BMS picks up solid road win at Harrisburg

November 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Jim Muir

The Benton Middle School Junior Rangers improved to 5-1 on the young season with a solid 57-37 road victory at Harrisburg Tuesday night.

The Junior Rangers outscored Harrisburg 17-3 in the second quarter to break open a tight game and cruise to its second win in as many nights. BMS knocked off Carmi-White County on Monday night by a score of 44-35.

BMS coach John Cook, center, gives instruction to his team during a timeout at Harrisburg Tuesday night. The Junior Rangers notched a 57-37 victory to move to 5-1 on the season.

In last night’s action Harrisburg led 13-12 after one quarter but Benton ratcheted up the defense in the second quarter and rolled to a 29-16 halftime score en route to the Big 7 Conference victory.

“We made some defensive adjustments between quarters and took away some of their outside shooting,” said Cook. “It was a nice win for us on the road.”

The BMS squad could take on the handle of ‘road warriors’ with the sterling 5-1 record coming without ever playing a home game, a point that Cook said speaks volumes about his team.

“I’m thrilled with where we are at right now,” said Cook. “This is a very unselfish group of kids.”

Derek Oxford turned in a double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three assists and a pair of steals and Austin Wills also hit double figures with 12 points and also grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists.

Cook gave high marks for the play of Oxford and Wills.

“They are as good as any guard tandem you will see in junior high in Southern Illinois,” said Cook. “They do a good job of spotting up for a shot and also do a good job of finding their own shots. They can both grab a rebound and take it up the court and they really play off each other very well.”

Rounding out the scoring for BMS was Tyson Houghland with seven, Gehrig Wynn with five, Brett Bonenburger and Jordan Richey with two each. Also seeing action in the win was Oliver Davis, Scott Mosley, Blane Pankey, Hamilton Page, Parker Williams, Lance Cockrum, Tony Tillman and Jourdan Garbo.

In the seventh grade game Benton also notched a victory to remain undefeated at 3-0 with a 39-26 victory over Harrisburg. The seventh grade team, coached by Andy Davis, trailed 18-16 at halftime but outscored Harrisburg 13-1 in the decisive third quarter to cruise to the victory Leading the way for Benton was Hamilton Page with eight points, followed by Parker Williams with seven, Gehrig Wynn with five, Brett Bonenburger and Mason Wills with four each. Joey Craig added three points and Eldon Owens and Blane Pankey each chipped in two points.

– 0 —

The Benton Middle School eighth grade team picked up a hard-fought 44-35 road victory on Monday night against Carmi-White County.

The Junior Rangers trailed 12-8 at the end of one quarter and 22-20 at halftime but put together a big third quarter outscoring the Bulldogs 16-4 to take a 36-26 lead after three quarters.

Benton coach John Cook said Carmi’s game plan was to shut down the Junior Rangers leading scorer Derek Oxford, who saw double and triple teams throughout the contest. Oxford scored six points and also pulled down a game high seven rebounds.

Road Warriors – BMS eighth grade basketball team picked up another road win Tuesday night defeating Harrisburg 57-37 to improve to 5-1 – with all six games on the road. The Junior Rangers will be at home for the first time on Nov. 19 when they host Marion in a key conference battle.

“It’s not a secret that Derek (Oxford) and Austin Wills are the guys we look to go to,” said Cook. “But, we’ve got other kids that can step up which is the mark of a good team.”

Wills led Benton with 16 points and Tyson Houghland had a solid all-around game with 10 points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist.

Rounding out the Benton scoring in the game against Carmi-White County was Oliver Davis and Gehrig Wynn with five points each, and Blane Pankey with two points.

In the seventh grade contest BMS defeated Carmi-White County 36-26, jumping out to a 12-2 first quarter lead and extending it to 20-6 at the intermission.

Andy Davis’ seventh grade squad was led in scoring by Hamilton Page with 12 points followed by Brett Bonenburger and Gehrig Wynn with six points each. Bonenburger also had three rebounds, three steals and one assist while Wynn had three steals and three assists. Parker Williams turned in a solid all-around game with four points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Also scoring was Drew Owens and Mason Wills with four each and Joey Craig with two points.

