12-13-2024 Normal Community West High School Wildcats Basketball defeated by Richwood Knights

  From my chair, the West v Richwoods varsity boys basketball game looked closer than it ended up. West fell short on a 50-36 game. West has what seems to be an unusually young bunch of ballers with just 3 seniors on the team. Two or three of the starters for this game were sophomores and very hard working young men!

Be sure to check out all this games and this seasons photos at https://alanlookphotography.zenfoliosite.com

Bradley takes down Illinois State in Redbird Arena!

Redbird Arena - 2-16-2019 Bradley at Illinois State

The Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball outcomes have been absolutely unpredictable this season.  A few games back, Illinois State defeated Loyola to take the lead in the conference.  Last night they lost to a struggling Bradley team.  Actually, Bradley has been staging a bit of a comeback the last few seasons, albeit a slow one.  But, nothing seems to happen overnight with maybe the exception of the Loyola Rambler cinderella team last season...Devine Intervention?

The game has always been a rivalry, but in recent years it's been beat up.  This game, 9000 people filed in to the 'nest' to watch the game.  Some accounts say the contingent of Braves fans that travelled 40 miles from Peoria were more energized.  Maybe so, so much red in Redbird that I couldn't tell the fans apart by just looking up.  Still, the rivalry wasn't like it was in its heydays a dozen plus years ago when the thunderous crowds could have been heard halfway to Peoria... the years my ears would ring for days and I'd swear I'd wear hearing protection the next year.

Enough of my ramblings...  The Valley is truly up for grabs this season.  Arch Madness is going to have to sort it all out.  Here's to hoping the 'Birds are healthy and bring their best game.

a fairly small Photo Gallery!  Hope you enjoy looking!

Redbirds tackle Panthers at 107th Mid-America Classic football game

The Illinois State Redbirds defeated the Eastern Illinois Panthers on September 8, 2018 at the 107th playing of the Mid-America Classic held at Hancock Stadium in Normal Illinois.  The combination of Brady Davis at quarterback coupled with runners and receivers Spencer Schnell, Markel Smith and James Robinson provided many of the highlights.  The Panthers used 3 or more players at the quarterback position and couldn't seem to get started against the Redbird defense.

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Images are available for licensing from the Best Look in Sports Action Photography in Bloomington-Normal, Alan Look Photography.

Ironmen topple undefeated Richwoods Knights

In a game riddled with technical fouls against the Knights, the Ironmen topple the Knights undefeated season by a score of 68-51.  In the first half, a technical foul was levelled against the Knights bench that effectively took the bench out of the rest of the game fearing that 2nd foul that would have prevented someone on that bench from participating in the next game.  To more technicals came in the 4th quarter.  The second on in the 4th quarter was called while the shots were being taken for the first!

Birds make comeback run, but fall short against Racers

A fairly uneventful first half led to a 2nd half full of excitement as the Racers of Murray State visited Redbird Arena to play basketball against the Illinois State Redbirds.  Refs whistles came alive in the 2nd have creating some tension and escalating the level of play.  The Racers at one point mounted a double digit lead of 13.  The lead only changed one time, with the Redbirds giving it up to the Racers.  Late in the game, the Redbirds had trimmed the lead to one possession, but a couple of miscues evaporated the chance of taking the lead back to win the game.  Final score on the board was 78-72.

Jacksonville Crimson battles back but can't undo UHigh Pioneers lead

Normal University High Pioneers hosted the Crimson of Jacksonville on Friday night winning both the junior varsity and varsity boys basketball games.  Joe Brown, a sophomore had a personal game high best in scoring by putting in 11 points in the second quarter and ending out the game with 15 total.  The Pioneers enjoyed a lead of 15 points in the 3rd quarter, but the Crimson wasn't ready to shutdown yet, pulling back to within 6 points.  Four free throws sealed the game late for the Pioneers with a pair being hit by both Doug Holmes and Joe Brown.  Pioneers at the buzzer by 8, 59-51.

Lady Titans defeat Thunder in CCIW play

The Illinois Wesleyan Lady Titans started 4 local ladies against the Titans.  On the floor at the tip off were Seniors Rebekah Ehresman (EP-G), Molly McGraw (CCHS), Junior Maddie Merritt (TVHS), Sophomore Sydney Shanks (CCHS) with the 5th starter a Junior from Nokomis, Ashley Schneider.

The game progressed with both teams taking scoring runs and exchanging the lead.  Close to midway through the 3rd quarter, the score was tied at 61.  The Titans made the adjustments and ended the competition on top 88 to 81.

