beall about transition offenseand pressure defense,” Bur-gener said. “We have toemphasize our quickness —that’s our asset. And to makethat work, we’re going to haveto be in good condition andout-hustle our opponents.”
The key will be JericaHawkins — both her ability toscore and the team’s ability totake advantage of defensesdesigned to stop her fromscoring.
“Jerica’s scoring will beimportant to us, but her will-ingness to pass will be just asimportant,” Burgener said.“This group is young, but thenice thing is they’ve playedtogether since junior high andknow how to use theirstrengths.”
While LSA won’t have theheight and experience ofrecent teams, Burgener saidshooting will be a strengthwith sophomore Jamie Schol-lenbruch, sophomore ArianaShelton and junior WhitneyThompson.
Quick peek
COACH: Mark Burgener
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 22-5, 12-0
East Central Illinois
TOP RETURNERS: Whitney Thomp-
son (Jr., G); Jerica Hawkins (So., G)
TOP NEWCOMERS: Ariana Shelton
(So., G); Jamie Schollenbruch (So.,
G); Kylie Laskowski (So., F); Rachel
McCormick (Sr., G)
Roster
McCormick, Rachel Sr.
Buhr, Jennifer Jr.
Thompson, Whitney Jr.
Hawkins, Jerica So.
Laskowski, Kylie So.
Sack, Rebekah So.
Schollenbruch, Jamie So.
Shelton, Ari So.
Schedule
Nov. 17 vs. Williamsville in Riverton, 8 p.m.
Nov. 19 vs. Mount Zion in Riverton,
6:30 p.m.
Nov. 20 vs. Virginia in Riverton, 5 p.m.
Nov. 24 at Sangamon Valley, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 27-28 Sangamon Valley Tourn.
Nov. 30 Champaign Judah Christ-
ian, 7:15 p.m.
Dec. 3 at Normal Calvary Baptist,
7:15 p.m.
Dec. 5 St. Teresa, 7:15 p.m.
Dec. 8 DeLand-Weldon, 7:15 p.m.
Dec. 11 University Laboratory High
School, 7:15 p.m.
Dec. 14 at Christ Lutheran, 6 p.m.
Dec. 19 Warrensburg-Latham, 7:15 p.m.
Dec. 21 at Okaw Valley, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 26-30 at Okaw Valley Christmas
Tournament
Jan. 12 at Decatur Christian, 6:15 p.m.
Jan. 15 Calvary Baptist Academy,
6:30 p.m.
Jan. 16 at Maroa-Forsyth, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 19 at DeLand-Weldon, 7:15 p.m.
Jan. 22 at University Laboratory
High School, 7:15 p.m.
Jan. 25 Christ Lutheran School, 6 p.m.
Jan. 28 at Champaign Judah
Christian, 7:15 p.m.
Feb. 2 at Springfield Lutheran, 7:15 p.m.
Feb. 5 Decatur Christian, 6:15 p.m.
MOUNT ZION — Hopefully agood summer means a betterwinter for the Mount Zion Braves.
“We had a really good sum-mer,” Braves coach Jeff Shu-mate said. “We played verywell and some girls steppedup to fill some of the rolesfrom our seniors who gradu-ated last year. I think we havea lot of options this year.”
The biggest option willagain be 6-foot junior JadeBecker (11.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg), whohas gotten bigger, strongerand maybe gained some moreconfidence through her sum-mer play and her success dur-ing volleyball season.
Becker already holds theschool’s single-season recordsfor offensive rebounds, defensiverebounds and total rebounds.
“She’s going to hopefullyhave a good game everynight,” Shumate said. “Weneed to get some early lowpost scores to help openthings up for us.”
Mount Zion got off to a nicestart before hitting ApolloConference play. The Braveslost 10 of its last 11.
Part of the reason wasturnovers.
But Shumate feels that hasimproved as Madison Huskeywill be joined by NicoleWeaver and Haley Mathes.
“I feel comfortable with allthree of them handling theball,” he said.
Expected to provide somehelp on the offensive end aresenior guard Liz Barter (6.0ppg) and Huskey, who seemedto come through more in thebigger games. Huskey aver-aged 4.4 points last season buthad 16 against MacArthur and13 against Olney.
Quick peek
COACH: Jeff Shumate
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 9-19, 2-12
TOP RETURNERS: Jade Becker (Jr.,
C); Liz Barter (Sr., G); Madison
Huskey (Sr., G); Kendra Schaub (Sr.,
G); Megan Perry (Sr., F); Nicole
Weaver (So., G); Haley Mathes (Jr., G)
TOP NEWCOMERS: Bailey Atkins
(Jr., G); Mackenzie Steck (So., G);
Rachel Huggins (So., F)
Roster
Barter, Liz G Sr.
