Good luck to the Southwestern Illinois Blue Storm in the National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Southwestern Illinois 49 vs. North Dakota School of Science 50
Southwestern Illinois 70 Vs. Shelton State 74
Visit:
http://www.njcaabbtrny.org/home/tourn.htm
3/17/2009
3/08/2009
Championship Game Score Updates
Southwestern Illinois 77 Vs. John A. Logan 64 Final
All-Region and All-Conference Teams will be posted tomorrow March 8, 2009...
All-Region and All-Conference Teams will be posted tomorrow March 8, 2009...
3/07/2009
Championship Game Preview
The Showdown… #1 Southwestern Illinois vs. #3 John A. Logan… Steve Harrington vs. Mark Imhoff… The two longest tenured coaches in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference square off Sunday night in Ina for an epic matchup. Hutchinson, Kansas is the dream, the destination, the summit which all Junior College programs look to conquer. The dreams of 12-15 young men rest on Sunday’s matchup. Who will rise to the challenge and handle any adversity that may be thrown at them to move on, loading the buses to head to Kansas. Both have been tested to get to the championship, both will be tested in the championship.
Southwestern Illinois derailed the Ford E-350’s off the momentum tracks Friday night in Ina. The Warriors battled from the top, but ran out of steam. A tough stretch of games in the final weeks of the season finally took its toll on Coach Sparks’ troops. They were battle tested and had came out victorious most of the time. However, four overtime games in the final six games of the regular season spelled disaster in round two of the Region 24 Tournament. The Warriors were riding high after demolishing IECC equal Olney Central College. While the Blue Knights couldn’t match what Wabash Valley had to offer, IECC peer Wabash Valley couldn’t withstand the fierce resources the Blue Storm is blessed with. Even with Cleveland going down in the second half for the Blue Storm the Warriors couldn’t get over the hump to put them in the championship game. The Blue Storm extend their winning streak to 14 and look to make it 15 against the Volunteers of John A. Logan.
In the second matchup, the so-called stepchild of the IECC Lincoln Trail battled and hung tough through most of the game but couldn’t hold off the Volunteers of John A. Logan. While Lincoln Trail was riding high after their overtime upset of the Falcons of Southeastern Illinois, their just wasn’t room in the Chevy Express for anymore momentum. Coach Cotton and the boys did as they had all season, fought till the end and just fell short. With the loss, the Statesmen join their IECC foes in parking the Chevy Charters in the barns to be serviced and cleaned ready for baseball and softball season. John A. Logan goes into the championship game against Southwestern Illinois looking to earn Coach Imhoff a trip to Hutchinson.
Sundays Matchup:
#1 Southwestern Illinios, 30-2 (15-1, 2-0) Vs. #3 John A. Logan, 21-9 (11-5, 2-0)
Last Outing:
Southwestern Illinois 77 Vs. Wabash Valley 71
John A. Logan 69 Vs. Lincoln Trail 61
Season Series (Southwestern Illinois 2, John A. Logan 0)
John A. Logan 76 @ Southwestern Illinois 82 (1-21-09)
Southwestern 82 @ John A. Logan 80 (2-18-09)
Notes:
Sundays matchup is the type of game where the phrase, “if you can not get excited to play tonight, then you don’t deserve to play the game” was coined. Tonight’s game is the one kids dream of, in their back yard counting 3, 2, 1 and making the buzzer sound as they fire it at the rim. This is where dreams come true. The Southwestern Illinois Blue Storm, currently ranked #5 in the NJCAA polls, looks to extend their winning streak and earn a trip to Hutchinson, Kansas. The Volunteers of John A. Logan have different plans. Both coaches have been around this league for a long time and will have their players ready to go. Emotions will be running high as some of the most exciting basketball across the country will be seen at Rend Lake College at 8 o’clock Sunday night. One of the best matchups of the season will provide a great representative of the Great Rivers Athletic Conference for Hutch. Either one of these teams will make the conference proud and will show the rest of the country the exciting brand of basketball produced twice a week in gyms throughout southern Illinois. Sit back and enjoy the action and see which team will be loading up the charters and heading to Hutch. Check the blog for final results along with score updates, and national tournament information regarding the winner. Best of luck to Coach Harrington, Coach Imhoff and the rest of their staffs and players.
