Men’s College Basketball: Mount Pleasant Alum Jordan Magnani Joins 1,000 Point Club at Cornell

Mount Vernon — Former Mount Pleasant star Jordan Magnani finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists as Cornell rolled past Monmouth 82-38 last night.

In the process, Magnani became the 25th member of Cornell’s 1,000-point club, achieving the milestone in his 77th career game.

Now 12-5, the Rams are on the road Saturday to face Knox (6-11 overall, 2-7 MWC)) at 1 p.m. in Galesburg, Ill.

Sports, February 4th

Girls’ Prep Basketball: Mount Pleasant Rolls’, Mediapolis Falls for the First Time

Mount Pleasant 65, Burlington 15 

Andrea Lopreato scored 35 points, a new record for a junior in a single game for the Panthers, as Mount Pleasant stream rolled Burlington 65-15 last night.

Mount Pleasant led 32-2 at the end of the first quarter and 52-11 at the end of the first half.

The mercy clock was running for entirety of the second half.

Kenna Lamm added 16 points and three rebounds for the Panthers, who improved to 9-10.

Burlington is 0-17.

Mount Pleasant will play at home against Ottumwa next Monday.

Louisa-Muscatine 41, No. 10 (2A) Mediapolis 40 

Kaylee Corbin finished with 20 points as Louisa-Muscatine upset No. 10 (2A) Mediapolis 41-40 last night.

The loss was Mediapolis’ first of the season.

Louisa-Muscatine held a double-digit late into the fourth quarter before a flurry from the Bullettes.

Hallie Mohr had 14 for Mediapolis while Payton Bush added 12.

Mediapolis is now 17-1.

L-M improved to 14-4.

No. 7 (1A) Notre Dame 67, New London 24 

Seventh-ranked Notre Dame received 17 points from Quincy University recruit Megan Harrell as the Nikes dominated New London 67-24.

Abby Korschgen chipped in with 15 points for the Nikes, as well.

Cam Lair and Sophie Malott each had six to lead New London.

The Tigers are now 0-21.

Notre Dame is 19-0.

Winfield-Mount Union 47, Columbus 21 

Winfield-Mount Union won their 17th game of the season, dispatching near rival Columbus 47-21.

Bradie Buffington had a game-high 21 to lead the Lady Wolves, Jobey Malone finished with nine.

Lily Coil had six to pace the Wildcats, who are now 3-17.

Central Lee 42, WACO 31

Alivia Myhre’s 16 points was enough for Central Lee to sink WACO last night 42-31.

Ellah Kissell had 12 in the losing effort to lead the Warriors. Emma Wagler added nine.

Central Lee upped their ledger to 13-7.

WACO fell to 8-12.

Danville 68, Cardinal 31

Makenzie Morris poured in 14 points while Graci Walker had 13 as Danville won again, 68-31 over Cardinal.

Danville is now 10-10.

Cardinal fell to 4-17.

The Shootout Games are tonight for the girls’ here’s their schedule:

At Mediapolis 

  • West Burlington vs. Winfield-Mount Union
  • No. 10 (2A) Mediapolis vs. No. 7 (1A) Notre Dame

At Louisa-Muscatine 

  • Holy Trinity vs. Highland
  • Central Lee vs. Louisa-Muscatine

At Pekin 

  • Van Buren County vs. Wapello
  • Danville vs. Pekin

At Lone Tree 

  • Cardinal vs. Columbus
  • WACO vs. Lone Tree

At Hillcrest Academy 

  • New London vs. Hillcrest Academy

Girls’ Prep Basketball: Pairings Released for Girls’ Tournament Trail

The IGHSAU has released tournament trail pairings for Class 1A, 2A and 3A.

Here’s how the the brackets shook out:

Class 1A, Region 6 (Thursday, February 10th) 

  • WACO at Wapello
  • Hillcrest Academy at Winfield-Mount Union
  • New London at Holy Trinity

Notre Dame is the top seed in the region, they’ll await the winner of Wapello-WACO on Tuesday, February 15th.

Class 2A, Region 6 

  • Cardinal at Van Buren County
  • Columbus at Danville
  • Pella Christian at Pekin

Iowa City Regina is the top seed in the bracket, the Regals will play either Van Buren County or Cardinal.

Mediapolis are the second seed. The Bullettes, No. 10 in Class 2A will get either Pekin or Pella Christian in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 15th.

Louisa-Muscatine awaits Danville or Columbus on the same night.

The IGHSAU State Basketball Tournament begins February 28th at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Boys’ Prep Basketball: New London Stays Hot, Other Prep Finals

New London 73, Notre Dame 61

Kade Benjamin led four Tigers in double figures with 16 points vaulting New London past Notre Dame 73-61.

