One of the funnier interviews I've had in a while

Highland women's basketball coach Dean Buckwalter received the honor of being named the co-winner of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's NJCAA Coach of the Year in Division I.

But that's not the story.

Buckwalter had absolutely no idea when he found out while I interviewed him. This, even though we (The Journal-Standard) received a fax from Highland Community College this afternoon.

Go figure.

Here's Dean's initial reaction:

Buckwalters initial shock -

Buckwalter is unselfish, and it was nice to hear him give credit to the players, and didn't focus much on himself:

Buckwalters humility -

Apparently, I'm the man. Or at least, that's what Dean seems to think of me. LOL.

Apparently, Im the man -

Check out the complete story tomorrow in the paper.

Column: Stern, enough is enough with this age limit thing

Seriously, David Stern?

C'mon! You made your point nearly four years ago about the age limit.

You made players like Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley (who is still a bust right now) and Greg Oden stay a year in college just so they could gain "valuable experience" I guess.

We got it (sort of). Make players wait a year to go pro and waste their time in college for a nice pit stop. Great way to make your point about learning the game.

But you really want to change the age limit, again, to 20?

Didn't you lose this fight last time under the Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2005 (along with the ridiculous dress-up to work thing)?

NBA players are NBA players, Stern. I argue that Rose was ready for the NBA straight out of Simeon.

Beasley, or at least his offense, was NBA-ready. Greg Oden, prior to being a walking band-aid at 21 years old, was ready too.

Now you want those players to play yet another year in college? Do you have some kind of NCAA basketball agenda or what?

How do you, Stern, think this will help the overall product of the NBA?

Sure, the best ratings in years for the NBA happened during the Finals with Boston and L.A. But think about that matchup, and tell me what you think the ratings would have been not even looking at the rosters.

Nevermind the fact that both Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant were featured on the biggest stage for the championship.

Two straight-out-of-high-school-to-the-pros guys. Yeah. ABC did whatever it could to promote those two stars.

Kobe won his first MVP this year (probably should have had more than that, too).

KG was already an MVP and won defensive player of the year. He's played more defense these last two weeks, even injured, than I've seen throughout the entire NCAA tournament!

Oh, and that LeBron James guy ... he's pretty good too.

Dwayne Wade? Oh, he played two years ... or was it that he played one and attended Marquette for two years.? Wade had academic problems and didn't even play his freshman year.

So much for that development argument.

Players like Tyler Hansbrough, who will play all four years, aren't always NBA material either. Are we highlighting players like them, Stern, as players who can't make it and are hurting the product?

Jameer Nelson, and players like him, are sometimes the exception to the rule too.

Bottom line, Stern, this isn't right. NBA players are NBA players. They are either ready, or they were never meant to be.

Staying in college for 12 years won't make you, or the overall product, better.

That's on the player.

Not quite the drubbing as expected, but a drubbing nontheless

Aquin showed some fight (granted, War/Stock didn't have its starting pitcher in the seventh), but the Warhawks easily beat the Bulldogs, 10-5.

More on www.journalstandard.com/sports

Drubbing on hand?

Aquin will face Warren/Stockton in less than an hour.

We'll see how this works, but War/Stock is pretty even without their former ace, Mike Werkheiser.

I'm not liking the Bulldogs' chances with Jared McNutt, Jason Brinkmeier and Grant Pierce back into the fold.

Orangeville loses its first of the season, Eastland and Le-Win look strong

Orangeville started off pretty well to start the season on a 4-0 streak.

That ended tonight in a 5-2 loss to likely the best team in our area -- East Dubuque. The Warriors won the regional last year and appear to be just as strong this year.

That was a loss that could hurt their chances early in the NUIC-East.

Milledgeville/Polo and Dakota right now still appear to be the favorites.

But, wow, what a game from both Eastland and Lena-Winslow!

Brian McCabe had a grand slam in a 13-4 drubbing against Rockford Lutheran. It appears the Panthers' hitting could be a threat if they play more games like that.

Eastland also lit up the scoreboard in a 13-1 win.

Three players had multiple hits.

It'll be interesting to see who comes out of the NUIC-West this year.

Rubbish

Highland softball doubleheader ... not too great.

Honestly, if these girls plan on doing anything remotely close to winning conference, or anything else, they'll have to field, hit and pitch better -- other than Heather Jurs.

With what Highland coach Beth Groshans told me, the conference will be wide open this year.

But there's nothing like opening a gap like playing bad softball to start the season.

It's Jurs or nothing right now until someone on the team can do more than make errors defensively.

A look back on the Freeport JV softball season

Originally published in the Journal-Standard on May 24, 2008

BY JOEY BASKERVILLE

joey.baskerville
@journalstandard.com

Like most junior varsity sports, winning the conference is the highest honor a team can have.

It shows young athletes the value of taking care of conference matters first, before any dreams of winning a regional, sectional or super-sectional title can be realized. Let alone anything relating to state.

Conference is everything.

The Freeport JV softball team was able to come away with a NIC-10 conference championship this season on May 16. It was an accomplishment Freeport coach Chad Hersey was proud of. Especially considering the close games two of the best teams in the conference.

“Against Harlem and Hononegah, we played four of our best games,” Hersey said. “All of those wins were come-from-behind wins in the sixth and the seventh inning.”