Southwestern Illinois derailed the Ford E-350’s off the momentum tracks Friday night in Ina. The Warriors battled from the top, but ran out of steam. A tough stretch of games in the final weeks of the season finally took its toll on Coach Sparks’ troops. They were battle tested and had came out victorious most of the time. However, four overtime games in the final six games of the regular season spelled disaster in round two of the Region 24 Tournament. The Warriors were riding high after demolishing IECC equal Olney Central College. While the Blue Knights couldn’t match what Wabash Valley had to offer, IECC peer Wabash Valley couldn’t withstand the fierce resources the Blue Storm is blessed with. Even with Cleveland going down in the second half for the Blue Storm the Warriors couldn’t get over the hump to put them in the championship game. The Blue Storm extend their winning streak to 14 and look to make it 15 against the Volunteers of John A. Logan.
In the second matchup, the so-called stepchild of the IECC Lincoln Trail battled and hung tough through most of the game but couldn’t hold off the Volunteers of John A. Logan. While Lincoln Trail was riding high after their overtime upset of the Falcons of Southeastern Illinois, their just wasn’t room in the Chevy Express for anymore momentum. Coach Cotton and the boys did as they had all season, fought till the end and just fell short. With the loss, the Statesmen join their IECC foes in parking the Chevy Charters in the barns to be serviced and cleaned ready for baseball and softball season. John A. Logan goes into the championship game against Southwestern Illinois looking to earn Coach Imhoff a trip to Hutchinson.
Sundays Matchup:
#1 Southwestern Illinios, 30-2 (15-1, 2-0) Vs. #3 John A. Logan, 21-9 (11-5, 2-0)
Last Outing:
Southwestern Illinois 77 Vs. Wabash Valley 71
John A. Logan 69 Vs. Lincoln Trail 61
Season Series (Southwestern Illinois 2, John A. Logan 0)
John A. Logan 76 @ Southwestern Illinois 82 (1-21-09)
Southwestern 82 @ John A. Logan 80 (2-18-09)
Notes:
Sundays matchup is the type of game where the phrase, “if you can not get excited to play tonight, then you don’t deserve to play the game” was coined. Tonight’s game is the one kids dream of, in their back yard counting 3, 2, 1 and making the buzzer sound as they fire it at the rim. This is where dreams come true. The Southwestern Illinois Blue Storm, currently ranked #5 in the NJCAA polls, looks to extend their winning streak and earn a trip to Hutchinson, Kansas. The Volunteers of John A. Logan have different plans. Both coaches have been around this league for a long time and will have their players ready to go. Emotions will be running high as some of the most exciting basketball across the country will be seen at Rend Lake College at 8 o’clock Sunday night. One of the best matchups of the season will provide a great representative of the Great Rivers Athletic Conference for Hutch. Either one of these teams will make the conference proud and will show the rest of the country the exciting brand of basketball produced twice a week in gyms throughout southern Illinois. Sit back and enjoy the action and see which team will be loading up the charters and heading to Hutch. Check the blog for final results along with score updates, and national tournament information regarding the winner. Best of luck to Coach Harrington, Coach Imhoff and the rest of their staffs and players.
3/06/2009
Second Round Matchups
Thursday was an interesting day. Power outages due to windy conditions, technicals due to windy whistles, amazing late game comebacks, blowouts, and upsets were all seen Thursday in Ina, IL. A multitude of conditions were seen at Rend Lake College, along with two top seeds and two lower seeds coming out victorious. The first game saw top-ranked Southwestern Illinois come out to a sluggish start and trail Kaskaskia early, before the Blue Devils ran into a Blue Storm in the second half. In the second game the Warriors jumped on the Blue Knights and the Knights could see nothing but the taillights of Wabash’s Ford E-350’s. Halloway from Wabash put in the effort of the day to this point putting up 41 of the Warriors 82 points to lead the Warriors over the Knights. In the Third game, Lincoln Trail scored 6 points in the final 7 seconds to force overtime against the number 2 ranked Falcons of Southeaster. The Statesmen controlled overtime and went on to a five point victory to advance to Friday’s Semi-finals. The final game paired the Lakers of Lake Land and the Volunteers of John A. Logan. The Volunteers led the entire game, but the Lakers hung around and fought until the final buzzer. The Volunteers advance to play Lincoln Trail Friday night and look to advance to the Finals on Sunday.
