SVM area boys roundup: Sterling wins Taylorville tournament opener with last-second shot; Newman wins twice at Warkins

Sauk Valley sports roundup

Andre Klaver scored with 2.5 seconds left to cap a comeback and send Sterling to a 61-60 victory in the opener at the Taylorville Holiday Tournament on Tuesday afternoon.

The Golden Warriors (9-3) led 18-14 after one quarter and 35-30 at halftime, but fell behind 52-47 through three periods before rallying for the win.

Lucas Austin led Sterling with 20 points and eight rebounds, while JP Schilling added 15 points – on five 3-pointers – and five rebounds. Klaver chipped in 12 points for the Warriors, who will play two games on Wednesday, against Rantoul and Rochester.

Normal U-High 66, Rock Falls 50: The Rockets fell behind 21-8 in the first quarter and trailed 42-14 by halftime in a first-round loss at the State Farm Classic in Normal.

Aydan Goff had a pair of 3-pointers and led Rock Falls (4-6) with 18 points, while Timmy Heald hit three 3s and finished with 14 points. Gavin Sands and Chevy Bates both added eight for the Rockets, who will face Aurora Christian in a consolation-bracket game at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Shirk Center.

Warkins Cardinal Classic

Newman starts 2-0: The Comets won their first two games at the Warkins Cardinal Classic on Tuesday in Prophetstown, defeating Alleman 62-45 and Orion 54-25.

Newman (10-3), which played two games to finish the Forreston tournament on Monday, jumped out to a 22-8 lead on Alleman in the first quarter, then pulled away with a 16-6 scoring edge in the fourth period. Lucas Simpson scored 20 points, and Ayden Batten and Kenny Boesen added 11 points apiece; Batten hit three 3-pointers. Ten different Newman players scored in the game.

Against Orion, the Comets trailed 17-16 after the first quarter, but allowed only eight points the rest of the game, taking control with a 22-5 surge in the second quarter and an 11-1 run in the third. Simpson poured in 22 points, Nolan Britt scored 12, and Batten added 10.

Morrison sweeps on Day 1: The Mustangs defeated Mercer County 61-57 and Stockton 56-36 to earn a spot in the championship bracket at Erie.

Against Mercer County, Morrison led 29-19 at halftime, then held on after the break. Brenden Martin poured in 24 points to pace the Mustangs, while Chase Newman scored 12 and DaeShaun McQueen added 11.

Morrison outscored Stockton 31-14 in the second half, after taking a 25-22 lead into halftime. Martin had 18 points, Carson Strating scored 13, and Newman added 12 for the Mustangs.

Fulton 1-1 on Day 1: The Steamers defeated Stark County 59-31, but lost 54-51 to Riverdale at the Warkins Classic.

Fulton outscored Stark County 21-9 in the second quarter to take control, then pulled away with a 16-5 scoring edge in the third period. Ethan Price scored 21 points, and Baylen Damhoff had 20 to lead the scoring.

Against Riverdale, the Steamers trailed 19-12 after one quarter, 31-28 at halftime, and 45-39 through three periods. Price scored 23 points and Damhoff finished with 21 for Fulton, while Jake Willems scored 17 points, Ethan Kiddoo finished with 15, and Jacob Watson added 11 for Riverdale.

The Rams also defeated Stark County 60-54, leading 30-29 at halftime before outscoring the Rebels 30-25 in the second half. Willems scored 24 points, and Brody Clark had 22 for Riverdale.

Host Panthers split on Day 1: Erie-Prophetstown defeated Lena-Winslow 33-23, but lost 63-54 to Beecher on the first day at its own tournament.

The Panthers led 20-10 at halftime against Le-Win, then pulled away with an 8-3 edge in the fourth quarter. Caleb Naftzger scored 20 points.

E-P was outscored 26-11 in the second quarter and couldn’t catch up against Beecher. Naftzger had 25 points to pace the Panthers, and Michael Collins scored 14. Adyn McGinley poured in 34 points to lead Beecher.

Eastland Holiday Tournament

Amboy 0-2 on Day 1: The Clippers lost 73-30 to Galena and 90-54 to Pecatonica on the first day of the Eastland tournament in Lanark.