Huskey, Madison G Sr.
Schaub, Kendra G Sr.
Atkins, Bailey G Jr.
Becker, Jade C Jr.
Mathes, Haley G Jr.
Perry, Megan F Jr.
Frey, Jordan G So.
Huggins, Rachel F So.
MacIntosh, Olivia F So.
Steck, Mackenzie G So.
Weaver, Nicole G So.
Schedule
Nov. 17 vs. Virginia in Riverton, 5 p.m.
Nov. 19 vs. LSA in Riverton, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 20 vs. Williamsville in Riverton,
8 p.m.
Nov. 24-28 at Mount Zion Thanks-
giving Tournament
Nov. 30 at Charleston, 7 p.m.
Dec. 3 Olney East Richland, 7 p.m.
Dec. 7 Paris, 7 p.m.
Dec. 10 at Newton, 7 p.m.
Dec. 14 at Robinson, 7 p.m.
Dec. 18 at Effingham, 7 p.m.
Dec. 26-30 at Okaw Valley Christmas
Tournament
Jan. 4 at Salem, 7 p.m.
Jan. 7 Charleston, 7 p.m.
Jan. 11 at Paris, 7 p.m.
Jan. 14 at Olney, 7 p.m.
Jan. 20 St. Teresa, 7 p.m.
Jan. 25 Newton, 7 p.m.
Jan. 28 Robinson, 7 p.m.
Feb. 1 Effingham, 7 p.m.
Feb. 4 Salem, 7 p.m.
Feb. 9 MacArthur, 7 p.m.
DECATUR — If the sum-mer is any indication of howmuch success Eisenhower willhave this year, then the Pan-thers are set for a good sea-son.
Eisenhower coach ChrisSeider was ecstatic with thecommitment he got from histeam and that translated intoresults. The group workednearly every day during thesummer and competed in 27games finishing with a recordof 24-3.
“That was a huge step forus because last year we reallyunder achieved,” Seider saidabout the summer successcompared to last season’s 6-21record. “The talent’s alwaysbeen there, it was just a mat-ter of mixing the right peopletogether.”
Seider has a veteran groupthat’s led by 10 seniors andtwo juniors of the 13-personroster. The experience com-bined with each player know-ing and understanding herrole sets up for what Seiderexpects to be a quality year.
“I am sure at 6-21 with 12returners not many peopleexpect a lot from this group,”Seider said. “But I do.”
The group is plenty readyfor tonight’s intrasquadscrimmage and then it opensthe season with Sacred HeartGriffin.
“It’s going to be a toughgame for us,” Seider said.“But the girls had a taste ofsuccess this summer and theywant that to continue.”
Quick peek
COACH: Chris Seider
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 6-21, 2-11
Big 12
TOP RETURNERS: Tiara Thomas
(Sr.), Kriza Allen (Jr.), Tyniesha
Cardwell (Sr.), Kari Fabley (Sr.)
TOP NEWCOMERS: Marshaya
Sangster (So.), Maya Houston
(Jr.), Zemeka Fuller (Sr.)
Schedule
Nov. 18 at Springfield Sacred
Heart-Griffin, 6 p.m.
Nov. 24-28 at Mount Zion
Tournament
Dec. 3 at Normal, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 10 at Urbana, 6 p.m.
Dec. 11 at MacArthur, 6 p.m.
Dec. 12 vs. Quincy Notre Dame,
2:30 p.m.
Dec. 19 vs. Bloomington, 1 p.m.
Dec. 28-30 at Charleston
Tournament
Jan. 7 vs. Mattoon, 6 p.m.
Jan. 14 at Normal West, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 16 vs. Normal, 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 21 at Bloomington, 6 p.m.
Jan. 23, 25, 27, 28 at Lincoln
Round Robin
Feb. 2 vs. MacArthur, 6 p.m.
Feb. 4 at Champaign Central,
7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6 vs. Normal West, 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 8 vs. Charleston, 6:15 p.m.
Feb. 11 at Champaign Centennial,
6 p.m.
Roster
Allen, Kriza G Jr.
Cardwell, Tymiesha G Sr.
Cardwell, Tyniesha F Sr.
Dunning, Shana C Sr.
Evans, Lena G Sr.
Fabley, Kari G Sr.
Fuller, Zemeka F Sr.
Houston, Maya F Jr.
Jackson, Dynia G Sr.
Owens, Samantha F Sr.
Patterson, Kacy G Sr.
