Morrisonville Mohawks 7th Grade Regional Champions! Mohawks 7th Grade staged an incredible comeback from a 10-point deficit to defeat New Berlin 52-47 in overtime on Thursday. Congratulations to the Mohawks!!!!

Submitted picture

Pictured back row Coach Michael Daugherty, Nic Clavin, Logan Lush, Logan Dunkirk, Korbin Rovey, Aiden Edge, Coach Chris Paproth Middle: Carley LaMacchia, Paxton Sidwell, Kaden Lawson, Case Sorrill, Junior Edwards, Keegan Nudo, Greyson Schneider, Levi Miller, Charlotte Grundy 

Front: Mika Deardorf, Maddison Yard, Kessa Stephens, Addi Stone, Carley Brockmeyer, Emma Grundy, Delilah Mendoza

The Taylorville Tornadoes put in one heckuva effort but couldn't get the job done against the speedy Rochester Rockets who used an onslaught of threes and zone defense with heavy full court pressure to defeat the Taylorville Tornadoes 59-46.  

A good crowd on hand came to see the game with both sides; visitor and home packed as it felt like a playoff game.  Taylorville Head Coach Ryan Brown saying it felt like a home game.  He also mentioned that this is the first time that he has coached that both teams have been over .500. 

The Tornadoes and Rockets went neck and neck starting out but the Rockets pulled away in the closing moments of the first to jump out to a 20-13 lead.  In the second it was much more even with the Rockets controlling the first half of the second and Taylorville controlling the second half.  Going into the locker room at halftime, Taylorville trailed 35-25.  

The Tornadoes came out hot in the third quarter after some adjustments and really cut the Rockets lead outscoring Rochester 13-9 and heading into the fourth trailing 44-38.  The Tornadoes would get within four trailing 44-40 when the Tornadoes missed a few shots and Rochester hit a couple of baskets back to back.  The Rockets never looked back outscoring Taylorville 16-8 in the fourth and winning the game. 

Coach Ryan Brown said it was important that the team go back and review the fourth quarter and see what happened as Taylorville had their chances. Baron Odam was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game for his gritty defense and 11 points on offense. 

Coach Ryan Brown praised the team for their tenacity and heart calling it one of the best games heart wise. He also maintained that while the final score won't look good, he was proud of the effort from his team. 

For Rochester, The Gregory's; Khornell, Khordell, and Khorbin proved too tough combining for 26 points. Eli Cox would also have 16. 

Point totals for Taylorville:

Baron Odam: 11

Drake Howard: 11

Clark Durbin: 6

Owen Younker: 6

Brock Brown: 6

Malique Pearse: 4

Maddyx Owens: 2

Shey Champley was sick and couldn't make the game.  Get well soon Shey! The Tornadoes next face Charleston at home on Friday at 7 PM. The Rockets improve to 15-6 while Taylorville falls to 12-9. 

The Taylorville Tornadoes gave everything they could on Friday night against the Triad Knights falling short.  They were not about to let it happen again on Saturday night beating Mattoon 61-55.  Taylorville boys basketball jumped out to a 20-8 lead in the first quarter thanks to 10 from Clark Durbin and were feeling good.

By the time the second quarter started, the boys were just simply out of energy.  In fact, the first four minutes of the second quarter nobody scored.  Both sides went scoreless until a couple free throws from Mattoon 3:30 seconds into the second.  Taylorville did hold a ten-point lead at halftime 26-16 as Mattoon outscored the Tornadoes 8-6.  Coming out of halftime it was all Green Wave who thanks to a halfcourt trap and a plethora of players scoring outscored Taylorville 22-12 sending the game into the fourth quarter all tied up at 38.  

Taylorville head coach Ryan Brown called a timeout early in the fourth quarter and Taylorville gave every little bit of energy they could outscoring Mattoon 23-17 and clinching third place in the Rick McGraw invitational as they beat the Green Wave 61-55. 