The comeback kids rallied against the Indians in eight innings on April 9 for a 6-5 win in the first conference home game of the season.

Then against in their first true road test, the caught up to a hot Harlem team and managed an 11-8 win against the Huskies on April 22.

At that point in the season, the Pretzels were 10-0 with a perfect 7-0 NIC-10 record. Seven days later, Freeport would be challenged by the Huskies at home but escaped with a 10-9 win for a 12-0, 9-0 record.

The firepower on offense of catcher Shanna Winnekins (.457 batting average, 3 home runs, 36 RBIs), Anna Perkins (.513, 2 HR, 41 RBIs, 31 stolen bases), Cherice Stimpert (.500 BA, 35 stolen bases), Mariah Gill (.352), Ginger Thompson (.333) and Megan Kortermeier (.388, 18 RBIs, 20 stolen bases) made it tough for any pitcher to get around.

Then there were the arms of Rebecca Wagner – whose .419 batting average and 26 RBIs and 12 stolen bases made her a double threat – and Kortermeier in the pitcher’s circle that made it hard for some batters to make solid contact with the ball.

“Becca pitched all the tough games,” Hersey said.

Wagner had quiet a few great accomplishments in her young career including a perfect game against Rockford East, sitting down all 12 opposing batters on 42 pitches. She would strike out 13 batters against Hononegah on April 30 and struck out a season-high 14 against Rochelle in an 8-3 win.

Not bad considering she also was a member of the girls basketball team that took second place in the state tournament that ended March 1.

“The basketball team went deep into the year and she missed a week or so in practice,” Hersey said. “She had a sore shoulder. I think she was trying to get it going too quick. But it ended up working itself out.”

Wagner finished the year with an ERA of 2.28 with 152 Ks and and 55 walks. She completed 16 games.

The next night on April 30, Freeport would defeat Hononegah 6-2 and were close to completing not only a perfect conference record, but a perfect season overall.

Both of those hopes were dashed, however by Boylan on May 5 in a 6-3 loss, knocking down their record to 15-1 and 10-1 in the conference.

“They played really well the night they beat us,” said Hersey, who witnessed the Pretzels crush the Titans in mid-April defeat Boylan 23-10. “I know that the girls were pretty disappointed.”

The Pretzels would end the season undefeated at home. However they would lose another away game against Palatine in a close 4-3 game in the Belvidere tournament. Freeport finished third and had a 20-2 record with a 13-1 conference record.

And though Hersey and the team knew that the conference crown was all but their nearing the end of the season, the title was still not theirs. And Guilford would let them know about it.

“I think we lost because we knew all we had to do was win a couple,” Hersey said. “But a lot of these girls were on the freshman team last year that went something like 8-20. They didn’t expect to be this good but … they were.”

Guilford won 5-3 for the Pretzels third road loss of the year in a doubleheader. Freeport would defeat Guilford to split the twin bill with a 2-0 win.

Finally on May 16, the dream was realized after an 11-0 win over Belvidere North. The Pretzels would finish the season 23-3, with a 16-2 conference record.

Breakout box info (not sure if this made it to print or not)

Freeport’s JV top hitters:

“Anne Perkins, who’s only a freshmen lead the team in batting average, started the year batting sixth in the lineup. I ended the year having her bat clean up. She kind of came out of nowhere. She’s actually batted for the varsity team in the regional. He got an RBI in the regional and it’s always nice to see her do that.”

Perkins had a .513 batting average, drove in 41 RBIs, and stole 31 bases. She also had an on-base percentage of .677 and a .744 slugging percentage

Shanna Winnekins

“Shanna’s stats are pretty impressive,” Hersey said.

That they are. Winnekins was second on the team in batting average with .457 with 36 RBIs, .638 OBP and a .700 slugging percentage.

Becca Wagner
For the year as a starting pitcher, Wagner had a .419 BA with 26 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Her on-base percentage was .574 and slugging percentage was .500.

“Pretty much from top to bottom they did well and everyone had a good on-base percentage,” Hersey said.

Most memorable moments for the Pretzels on the field, according to Hersey

“The best moment of the year was that we were playing Harlem on my birthday (April 29) losing 8-2 going into the sixth inning.
In the bottom of the sixth inning we scored eight runs on two outs.
That gave us the lead.
We came out an probably played the best defense that we played all year in the top of the seventh but (the Huskies) still managed to score two runs to tie it.
Then Anna Perkins hit a walkoff, which was just shy of being a grand slam with the bases loaded. The winning run just walked in on that shot and pulled it out to preserve our undefeated season at 12-0 (9-0 NIC-10).”

Off the field?

"Kelsey Eiseman’s mom bringing snacks for everybody after the game. I was joking around with her and I told her 'did you tell your mom that she’s in charge of brings snacks tonight?'
And her mom freaked out and brought cupcakes for the entire bus. I was just kidding but her mom made brownies for everyone for the rest of the year! And she brings them for the entire program on every bus ride."

Freeport softball will depend on some of last year's JV conference champs

The Pretzels softball team will be without their ace pitcher Heather Jurs, their biggest bat in catcher Megan Bennett and their leadoff batter and center fielder Erin Evans.

Most of Freeport's success and troubles this year will depend on the varsity adjustment many of the former JV team's players that have moved up.

New starting pitcher Rebecca Wagner and catcher Shanna Winnekins are among those players I'm most interested in seeing how they play. I wrote about them last year in an article I'll actually republish exclusively on this site.

