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D16 The Register-Mail, Galesburg, Ill. Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 WB6 GIRLS Western Big 6 Conference At a Glance Alleman — The Pioneers last year put together their eighth straight season of at least 20 wins and won a regional for the second year in a row. Junior A.J. Ledbetter, a first-team all-conference pick last year, should pick up much of the slack left by Mollie Yeargle, who averaged 12.3 points and made 85 percent of her free throws last year. Galesburg — This season figures to be a big test for the Silver Streaks, who have had as consistent a program as any during coach Evan Massey’s tenure. Galesburg has some talented young players, with the key word being “young.” How sophomore guard Jessica Howard and junior forward Myneka Warner fare night in and night out may determine the team’s fate this season. Moline — The Maroons figure to be the head of the league’s class again one of the top teams in the state in Class 4A after going 23-8 and winning a regional last season. Moline is led by sophomore forward Marquisha Fowler, who led the Maroons in points and rebounds last year, and a large senior class that won the WB6 sophomore title two years ago. Quincy — The Blue Devils struggled throughout last season and are likely to see more of the same this year. One bright spot is the return of 6-2 senior center Emily Hart, an honorable mention all-state selection a year ago. Rock Island — The Rocks could find themselves in the top half of the WB6 standings with senior forward and leading returning scorer Jackie Wehrle leading the way. Last year’s 12-15 record was just the third losing season for Rock Island in Rod Leatherman’s 14 seasons there. United Township — The Panthers have a pair of player they can rely on in seniors Lauren Johnson (firstteam all-WB6) and Alyssa Busch (honorable mention). Can they get enough out of other players on the roster to be serious contenders at the top of the standings? PRIME TIMERS Rutzen going for award ‘3-peat’ 1. Miriam Rutzen (West Central): Opposing coaches only have one more year to gameplan for the West Central all-stater with futile results. Rutzen has been dominant since her sophomore season, winning The Register-Mail Player of the Year honor the last two seasons, and this year she is easily the favorite. Her athleticism is unmatched in the area. Rutzen has on-court intelligence, too, as evidenced by her signing with Harvard. 2. Jenna Tompkins (North Fulton): Tompkins is another returner for the Register-Mail’s all-area team and headlines a very talented North Fulton team that finished 20-8 last season. Tompkins affects the game offensively (15 points) and defensively. She may be asked to do less this season with four starters returning. 3. Ashley Coffey (West Central): The other part of West Central’s devastating interior, Coffey broke out last season and earned secondteam all-state honors. A beast in the paint, Coffey averaged 18 points and attacks the glass. 4. Hannah Weedman (Knoxville): As new coach Matt Gibson said, Hannah Weedman is a once-in-a-life- AREA GIRLS BASKETBALL KEN EXUM/The Register-Mail West Central’s Miriam Rutzen is going for her third straight Register-Mail Player of the Year award. time opportunity to coach at the high school level. The six-foot-three Weedman showed her raw skills as a junior last season and Gibson will look to refine those skills. She has good feet for such a big player and alters how opposing team’s attack Knoxville with her defense. 5. Kelsey Kovacik (ROWVA): Kovacik returns for her junior season at ROWVA after averaging 10 points last season. A guard, Kovacik has athleticism and an ability to score. She will be asked to up her scoring this season. R-M TOP 3 Heat start where they finished 1. West Central. The Heat were upset in the ROWVA Sectional final last season and return arguably the best inside duo in Class 1A with Miriam Rutzen and Ashley Coffey. Jay Blender takes over the program after last year’s Register- Mail Coach of the Year left Brad Jackson to take a job closer to his home at Aledo. 2. North Fulton. Jenna Tompkins returns to headline an experienced North Fulton squad that finished 20-8 last season. The team lacks height but has an arsenal of talented guards. 3. Knoxville. Haley Jones, an all-area player last year, graduated and coach Rick Cline was let go, but new coach Matt Gibson has a proven track record and Knoxville should again be one of the top teams in the area. Gibson, the architect of Carl Sandburg College’s illustrious girls basketball program, will look to refine six-foot-three Hannah Weedman’s raw talents.