Clark Durbin was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game for 18 points.  Brock Brown, who celebrated his 15th birthday on Saturday poured in 13 including a huge 3 in the fourth. Drake Howard (15), Malique Pearse (3), and Baron Odam (5) also scored in the effort.

Coach Ryan Brown says he's proud of his guys for overcoming adversity after allowing Mattoon back into the game and after the rough loss to Triad on Friday. 

Taylorville will next take on Rochester on the road on January 28th. 

The Taylorville Tornadoes were under a minute away from winning the semifinal game in the championship bracket on Friday evening. Still, they couldn't close the game out and lost in overtime to the Triad Knights, 89-81. The Tornadoes led 74-71 with just a few seconds left, but a corner three from the Knights sent the game into overtime tied at 74. The Knights would pull away in OT. 

The game was very foul heavy with six players fouling out of the game including Drake Howard, Baron Odam, and Owen Younker. 

Taylorville falls to 11-9 and will take on Mattoon for third place in the Rick McGraw Invitational Tournament.  Triad will face Civic Memorial for the third time in three years.  The Knights have won the tournament for two years straight.  Taylorville defeated Mattoon on December 19th in Mattoon 68-56.  The pregame show will be on WTIM and is set for 5:15.  The Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game was Drake Howard. 

It would be their worst loss since 2021 when Taylorville lost to Pana by a score of 52-18 on December 16th. The Lady Tornadoes went into 21-1 Alton and couldn't get their offense going as the Redbirds torched Taylorville 73-20. 

The Tornadoes got within 2 when it would be 9-7 midway through the first quarter but the Redbirds would go on a 32-2 run and never look back.  Addison Tarr was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game with 7 points but the Tornadoes looked shell-shocked and struggled to get anything going.  

The Tornadoes fall to 12-8.  They head to Lincoln (11-9) on January 31st.  The Tornadoes will try to defeat Lincoln for the first time since December 5th, 2019. 

As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR...

Central A&M - 47 vs. Shelbyville - 36

Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game: #32 Lyndi Woods

Woods played a fantastic game on both ends of the floor with some timely shooting and forcing fouls against her to help push the Rams into foul trouble. Woods was tasked with keeping lead lady Kenzie Jones of Shelbyville from taking the game over and Woods excelled.

Clark Durbin poured in eight and Drake Howard had 13 points alone in the second half as the Taylorville Tornadoes defeated the Roxana Shells 53-29 in the Litchfield Tournament.  The Tornadoes used a strong defensive effort keeping the Shells point guard Sean Maberry to just 6 points. Jake Newton for the Shells also poured in eight but it was Taylorville's defense that kept the Shells to just 13 points in the second half. Taylorville Head Coach Ryan Brown called it a complete effort. 

The Tornadoes improve to 11-8 on the season. The Tornadoes will play on Friday in the Championship Bracket at 6 PM.  The Tornadoes will face 16-5 Triad for a chance to go to the championship game. 

Clark Durbin was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game. 

As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR...

Central A&M - 29 vs. Edinburg/South Fork - 35

Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game: #44 Kylee Snearly

The Taylorville Tornadoes boys basketball team won their 10th game of the season and Brock Brown finished with 20 points as the Taylorville Tornadoes beat Father McGivney Catholic Griffins by a score of 65-49.  The Tornadoes jumped out quick, fast, and in a hurry outscoring the Griffins 24-13 in the first quarter including 7 points from Drake Howard who would finish the night with 12 points.  

Taylorville went to halftime up 37-25 but again came out of the gate strong in the third quarter with a 21-7 run en route to the victory. The Tornadoes only had three 3-pointers but finished 10/11 from the free-throw line and dominated the paint.  Head Coach Ryan Brown wanted Taylorville to be the speedier more athletic team and was pleased with what he saw. Father McGivney Catholic saw 29 points from their two great shooters; David Carroll and Chase Jansen but it wouldn't be enough as Taylorville coasted to a victory. 