Hmm ...

So, Megan Bennett is on the Highland softball team this year?

Really? Even though she was a junior on Freeport's softball team last year?

Wow. More on this in a season preview tonight on The Journal-Standard Web site.

Highland loses 80-55

It's over. The Highland women fought hard, but the Cards were just too much for them and will end the year 27-7.

The Cougars couldn't get that elusive first win in the national tournament in team history, but what a year Highland has had.

I'll have a column and story on the game for tomorrow's paper.

Congrats on a great year, girls.

Highland looking to rebound this afternoon

SALINA, Kans. — The women Cougars, decked out in their home jerseys today, will square off at noon to face Trinity.

Again, Highland will be undersized in this matchup, but should be in better position to actually win this game, as they will not face a player as big and dominant from all over the court like Danielle Adams.

The Cougars were already here for the Hutch/Middle Georgia game in the loser's bracket of the tournament. Highland wouldn't see the potential winner in this game, should Highland win, until the eighth place game.

We'll see though.

Highland, first and foremost, must play better on the boards today and play with confidence. It'll help against Trinity, but that team will be tough.

The Cougars will have to play a zone to counter the size of Trinity. Highland's played against taller teams, so we'll see.

Highland taking a break from it all. ...

HUTCHINSON, Kans. — The Highland womens basketball team took quite a beatdown against Jefferson, the No. 1 team in the nation.
So after the loss, Cougars coach Dean Buckwalter decided to just give the team a day to get away and relax a little bit.

Buckwalter told me today the girls just split up and just went wherever for the day and just enjoy being here in Kansas (oh, brother).

Highland's got Trinity tomorrow, so they'll try not to get eliminated

Barton screwed out of All-American status

So, I just read the press release from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) on its 2009 Junior College/Community College (JC/CC) State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team.

Jackie Barton is not an All-American or even Honorable Mention. Are you kidding me?!

The Western Illinois-bound sophomore led the Cougars in points, was second in rebounding (at 5-foot-11) and helped Highland win its first Arrowhead Conference in 13 years, its first Region IV championship since 2006 and earned its first NJCAA National Tournament bid ever.

And you mean to tell me that she's not even worth Honorable Mention.

Terrible.

Finally at the biggest show for NJCAA women

I'm here at the Bicentennial Center watching No. 15 ranked Middle Georgia try to comeback to beat No. 2 undefeated Central Arizona. It's now 64-49 after a deficit of 20 points that Middle Georgia has come back from to this point.

10:01 left in the game.

An upset already happen as No. 11 Kaskaskia College beat No. 6 Howard, 61-55. Upsets can happen, I guess, so don't count Middle Georgia and Highland out just yet.

Be sure to follow me on my twitter at twitter.com/jmark79 or at twitter.com/journalstandard.

At Newton, preparing for Salina

So, I'm finally here in Salina for the NJCAA Womens National Tournament!

Highland will have a real task on its hands against Jefferson, the No. 1 team in womens basketball at the JUCO level. We'll see, but if I had to put money on it, which I won't, I'd put it on Jefferson.

The emotional Jackie Barton

Jackie Barton was one of the most, if not the most, emotional player from the Highland womens basketball team Tuesday night.

Check out these quotes just after winning the District playoff game against Lake Region State:

Barton on overcoming post-season past -

Barton on stopping Kate Sharkova

Barton makes a funny, talks about defending Sharkova -

Freeport girls basketball players should come? That's what Barton wants.

Barton wants Pretz to join the team? -

Highland GOING TO NATIONALS!

Yep, the Highland womens basketball team is going to the NJCAA National Tournament!

More on this tonight.

Highland attempts to make history

The Highland womens basketball team will make an attempt to make history tonight.

The Cougars have already won its first conference since 1996 and will attempt to make its first national bid in womens basketball program history!

Stay tuned after the game.

Five stories later ...

Freeport advanced to the state championship game.

I've been twittering and writing seeming all day and I've neglected the blog.

For that, I'm sorry.

I still haven't got to that Dorothy Gaters column, but it's lost its significance slightly since Marshall lost to Richwoods.

I'm still going to write it, but it'll probably be after Saturday night. Maybe on Monday?

Anyway, the Pretz have a chance to make program history. I won't say what it is, because I'd rather not jinx them.

That's all I've got before I pass out from sleep deprivation.

Good night and good luck, Freeport.

Four stories later ...

Just took an amazing nap and completed four stories. Three will be on the J-S Web site late tonight.

Media Day was fun. You could see a lot from the practices, and got stuff from three of the four schools in the 3A semifinals.

I'll try to have an exclusive column on my connection between coach Dorothy Gaters, who I met again earlier today.

It'll be on the small world we live in, especially considering the state.

I'm looking forward to seeing what will look like some really great games tomorrow and that's just in 3A. I'd love to see the 4A comp, but I'll be too busy updating you on this site, the J-S Web site and on the Journal-Standard's new Twitter!

That's right, our paper finally has a twitter.

What a great weekend to look forward too!

Here in Normal, prepared for Media Day

Hi, everyone.

I arrived in Normal, Illinois around 10 p.m. last night and will be blogging heavily throughout the next three days.

I'm a little under the weather, but I should be able to battle it out (heck, Katie Norman and others have throughout the playoffs, so why shouldn't I, right?).