The Titans had 4 players in double figures.  Rebekah Ehresman dropped in 16 to lead the Titans with Maddie Merritt and Kendall Sosa both adding 15. Raven Hughes rounded out those in double digits with 12.  Hannah Frazier led the Thunder with 25 points and Maggie Dansdill with 19.  The only other Thunder player in double digits was Jennifer Berg with 13.

Heyworth Hornets girls host travelling trophy for very first time!

The Heyworth girl's basketball team on paper is short on experience, especially in the depth of the bench.  The roster shows 4 seniors and the rest are all sophomores.  The lack of juniors would normally signal an alarm, and it probably does in this situation as well. The 4 seniors take the center, forward and one guard positions, whilst the starting sophomore handles the point guard duties.  It served them well in the defeat of the Eureka Hornets.  When I first looked up at the scoreboard it read 21-7, Heyworth in charge.  Eureka managed to bring it back to within 5 a couple of times, but Heyworth ended the comp at the buzzer with a 67-56 victory.  The sophomores that came in from the bench showed great poise and potential.  The Hornets outlook is good.

Eureka had hosted the travelling trophy since the end of last year, their first year of eligibility after joining the HOIC.  Us old timers know that those golden globed trophies started their existence in the McLean County Tournament.  It always warms our hearts to see them inside our county lines.  Thank you to the Heyworth Hornets for bringing it back home.  It's tradition!

I must also mention that (and most that know me at least subconsciously know this) I have a specially good time photographing refs and coaches.  Coach Tony Griffin is becoming one of my favorites.  Lots of emotion, lots of animation and all exactly in the right place!

Go Hornets!

Be sure to check the Alan Look Photography facebook page for discount codes on prints and files!

Ridgeview Girls defeat the armor of Blue Ridge

The Blue Ridge Lady Knights and the Ridgeview Mustangs tipped off Heart of (HOIC) play on the 27th of November on Kellars Court in Colfax.  The Mustangs moved out to a 12-2 start and held the lead throughout the competition soundly defeating the Knights at the final buzzer by 36 points.

Ridgeview Girls defeat the armor of Blue Ridge

The Blue Ridge Lady Knights and the Ridgeview Mustangs tipped off Heart of (HOIC) play on the 27th of November on Kellars Court in Colfax.  The Mustangs moved out to a 12-2 start and held the lead throughout the competition soundly defeating the Knights at the final buzzer by 36 points.

Pioneers and Raiders top their opponents in Intercity play by a combined 7 points.

Boys Intercity always has a couple good rivalry games.  For years, the Central Catholic Saints and the University High Pioneers have had a pretty good one.  This years seems no different, maybe even a little moreso since they are now in different conferences.  The whole game was a back and forth affair that had the Saints trailing most of the night.  They closed the gap in the 4th quarter and nearly won it in the last minutes with a foul to get the ball back strategy.  In the end, the Pioneers remained on top by 4.

BHS and NCHS have had a rivalry for years, even before Normal West came to exist.  The game last night was between the West Wildcats and the Bloomington Raiders.  They also have a rivalry, but with 2 of the best players in the state - one on each team - the game took on a tone of its own.  The Shirk Center was 3 rows deep of standing room only during the 4th quarter of the earlier game.  At the start of this affair the SRO had dwindled to just one row.  Lots of fans stayed to watch this game.  The game didn't disappoint.  There were at least 4 dunks, 2 intentional fouls and one good discussion between an official and a coach.  It was maybe the best high school basketball game we have seen in 5 years.  In the end, the Raiders took it by 3 points.

MVC Volleyball Tournament served up at Redbird Arena

For the first time since 2006, the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Volleyball Tournament is being held at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal Illinois.  Participating teams are the Drake Bulldogs, Indiana State Sycamores, Valparaiso Crusaders, Illinois State Redbirds, Missouri State Bears and Northern Iowa Panthers.  The Bears pulled in the #1 ranking followed by the Panthers as #2.  Both teams had the first round off.  The Redbirds ranked 3rd.  Surviving the 1st round were the Sycamores and the Redbirds.  Round two will pit the Sycamores against the Bears and the Redbirds against the Panthers. 

Litwiler puts on 3 point show during Quincy Hawks loss to Illinois State Redbirds

If you skipped last nights game at Redbird Arena, you missed a good game to watch some of the players that don't dust the floor very often.  Among those was Luke Litwiler, a walk on from Olympia High School who hit 3 points from beyond the arch and narrowly missed a 4th bringing the crowd to their feet!

Heyworth Boys survive visit from Warrensburg Latham Cardinals

In what looked like it would be a runaway win for the Hornets in the beginning of each half ended with a 2 point lead for the Hornets as they got possession of the ball with split seconds left avoiding a last second tie by the Cardinals. The Hornets successfully hit a lot of outside shots for 3 points.