Scorers for Taylorville 

Brock Brown: 20

Drake Howard: 12

Clark Durbin: 11

Baron Odam: 8

Owen Younker: 7

Malique Pearse: 5

Shey Champley: 2

The Tornadoes (10-8) will next be in action on Tuesday, January 21st as they take on 7-10 Roxana at 6 PM at Panther Gym in Litchfield. The Tornadoes have won 10 games which matches their combined wins over the last two seasons. Taylorville improves to 10-8 and have won 5 out of their last 6. Father McGivney falls to 10-10. 

The Taylorville Tornadoes welcomed the Charleston Trojans to town on Friday night but didn't give them a warm reception as the Tornadoes won 53-22, but that wasn't the story of the night.  Kyleigh Heimsness hit a three 7 seconds into the game and Taylorville and more importantly, Heimsness, would never look back.  Heimsness would need 20 points to hit the 1,000 point mark and when the dust settled at the end of the first quarter, Kyleigh already had 19 including five 3 pointers. Tornadoes led at the end of the first 29-6.  Kyleigh would than bank in a three with 7:37 left in the second quarter to reach the 1,000 point mark. Leroy Kleimola was on the call. 

Heimsness finished with eight 3 pointers and 30 points total in the game. The Tornadoes would lead 40-12 at the end of halftime and have running clock through the second half.  Taylorville improves to 12-7 on the season.  Charleston falls to 2-17.  Heimsness says that getting that first three was a huge step in the right direction.  She praised her teammates.

Taylorville will face Alton (19-1) on the road on January 23rd in a rematch as both teams faced each other in 7th grade in the playoffs for a trip to the state championship.  Taylorville girls would finish third that season.

Heimsness was named the Nicole Patrick Country FInancial Player of the game. Heimsness joins Mazie Fleming and Addison Tarr as the 15th girls basketball player to hit 1,000 in school history. 

Other point totals:

Heimsness: 30

Mazie Fleming: 5   

Addison Tarr: 3

Bailiegh Wernz: 4

Liz Martin: 1

Josephine Durbin: 2

Hope Kietzman: 2

Grace Rogers: 4

Peyton Demichael: 2

Malique Pearse hit two huge free throws and Taylorville withstood a nearly halfcourt shot to send the game into overtime, as the Tornadoes would beat the Effingham Flaming Hearts 67-56.  The game was a back and forth physical contest that saw both teams take significant leads only to see the other team come storming back. 

Taylorville would trail at halftime 24-20.  The game would continue to stay close throughout the third quarter, but Effingham slowly started to pull away even leading by 9 at one point but Taylorville never gave up, storming back in the fourth and leading the scoring 18-9 until a Jude Traub three from near the halfcourt line at the buzzer sent the contest into overtime.  

Taylorville would take over in OT including 6 points from Freshman Brock Brown.  Malique Pearse was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game for his coolness under pressure to hit two huge free throws and one in overtime.  He would finish with 9 points.  

Point totals:

Drake Howard 21

Clark Durbin 13

Baron Odam 9

Malique Pearse 9

Brock Brown 8

The Taylorville Tornadoes improve to 9-8 and stays in second place in the Apollo Conference standings.  Effingham falls to 6-12. 

The Tornadoes will go back in action on Saturday at 7 PM in the Litchfield Tournament as they take on Father McGivney Catholic. Hear all the action on WTIM. 

When she was 5 years old she knew that she wanted to play basketball.  For Kyleigh Heimsness growing up with three older brothers, she knew that she would have to be a fighter to get the ball. She says her brothers inspired her to play tougher. Since that day she's played ball every year and has blossomed into the starting point guard for the Taylorville girls basketball team.  On Wednesday at 4 PM surrounded by her peers and loved ones, Heimsness committed to play ball for Millikin University. She says that basketball for her has been just something she has loved and treasured. 

Head Coach Hayden Eldred says it has been a privilege to watch her grow as a basketball player. 

Heimsness thanked her parents, AAU Coaches, and all her mentors who helped guide her. 

As far as goals for herself, she says she wants to continue to improve her game.  Heimsness is 21 points away from 1,000 points in her career.  She would become the third active player on the team with 1,000 joining Mazie Fleming and Addison Tarr. 