This year, I'll be visiting all, that's right, ALL of the Media Day photo sessions for Class 3A.

Should be a fun and relaxed day for everyone (except the media, scrambling for stories) and will serve as a prelude to the Friday's excitement.

Can't wait to see all the Pretzels fans, among others.

I'll check in later if anything interesting happens.

Great wins for Pretz, Commandos, Knights. Springfield advances

So, the Final Four is set.

Freeport's girls basketball team (last year's runner up), along with defending state champs Marshall and Richwoods advance to the state tournament along with Springfield — which earned its first-ever state tournament bid in program history.

Talk about interesting.

Freeport and Springfield were both tied No. 6 in the state at one point, according to Associated Press polls.
Freeport ranked seventh in the last published poll and Springfield ranked No. 6.
Shouldn't it only be fair that these two meet in the state semifinal?

And Marshall will play a team very capable of beating them and even taking the state crown if Freeport doesn't. Peoria Richwoods was just a layup away from going into overtime against Freeport in the DeKalb (NIU) Supersectional.

Their length will be just as tough to counter for the Commandos as the Knights will be just as flustered with Marshall's press D that's on a 24-hour clock.

It never stops.

Should Freeport advance, the storylines lead to even more intrigue.

The Pretzels have what has become a great rivalry with Richwoods. Every time Freeport beats the Knights, it's on a game-winning shot. When Peoria wins, though, it's a blowout.

And it's a no-brainer why Marshall and Freeport would be intriguing.

How many times have we seen a state championship rematch?

Norman racking up accolades

Katie Norman was also recognized in the Chicago Sun-Times as a Second Teamer in the Girls All-Area Team for Class 3A.

Congrats, Katie.

Three members of the Pretz named to Class 3A All-State Team

It's official, three members of the Freeport girls basketball team have made the Class 3A All-State Team.

Point guard Katie Norman, with 54 points, was voted First Team. This season, Norman averages 12.6 ppg, 5.1 apg (team-high), 4.3 rpg and 2.5 spg. The senior point guard was the first of four senior Pretzels to reach 1,000 points and has risen her free-throw percentage to 64 percent — the highest amongst all starters.

Small forward Suporia Dickens, the 2007-08 Freeport Athlete of the Winter, was voted to Second Team. She leads the Pretzels in points (14.8), rebounds (7.3) and steals (3.0) per game. She earned 44 points this season to make Second Team (second only to, surprisingly, Richwoods' Mariah Smith).
A primarily inside shooter, Dickens leads the team in field goal percentage.

Forward (and I guess center) Courtney Shiffer earned honorable mention. This season, Shiffer leads Freeport in blocked shots (1.9 bpg) and went up a steal a game from last season (2.8), which is second on the team.

Congrats to Norman, Dickens and Shiffer.

Pretz fun-bad turns to awful pretty quick

Remember my post about Freeport being fun-bad?

Well, it's more than that after a really awful performance against Boylan Friday night. Granted, the Titans are better offensively and have distinct height advantages against the Pretzels, but there was no fight in the guys.

Come on! How many kids have to tell you that they didn't come out with enough intensity to know the team came out flat and almost like they knew they'd lose?

I'll up the audio later.

I know Boylan is a 4A school, but they've always been rivals with the Titans, so that's no excuse.

Freeport can't allow that attitude to ruin the team's chances of clinching a regional and even a sectional this year.

Pretz one game back to Normal

One more game.

That's what the Freeport girls basketball team has to be thinking after last night's win against Oswego, 55-47.

Here's five observations from last night's game

1. Could there have been worse officiating?
I'd like to first state for the record that I'm not the type of person to berate officiating, but goodness there were some bad calls Thursday night.
How do you call a one-and-one free throw with just five fouls committed -- in HIGH SCHOOL?
And check out this clear travel by Kelsey Hoefer (sorry) at :52 :




Seriously, that was the first really bad call.
And everyone remembers the imagined timeout near the end of the game. Just all around awful.

2. Caitlin Greene really stepped up
With a crowd of four 1,000-point scorers on the Freeport team, it's easy to step to the side. But when Katie Norman was visibly sick to her stomach (lots of vomiting throughout the day), Caitlin Greene stepped up with a few steals and 10 points to boot.
She keeps that up, and Freeport might have a legit chance of going downstate again, if not much more.

3. Hoefer continues to come through in big moments
Hoefer was the first to respond to the hellfire and brimstone speech by Freeport coach Ryan Pierce Monday night, and showed up again with 10 points last night.
But this isn't the first time she's shown that she's much better than she started after she returned from an ankle injury suffered before the start of the season.

4. Much better free-throw shooting since last week
It's no secret that the Pretzels have struggled of late from the line. But it did, as Freeport finished the game 21-of-28 (75 percent), and went 14-of-15 in the second half (93 percent).
If Freeport could do that against Johnsburg ... I think you get my drift.

5. Pretz aren't settling for anything less than a championship
You could just tell in the players' faces, sectional championships don't mean much anymore.
Last year, Freeport was estatic. This year, eh.
The goal is simple: become the best Freeport team in girls basketball history.

Pierce on Pretz yearning to make history -

My 3A/4A ballot

This is the first year I've had the opportunity to vote for the 3A/4A All State players. And seeing as I've now had a year to observe and really dissect some of the best players in the state (really in 3A more than anything), I figured I'd partake.