From media day to Bison, August sun to November snow

We've seen the last of Hancock Stadium till at least the fall football practices.  Our season started this year doing something we hadn't done in many years - attending Media Day.  It was different this year than what we had been to in the past, but it was hot and productive in August... except the formal presser in the box with Brock.  Moving on to the month of September the first game against Butler seemed to come fast, but for the teams with 6 weeks of practice we are told it was an eternity.  After Butler there was a delay to get to have the 2nd home game on the last day of the same month.  October games are always fun with Homecoming and Family Day.  November is always the month of consideration from the time the very first schedule is announced.  November games can go either way weatherwise.  This year, we got 3 seasons in one 3 hour game!  Summer rain, falls freezing rain and winters mix of snow, they all arrived with the Bison.

A seasons worth of images will now keep the memories...

Titans top Scots at Shirk

At the final buzzer, the Illinois Wesleyan Titans 94 and the Alma Scots 75. On the path to get there, Brady Rose scores 35 while connecting on 6 three pointers. Brady had the company of Zach Knobloch who broke the schools 3 point record with 10 three point shots upsetting the standing record by Bryce Dolan who had 8. Knobloch was playing his 2nd game as a Titan after transferring as a sophomore from Wisconsin Whitewater. Jalen Beasley grabbed a career best 12 rebounds. The Titans move to 2-0 on the season. The Scots fall to 0-2.

Who won the 2016 IHSA Class 1a boys basketball championship?

Best Look Magazine - LeRoy Basketball Championship Issue

By Alan Look in Best Look Magazine

32 pages, published 3/13/2016

Best Look Magzine - LeRoy Panther 2016 IHSA Class 1A Basketball Championship Commemorative Issue

The LeRoy Panthers took the championship game 38-35!

 -Chimper

Heyworth Hornets hosts Gibson City Melvin Sibley (GCMS) Falcons

Well, 3 times in one season we've covered the Heyworth Hornets at home.  It was the fall of 1976 since we last did that!

The night wasn't too kind to the Hornets.  GCMS is a force to be reckoned with this year.  If they have lost a game, I couldn't tell you who beat them.  We saw them in week one against LeRoy and the story was much the same.  The crowd was a little lighter this trip to the Hornets field than it was the other 2 times.  Not sure if everyone was expecting this lopsided affair or if they just stayed home to watch the Cubs in the Division Series in St. Louis against the Cardinals for the first time in history of the MLB.

Watch the Normalite Newspapers (Heyworth Buzz), Best Look Magazine for more covered provided by Alan Look Photography - Bloomington-Normal's Best Look in Sports Action Photography.


20151009 GCMS at Heyworth football photos - Images by Alan Look
 - chimper

Heyworth host Tremont for Homecoming

Friday Night September 25, the Heyworth High School Hornets hosted the Tremont Turks for the Hornets homecoming football game.  As we drove to the game, it was kind of deja vu of the 2nd week of the season when we also covered the Hornets in Heyworth at clouds started backing in from the Northeast.  The resulting sunset was nearly the same as week two - vivid brilliant colors providing back light for silhouettes of some houses and birds flying just west of the field.  The playing conditions were night and day.  The clouds cleared off to reveal a brilliant moon and there was no precipitation or lightning in the area to prevent any action on the field.

Our star of the night was the Homecoming King, Cole Sinn who seemed to have about twice as much will and fire as the next Hornet on the field.  The Queen this year was Lydia Martens.

Please look for more coverage in the Heyworth Buzz - a Normalite Newspaper, and in Best Look Magazine.  The image show below is complements of Alan Look Photography - Bloomington Normal's Best Look in Sports Action Photography.

20150925 Tremont Turks at Heyworth Hornets football photos - Images by Alan Look

 - Chimper

Augustana Vikings take the IWU Titans in a Women's Volleyball Match

On Tuesday September 22, the Vikings from Augustana pried a seesaw volleyball match from the Titans.  The match went 5 sets.  The 4th set went to a two point overrun in order for the Vikings to take it.  They also got the best in the 1st and last sets.  The Titans took the 2nd and 3rd sets, both by the score of 25-21.  Nicole Morrissey let the Vikings with 20 kills while Kyleigh Block had 23 for the Titans.  Also for the Vikings were Kylie Siebert with 27 digs and Hannah Lindaman with 23 assists.  Leading those categories for the Titans were Mary Rankin with 44 digs and Colleen Rynne with 33 assists.  The Titans now have a record of 10-3 overall and are 0-1 in the conference.

See Alan Look Photography for some great photos and the November issue of Best Look Magazine for more coverage.

 - Chimper



20150922 Augustana Vikings at Illinois Wesleyan Titans volleyball photos - Images by Alan Look