Sangster, Marshaya C So.
Thomas, Tiara G Sr.
DECATUR — With thedeparture of three startersand no seniors on this year’steam, Decatur Christian isgoing to need some time todevelop.
DCS has only one junior,Keirstyn Spangler, on theteam and its also breaking infirst-year coach Tom Grady.The team’s other starter froma year ago is sophomore Han-nah Guske.
“Guske didn’t score a lotlast year, but in practice sheseems to be able to shoot theball pretty well,” Grady said.
Grady is also hoping theaddition of freshman CarlyRobinson helps the teamprogress throughout the year.Robinson will be the team’spost player.
“She looks like she can getthe job done down low,”Grady said about Robinson.
Grady knows the seasonwill be one of learning andprogression. The team has sixsophomores, including Guske,and four freshmen, includingRobinson.
“There’s no substitute tohaving seniors and experi-ence,” Grady said. “I am sureby the end of the year, weshould be coming into ourown.”
Quick peek
COACH: Chris Seider
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 7-20, 0-10
TOP RETURNERS: Keirstyn Span-
gler (Jr.), Hannah Guske (So.)
TOP NEWCOMERS: Carly Robin-
son (Fr.)
Schedule
Nov. 30 vs. DeLand-Weldon, 6 p.m.
Dec. 1 at Christ Lutheran, 6 p.m.
Dec. 5 vs. Cornerstone Christian
Academy, 1 p.m.
Dec. 8 vs. Judah Christian, 6 p.m.
Dec. 11 at Okaw Valley, 6:15 p.m.
Dec. 12 at Heritage, 1 p.m.
Dec. 12 at Heritage, 2 p.m.
Dec. 14 vs. Calvery Baptist Academy,
6:15 p.m.
Dec. 17 vs. South Fork, 6:15 p.m.
Dec. 19 at Atwood-Hammond, 1 p.m.
Dec. 29 vs. First Christian Baptist,
5 p.m.
Jan. 7 at University High, 6 p.m.
Jan. 8 at Decatur Home School,
6:30 p.m.
Jan. 12 vs. LSA, 6:15 p.m.
Jan. 15 vs. Christ Lutheran, 6 p.m.
Jan. 16 vs. Cornerstone Christian
School-Sycamore, 1 p.m.
Jan. 19 at Judah Christian, 6 p.m.
Jan. 22 at Cornerstone Christian
Academy, 6:45 p.m.
Jan. 23 at Northwest Christian
Campus, 4 p.m.
Jan. 23 at Northwest Christian, 4 p.m.
Jan. 26 at Calvary Baptist Acade-
my, 6:15 p.m.
Jan. 29 at DeLand-Weldon, 6:15 p.m.
Feb. 1 vs. University High, 6 p.m.
Feb. 5 at LSA, 6:15 p.m.
Roster
DeBrun, Michelle So.
Edgecombe, Morgan So.
Fronk, Heather So.
Guske, Hannah So.
Hanks, Jessica Fr.
Klemm, Sara Fr.
Lehman, Mikayla So.
Robinson, Carly Fr.
Simms, Sarah So.
Spangler, Karrissa Fr.
Spangler, Keirstyn Jr.
girls basketball preview — city teamsprepshr
NHL
ST. TERESA MACARTHUR LSA MOUNT ZION EISENHOWER DCS
T IPOFF T IME
Today’s girls basketball gamesMount Pulaski at Heyworth, 7 p.m.
Oblong at Martinsville, 7:30 p.m.
Lawrenceville at Robinson, 7 p.m.
Bloomington at Normal University
High, 6 p.m.
Cowden-Herrick at South Central,
7 p.m.
Cumberland at Louisville North
Clay, 7 p.m.
Argenta-Oreana at Arcola, 7:15 p.m.
Arthur at Meridian, 7 p.m.
Chrisman at Villa Grove, 7:30 p.m.
Heritage at Sangamon Valley,
7:30 p.m.
Shelbyville at Okaw Valley, 7 p.m.
South Piatt at Cerro Gordo,
7:30 p.m.
Neoga at Central A&M, 7 p.m.
LeRoy at Warrensburg-Latham,
6 p.m.