It's been fun this year covering the Freeport girls basketball team because it's given me the opportunity to see some of the future womens players we could hear a lot about in the future.

So without further ado ... here's my 2008-09 3A/4A All State nominations (with analysis of each player):


3A First Team
Adrienne GodBold, Marshall
Best player on the best team in the state in Class 3A.

Mariah Smith, Peoria Richwoods
Similar build to GodBold and just as much as a matchup problem each night. She’ll receive plenty of media attention downstate, should they make it.

Katie Norman, Freeport
Out-of-position point guard that has scored 1,000 points and set up three other seniors to 1,000 as well this season. Great floor vision for player more suited at the 2-guard position.

Whitney Holloway, Montini
She is perhaps one of the toughest guards in the state to defend.

Chloe Barnes, QND
Multi-talented guard who can run a fast, up-tempo offense with the best of them.

Second Team
Suporia Dickens, Freeport
Very unorthodox forward who benefits from her track athleticism. Takes a beating in the post and can still make tough shots. Rebounding has digressed from a year ago.

Karlee Gengenbache, QND
She’s almost just as responsible for Quincy’s undefeated regular seasons as Barnes is. Solid shooter.

Brooke Bisping, Morton
Fifty-three straight free throws? Wish I could see her play.

Courtney Shiffer, Freeport
Freeport coach Ryan Pierce said it best: she’s the one who has the biggest performances in the biggest games.
Shiffer didn’t shut Montini’s Michala Johnson down, but she did make her night tougher last year in the state semis.
Didn’t do a bad job against 4A Boylan’s Brea Edwards either.
Without a doubt, she’s the Pretzels’ best defender, taking opponent’s best offensive threat

Monica Albano, Trinity
Haven’t seen much of her, but for Trinity to be this good, she deserves the recognition.

4A
First team
Brea Edwards, Boylan
In an otherwise pourous NIC-10, Freeport struggled against Boylan and Edwards was the reason why. She’s improved greatly since her freshman year and will be the talk of Rockford for the next two years.

Morgan Tuck, Bolingbrook
She’s always mentioned in the Sun-Times Top 25 rankings. She seems to be a very impressive freshman that averaged a double-double.

Porsha Harris, Young

Chanise Jenkins, Young

Tricia Liston, Fenwick

Chicago (Loyola U.) Super-sectional has to be the toughest

I know I'm not breaking any news here, but in Class 3A girls basketball, is there any doubt that the Chicago (Loyola University) Super-sectional is the hardest to get out of in the state?

Marshall, the defending state champs, are in the same Super-sectional as Montini! The Broncos finished third in the state. Marshall will play Crane in the sectional semifinal. Semifinal, folks.

Should Marshall advance, they'll play Trinity (River Forest) — a team ranked in the Illinois Prep Girls Poll.

Should the Commandos advance again, they'll likely play Montini to reach the state tournament. Are you kidding me?

It wouldn't be a stretch to say the winner of that Super-sectional will likely win state. It doesn't get much tougher than this.

Pretzels lack killer instinct, nearly lose sectional semifinal

The primary reason Freeport girls basketball coach Ryan Pierce let the team have it with 6:13 left in the third quarter is because the Pretzels have rarely shown something all year.

Killer instinct. Pierce has told me before that the game comes to easy for the girls sometimes, and that attitude nearly cost them everything last night.

That instinct is in all of them, but this year it's taken a lot for them to get in that mode. The Pretzels can't let that happen again in the sectional final, or they will lose. Badly.

Hoefer was the leader Monday night

Courtney Shiffer was the one who helped the Pretzels get out of their slump in the second half against Sterling last week. Kelsey Hoefer was the one who responded quickly after the hellfire and brimstone speech was delivered, scoring five points immediately.

Pierce on speech and Kelsey afterwards -

I edited a couple things on the audio, one for the questions asked that weren't important, and one edit because ... well, you'll have to ask about that.

Here's an interesting insight from Hoefer about the halftime locker room speech we didn't hear and the third quarter speech:

Hoefers interesting insight -

I can't tell you if they need speeches like that every night ... for the most part these girls do know what they're doing.

But there is no next year for these seniors. A sense of urgency was needed Monday night.

Buckwalter just made it official

The Highland womens basketball team is the No. 1 seed in the Region IV tournament. Cougars coach Dean Buckwalter just called about a half-hour ago to confirm they're No. 1.

Highland will now have the much-needed luxury of resting until March 4, when the Cougars play the winner of fourth seeded Sauk Valley against fifth seeded Malcolm X.

That means Jackie Barton can rest her shoulder and Mallory Magee can get well.

No. 2 Kennedy-King will play No. 3 Black Hawk East. That's correct ... there's a chance the Cougars can get a rematch against BHE for the Region IV championship, should both teams advance.

And here's the brackets for the RIV tourney.

Parting words on Sterling 'curse'

Here's Ryan Pierce, Freeport girls basketball coach, on the Sterling curse:

Ryan Pierce on Sterling curse -

Courtney Shiffer agreed with her coach:

Courtney Shiffer on Sterling curse -


Katie Norman added this:

Katie Norman on Sterling curse -

Region IV sewed up

The Highland womens basketball team, in all likelihood, clinched the No. 1 spot in the Region IV tournament.