Friday night should be a great night of basketball as the final four teams look to advance to the finals and keep their Hutch Dreams alive.
Second Round Matchups:
#1 Southwestern Illinois, 29-2 (15-1, 1-0) Vs. #5 Wabash Valley, 21-10 (8-8, 1-0)
Last Outing:
Southwestern Illinois 89 Vs Kaskaskia 73
Olney Central 82 Vs. Wabash Valley 60
Last Meeting:
Southwestern Illinois 83 @ Wabash Valley 69 (1-7-09)
Wabash Valley 78 @ Southwestern Illinois 83 (2-4-09)
Preview:
Campo and the boys will have to fend off a red hot Warrior team tonight in Ina. The kings of the IECC are playing some of the best basketball in the GRAC right now. Coach Sparks and Coach Ray have the boys well rested after coming off a big win over the Blue Knights in the first round. The Warriors looked refreshed and had their legs under them in their 82-60 win at Rend Lake over the Knights. Desmond Halloway must have spent a little extra of his food stipend on some Wheaties Thursday morning scoring 41 of the Warriors 82 points. The Blue Knights, must have suffered some Van lag as they could not contain Halloway and the rest of the Warriors. Southwestern along with the Coach of the year will have to be on top of their game tonight in Ina. The Blue Storm looked sluggish as they were still waking up from their naps in the comfy confines of the Southwestern Illinois Bus Lines. Coach Harrington is looking to extend their 13 game winning streak and advance to the Championship on Sunday.
#3 John A. Logan, 20-9 (11-5, 1-0) Vs. #7 Lincoln Trail, 6-22 (2-14, 1-0)
Last Outing:
John A. Logan 76 Vs. Lake Land 64
Southeastern Illinois 65 Vs. Lincoln Trail 70 OT
Last Meeting:
John A. Logan 76 @ Lincoln Trail 59
Lincoln Trail 51 @ John A. Logan 71
Preview:
If you are wondering where Coach Junsie Cotton is today, take a trip to the automotive department at the Robinson Wal-Mart where he will be getting oil changes done on the Chevy Expresses. There is no time to celebrate his overtime win against Southeastern Illinois on Thursday afternoon. The Statesmen load the vans back up and head back to Ina. Looking to fight off an Imhoff coached squad who is always ready to play. The Volunteers have been playing some of the best basketball of the year as of late. The hoarded off a tough Lake Land team on Thursday and look to advance to the Championship Game on Sunday. Meanwhile the Statesmen look to make one more trip in the vans, hopefully safely, back to Ina. Wabash and Trail look to complete the amazing feat of having two IECC teams advance to the championship game of the Region 24 tournament creating possibly the first ever TRUE Chevy Express Bowl.
Friday night should be a great night of basketball as the final four teams look to advance to the finals and keep their Hutch Dreams alive.
Second Round Matchups:
#1 Southwestern Illinois, 29-2 (15-1, 1-0) Vs. #5 Wabash Valley, 21-10 (8-8, 1-0)
Last Outing:
Southwestern Illinois 89 Vs Kaskaskia 73
Olney Central 82 Vs. Wabash Valley 60
Last Meeting:
Southwestern Illinois 83 @ Wabash Valley 69 (1-7-09)
Wabash Valley 78 @ Southwestern Illinois 83 (2-4-09)
Preview:
Campo and the boys will have to fend off a red hot Warrior team tonight in Ina. The kings of the IECC are playing some of the best basketball in the GRAC right now. Coach Sparks and Coach Ray have the boys well rested after coming off a big win over the Blue Knights in the first round. The Warriors looked refreshed and had their legs under them in their 82-60 win at Rend Lake over the Knights. Desmond Halloway must have spent a little extra of his food stipend on some Wheaties Thursday morning scoring 41 of the Warriors 82 points. The Blue Knights, must have suffered some Van lag as they could not contain Halloway and the rest of the Warriors. Southwestern along with the Coach of the year will have to be on top of their game tonight in Ina. The Blue Storm looked sluggish as they were still waking up from their naps in the comfy confines of the Southwestern Illinois Bus Lines. Coach Harrington is looking to extend their 13 game winning streak and advance to the Championship on Sunday.