The Benton Middle School seventh and eighth grade teams will finally get to play in front of a home crowd when they host Marion on Monday, Nov. 19.

 

 

Filed Under: Benton Junior High Sports, Benton News, Franklin Co. News, Junior High Sports, Uncategorized

FCA Daily Devotion – Hope

November 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Romans 5:3-5

How does one maintain a good attitude in the midst of difficult times?  How does one’s character affect these situations?  The character of a person, the true nature of his or her heart, is a continual source of either hope or despair.

The Apostle Paul continues his letter to his friends in Rome with these words in Romans 5 and verses 3 through 5, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

Hope is a confident expectation of good, based on the promises of God.  That comes from a changed character that was born of persevering through suffering.  Character has taught you to be confident and to have proper expectations.  Paul says that character produces hope and that hope doesn’t disappoint because He has put an every day reminder of His love in our hearts.  The Spirit of God is alive in us to remind us of His love and promises.  That’s what real hope looks like.

Let hope spring from your character today and prepare you for a great day of competition.

Bible Reading Plan:
John 10:22-42
I John 2:24-29
Job 12
Ezekiel 33-34

(Roger Lipe is an acclaimed author/writer and also serves as the executive director of the southern Illinois chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and chaplain for SIU Football. Follow Roger at www.sifca.org and http://sportchaplainsportmentor.blogspot.com/.)

Filed Under: High School Sports, Junior High Sports Tagged With: , , , ,

Early’s 27 points lead Saluki Men’s Basketball past New Orleans

November 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Perhaps the scheduled burial of Saluki Basketball is premature.

Picked to finish last in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, Southern Illinois opened its regular season with a dominating 72-55 win at New Orleans on Monday night, christening the Barry Hinson era with a road victory.

 

Jeff Early

Jeff Early scored a career-high 27 points, and the Salukis (1-0) demonstrated superior speed and athleticism in an entertaining, if sometimes ragged, up-tempo game.

With little in the way of front-court size, SIU’s formula for success this year — at least until Dantiel Daniels returns from injury — will be to utilize its quickness as much as possible. Southern swiped the ball on defense 13 times and scored 27 points off of turnovers, including 18 points in transition.

A full-court battle played into the hands of the explosive Early, who slashed and dashed to the basket, surpassing his previous career-best of 18 points. He added a career-high 12 rebounds to boot.

Playing the power forward position, the 6-foot-1 Early was a force on both ends of the court, diving for loose balls, taking four charges and holding UNO leading scorer Lovell Cook to nine points.

“I can’t remember a player dominating a game single-handedly as much as Jeff did tonight,” Hinson said. “Everyone has been wanting to know about that hybrid (forward) spot. How can Jeff Early play in that spot and be effective? Tonight, you saw how he can be effective.”

The Salukis took control from the opening tip, scoring the first 11 points and leading 26-6 after a breakaway dunk by Early at the 11:28 mark.

The Privateers (1-1), a program that was nearly washed away by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, is back on its feet and playing a mostly Division I schedule this season. Yet they had no answer for Southern’s quickness. They committed 27 turnovers and were harassed into shooting 35 percent from the field.

SIU led by 16 at halftime and by as many as 24 in the second half. UNO came as close as 13 points on four occasions in the final 10 minutes, but never seriously threatened a comeback.

In addition to Early’s career night, Wyoming transfer Desmar Jackson scored 17 points in his first game in nearly two years. Forward Antonio Bryer, making his first career start, made all four of his field goal attempts and finished with a career-best eight points.

To be sure, SIU has areas for improvement. Its 28 turnovers were the most since committing 29 at Tulsa on Jan. 2, 1999. Southern was also 1-of-8 from the 3-point line and committed 25 personal fouls.

None of those stats could overcome the good feeling generated by a victory that snapped a seven-game losing streak and eight-game road losing streak dating back to last season.