That's a huge advantage for the Cougars, especially considering the team will be on its on home court. Highland has a shot of winning the Region IV title since 2006.

It's possible that the Cougars could be good enough to reach the National Tournament if it keeps up the offense and defense. Jackie Barton appears to be in better health after her 21-point performance against Carl Sandburg. She scored 10 against Kennedy-King, while her teammates, point guard Alexi Tann and forward Mallory Magee also have been very important to the team's success.

Freeport girls will be challenged in sectional semifinal

Freeport coach Ryan Pierce said that the Hampshire is similar to the Pretzels ... as in their balanced as a team.

Hampshire was, at one point during the season, ranked in Class 3A but dropped off the list pretty quick.

Should be a tough contest, from what Pierce told me.

Then again ... a coach will be always be paranoid, no matter how good or bad the competition.

Congrats to Seth Milks and Mitch Alberstatt

Dakota's Seth Milks and Durand's Mitch Alberstatt each are state champs in their respective weight classes.

Congrats to both. For more, read all about it on The J-S Web site.

5 things I've learned about Freeport's boys b-ball team

1. The Pretzels play behind ... often
I can't remember the last time, against a good NIC-10 team, the Freeport boys basketball team has not had to crawl back into a game.

2. Freeport games always bring excitement
670 The Score's Dan Bernstein would probably call this team "fun-bad." I won't go that far, because this team is really good ... except it has too many lapses to be a top-tier NIC-10 conference team.

Keep in mind, the Pretzels are a Class 3A team, while the best teams in the conference (Hononegah, Boylan) are Class 4A. It's still not clear what happened to them against Guilford, but this team will always give a good effort and provide one heck of a challenge to every team it faces.


3. The Pretzels would be so much better if ...
... the team would just stay within the offense. Too many times, a player or two or even three will not remain patient and jack up a shot.

Granted. there's times for that ... but it seems like they have their own shot clock going on in their heads ... when it's high school ball.

Patience is a virtue. Especially in basketball.

4. Ryan Hickey has had some impressive second-half moments

He's an exciting second-half player. He had an impressive block that reminded Hononegah last night that the Pretzels still had a pulse in the second quarter. It was almost like an Austin Davis block.

5. And speaking of which ...

Davis could be a serious NIC-10 MVP nominee next year if the Pretzels are in a running for a conference crown. Post presence, perimeter jumper and a 3-point shot that is dangerous if left open.

He could be the reason Freeport could actually win a regional, if not a sectional, once the playoffs start.

QNC lost yesterday

No. 1 ranked Quincy Notre Dame (very arguable from my personal point of view), a girls basketball team that finished fourth in the state a year ago, lost Thursday night to Highland (not the community college in Freeport), 42-41.

Notre Dame went into the state semis with an undefeated record, but lost its final two games of the year in Normal. This year, QNC was undefeated up until Thursday night.

No. 10 Marshall (21-6)-- a team that plays Class 4A schools in the CPS (Chicago Public Schools) League -- No. 7 Freeport (26-3) and No. 6 Montini (25-4) still remain in regional play.

No. 2 ranked Richwoods is also alive.

The Pretzels will face Sterling for the regional championship game tonight starting at 7:30 p.m.

Should Freeport advance, the team will advance to the sectional semifinal against Hampshire next Monday at 6 p.m.

Cougs clinch

Just wanted to give a congrats to the Highland womens basketball team for the accomplishment of winning conference, 56-54, against Carl Sandburg.

They defeated the 5-time champs, which is quite the feat.

So much for Jackie Barton being hurt and all. She finished with 21 points!

Be sure to check The Journal-Standard newspaper for coach Dean Buckwalter's quotes and the J-S Web site tonight for more.

Also, there will more than likely be some type of notebook to hear more from the women on their great accomplishment.

Pretz win in thriller

More on this 51-50 win for the Freeport boys basketball team at The Journal-Standard Web site and on Joey's Above the Fold

Sterling in the house

Freeport's boys basketball team has had a bit of a rivalry with Sterling in the past few years.

Two seasons ago, Sterling took the Pretzels out of the IHSA Class 2A Rock Falls Regional semifinal. Last year, Freeport beat Sterling on the Golden Warriors' home court, 50-42.

But in the Dixon Regional final, Freeport again lost in the first game of the playoffs.

Tonight, Freeport will try to beat Sterling again in the regular season, as regional seeding is coming ever closer.

The Pretzels and host-Golden Warriors are in the same regional again this season.

Pretzels drop to sixth in Class 3A

The Freeport girls basketball team (22-3, 13-0 NIC-10) dropped to sixth place in the Associated Press Girls Prep Poll after a loss this weekend to Monroe, 52-41, in Wisconsin.

Montini (23-4) is ranked fifth, while Peoria Richwoods has risen all the way up to No. 2, sitting on top of a 26-2 record.

The Pretzels had a tough weekend, with back-to-back games with Auburn and Monroe -- two teams that have been very physical this season.

Last night the Pretzels beat Hononegah, 53-33, and are now just three games away from winning the conference title and remain undefeated in the NIC-10 for the second year in a row.

Tonight, the Pretzels face Guilford on the road.

Here's what this blog was made for

Kelsey Hoefer scored her 1,000th point.

Here's a soundslide presentation on the very dramatic game between Freeport and Auburn:



YES! I've worked hard on this presentation and I hope it's enjoyable to the masses ... whatever that means.