#3 John A. Logan, 20-9 (11-5, 1-0) Vs. #7 Lincoln Trail, 6-22 (2-14, 1-0)
Last Outing:
John A. Logan 76 Vs. Lake Land 64
Southeastern Illinois 65 Vs. Lincoln Trail 70 OT
Last Meeting:
John A. Logan 76 @ Lincoln Trail 59
Lincoln Trail 51 @ John A. Logan 71
Preview:
If you are wondering where Coach Junsie Cotton is today, take a trip to the automotive department at the Robinson Wal-Mart where he will be getting oil changes done on the Chevy Expresses. There is no time to celebrate his overtime win against Southeastern Illinois on Thursday afternoon. The Statesmen load the vans back up and head back to Ina. Looking to fight off an Imhoff coached squad who is always ready to play. The Volunteers have been playing some of the best basketball of the year as of late. The hoarded off a tough Lake Land team on Thursday and look to advance to the Championship Game on Sunday. Meanwhile the Statesmen look to make one more trip in the vans, hopefully safely, back to Ina. Wabash and Trail look to complete the amazing feat of having two IECC teams advance to the championship game of the Region 24 tournament creating possibly the first ever TRUE Chevy Express Bowl.
3/03/2009
Region 24 Tournament: First Round Preview
With the regular season wrapping up on Saturday, the Great Rivers Athletic Confrence keeps on kicking. Rend Lake, competes in their Division 2 Region Tournament, while the other 8 GRAC teams compete to be named Region 24 Champions, and advance to “Hutch”. This weekend’s tournament could be one of the most exciting region tournaments in the country. With the win or go home attitude, these student-athletes will be competing at the highest level of their young lives. In front of family, friends, peers, and college scouts, these players battle for their lives. Three wins in four day earns your team a trip to JUCO’s coveted National Tournament. A chance of a lifetime for these young men, to play in front of thousands, and be seen by four-year institutions from across the states. If you have a heartbeat, it will be pumping as these teams load up their respective form of transportation and head to Ina for Region 24 action.
First Round Matchups:
1:00
#1 Southwestern Illinois, 28-2 (15-1) VS. #8 Kaskaskia, 11-9 (3-13)
Regular Season Results:
Southwestern Illinois 77 @ Kaskaskia 54 (1-29-09)
Kaskaskia 72 @ Southwestern Illinois 102 (2-25-09
Notes:
Despite only winning three league games, this Kaskaskia team has been kicking and scratching its way through. Saturday night saw the Blue Devils lead the Blue Knights of Olney Central for 38 and a half minutes only to see it slip away in the final minute. A strong, streaky team gets the first chance to knock off the #1 seed Blue Storm of Southwestern Illinois. SWIC on the other hand, was dormant on Saturday, and have a few extra days rest. Winners of12 straight to end the regular season, Coach of the Year Jay Harrington will be stalking the sidelines in hopes that his Blue Storm will take the first step towards the golden ticket to Hutchinson.
3:00
#4 Olney Central, 20-10 (10-6) VS. #5 Wabash Valley, 20-10 (8-8)
Regular Season Results:
Wabash Valley 71 @ Olney Central 77 (1-19-09)
Olney Central 82 @ Wabash Valley 68 (2-16-09)
Notes:
Chevy Express Bowl, Part II. After Kaskaskia tried running the vans off the road Saturday night, Coach Burris and the boys regained control and pulled them into the barns safely. The Blue Knights load them back up and head to Ina to face Coach Sparks and the streaky Warriors look to avenge two early season losses to the Knights. The Warriors knocked off the Statesmen of Lincoln Trail on Saturday night to lock up the 5 seed. Both teams look to make the IECC Presidents proud and bring home the vans victorious.
5:00
#2 Southeastern Illinois, 24-4 VS. #7 Lincoln Trail, 6-22 (2-14)
Regular Season Results:
Southeastern Illinois 67 @ Lincoln Trail 63 (1-24-09)
Lincoln Trail 53 @ Southeastern Illinois 98 (2-21-09)
Notes:
The Statesmen of Lincoln Trail load up the vans and head to Ina riding low. Coming off a rough loss at home to the Warriors of Wabash Valley they look to regroup and try to make a run at the tourney. Coach Cotton and the boys are not unfamiliar with turning heads in the tournament. The Statesmen are only a couple years removed from running the table in the tournament and heading to Hutch. A familiar face in Kansas, the Falcons of Southeastern, whom have been struggling as of late, rebounded with a home win over Logan on Saturday night to lock up the 2 seed. The Falcons are tournament tested and look to make some noise in Ina.
