Saturday (Boys High School Basketball)
Amboy 62 AFC 54
**Justin Hart (Amboy): 24 pts
**Adam Hart (AFC): 17 pts
Annawan 58 Byron 47
Winnebago 72 Providence St. Mel 67
Indian Creek 72 Oregon 45
Ottawa 55 Morris 44
Rock Falls 61 Sterling 50
Sterling Newman 86 Reed Custer 69
West Aurora 58 DeKalb 43
Burlington Central 73 Woodstock 44
Belvidere North 63 Belvidere 62
Eastland 63 Scales Mound 44
Sherrard 43 Erie 39
Pearl City 55 Galena 26
Lena-Winslow 56 River Ridge 51
Girls Basketball
Oregon 47 Indian Creek 27
Elgin St. Edward 57 Byron 43
Sycamore 54 LaSalle-Peru 41
Ottawa 44 DeKalb 37
Mendota 52 Streator 24
Bureau Valley 46 Fulton 24
Pecatonica 44 Pearl City 41
Wrestling
Polo Tournament
1) Oregon: 142.5 pts
2) Glenbard North JV: 140 pts
12) AFC: 58 pts
16) Winnebago: 52 pts
17) Polo: 50.5 pts
**Oregon: 1st Place: Jacob Milliman (113)
2nd Place: Andrew Herbst (106)
Chase Clark (138)
Garrett Moser (170)
**AFC: 2nd Place: Colin Kaecker (195)
**Winnebago: 1st Place: Carlos Sanchez (126)
Princeton Tournament
1) Coal City: 186 pts
2) Dakota: 158 pts
12) Byron: 94 pts
**Byron: 3rd Place: Jonah Pearson (182)
Tyler Elsbury (285)
Geneva Tournament
1) Glenbard East: 196 pts
2) Marian Central: 154 pts
9) Stillman Valley: 73.5 pts
**Stillman Valley: 1st Place: Jared Van Vleet (132)
3rd Place: Austin Abitua (138)
College Basketball
ATHENS, Ohio – The Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team trailed by 12 less than seven minutes into Saturday’s contest at Ohio and was unable to recover, falling to the Bobcats, 78-68, at the Ohio Convocation Center.
The Huskies clawed within a half-dozen in a second half in which they shot 56.3 percent (18-of-32) and committed just two turnovers, but it wasn’t enough to overcome an opening 20 minutes that saw NIU shoot just 28.6 percent (8-of-28) with nine turnovers.
Four Huskies scored in double figures, led by 15 points from junior Dante Thorpe and sophomore Eugene German. Junior Levi Bradley had 14 points and a game-high tying six rebounds while sophomore Justin Thoma added 12 points off the bench.
“Credit Ohio, they came out and punched us in the face in the first five minutes and they kept it going throughout the first half,” said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. “That gave them a lot of confidence. (Mike) Laster was awfully tough, we have to do a better job defending. I thought we were better in the second half but when you get down double-digits on the road it is tough to comeback in this league.”
Ohio (8-6, 1-1 MAC) raced out to a 14-2 lead to open the contest as the Huskies were held scoreless for more than four minutes to open the game. A basket by German and an old-fashioned three-point play from Bradley trimmed the Bobcat lead to 19-10 with 11:24 to play in the first half.
After the Bobcats pushed their lead to 27-10, NIU responded with the next eight to cut the lead back to nine with five minutes to play before halftime. German scored the first four on a pair of free throws and a layup, junior Lacey James scored on a tip-in and Thorpe added a pair from the charity stripe.
Ohio closed the half with a 9-4 burst as the Bobcats took a 36-22 lead into halftime. Mike Laster led all scorers with 16 points in the opening 20 minutes, German led NIU with nine. Ohio shot 52 percent (13-of-25) from the field in the first half.
NIU (8-7, 1-1 MAC) used a 10-0 run early in the second half to trim the Ohio lead back to just six, 38-32, with 15:07 to play. Bradley and Thorpe each scored four during the run while German added a pair.
The Huskies were still within three until a 7-0 burst by the Bobcats pushed their lead to 51-38 with just over 12 minutes remaining.
Trailing by a dozen, 68-56, German made a bucket and then found Thomas for a triple to pull the Huskies back within seven, 68-61, with just over four minutes left, but that was as close as the Huskies would get as Ohio answered with an old-fashioned three-point play on the next possession on its way to a 10-point victory.
Laster led all scorers with 31 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-6 from three. Teyvion Kirk added 16 points as Ohio shot 56.5 percent (26-of-46) in the contest.
NIU will continue its road trip on Tuesday night, Jan. 9, as the Huskies travel to Bowling Green. Game time against the Falcons is scheduled for 6 p.m.
(DeKalb) It was somewhat fitting that NIU would pull ahead with a three-pointer as it was the three-ball that allowed Buffalo to force the game into overtime. With the Huskies leading 74-68, and 36 seconds left in regulation, Cierra Dillard hit back-to-back threes to tie the game, 74-74, and force it into an extra frame.
Buffalo opened a four-point lead in overtime as Stephanie Reid hit back-to-back threes and Dillard hit her fourth of the night to give the Bulls an 83-79 advantage. Voigt was able to keep the Huskies close with a three-pointer and a pair of made free throws during that stretch.
Voigt was perfect from the free throw line, going 6-for-6 to go along with her 8-of-19 shooting from the field, including 4-of-11 from three-point land. Woollacott was dominant on the glass. The Huskie sophomore grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and added a career-best four steals and five points, a season high.
“I thought Abby played her best basketball game as a Huskie,” Carlsen said. “Her tenacity on the glass was exactly what we needed in those key situations. We talk all the time about people understanding their roles and what their strengths are when they come on the floor, especially our bench. I think Abby exemplified that to a T tonight.”
Courtney Woods and Kelly Smith also finished in double figures. Woods posted her second double-double of the season, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Smith finished with 14 points before fouling out.
The Huskies return to the court Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018 when NIU travels to Western Michigan to face the Broncos. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