Gaters recipient of the Morgan Wootten Award For Lifetime Achievement in Coaching High School Basketball

Congrats to Dorothy Gaters, (Chicago) Marshall girls basketball coach for receiving such a tremendous honor.

Gaters is actually familiar with my Dad, who is a retired K-8 basketball coach from Delano. Also, my mother attended Marshall High School and remembers way back when Gaters was relatively new to the school (and I believe before she became the varsity head coach ... but I haven't verified that with Mom just yet).

Marshall is the IHSA Class 3A defending state champions from 2007 and defeated Freeport in the state championship game, 58-47. As stated in the Chicago Sun-Times' Yourseason.com, Gaters has won eight state championships and has entered into the state tournament finals 23 times in her illustrious career.

Gaters has more than 900 wins in her 30-year career.

One emotional Senior Night coming up Friday

Kelsey Hoefer is just four points away from scoring her 1,000th point, which would make her the 10th Freeport girls basketball player to do so in program history, and the fourth senior on the team this season.

Auburn is no pushover, judging from its last game in which the Pretzels won, 56-37. But considering it's Senior Night -- the same night all four players likely will become the first four-group senior class to each score 1,000 career points and the last time Hoefer, Courtney Shiffer, Suporia Dickens and Katie Norman will play at home in their high school careers -- I'd expect the team to do very well Friday.

There's so much here. Feb. 6 will be one of the more memorable games those four will experience.

Hoefer closing in on 1,000

Freeport forward Kelsey Hoefer is just 13 points away from scoring 1,000 -- the fourth player on the team to reach that milestone.

Katie Norman, Suporia Dickens and Courtney Shiffer each have gone over the 1,000-mark this season.

Tonight, the Pretzels (19-2, 10-0 NIC-10) take on Belvidere North (7-12, 6-6) and the senior is very capable of reaching that mark against a struggling Blue Thunder.

Personally, I think she's going to hit that milestone tonight, making her the only player of the four players not to reach the benchmark at home.

That's also the only drama talked about, likely in what will probably be uncompetitive.

Pretz in conference play tonight

The Freeport boys basketball team squares off in about an hour-and-a-half against Belvidere North.

The Pretzels (9-7, 4-4) has already played the Blue Thunder this season on the road, and the result wasn't pretty for Belvidere North. Freeport should be careful not to let this team crawl back into the game like it did against Guilford Tuesday.

Should be a good game, and more importantly, a confidence builder as the Pretzels look to get back into the conference race.

Highland wins sixth straight

The Cougars have won their 18th game of the season, including its sixth straight win to conclude the end of January. Highland beat Illinois Valley, 76-63.

Jackie Barton again finds ways score and had a double-double with 17 points and 13 boards.

How about this freshman class though? Mallory Magee also scored 17 points, which was a team-high.

The Cougars are just two wins away from tying the win total Highland had a year ago in the regular season. Magee, Renee Deuth and Alexi Tann all have had plenty to do with Highland's success and why Highland is currently tied for second place in the Arrowhead Conference.

Also, Highland received four votes this week in the NJCAA Div. I Women's Basketball Poll

MenPretz feature

I'd just like to say Monday was fun spending time out with the MenPretz. They're a fun group of guys that have done a great job of helping the Freeport girls basketball team reach state heights last season and this year as well.

Hope they didn't take a couple of my jabs to heart though.

Here's the wonderful footage on the team done by Joe Tamborello, a great photographer and web editor for the Journal-Standard.

Buckwalter's first win vs. Carl Sandburg, Highland tied for first

Highland womens basketball coach Dean Buckwalter beat Carl Sandburg for the first time in his career.

The Cougars are now in prime position, as they are tied with the Chargers for first place. As it stands now, Highland would have the tiebreaker. The two teams meet again Feb. 19.

Highland could win its first Arrowhead Conference title since 1996.

Highland and Carl Sandburg tied at half

At the end of the first half, Highland's womens basketball team and Carl Sandburg are tied 31-all.

This Arrowhead Conference and Region IV battle has serious implications. Stay tuned.

Freeport boys looking to bounce back

The Freeport boys basketball team is in a downward spiral in the NIC-10 conference.

The Pretzels were 3-0 in conference to start the season, but have lost the last four contests, including tough defeats to Auburn, Jefferson, Harlem and Hononegah. In that time frame, Freeport went from 6-2 to 8-7 and look to bounce back tonight against Guilford (5 - 14, 1-6).

Can Freeport turn the season around, or fall to an even .500 record after a fast start?

Pretzels move back up to No. 2

The Freeport girls basketball team is now ranked No. 2 in Class 3A in the Associated Press poll.

This is the Pretzels' highest ranking since the home loss against then-No. 2 Montini, when Freeport was No. 1 in the state.

Since then, Freeport has lost a game against Peoria Richwoods in the two teams' second meeting, but have won eight straight games since. No. 3 ranked Montini is reeling from the absence of two key players, with both Michala Johnson and Whitney Adams both out with season-ending injuries.

Richwoods is ranked fifth in the state and Marshall, the defending state champions, are No. 7 in the Top 10.

Big test for Cougars tonight in Arrowhead Conference play

Highland has a big test tonight against Carl Sandburg (13-6, 4-0 Arrowhead Conference).
The Cougars (16-4, 4-1) look to take control over the conference with the win, but the Chargers have been impressive despite its 2-6 record against ranked teams.