“The best moment was walking into the locker room and seeing the faces of the kids,” Hinson said. “This program has taken a lot of bump, and we’re going to take some bumps this year, but to go on the road and win by the margin we did tonight, and to basically dominate every category statistically, I’m really proud of our guys.”

“I think I’ll resign right now as the only undefeated coach in school history,” Hinson joked.

Filed Under: High School Sports, Junior High Sports, More Featured Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

FCA Daily Devotion – Wisdom

November 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Proverbs 3:13-14
Do you have some precious metals at home in your jewelry box?  How valuable are your rings, watches or necklaces?  What could be worth more than silver, gold, or platinum?
In Proverbs chapter 3 and verses 13 and 14, Solomon (a very rich guy) tells about something with surpassing value, “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.”
We would feel blessed if we had pounds of gold necklaces around our necks and looked like Mr. T.  Solomon says a person is really blessed if he finds wisdom and gains understanding.  To be blessed is to be contentedly happy with life.  Silver and gold can’t buy that.
Wisdom is something to be found.  It won’t sneak up on you.  It takes pursuit and tenacity to find.  Understanding is a commodity to be gained, like strength gained in the weight room.  The exciting thing is that wisdom and understanding pay greater dividends and yield more benefits than silver and gold could ever do.
In preparing for today’s competition, seek wisdom from every source available and gain understanding with every passing moment of the event.  In the end, you’ll be blessed with the greatest returns possible in athletic competition.
Bible Reading Plan:
John 10:11-21
I John 2:18-23
Job 11
(Roger Lipe is an acclaimed author/writer and also serves as the executive director of the southern Illinois chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and chaplain for SIU Football. Follow Roger at www.sifca.org and http://sportchaplainsportmentor.blogspot.com/.)
Filed Under: Franklin Co. News, High School Sports, Uncategorized

Honoring ‘Doc’

November 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Jim Muir

For more than 50 years William “Doc” Harvey worked as a veterinarian in Thompsonville, sometimes being paid and sometimes not, but always doing his job without fanfare.  And during that same five-plus decades Harvey was a pillar of the small Franklin County community, serving on the school board, the village board while carrying the label as the Thompsonville Tigers most loyal fan.

Leon McClerren, president of the Thompsonville school board, presents a plaque to Ruthy Harvey, widow of Dr. William Harvey during Blue-White Night at Thompsonville High School.

On Saturday night community and school leaders paused to offer a collective ‘thank-you’ to Harvey, who passed away last May at the age of 82.

During a ceremony at the high school’s annual Blue-White Night it was officially announced that the gymnasium at the high school will be named the William “Doc” Harvey Gymnasium.  During the ceremony that was held between the annual Alumni Game and a scrimmage of this year’s Tigers’ team, school board president Leon McClerren presented a plaque to Harvey’s widow Ruthy.  A replica of the same plaque will be displayed in the gym lobby near the entrance.  The lettering spelling out the gym’s new name was mounted on the outside of the gym last week.

Ruthy was at a loss for words when asked what her late husband would think of the dedication in his honor.

“I don’t know what to say,” she said immediately following the ceremony.  “If he was here he would know just what to say and it would probably be funny.”

Harvey graduated from Thompsonville High School in 1945 where he participated in multiple sports.  Following high school he went to college, served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War as a medic, and then went back to college to become a veterinarian.  He then returned to Thompsonville and ran his practice almost right up to the time that he passed away last May.

McClerren, who served with Harvey on the school board, said the recognition was well-deserved.

“Doc was a pillar of this community forever,” said McClerren.  “He gave so much back to the community is so many ways.  He did what he did, not to be recognized, but to make Thompsonville a better place to live, work and attend school.  He took care of people’s pets and if they could pay it was fine and if they couldn’t pay it was fine.  And he did it all without fanfare, he really cared about Thompsonville.”

Chris Grant, who serves as superintendent at Thompsonville, said once the board started entertaining ideas about naming the gymnasium the choice was obvious and unanimous.

“Except for his time at college and in the Air Force Dr. Harvey spent his entire life here in Thompsonville,” said Grant.  “And the entire time he was here he served the community in a variety of ways.”

