NewsTribune sports roundup for Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023

Mendota bowler Landon Bauer earns trip to state tournament

Landon Bauer

Mendota junior Landon Bauer started strong at the Rockford Guilford Sectional on Saturday, which propelled him to an individual state tournament berth.

Bauer rolled a 1,312 six-game series to place ninth overall.

“It feels really good to qualify for state,” Bauer said. “I didn’t have the opportunity for it my freshman year because of COVID, and last year I missed the cut for sectional by 22 pins, so I feel very proud of myself and my little brother [Paxton], who made it to sectional as a freshman.”

Landon Bauer started the day with a 256 game, his highest game of the sectional.

“The first game gave me a confidence boost, for sure,” Landon Bauer said. “I wanted to try my best to keep putting up scores like that the rest of the day, but I can’t always expect to bowl how I want.”

Landon Bauer followed the 256 with a 195, 201, 221, 245 and 194.

“I came to Rockford knowing there was going to be some familiar competition who I have bowled with outside of high school, and my goal was just to bowl my best,” Landon Bauer said. “I kept myself mentally calm for the entire day and had fun. That’s why I believe I did as well as I did.”

Landon Bauer will compete in the state meet Friday and Saturday at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon.

“My goal for the state meet is to get placement,” Landon Bauer said. “That really should be anybody’s goal going to something like this, because it is an honor and a great accomplishment to make it this far in any type of sport.”

Paxton Bauer finished 66th among the 145 bowlers with a 1,148 series.

At Joliet: No area bowlers advanced out of the Plainfield North Sectional on Saturday.

La Salle-Peru’s Aaron Siebert turned in the area’s top performance, as he finished 30th with a 1,247 series.

L-P’s Chance Hank was 33rd with a 1,234 series, while St. Bede’s Haiden Ator was 39th with a 1,209.

BOYS SWIMMING

At La Salle: La Salle-Peru/Ottawa won its own pentathlon on Saturday, racking up 15,322 points to beat Pontiac by 877 points.

The Cavaliers’ Owen Phillips and Chris Lowery placed 1-2, as Phillips finished with 4,040 points and Lowery tallied 4,003.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

La Salle-Peru 58, Kaneland 55 (OT): Brooklyn Ficek hit a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to send the game to overtime, where the Cavaliers pulled out an Interstate 8 Conference victory in Maple Park.

Ficek and Addison Duttlinger each scored 12 points for L-P, while Jasmine Garman had 11 points and Olivia Shetterly added nine.

Fieldcrest 56, Eureka 48: Ashlyn May scored 17 points Saturday to help the Knights win the third-place game in the Heart of Illinois Conference/McLean County Tournament in Bloomington.

Carolyn Megow had 14 points, Macy Gochanour scored 12 points, and Kaitlin White added 10 points for Fieldcrest (20-3).

Princeton 56, Orion 36: Miyah Fox scored 15 of her game-high 23 points in the second half Saturday as the Tigresses won a Three Rivers Conference crossover in Princeton for their 20th victory of the season.

Keighley Davis added 16 points for Princeton.

Stillman Valley 61, Mendota 19: The Trojans lost a nonconference game Saturday in Stillman Valley. Reanna Brant led Mendota with 12 points.

Marquette 54, Henry-Senachwine/Lowpoint-Washburn 31: The Mallards fell in a Tri-County Conference game Saturday.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Kaneland 62, La Salle-Peru 52: The Cavaliers dropped an Interstate 8 Conference game Saturday in Maple Park.

Stillman Valley 59, Mendota 57: The Trojans fell short in a nonconference game Saturday in Stillman Valley, despite 26 points and five 3-pointers from Izaiah Nanez.

Isaac Guzman added 13 points, and Rafa Romero chipped in 12 for Mendota.

Reed-Custer 66, Hall 34: The Red Devils suffered a nonconference loss Saturday in Braidwood.

WRESTLING

At LeRoy: Princeton notched 137 points to place fourth in the Randy Bowman Invitational on Saturday.

LeRoy won with 210.5, followed by Auburn (197.5) and El Paso-Gridley (158.5).

Augustus Swanson (106 pounds) and Ace Christiansen (132) each placed second for the Tigers, while Carlos Benavidez (138) and Augie Christiansen (145) finished third.

GIRLS BOWLING

At Channahon: Makenzie Hamilton rolled a 1,074 series Saturday as La Salle-Peru placed seventh in the Minooka Invitational.

Christine Ricci added a 1,051 series for the Cavaliers.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Olive-Harvey 85, IVCC 70: Vijay Wallace scored 26 points Saturday as the Eagles lost a nonconference game in Oglesby.

DeAndre Vortes had 16 points for IVCC, while A.J. Lee added 11 points.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Olivie-Harvey 57, IVCC 50: Natali Haynes scored 19 points Saturday as the Eagles fell in a nonconference game in Oglesby.

Leah Smudzinski had 11 points for IVCC, while Elizabeth Browder added 10.