Carl Sandburg is ranked No. 16 in the NJCAA Division II poll last week and Highland received one vote in the Division I poll — four less than what it received a week before. Last week, the Chargers defeated Kishwaukee, 73-62 — the same opponent lost to in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

However, Kankakee Community College (15-4), a Region IV opponent, beat Carl Sandburg, 81-74, at the Chargers home floor. Ironically, Highland beat Kankakee at home with a Jackie Barton buzzer-beater for a 44-42 win.

The Chargers have been conference champs for five years and counting. Highland has yet to win the Arrowhead since 1996.

This game also has Region IV implications, so plenty is at stake tonight.

Shiffer scores 1,000th point, ninth all-time

Read the story on Shiffer's historic day.

Also, here's the video of the Freeport girls basketball game against Hononegah Friday night.



For more video and stories, visit the Journal-Standard Web site for the best coverage and updates on your favorite teams in the area.

How Highland did it

Here's a Highland womens notebook on how the Cougars allowed just nine points in the second half.

Tonight's the night

Courtney Shiffer will become the ninth player in team history to score 1,000 career points if she scores just five points tonight at home against Hononegah.

The Indians could provide a decent challenge to the Pretzels this time around, but we'll see tonight at roughly 7:30 p.m.

Highland shuts down Black Hawk East in second half

Maybe it was the halftime speech by Highland womens coach Dean Buckwalter. Perhaps that “lid” coaches and sometimes players talk about was over the rim Thursday night.
Whatever happened between halftime and the next 20 minutes of the game, it certainly helped Highland out.
The Cougars allowed just nine points in the second half and scored 33 in a 50-42 win on the road.

Highland is now 16-4 -- a record that is better than the one the Cougars had last year.

Don't steal this. I'm using this lead for a notebook for Saturday's paper.

Anyway, this was a bit of a statement from the Cougars in some regards. Granted it's Black Hawk East and all, but Highland finally played a bit of defense.

They needed this for the remainder of the season, believe that.

More on this in Saturday's edition of the J-S.

Freeport survived NIC-10 test Tuesday

Though the score might not indicate it, Freeport had a little bit of a struggle against Auburn Tuesday night, but won 56-37.

As I said about a week ago, the Pretzels have had difficulty at times with pressure defense.

Auburn found some success in cutting Freeport's lead, but managed to win by a large margin at the end of it.

Shiffer again stepped up
There's a reason why Shiffer is just five points away from earning her 1,000th point of her career in a short amount of time. Considering the balance on the team -- four players were in double figures Tuesday night -- Shiffer has stood out in two games and continues to get better in the post.

The senior forward was just 41 points away from reaching the milestone after Suporia Dickens did two weeks ago. Now all she needs is five.
It's more than likely Shiffer will become the ninth player in program history to score 1,000 against Hononegah Friday night.

Hoefer is 39 points away from becoming 10th player in school history to reach 1,000
Kelsey Hoefer is 39 points away from 1,000 as well. She hasn't scored quite as much as Shiffer, Dickens or Katie Norman -- the first player this season to reach the benchmark -- but will have plenty of opportunities in the coming games to get closer.

After two straight home contests, including Friday's game against Hononegah and Saturday's game against Rockford East, the Pretzels will be on the road against Belvidere and Belvidere North Tuesday and Saturday of next week.

Hoefer will have one last chance to reach the accolade at home Feb. 6 if she doesn't average 19.5 ppg at home Friday and Saturday and doesn't reach the feat on the road.

Freeport girls regional and sectional info

Last week, Freeport learned of its regional, sectional and Super-sectional assignments. Looking at the info at ihsa.com
the Pretzels won't have too much trouble getting past the regional or even sectional play.

Should Freeport advance to the Super-sectional, I'm not sure who they'll face. None of the teams in the North Chicago Sectional have been ranked, to my knowledge, this year. That doesn't mean neither of the teams will be good ... it's just Freeport hasn't played any of them.

Last year, the Pretzels have played teams like Peoria Richwoods, Galesburg, Montini and Rock Island Alleman ... teams that Freeport have played in tournament play this season and could very well be downstate.

Interesting. ...

Edwards one heck of a freshman at WC, Scholl one heck of a senior at Polo

A 31-point performance against River Ridge has to have West Carroll's fan base buzzing just a little bit about freshman Brady Edwards.

Coach Josh Knuth told me his was one of the better finishers he has on the team this year -- that's something considering Luke Ingersoll and Jaron Ferguson are on the roster -- and scored in bunches against Forreston last week.

Don't be surprised if he scores 1,000 points early in his prep career.

Scholl scores 1,000
Speaking of which, Monday night Matt Scholl scored his 1,000th career point. Read the rest of the roundups at the Journal-Standard Web site

Highland women, Dakota girls headline tonight

The Highland women's basketball team squares off against Sauk Valley in about 30 minutes.

The Cougars will rematch the team that beat them in the Region IV championship game a season ago. Though the makeup of Highland's team has changed, Jackie Barton surely hasn't forgotten about the bitter loss that night last year.

Dakota looks to continue its undefeated streak
The Indians play Durand tonight. At times, Dakota has played to the levels of their opponents and Durand is far from an elite team this year.

But who knows? Anything can happen in prep girls basketball, right?