As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR...

Central A&M - 47 vs. Altamont - 51

Central A&M Raiders Boys Basketball fall at home in overtime following a valiant third quarter effort from Talon Rhodes who poured it on keeping the Raiders close. McClain dazzled but struggled with foul trouble and the post presence of Paul Brown was missed after four fouls, later collecting his fifth.

Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game: #0 Talon Rhodes (11 points)

Mazie Fleming scored 16 points including 8 in the first quarter hitting the famed 1,000 point mark as the Lady Tornadoes defeated Apollo Conference rival the Effingham Flaming Hearts 55-41.  The Tornadoes jumped out to a 21-8 lead at the end of the first thanks to a balanced attack. It would be Mazie Fleming dominating hitting layup after layup.  Grace Rogers fed a pass to Fleming who hit her 1,000th point on a layup.  She says that she was so relieved to get that mark but more happy with how the team played today.

The Tornadoes would lead at halftime but a 20-7 run in the third quarter solidified the win. Kyleigh Heimsness finished with eight points but did foul out of the game midway through the fourth quarter. She finishes herself, 21 points away from 1,000.  

Mazie Fleming would be named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Agent Player of the Game for 16 points, nearly a dozen blocks and rebounds. 

The Taylorville girls will welcome Charleston to town on January 17th on 96.5 The Chill. 

Taylorville Wrestling Club competed at Mt. Zion over the weekend.  The team finished 16th out of 29 teams. Individual results below.  Taylorville Wrestling continues to impress throughout their season. 

Gavin Peabody - 4th
Maecin Morrissey - 4th
Huxley Crowder - 3rd
Owen Bly - 4th
Oliver Wallace - 4th
Joseph Alger - 4th
Maddox Adams - 4th
Jackson Cervi - 4th
Wilson Hand - 3rd
Kysen Sirbaugh - 2nd
Becker Fallin - 1st
Preston Durbin - 3rd
Remy Reber - 2nd
Claire Peabody - 3rd
Julia Daugherty - 4th
Jameson Zeitler - 2nd
Mavis Nation - 2nd
Reese Alger - 2nd
Karter Fry - 2nd
Oliver Paine - 2nd
Everett Wake - 4th
Jace Marley - 1st
Case McCallister - 4th
Rozae Benavidez - 3rd
Amelia Zeitler - 2nd
Cooper Alger - 3rd
Erin Wells - 3rd
Erickson Wake - 4th
Trigg Hackney - 4th
Kohl Barton - 3rd
Laya Nation - 4th
Johannah Daugherty - 3rd
Kylie Paine - 3rd
Jaylynn DeVore - 3rd

The Taylorville Teams both played yesterday and faced tough matchups with the girls facing 13-5 Matre Dei and the boys playing Kaneland who was 14-1 coming into the game. The girls, playing at Central High School, started off keeping up with the Knights of Matre Dei but shooting went cold in the second and Taylorville trailed 26-17 at halftime as Kyleigh Heimsness hit a huge 3 as time expired. 

The Tornadoes would come out better in the third quarter but couldn't overcome a stiff deficit and the Knights would pull away leading to a 53-32 victory in one of the more lower scoring outputs for Taylorville on the season. 

Grace Rogers was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Agent Player of the game. 

The Taylorville Lady Tornadoes will get back to work on Tuesday when Apollo Conference Rival Effingham comes to town.  Pregame starts at 7:15 on 96.5 The Chill and streamed live on http://www.965thechill.com/

The Taylorville Boys played the Kaneland Knights and just couldn't match up height wise against a dangerous Knights team that played as tough as they looked.  The Knights jumped up 19-8 at the end of the first quarter before adjustments from Taylorville helped them stay in the game but it wouldn't be enough as Kaneland won 59-44.  Head Coach Ryan Brown praised the boys effort.  Taylorville didn't shoot the ball very well but thanks to some strong defensive efforts, the boys kept it as close as they could. 