Blaise Porter scored 15 points while Devon Swanson had 13.

Jackson Brent paced the Nikes with 15.

New London moved to 16-1, Notre Dame slumped to 6-13.

Danville 63, Cardinal 54

Danville won their second straight behind a cool 30 points from Caiden Gourley in a 63-54 triumph over Cardinal.

Drake Johnson had 17 for the Bears while Sawyer Nelson chipped in seven.

Danville is 17-2.

WACO 67, Central Lee 44

WACO showed why no one should want to face them in the tournament trail blazing Central Lee 67-44.

Hunter Hughes was the high-point man for the Warriors with 23.

Brayden Wyrick led the Hawks with 13.

WACO is now 15-4, Central Lee remained winless at 0-19.

Winfield-Mount Union 73, Columbus 32 

Winfield-Mount Union improved to 18-1, putting it in automatic for a 73-32 win over Columbus.

The Wolves led 37-9 at the end of the first half, thanks to an 18-5 second quarter run.

Tim Hills led Columbus with 11 points.

The boys’ will play their Shootout Games Saturday, here’s the matchups:

At New London 

  • Mediapolis vs. Danville
  • Winfield-Mount Union vs. New London (FM-105.5)

At WACO

  • Pekin vs. Cardinal
  • Hillcrest Academy vs. WACO

At West Burlington 

  • Columbus vs. Notre Dame
  • Wapello vs. West Burlington

At Holy Trinity

  • Highland vs. Van Buren County
  • Lone Tree vs. Holy Trinity

At Central Lee

  • Louisa-Muscatine vs. Central Lee

Boys’ Prep Basketball: Old Friends Rekindle Rivalry

Old friends will meet up tonight in the “War on 34” when Eric Rawson and Mount Pleasant travel to take on Caleb Akey and Burlington.

The two men both assisted on the great staffs under Paul Rundquist and remain close friends.

Lately, it’s been Akey getting the best of the Panthers — with Burlington winning two straight.

The Grayhounds enter 11-7 and have won four of five, including an impressive win Monday night over Class 3A’s top-ranked Fort Madison.

Amarion Davis leads Burlington with 14.1 points per game, while Merquiche Lewis averages 12.7.

Mount Pleasant has won four straight to pull within one game of .500.

The Panthers pulled out a 12-point, 55-43 overtime win over Iowa City Regina on Tuesday night.

Tonight’s game will begin at 7:30 p.m. from Burlington High School.

You can listen on FM 105.5 and kilj.com.

Men’s College Basketball: Mount Pleasant Alum Jordan Magnani Joins 1,000 Point Club at Cornell

Former Mount Pleasant star Jordan Magnani finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists as Cornell rolled past Monmouth 82-38 last night.

In the process, Magnani became the 25th member of Cornell’s 1,000-point club, achieving the milestone in his 77th career game.

Now 12-5, the Rams are on the road Saturday to face Knox (6-11 overall, 2-7 MWC)) at 1 p.m. in Galesburg, Ill.

 

Daily Jail Count

In the interest of keeping Henry County residents informed, the Henry County Sheriff’s office has requested KILJ post the daily jail count. During the jail referendum campaign it was publicized that the jail would be able to house additional inmates from surrounding counties and this would generate revenue for Henry County.

Date:   ____02-04-2022_____

 

JAIL COUNT

 

  22_    Henry County Inmates

 

  46_     Out of County Contract Inmates              

 

  68 _    TOTAL

POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING

The Mount Pleasant Board of Education POLICY COMMITTEE will meet at 4:10pm on Friday, February 4, 2022,

Mt. Pleasant CSD – Central Office

1010 East Washington Street – Suite 102

to review/discuss:

  1. Possible Addition of High School Clubs
    1. Chess Club
    2. Spanish Club
  2. Junior Class Fundraiser Request
  3. National Honor Society Fundraiser Request
  4. Middle School 1:1 Laptop Program Review
  5. Second Reading of School Board Policy Series 800 Buildings and Sites
    1. Board Policy 801.2 Site Specifications
    2. Board Policy 802.5 Disposition of Obsolete Equipment
  6. 2022-2023 School Calendar

 

Off Year Caucus Information

Henry County Auditor Shelly Barber reminds everyone that the off year caucuses will be held February 7. Four Henry County officials are up for re-election.  They are Treasurer Ana Lair, who has already announced she will not run for another term, Recorder Mindy Fitzgibbon, Attorney Darin Stater and Supervisor Marc Lindeen.

The 2022 Democratic caucuses will be held on Monday, February 7, at 7:00 p.m., at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Mount Pleasant.  In addition to party building, the caucuses will determine precinct leadership and elect delegates to the county convention, which is  scheduled for Saturday, March 26. This is the first step in working on the state party’s business and kicks off the process of creating a state  party platform. The Republican caucuses will also start at 7 pm and will be held at the First United Methodist Church.

