Author: Nathan Bloechl

Danville — It will be a battle of contrasting styles today when the Mount Pleasant girls’ basketball team hooks up with Danville in a nonconference matchup.

The Bears, 5-7 on the year, hoist up 44 three pointers a game, playing a run-and-gun, up-tempo style.

While Danville connects on just 17% of those threes, they make about eight a game.

Ava Smith is the team’s leading scorer, scoring 9.0 points per game, while Makenzie Morris chips in with 8.5 points.

Rylee Morris chips in with 7.8 points per game.

The Panthers are coming off a tough, 52-48 loss to Fairfield last Thursday night.

Andrea Lopreato, Kenna Lamm and Jadan Brumbaugh’s big second half nearly brought the Panthers back after trailing by 12 at halftime.

Lopreato finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds, Lamm had 16 points while Jadan Brumbaugh finished with nine points and 18 boards.

This will be the fourth meeting between the two schools in the last four years, with Danville leading the series 2-1.

The Panthers won last year’s scrap 50-38.

Tonight’s game will tip at 7:30 p.m.

You can listen on FM 105.5 and kilj.com.

Nathan Bloechl and Kent Bennett will have all the action.

Other area action tonight:

• West Burlington at Central Lee
• Lone Tree at Pekin
• Holy Trinity at Van Buren County
• Danville (boys) at WACO
• Highland at Winfield-Mount Union

Waverly — The Iowa Wesleyan women’s basketball team, playing in the second leg of a back-to-back, fell Sunday to Wartburg in Waverly, 79-64.

Trailing 40-23 at recess, the Tigers could not dig out of the well.

Brittany West led the Tigers with 25 points also adding five rebounds and a steal.

Breanna Wendland had 15 points, tallying three rebounds and two steals.

Now 10-4, the Tigers will be in action next in the CAC Classic hosted at Ruble Arena starting on Friday, January 21st.

The Tigers will take on Haskell Indian Nations College in their first game of the Classic at 5 pm.

Mount Pleasant — The Iowa Wesleyan women’s wrestling team placed three in the top-five at this weekend’s York College Open in Nebraska.

Alaina Sunlin earned two tech falls and a fall, before dropping a 15-13 decision in the 101-pound championship match.

Joanna Vanderwood placed fourth while Adaugo Nwachukwu took home a runner-up finish as well.

The Tigers will next compete in a triangular against Augsburg and Jamestown next on Saturday, January 29th, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The bout is set to start at 12:00 pm.

Champagne (Ill.) — The University of Iowa wrestling team extended its dual winning streak to 28 straight with a 36-3 win at No. 21 Illinois on Sunday.

The Hawkeyes won nine-of-10 matches and added bonus points in four bouts to register their most lopsided win at Illinois in 37 years.

They’ve now won 11 straight bouts over Illinois.

The No. 2 Hawkeyes travel next to Columbus, Ohio, to face No. 7 Ohio State on Friday.

The dual is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. inside the Covelli Center.

KILJ — The NFL’s Super Wild Card weekend wraps up tonight when the Cardinals travel to play the Los Angeles Rams.

The full scoreboard from the weekend:

• Bengals 26, Raiders 19
• Bills 47, Patriots 17
• Buccaneers 31, Eagles 15
• 49ers 23, Cowboys 17
• Chiefs 42, Steelers 21

Women’s College Basketball: Wesleyan Hosts Ozarks:

Barring any late winter cancellations, the Iowa Wesleyan women’s basketball team will be back at home this afternoon hosting the College of the Ozarks in a nonconference matchup.

The Tigers, off since before Christmas due to Health and Safety Protocols, are 9-3 on the year.

Today’s game, which can be heard on FM 105.5, is set to begin at 3:00 p.m.

Pregame coverage is slated for 2:45 p.m.

Nathan Bloechl and Kent Bennett will have the call from Ruble Arena.

College Football: Pair of UNI Players Honored to All-American List:

UNI football’s Trevor Penning and Jared Brinkman cracked the list of the Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-America Team.
This is the eighth national team for Penning, and the sixth national team for Brinkman.

Penning was the only offensive lineman to be named as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented to the national offensive player of the year in college football’s Division I subdivision. He was the first player to be invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl set to for Feb. 5.

Brinkman is a two-time MVFC Defensive Player of the Year, having received his second consecutive honor this year. He also earned the Phil Steele FCS All-MVFC First Team Honors and Defensive Player of the Year.

UNI ended their year in the first round of the FCS Playoffs with a loss to Eastern Washington.

College Football: Iowa Announces Kirk Ferentz Extension:

The University of Iowa announced today a contract extension for head football coach Kirk Ferentz through the 2029 season.

The announcement was made by Gary Barta.

Ferentz is Iowa’s all-time winningest coach, surpassing Hayden Fry in 2019.

After compiling a 10-4 record in 2021, Ferentz ranks fourth in Big Ten Conference history with 178 career wins and 110 conference victories.

Iowa has finished ranked among the Top 25 four consecutive years, the second longest streak in program history.

College Wrestling: Iowa Smokes Northwestern in Ranked Dual:

Top 10 wins from Drake Ayala and Max Murin highlighted the University of Iowa wrestling team’s 33-6 win over No. 23 Northwestern on Friday night at Welsh Ryan Arena.

Ayala topped seventh-ranked Michael DeAugustino, 6-5, at 125 pounds and Max Murin defeated No. 4 Yahya Thomas, 4-3, at 149.

Iowa has now won 27 straight duals, the longest streak in the country.

The No. 2 Hawkeyes travel to Champaign, Illinois to face No. 21 Illinois on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Fairfield 52, Mount Pleasant 48 (Girls)

Andrea Lopreato had 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Kenna Lamm added 16 points and four points — but it was not enough as Mount Pleasant’s furious second half rally came up short in a 52-48 loss to Fairfield last night.

Mount Pleasant, down by 12 at halftime, used a 20-7 third quarter run to take a lead into the fourth quarter.

Late in the 4th, the Panthers would take a 44-38 lead, but that’s when Fairfield woke up.

The Trojans closed the game on a 14-4, led by the huge play of Delaney Breen.

Breen led all scorers with 26 points and four rebounds, she hit three triples and went 5-of-6 at the free throw line.

Lopreato had a chance to tie the game in the waning moments at the free throw line, but missed both. Danielle Breen put the game on ice with a pair of foul shots.

The loss dropped the Panthers to 5-8.

Fairfield improved to 7-4.

Mount Pleasant 50, Fairfield 48 (Boys)

A late flurry and two clutch triples propelled Mount Pleasant to a 50-48 road win at Fairfield last night.

Reese Kempker hit a three to bring the Panthers to within one while Payton Hagans drilled the game-tying three at the 3:30 mark — catapulting the Panthers to the clutch road win.

Dewon Trent led the Panthers with 21 points and seven boards. He played the entirety of the game.

Leading by three at halftime, the Trojans saw their lead vanish in moments.

Owen Vansickel added 10, going 10-for-15 from the free throw line.

Aidan Ashton chipped in with seven while Payton Hagans finished with five.

J.J. Lane led all scorers with 24 points while Max Weaton added 12 points and nine boards.

Mount Pleasant improved to 4-7.

Fairfield slumped to 3-8.