Amboy led 19-5 after the first quarter against Galena, but was outscored 22-5 in the second quarter, 22-0 in the third, and 17-6 in the fourth. Eddie Jones had 12 points and Troy Anderson added six for the Clippers, while Parker Studtmann’s 21 points and three 3-pointers paced the Pirates.

Pec pulled away from Amboy with a 25-15 scoring run the second quarter and a 28-15 surge in the third. Jones scored 20 points, Garrett Pertell chipped in nine, and Anderson scored seven for the Clippers. Cooper Hoffman’s 17 points led a balanced effort by the Indians, as seven players scored eight or more points.

Eastland splits at home: The Cougars defeated West Carroll 67-30 and fell 46-40 to South Beloit on the first day of their own tournament in Lanark.

Eastland jumped out to a 23-9 lead through the first quarter against the Thunder, then stretched it to 48-15 by halftime. Ethan Kessler had 13 points and Carsen Heeren scored 12 for the Cougars, while Caleb Good had 13 for West Carroll.

The Cougars led the Sobos 21-20 at halftime, but were outscored 16-8 in the third quarter and couldn’t catch up. Trevor Janssen finished with 15 points and Parker Krogman added 11 for Eastland, while Ross Robertson poured in 26 points to pace South Beloit.

West Carroll also lost 85-51 to Byron, falling behind 42-23 by halftime before the Tigers put the game away with a 28-10 scoring run in the third quarter. AJ Boardman poured in 21 points for the Thunder, and Tanner Diestelmeier had 13. Ryan Tucker and Jack Hiveley scored 11 points apiece, and Traiden Adams added 10 as all 14 Byron players scored.

The Tigers fell to South Beloit 58-52, after trying to come back from a 51-30 deficit through three quarters. Hiveley hit four 3s and finished with 27 points for Byron, while Robertson scored 28 for the Sobos.

Forreston falls twice in Lanark: The Cardinals lost 63-36 to Galena and 84-35 to Pecatonica on Day 1 at the Eastland tournament.

Forreston fell behind 17-5 in the first quarter and 42-16 by halftime against Galena. Nikolas Valenzuela’s 12 points paced the Cardinals, while Connor Glasgow had 21 and Studtmann added 15 for the Pirates.

Pec grabbed a 31-10 lead through the first quarter, then stretched it to 58-23 by halftime, and Forreston never recovered. Valenzuela had 11 points, and Brendan Greenfield and Payton Encheff both added eight for the Cardinals, while Mason Peterson scored 21 to pace Pec.

Wrestling

Rock Falls 2-2 at Sandwich: The Rockets won two of their four matches at the Sandwich Duals, defeating St. Bede 48-27 and Mendota 78-6, but falling 39-30 to Plainfield Central and 45-30 to Rockford East.

Ryan McCord (160 pounds) and Emmanuel Jamison (170) both won three contested bouts for Rock Falls, recording two pins and a decision.

Logan Williamson (132), Jason Crandall (138) and Korbin Oligney (145) each notched two pins, with Williamson’s both coming in the first minute.

Jacob Hosler (285) had a 21-second pin against St. Bede, while Pablo Cid (195) won by pin in 46 seconds against Mendota. Jason McCord (285) added a second-period pin against the Trojans.

Boys bowling

Sycamore 3,265, Sterling 3,252: The Golden Warriors won two of the three games on the road, but a 62-pin deficit in the second game sent the Spartans to a 13-pin victory at Mardi Gras Lanes in DeKalb.

Mikah Hernandez closed his 605 series with games of 220 and 201, and Mason Near opened his 602 series with games of 201 and 221 for Sterling. Tristan Oelrichs had a 546 series, Dylan Doss added a 516, Shea Hanson rolled a 509, and Brenden Stanley chipped in a 474.

Bradley Schaefer bowled a 619 series and a 242 high game to lead Sycamore.

Boys swimming

Byron co-op 4th in Rockford: The TigerSharks finished fourth at the 14-team Boylan Bash, led by Gage Helfrich’s first-place overall finish among freshmen.

Kade Politsch finished fourth overall for freshmen, and Tyson Politsch added a sixth-place finish among seniors for Byron.

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.