EASTERN CONFERENCEAtlantic DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA
New Jersey 18 14 4 0 28 51 37
Pittsburgh 20 13 7 0 26 61 56
N.Y. Rangers 20 11 8 1 23 61 54
Philadelphia 16 10 5 1 21 59 41
N.Y. Islanders 20 7 6 7 21 56 63
Northeast DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA
Buffalo 17 12 4 1 25 48 37
Boston 19 8 7 4 20 46 48
Ottawa 17 8 6 3 19 48 52
Montreal 20 9 11 0 18 49 59
Toronto 18 3 10 5 11 45 68
Southeast DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA
Washington 20 12 4 4 28 75 62
Atlanta 17 10 6 1 21 63 50
Tampa Bay 17 7 4 6 20 44 52
Florida 17 7 9 1 15 46 59
Carolina 19 3 12 4 10 42 72
WESTERN CONFERENCECentral DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA
Chicago 19 12 5 2 26 57 46
Detroit 18 10 5 3 23 62 54
Columbus 18 10 6 2 22 55 65
Nashville 18 9 8 1 19 39 48
St. Louis 18 6 8 4 16 41 47
Northwest DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA
Colorado 20 12 5 3 27 60 54
Calgary 18 12 4 2 26 59 47
Vancouver 21 11 10 0 22 62 57
Edmonton 20 8 10 2 18 58 63
Minnesota 20 7 11 2 16 49 63
Pacific DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA
San Jose 22 14 4 4 32 73 53
Los Angeles 21 12 7 2 26 65 64
Phoenix 19 11 8 0 22 50 45
Dallas 19 8 5 6 22 59 57
Anaheim 18 6 9 3 15 52 62
NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for
overtime loss.
Saturday’s gamesN.Y. Rangers 2, Ottawa 1, SO
Florida 5, N.Y. Islanders 4, SO
New Jersey 5, Washington 2
Detroit 7, Anaheim 4
Calgary 5, Toronto 2
Buffalo 3, Philadelphia 2
Los Angeles 2, Tampa Bay 1, SO
Pittsburgh 6, Boston 5, OT
Nashville 2, Montreal 0
San Jose 3, St. Louis 1
Phoenix 3, Dallas 2
Vancouver 8, Colorado 2
Sunday’s gamesCarolina 5, Minnesota 4, SO
Atlanta 3, Edmonton 2
Chicago 4, San Jose 3, OT
Today’s gamesNew Jersey at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
N.Y. Islanders at Boston, 6 p.m.
Edmonton at Columbus, 6 p.m.
Anaheim at Pittsburgh, 6:30 p.m.
Los Angeles at Florida, 6:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Phoenix, 8 p.m.
Tuesday’s gamesWashington at N.Y. Rangers, 6 p.m.
Toronto at Ottawa, 6:30 p.m.
Carolina at Montreal, 6:30 p.m.
San Jose at Nashville, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Calgary, 8:30 p.m.
BLACKHAWKS 4, SHARKS 3, OTSan Jose 1 2 0 0 — 3
Chicago 1 2 0 1 — 4
First period-1, Chicago, Sopel 1 (Hendry),
4:08. 2, San Jose, Heatley 14 (Thornton,
Demers), 15:01.
Second period-3, San Jose, Demers 1, 1:14
(pp). 4, San Jose, Marleau 12 (Pavelski, Joslin),
1:59. 5, Chicago, Kane 7 (Toews, Keith), 7:54. 6,
Chicago, Madden 3 (Ladd, Keith), 18:41.
Third period-None.
Overtime-7, Chicago, Seabrook 2 (Toews,
Brouwer), :41.
Shots on Goal-San Jose 7-8-8-0-23. Chicago 9-
13-6-2-30. Goalies-San Jose, Nabokov. Chicago,
Huet. A-21,130 (19,717). T-2:25.
SCORING LEADERSThrough Saturday
GP G A PTSAnze Kopitar, LA 21 14 17 31
Marian Gaborik, NYR 18 13 12 25
Rick Nash, Cls 18 13 11 24
Alex Ovechkin, Was 14 14 9 23
Corey Perry, Anh 18 13 10 23
Henrik Sedin, Van 21 12 11 23
Patrick Marleau, SJ 21 11 12 23
Scoreboard ’Hawks get
OT victoryCHICAGO (AP) — A per-
fect homestand against theWestern Conference elitereminded the Chicago Black-hawks just how good they are.
“We feel we can win anynight, against any team,” saidBrent Seabrook, whose goal 41seconds into overtime Sundaynight lifted the Blackhawks toa 4-3 victory over the San JoseSharks. “We have a great group... and we want to prove that.”
By rallying from a two-goaldeficit to defeat the team withthe NHL’s best record, Chicagocompleted a 4-0 homestandthat also included gamesagainst Colorado and LosAngeles. The Blackhawks, whoreached the conference finalssix months ago, have wonseven consecutive at home.
“Down two against a topteam like that, you’re not veryoften going to come back andget (the victory),” Blackhawkscoach Joel Quenneville said.