SVM area roundup: Sterling boys notch lopsided win in season opener; Newman boys move into tourney semifinal at Oregon

Sauk Valley sports roundup

The Sterling boys basketball team dominated from the start in its season opener Wednesday night at the Strombom Holiday Tournament in Sycamore, defeating Rochelle 75-37.

The Golden Warriors (1-0) jumped out to a 20-7 in the first quarter, then stretched it to 53-16 by halftime with a 33-9 scoring edge in the second period.

Andre Klaver led a balanced Sterling attack with 16 points, and JP Schilling and Kyle Billings both finished with 15. Lucas Austin scored nine, and Kaedon Phillips added eight.

Eli Luxton led the Hubs with 11 points, and Chandler Cunningham had eight.

Oregon tournament

Newman 69, Harvard 44: The Comets got a pair of 20-point performances as they moved into the championship semifinals of the Oregon Thanksgiving Tournament.

Ayden Batten hit five 3-pointers and poured in 29 points, and Lucas Simpson scored 23 for Newman (2-0), which led 21-10 after the first quarter, 31-19 at halftime, and 44-33 through three periods before outscoring the Hornets 25-11 in the fourth.

Nine different players scored for Newman, which will face the winner of Friday’s Morrison-Milledgeville game in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Adam Cooke led Harvard with 18 points, and Connor Peterson added 11.

Morrison 67, Oregon 66: The host Hawks suffered their second one-point loss in as many games, as the Mustangs rallied from a four-point halftime deficit to win their season opener.

Chase Newman had 23 points, and Danny Mouw hit four 3-pointers and finished with 17 for Morrison (1-0), which outscored the Hawks 20-13 in the third quarter to take the lead. Carson Strating scored 10, and Daeshaun McQueen hit a pair of 3s and added nine points.

Jordan Croegaert led Oregon (0-2) with 17 points, Evan James had 15, and Jameson Caposey added 13. Noah Johnson scored eight for the Hawks, who led 22-14 after the first quarter and 35-31 at halftime.

Geneseo tournament

Kewanee 51, Erie-Prophetstown 44: The Panthers were outscored 29-23 in the second and third quarters in a close loss in their season opener at the Geneseo Thanksgiving Tournament.

Michael Collins led the way with 18 points for Erie-Prophetstown, and Noah Wiseley finished with 14.

Brady Clark had 20 points for Kewanee, and Blaise Lewis scored 15.

Wethersfield tournament

Wethersfield 55, Bureau Valley 52: The Storm lost to the host Flying Geese at the Wally Keller Invitational.

Cooper Balensiefen scored 14 points to pace Bureau Valley (1-2), while Corban Chhim had 13 points and Landon Hulsing added 10.

Orion tournament

Mercer County 53, Fulton 32: The Steamers were outscored in every quarter in a loss at the 10 & 32 Tip-Off Classic.

Baylen Damhoff had 10 points, Ethan Price scored nine, and Brayden Dykstra added seven for Fulton (1-1), which trailed 12-8 after one quarter, 27-16 at halftime, and 39-22 through three periods.

Chase Olson’s 15 points paced the Golden Eagles, while Colby Cox scored 12 and Lucas Collison chipped in 10.

Tuesday’s late result

Wrestling

Dixon splits in Rochelle: The Dukes defeated Burlington Central 55-24, but fell to the host Hubs 51-25 in their season opener on the road.

Owen Brooks had a pair of pins at 182 pounds to lead Dixon (1-1), while Jayce Kastner (160) won by decision and technical fall, and Steven Kitzman (170) won by major decision and overtime decision.

James Simpson (132), Konner Koehler (152), William Howell (195) and Ethan Mick (220) won by pin against Burlington Central, and Cade Hey (138) added a tech fall against Rochelle.

Ty Reynolds

Ty Reynolds

Ty is the Sports Editor at Sauk Valley Media, and has covered sports in the Sauk Valley for more than two decades.