High School Basketball
New London faced off against conference foe Danville last night and split the night. The Bears dominated the girls’ game running away with a 31-point victory over the Tigers, 60-29. The Bears had firm control of the game due to a suffocating defense that forced nearly 30 turnovers in the contest. Jaeda Molle was a force both offensively and defensively generating steals and scoring 18 points. Mylee Miller was the leading scorer for the Tigers with 13 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter. The boys’ game started off in the Bears favor up 9-5 near the end of the first quarter. However, the Tigers went on a 21-6 run to end the first half and did not look back, winning 53-37. Blaise Porter and Kade Benjamin had phenomenal games with Porter scoring 22 points and Benjamin finishing with 15 points including a couple of blocks during the game. Spencer Nelson and Caiden Gourley each scored 12 points in the game for the Bears. New London will be on the road to play Holy Trinity Catholic Friday, January 20th, and Danville will host Burlington Notre Dame on Friday.
The Holy Trinity Catholic girls team fell to Mediapolis 64-58 as Haley Steffener finished with a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs. The Crusaders won the boys’ game 55-50 over the Bulldogs.
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team got out to a quick start and did not look back as they crushed Oskaloosa 72-46. The Panthers outscored Oskaloosa 31-18 by halftime with Aaiden Ashton cashing in 14 points in the first half. Ashton led the way in scoring with 23 points. Payton Hagans and Nate Stroud also finished in double digits with Hagans finishing with 18 points and Stroud scoring 13 points in the contest. Mt. Pleasant will play conference foe, Washington, on Friday, January 20th, at 7:30 pm at home.
Winfield-Mt. Union won the girls’ game handily 61-40 over WACO. The Wolves and the Warriors were in a close contest at halftime 31-23, but it was Keetyn Townsley who pushed the game fully into Winfield-Mt. Union’s possession after putting up 11 points in the second half. Bradie Buffington led the Wolves in points with 15 on the night. Ellah Kissell put up 19 points for the Warriors. The boys’ game was never close as WACO rushed out to a 37-13 lead at halftime leading to a 66-48 victory. Hunter Hughes led the Warriors in points with 14, followed by Chase Waterhouse with 11 points, and Simeon Reichenbach finishing with 10 points. The Wolves were led by Cam Buffington with 18 points, Carter Loyd and Jake Edwards finished in double digits with 10 points and 12 points, respectively. Winfield-Mt. Union will face off against Wapello Friday and WACO will travel to play Columbus on Friday.
The Central Lee girls’ team shocked 11th ranked Burlington Notre Dame by clobbering them 72-42 as the Hawks flew to a 21-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Nikes returned the favor in the boys’ game, grounding the Hawks to win 71-40. Central Lee will host Van Buren County Friday with the girls going at 6 pm followed by the boys.
High School Wrestling
The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team’s next match is tomorrow, January 19th, against Fairfield.
High School Bowling
Mt. Pleasant will host Fairfield tomorrow.
Iowa Wesleyan Athletics
The women’s basketball team will look to get back in the win column Friday, January 20th, against Haskell Indian Nations at home at 5:30 pm.
The 25th ranked men’s team will play Haskell Indian Nations at the conclusion of the women’s game on Friday. KILJ will be on the call for both games with the pregame show at 5:15 pm.
The men’s wrestling team will be at home tomorrow as they go against Cornell College at 6 pm.
The women’s wrestling team’s dual competition for tonight has been postponed due to weather concerns. The event has not been rescheduled yet. Their next scheduled event is February 4th at the Grand View Open.
The Tigers next indoor meet will be Saturday, January 21st, at the Hilltop Invitational.
This Day in Sports History
1896 – First college basketball game with 5 players on each side is conducted by the University of Iowa; invites student athletes from University of Chicago for an experimental game; Chicago beats Iowa 15-12.
1958 – Willie O’Ree is the 1st African-American to appear in the NHL, making his debut for the Boston Bruins in a 3-0 victory in Montreal.
1983 – IOC restores Jim Thorpe’s Olympic medals (Pentathlon & Decathlon victories) 70 years after they were taken from him for being paid $25 in semi-pro baseball.