LINCOLN TRAIL CONFERENCE GIRLS Blender comes back to assume state’s No. 1 team BY ZACK CREGLOW The Register-Mail Twenty years have passed since Jay Blender last coached varsity girls basketball at the now-defunct Union High School, but the long-time boys coach who inherited the West Central girls squad, one of the top programs in Class 1A, believes little has changed. “It’s not that much of a change. Basketball is basketball,” said Blender, who served as the West Central boys coach and athletic director until Brad Jackson left the girls program last spring to coach Aledo. “The biggest difference is just the strength and explosiveness. But the X’s and O’s are just the same.” If there is a learning curve, Blender will have plenty of help. The Heat carried the mantle of the top-ranked team heading into the postseason and lost a heartbreaker to Brimfield in the sectional finals last year. Three starters graduated from that team, but two all-state candidates in Miriam Rutzen and Ashley Coffee return for another push to state. Rutzen, the two-time reigning Register-Mail girls basketball player of the year and first-team all-state pick, averaged 18.6 points, 12 rebounds and 5.1 steals a game last year and has signed with Harvard. Coffey was good for 17.7 points and 10.2 rebounds a game last year and finished with all-area and second-team allstate honors, re-teaming with Rutzen to form the area’s most vaunted duo. “We definitely want them to have touches on the offensive end and use their athleticism on the defensive end,” Blender said. But the team has to replace point guard Rachele Jack, no short order. Jack was the team’s leading scorer at 18.8 and her frenetic pace was the engine that drove West Central’s trademark up-tempo style. Ashli Burg, who played extensively as a sophomore last year, gets the first crack at taking over the point, but the barnstorming style of basketball that has been West Central’s trademark the last three seasons may be toned down a bit. “I don’t think you replace them. You just adapt and try to figure out what’s going to work for this group of girls,” Lincoln Trail at a Glance AlWood Brian Brooks gets his first crack at head coaching varsity basketball after switching from his job as the boys assistant to take over the girls program. He assumes control of a team that finished 7-19 last year but returns four of its five starters from then. The tandem to watch are junior twin sisters Michelle and Stephanie Williams, who will be three-year starters this winter. Annawan Matt Huber returns a loaded squad with three starters back from last year’s 19-10 squad, including scoring dynamo sophomore Kelly Buresh. Princeville Princeville (19-10) finished the conference season at 8-3 and are considered by many opposing coaches to be among the upper rung of the league. Kelly Buresh (21.9 points) will be a force again in the post. Aledo In its final year before consolidation with Westmer, the Green Dragons will look to climb out of the LTC cellar. But it’ll be difficult to make much movement northward in the standings this season, as three conference teams were ranked in the first state poll, topped by West Central at No. 1. Galva The Wildcats made a push in the league last year, finishing in fourth place at 6-4 in conference. But Galva has to find someone to fill the voids left by Karly Johnston’s (12.1 points) and Taylor Milliken’s (6.2 rebounds) graduation. LTC, Page D18 Blender said. “We will try to transition but we don’t have the guards. You lose a Rachele Jack ... we just don’t have that point guard right now. Our system will be good solid defense. We want to have The Register-Mail, Galesburg, Ill. Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 low turnover and take good shots.” After two weeks of practice, the team is making Blender’s job less difficult. “They are adjusting fine. We will still try to push the D17 ball in transition and get the easy baskets,” Blender said. “They want to do that and it’s fun, so we are still going to get out and run. We just have to decide who will handle the ball in those situations.”
Page 1 and 2: Winter Sports The Register-Mail Thu
Page 3 and 4: GALESBURG BOYS BASKETBALL Streaks e
Page 5 and 6: PRAIELAND CONFERENCE BOYS BASKETBAL
Page 7 and 8: Abingdon Nov. 24-29 — at AlWood B
Page 9 and 10: OLYMPIC CONFERENCE BOYS BASKETBALL
Page 11 and 12: LTC BOYS Galva From Page D10 He hop
Page 13 and 14: Aledo Nov. 17-19 — at Cranberry C
Page 15: Streaks From Page D11 Galesburg’s
Page 19 and 20: PRAIRIELAND AT A GLANCE Abingdon Ro
Page 21 and 22: GALESBURG HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SWIMMING
Page 23 and 24: Knox Men’s Basketball Dec. 5 —
Page 25 and 26: After years in cellar, Knox goes ne
Page 27 and 28: CARL SANDBURG BASKETBALL CSC men re

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