7:00
#3 John A. Logan, 19-9 (11-5) VS. #6 Lake Land, 16-13 (5-11)
Regular Season Results:
Lake Land 61 @ John A. Logan 63 (1-10-09)
John A. Logan70 @ Lake Land 61 (2-7-09)
Notes:
The Volunteers lost in Harrisburg on Saturday after an impressive showing in the Great Lakes Athletic Conference. Frustrated after blowing a chance at the #2 seed, Coach Imhoff and the gang look to reload and make a run at a chance to go to Hutch. The Lakers of Lake Land College have dropped 6 of their last 7 and look to regain focus heading into the tournament.
First Round Matchups:
1:00
#1 Southwestern Illinois, 28-2 (15-1) VS. #8 Kaskaskia, 11-9 (3-13)
Regular Season Results:
Southwestern Illinois 77 @ Kaskaskia 54 (1-29-09)
Kaskaskia 72 @ Southwestern Illinois 102 (2-25-09
Notes:
Despite only winning three league games, this Kaskaskia team has been kicking and scratching its way through. Saturday night saw the Blue Devils lead the Blue Knights of Olney Central for 38 and a half minutes only to see it slip away in the final minute. A strong, streaky team gets the first chance to knock off the #1 seed Blue Storm of Southwestern Illinois. SWIC on the other hand, was dormant on Saturday, and have a few extra days rest. Winners of12 straight to end the regular season, Coach of the Year Jay Harrington will be stalking the sidelines in hopes that his Blue Storm will take the first step towards the golden ticket to Hutchinson.
3:00
#4 Olney Central, 20-10 (10-6) VS. #5 Wabash Valley, 20-10 (8-8)
Regular Season Results:
Wabash Valley 71 @ Olney Central 77 (1-19-09)
Olney Central 82 @ Wabash Valley 68 (2-16-09)
Notes:
Chevy Express Bowl, Part II. After Kaskaskia tried running the vans off the road Saturday night, Coach Burris and the boys regained control and pulled them into the barns safely. The Blue Knights load them back up and head to Ina to face Coach Sparks and the streaky Warriors look to avenge two early season losses to the Knights. The Warriors knocked off the Statesmen of Lincoln Trail on Saturday night to lock up the 5 seed. Both teams look to make the IECC Presidents proud and bring home the vans victorious.
5:00
#2 Southeastern Illinois, 24-4 VS. #7 Lincoln Trail, 6-22 (2-14)
Regular Season Results:
Southeastern Illinois 67 @ Lincoln Trail 63 (1-24-09)
Lincoln Trail 53 @ Southeastern Illinois 98 (2-21-09)
Notes:
The Statesmen of Lincoln Trail load up the vans and head to Ina riding low. Coming off a rough loss at home to the Warriors of Wabash Valley they look to regroup and try to make a run at the tourney. Coach Cotton and the boys are not unfamiliar with turning heads in the tournament. The Statesmen are only a couple years removed from running the table in the tournament and heading to Hutch. A familiar face in Kansas, the Falcons of Southeastern, whom have been struggling as of late, rebounded with a home win over Logan on Saturday night to lock up the 2 seed. The Falcons are tournament tested and look to make some noise in Ina.
7:00
#3 John A. Logan, 19-9 (11-5) VS. #6 Lake Land, 16-13 (5-11)
Regular Season Results:
Lake Land 61 @ John A. Logan 63 (1-10-09)
John A. Logan70 @ Lake Land 61 (2-7-09)
Notes:
The Volunteers lost in Harrisburg on Saturday after an impressive showing in the Great Lakes Athletic Conference. Frustrated after blowing a chance at the #2 seed, Coach Imhoff and the gang look to reload and make a run at a chance to go to Hutch. The Lakers of Lake Land College have dropped 6 of their last 7 and look to regain focus heading into the tournament.
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