The candidate filing periods for the June 7, 2022, Primary Election are:

  • State and Federal Offices: February 28 – March 18, 2022 (5:00 p.m.)
  • County Offices: March 7 – March 25, 2022 (5:00 p.m.)

Federal and State candidate lists will be available and updated throughout the filing period.

Consumer Connection: Romance Scams

By Sonya Sellmeyer, Consumer Advocacy Officer for the Iowa Insurance Division

February is the month of romance, but love and companionship may also involve a scam.  According to the FBI, romance or confidence scams were responsible for over 23,000 reported victims losing over $605 million in 2020, compared to 12,500 victims and $203 million in losses during 2015.

A romance scam is when a swindler uses a fake identity to gain a victim’s trust and affection.  The introduction of the new romantic interest or friendship may occur online, via a dating app, social media, random text message, phone call, or email.  Usually, the romantic interest never meets in person, though numerous plans for a gathering have been made and rescheduled with excuses.  The fake identity could be that of a member of the military, someone wealthy overseas, an overseas construction worker, or one of many other fake personas.

These professionals quickly gain a victim’s trust and express many commonalities with their victim.  As the relationship evolves the scammer will continue to reel their victim in with promises and gifts of love.  After trust is established, the romantic interest develops a story about a sick child, being stranded in a foreign country, legal fees, being held against their will, or other urgent situations where large amounts of money are needed quickly.  The scammer may also ask for personal information to steal the victim’s identity or assets, or ask the victim to launder money by transferring or moving money illegally for someone else, also known as a money mule.

The senior financial exploitation law recently enacted in Iowa allows brokerage institutions to temporarily freeze an account where they fear the owner may be the victim of a scam and authorizes the IID to investigate reports of suspected financial exploitation.

Avoid being a victim by following these simple rules:

  • Stop. Think. Call.  Discuss non-traditional investments or the request for money with a trusted source.
  • Double check before you invest. Ensure anyone trying to sell you an investment is properly licensed as well as the investment being sold.
  • Be cautious posting on social media or dating sites, and beware of online investment solicitations.  Don’t click on links in emails or text messages.
  • Never give out your personal banking information or send money to someone you don’t know, especially if you haven’t met in person.
  • Research the online profile and picture to see if it has been used elsewhere or on multiple online profiles.
  • Beware of someone trying to isolate you from your friends and family.
  • If an investment pulls at your heartstrings, walk away.

The Iowa Fraud Fighter program is a source of information to shield your savings from scammers.  You can also increase your financial literacy with the Iowa Insurance Division (IID) Save4Later free educational website.

Anyone can be a victim, knowing how to protect yourself is the first step in prevention.

###

Prep Wrestling: Sectionals Just Days Away

(Photo Courtesy: Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

KILJ — We are just days away from the start of the Road to Wells Fargo, as tournament trail wrestling gets started this Saturday for Class 1A and 2A.

In Class 1A, area wrestlers will compete at English Valleys and Sigourney while Class 2A area programs will wrestle at Benton Community and Solon.

Class 1A, Sectional 13 (English Valleys)

  • Highland
  • Lisbon
  • Lone Tree
  • Louisa-Muscatine
  • Iowa City Regina
  • WACO
  • Wapello
  • English Valleys

Class 1A, Sectional 14 (Sigourney)

  • Cardinal
  • Mediapolis
  • Moravia
  • New London 
  • Pekin
  • Sigourney-Keota
  • Van Buren County

Class 2A, Sectional 15 (Benton)

  • Columbus Community/Winfield-Mount Union
  • Fairfield
  • Mid-Prairie
  • Mount Vernon
  • Williamsburg
  • Benton

Class 2A, Sectional 16 (Solon) 

  • Keokuk
  • Mount Pleasant
  • Notre Dame
  • Solon
  • Washington
  • West Liberty

Class 3A will have off this weekend before districts next.

Nathan Bloechl and Griffin Humphreys will have coverage on FM 105.5 and kilj.com beginning at noon Saturday.

The state wrestling tournament is set to begin Thursday, February 17th.

Women’s College Wrestling: Wesleyan Rolls Past William Penn

Mount Pleasant — Forfeits for Alaina Sunlin and Mia Palumbo and a tech fall win for Joanna Vanderwood propelled Iowa Wesleyan No. 16 ranked women’s wrestling team to a 29-19 win over William Penn last night.

The Tigers are now 2-1 in duals and will travel to Des Moines this weekend for the Grand View University Open.

Wrestling in Des Moines will begin Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m.

The Tigers have two more duals on their schedule before their much anticipated postseason; with action at Missouri Valley College on February 15th and a home date with Central Methodist on February 18th.