Baron Odam was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Agent Player of the game for holding 6'9" Jeffrey Hasan to only 3 points and playing stout defense.  The Taylorville Tornadoes will also face Effingham albeit on the road, on January 16th with pregame set to start at 6:45 PM on WTIM, Your information Station. 

As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR...

Central A&M - 50 vs. Neoga - 28

Central A&M improves to 7-7 on the season after starting 5-0. A big win that came on the back of consistent offense and hard nosed defense, the Raiders played the game from end to end.

Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game: #5 Emett Stenger (11 points)

Addison Tarr dropped 30 points and Mazie Fleming got within 10 points of 1,000 as the Taylorville Tornadoes won a non-conference matchup against the MacArthur Generals 71-54.  Fleming got 13 points in the battle including nearly a dozen rebounds and blocks as she controlled the paint but it was Tarr who went off including 10 free throws and a couple big three pointers. 

The Tornadoes, much like they did against Springfield last weekend, once again got off to a fast start leading 20 to 8 but Taylorville's shooting would go cold, and the Generals would sneak within 5.  Everytime they did though the Tornadoes would pull away. 

The game was pretty foul-heavy as the fast-paced action led to a lot of whistles being blown, but only Taylorville's Bailiegh Wernz fouled out of the game--fouling out late in the 3rd quarter. 

The Tornadoes will get a day off before heading to Breese to take on Mater Dei looking for their fourth win in a row at 3:15 on Saturday. They improve to 10-6 on the season.  MacArthur falls to 13-5. 

Shey Champley hit a huge three in the third quarter on his way to scoring 13 points, while Brock Brown poured in 12 and the Taylorville Tornadoes defeated the St. Teresa Bulldogs by a final score of 70-39.  The Tornadoes saw a complete effort in the game with almost everybody getting involved in the scoring.  

The Tornadoes led 20-10 at the end of the first quarter.  The Bulldogs would cut the deficit to three points, but Taylorville would pull away yet again taking a 35-19 lead at halftime thanks to some big minutes from Luke Wheeler, Owen Younker, and Blake Ladage. The Tornadoes would pick up where they left off in the third quarter outscoring the Bulldogs 18-11 as they went into the fourth quarter up 53-30.  

Maddux Havera and Hudson Demichael would both drop three pointers in the fourth quarter propelling Taylorville to running clock and a big win over St. Teresa. 

Champley was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Agent, player of the game for his 13 points and calm, cool, demeanor in the third and fourth quarter including three 3 pointers in the second half.  

Other point totals:  

Clark Durbin: 11

Owen Younker: 6

Malique Pearse: 10

Brock Brown: 12

Taylorville improves to 8-7, St. Teresa falls to 2-11.  The Tornadoes next take on Macomb at home on January 10th. 

As heard on WTIM your information station, the Taylorville boys took a resounding win over Charleston Friday night, dominating the Trojans 60-36. Taylorville improved to 7-7 and 3-2 in Apollo games. A combination of persistent defense, controlled offensive pace, and success beyond the three-point line sealed the game for the Tornadoes. 

The WTIM Tornado Player of the Game, Sponsored by Nicole Patrick your Country Financial Agent in Taylorville is Malique Pearse. The Junior commanded the floor with multiple creative assists and strong takes to the basket.

The Tornado Boys look to Saturday at 3:30 at home to play St. Teresa. 

The Taylorville Lady Tornadoes hadn't been home since Thanksgiving and welcomed the Springfield Senators to Town on Friday night with a big win at home. The Lady Tornadoes jumped out to a 20-4 lead at the end of the first quarter, before Springfield came storming back.  The Senators used a 20-9 third quarter and even got within 3 points in the fourth but Grace Rogers had herself a huge day at the free throw line and the Tornadoes clung to a victory 63-56. 

Addison Tarr was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Agent Player of the Game with 19 points. Mazie Fleming, Kyleigh Heimsness, and Rogers all had fantastic games as well.  

The Taylorville Lady Tornadoes will welcome (Weather permitting!) Williamsville to Taylorville on Tuesday at 6 PM.