John Robinson, assistant principal at Thompsonville, provided a story that he believed summed up the Harvey’s commitment to Thompsonville and the various sports’ programs. Robinson pointed out that Bill and Ruthy, who were the school’s unofficial No. 1 fans, did not have children but were both always present at sporting events – even on the road.

“A few years back we were playing a basketball game down at Pope County and it was a bad night, cold and wet,” Robinson said. “And I look up and Bill and Ruth are at the game.  They had no other reason to be there except to support the school and the athletes.  That says a lot about the kind of people they are and their support for all-things Thompsonville.”

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Featured, Franklin Co. News, High School Sports, Thompsonville High School Sports, Thompsonville News, Uncategorized

FCA Daily Devotion – Perseverance

November 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment
James 1:12
 
Have you ever met someone who seems to glow with enthusiasm and zest for life?  Have you ever talked with that person and asked from where that glow comes?  In the Bible we are given a good idea about the source of life that comes with a crown.
In the apostle James’ letter at chapter 1 and verse 12 he writes, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been proven he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”  Most of us have experienced some kind of trial.  Trials like sitting too many minutes on the bench, the death of a friend or family member, watching our parents’ marriage crumble, or battling with cancer just to stay alive.
James says that when we persevere under trial we will receive something called the crown of life and it will make us blessed.  To be blessed is to be contentedly happy, that would be nice, huh?
What might the crown of life look like?  Have you ever seen anyone who has been through the fires of life and has come out the other side with grace and enthusiasm for life?  You probably know someone who wears the crown of life every day.  That same crown has been promised to us if we persevere under our trials.
Let’s press on, through the hard times, through feeling unappreciated and under utilized, through broken relationships and physical pains.  There is a crown waiting for us at the finish line.  Press on toward the crown and toward being blessed of the Lord.
Bible Reading Plan:
John 10:1-10
I John 2:12-17
Ezekiel 29-30
Roger Lipe is an acclaimed author/writer and also serves as the executive director of the southern Illinois chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and chaplain for SIU Football. Follow Roger at www.sifca.org and http://sportchaplainsportmentor.blogspot.com/.
Filed Under: High School Sports, Junior High Sports, Living Tagged With: , ,

FCA Daily Devotion – Endurance

November 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Hebrews 12:1
How would you characterize your season of competition, more like a sprint or a marathon?  Which one requires more perseverance, the ten second race or the two hour race?  Those answers are obvious, but the keys to such perseverance and endurance are a little more elusive.
The letter to the Hebrews mentions such values in chapter 12 and verse 1, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
I have a friend who is an 8 time winner of the Boston Marathon, in a wheelchair!  Jean Driscoll knows what endurance is.  To win that race requires going 26.2 miles in a wheelchair, in just over 1 and ½ hours.  That’s fast and fast for a long time.  That’s what endurance looks like.
Your course is set before you this season, it’s called a schedule.  We can all see it, but can we all finish it with endurance?  We certainly can if we’ll heed the instructions from the earlier parts of the verse.  We must keep our predecessors in mind for inspiration and encouragement.  We must lay aside those things which weigh us down and ensnare our lives.  Lastly, we must compete every day with the end of the season in mind.  Let’s compete for a championship and approach every day of practice and each competition like champions.
Bible Reading Plan:
John 9:26-41
Job 9:21-35
Ezekiel 27-28
Roger Lipe is an acclaimed author/writer and also serves as the executive director of the southern Illinois chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and chaplain for SIU Football. Follow Roger at www.sifca.org and http://sportchaplainsportmentor.blogspot.com/.
Filed Under: High School Sports, Junior High Sports, Living Tagged With: , ,

BMS Rangerettes improve to 7-0 with win over Pinckneyville

November 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Shane Dyel

The Benton Middle School Rangerettes moved to 7-0 on the young basketball season with a 49-28 drubbing of Pinckneyville on Wednesday night. It was the Rangerettes third victory in as many nights on the week. Ally Gischer led the Rangerettes in scoring with 16 points.

Coach Mark Dyel said he entered the game with some concern about the fatigue factor playing a role.

“Before the game I was a little worried how much energy we had left after two tough games earlier,” Dyel said. “We were a little short-handed after Kenedee Kendrick was hurt Tuesday night.”

The Rangerettes jumped out to a 12-3 lead after one quarter, increasing the lead to 16 by halftime. After a back and forth beginning to the third quarter, Benton put the game away with a late 8-0 run to end the quarter.

Supporting Gischer’s 16, the Rangerettes had balanced scoring with Alexis Abney, Makayla Abney and Kaylee Pedigo all scoring eight points and Cristen Shaw chipping in with seven.

Dyel gave high marks to his team’s unselfish play.

“When we distribute the ball and get scoring from all five starters we can be hard to handle,” said Dyel. “I like the way we are looking for everyone to score.”

Makayla Abney led Benton’s dominance on the boards by grabbing 14 rebounds, six on the offensive end.  Ebby Casey provided a defensive spark off the bench for the Rangerettes with five steals.

Benton’s 7th grade team dropped a heart-breaker to Pinckneyville 27-24 to even their record to 2-2. Coach Danielle Clyden commented,” We were short-handed with Kendrick out but the girls battled hard the whole game. This was our third close game in three nights.”

Benton returns to action next Tuesday with a home game against Harrisburg.

 

Filed Under: Benton Junior High Sports, Franklin Co. News, Junior High Sports, Uncategorized

FCA Daily Devotion – Hindrances

November 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Hebrews 12:1
What is the single greatest hindrance to you as you compete?  Is it a lack of concentration?  Maybe it’s a physical limitation?  Could it be a nagging fear of failure?  How can these things be overcome?  Let’s consider an idea from the Bible.
The writer of Hebrews had certainly seen the competitions of his day and he writes with reference to them in chapter 12 and verse 1, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
The writer would have seen the athletes of the ancient world strip off all their clothes in order to compete unencumbered by the robes common to Greek culture.  That’s what he means when he says to lay aside every weight.  He encourages us to lay aside the things which weigh us down as we compete.
For us, it’s not usually clothes that weigh us down.  More often it’s a bad habit, a foolish attitude, a selfish lifestyle or an unhealthy relationship that hinders us as we compete.  The solution to the hindrance is still the same, lay it aside.
You wouldn’t dream of competing in a wet, heavy overcoat.  So why be weighed down by other things which are equally detrimental to your personal and corporate goals?  Lay it aside!  You and your team will be better because of your good choices.  Let that kind of selfless attitude characterize today’s competition.
Bible Reading Plan:
John 9:1-12
I John 1:1-4
Job 8
Ezekiel 22-23
Filed Under: Franklin Co. News, High School Sports, Junior High Sports, Living, Uncategorized

BMS Rangerettes move to 5-0 with win over West Frankfort

November 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Shane Dyel

The Benton Middle School Rangerettes move to 5-0 on the season with a victory over cross-county rival West Frankfort Lady Redbirds 60-37.

The Rangerettes outscored the Lady Redbirds 36-15 over the 2nd and 3rd quarters after trailing by one at the end of the first quarter.

Coach Mark Dyel called the win “a total team victory.”

‘’We dominated the boards and played aggressive defense,” Dyel said.

Makayla Abney, one of four Benton players in double figures, led the Rangerettes in scoring with 19 points. Joining her in double figures was Ally Gischer with 12 points, Cristen Shaw with 10 points, Alexis Abney also with 10 points. Rounding out the scoring for the Rangerettes was Kenedee Kindrick with 6 points, Sydney Browning 2, and Kaylee Pedigo with one.

“We did a nice job distributing the ball tonight,” Dyel said.  “We had 19 assist on 28 baskets.”

Benton’s 7th grade team won a nail biter 23-22 in overtime.

‘’The girls really played hard,” said Coach Danielle Clyden. “It was really good to get our first win of the year.”

The Rangerettes return to action Tuesday night versus Marion at Benton High Consolidated High School.

Filed Under: Benton Junior High Sports, High School Sports, Junior High Sports, Uncategorized
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