The Taylorville girls basketball team is on another losing run after a 66-43 home loss to Normal University High School on Saturday night.  Like their previous game, the Tornadoes put pressure on their opponents before the game got away later. 

U-High built an early seven-point lead which Taylorville shortly thereafter erased.  A back-and-forth second quarter left the Pioneers up only one at the break.  They pulled away after the restart thanks to consistently accurate shooting from MacKenzie Matejka and Haylie Hoffman.  U-High made sure with a similar fourth quarter while holding Taylorville to just seven in that period. 

Matejka and Hoffman each scored 22 and 17 points, respectively, while Kendyl Schroeder put in 14.  McKynlee Siempelkamp led Taylorville with 13.  She excelled all around and earned the title of Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game.  Baileigh Jackson added ten points, all in the first quarter. 

With the defeat, Taylorville is now at 7-19.  They host Charleston next up on Tuesday; live coverage will be available on 96.5 The Chill.  Normal Uni is now 14-12 and will make another trip, this time to Limestone. 

The Taylorville girls basketball team lost a key conference fixture 64-44 away to Mahomet-Seymour.  Having lost heavily in the reverse fixture, Taylorville kept the game competitive until the later stages.

The Tornadoes started well, leading by as many as nine in the first quarter.  The Bulldogs clawed back each time, forcing a tight contest for much of the second quarter.  The three-point shooting did wonders for Taylorville in the first half as they hit five such shots.  Two of them came from Peyton DeMichael. 

Mahomet-Seymour reversed their five-point halftime deficit in the second half thanks to sharp shooting from Hannah Martin and Courtney Fonte.  Keeley Miller came alive in the fourth with ten points as Taylorville scored only four in that period.

Baileigh Jackson was named the Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game with 12 points, including key scores in the second quarter.  Grace Rogers added ten.  For the home side, Miller finished with 16 points, while Martin scored 11.

With the loss, Taylorville is now at 7-18 overall and 3-4 in the Apollo Conference.  They host Normal University tomorrow with tip-off at 7 p.m. and commentary available on 96.5 The Chill.  Mahomet-Seymour's respective records are 14-11 and 5-2; they turn their attention to a home fixture against Mattoon. 

As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR....

Mt. Pulaski - 66 vs. Central A&M - 51

Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game: #1 Ace Spinner (25 points)

Central A&M - 8 - 13 overall

Mt. Pulaski - 11 - 8 overall

Next up: Central A&M @ Ramsey (01/30/2026)

The Taylorville girls basketball team picked up a memorable 51-48 win after two overtime periods away to Monticello on Saturday.  The Tornadoes squandered two prior chances to put the game away before conserving the three-point lead in the second extra session. 

The two purple-and-gold teams were arguably colder on offense than the weather outside; neither side scored inside the first three minutes.  The teams remained within touching distance throughout the first quarter.  In the second, Monticello gained momentum and went up by eight points thanks to baskets from Ali Weidner and Kiara Grace.  Taylorville answered back with scores from Peyton DeMichael - including a three - and Julie Wayman to ensure they trailed by only two heading to the changing rooms. 

The third quarter was a similar story, except Taylorville trailed by only as much as five and went ahead thanks in part to quick-fire scores from McKynlee Siempelkamp.  The Sages responded to draw level at 36 heading into the fourth quarter.

The offensive struggles continued as neither side could break away in the score.  With seconds left and the scores level at 40, Taylorville had the ball at their baseline with a chance to win it.

The play which coach Hayden Eldred drew up beat Monticello's full-court press as Nora Thomas caught Hope Kietzman's inbound and fed it to a wide open Siempelkamp.  She missed a bank shot from right mid-post, secured the rebound, and appeared to convert the put-back as time expired.  The officials, however, disallowed the basket, saying the second shot left her hand just after the clock hit zero.  They consulted and stuck with the original decision, which meant the game proceeded to overtime. 

In overtime, team foul counts are carried over from the fourth quarter.  Both teams had reached their foul limit well before the end of that quarter, so all defensive fouls from that point on resulted in free throws.  In fact, both teams hit the limit as well in each prior period.

Taylorville edged to two two-point leads and one advantage by three in the first overtime.  Monticello responded in kind each time.  The Tornadoes found themselves with another chance to take the game at the end of the period, this time with an inbound in the front court.  The home side played this one better than in normal time, preventing their opponent from conjuring up a good shot.

Monticello earned six free throws in the second overtime but scored only one, in the period's first score.  Peyton DeMichael and Nora Thomas each scored to put the Tornadoes ahead and force the Sages this time to chase the game.  They could not, and Taylorville returned home with the precious 51-48 win. 

Nora Thomas contributed 13 points.  Her crucial makes at both ends of the game and overall physicality earned her the title of Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game.  Peyton DeMichael followed behind with 12.  Ali Weidner led the scoring for Monticello with 11.

The many fouls in the game put several players on both teams in trouble.  Grace Rogers fouled out in overtime, while three other players for each team finished one away from the same outcome. 

Free-throw shooting got the best of both teams.  Taylorville went 17-for-36 from the line, which edged Monticello's 14-for-31 performance. 

With the win, Taylorville jumps to 7-17 overall.  They are next in action this Friday away to Mahomet-Seymour.  Commentary of that game will, as always, be available on 96.5 The Chill.  Monticello is now at 12-12 overall and turns its attention to the conference with a home game against Paxton-Buckley-Loda next. 

The Taylorville Tornadoes led by as many as 10 points but a buzzer beater from Chase Jones in double overtime gave the Marquette Catholic Explorers a 58-56 win over Taylorville on a frigid Saturday morning in the Litchfield Tournament.  Taylorville (5) took an early 5-0 lead against Marquette (3) but the Explorers came pushing back.  Taylorville continued to add to their lead and took a 17-11 lead at the end of the first.  If the Tornadoes were tired from playing the night before they didn't show it. Maddex Havera had a huge first quarter with 3 three pointers and Blake Ladage added four points while the Explorers got five points from Cameron and Chase Jones. 

Heading into the second quarter, both teams started to feel each other out and things evened up.  Malique Pearse added five points while Maddex Havera and Ladage added two each. Marquette's James Sehorn and Cameron Jones got points but a huge buzzer three from Cameron Golike at the buzzer cut the lead to seven going into the locker room at half as Taylorville lead 26-19. 

In the third quarter, Marquette took off with two 3 pointers from Cameron Jones, and seven points from Chase Jones and Taylorville struggled with their shooting as Malique finally got a basket with about 3:18 left in the third.  Taylorville would get a couple baskets from Ladage and Brock Brown but Taylorville was outscored 15-6 as Marquette would take a lead for the first time and would head into the 4th with a 34-32 lead.

Taylorville would bounce back in the fourth thanks to Blake Ladage taking over with six points and and Brock Brown adding four. Marquette would only get a three from Noah Menke and points from Chase Jones but Taylorville couldn't take advantage after a travel violation with 1.1 seconds left and the Tornadoes went into overtime for the second straight game and for the fourth time this season, with the score all knotted up at 42.  

Heading into the overtime, Taylorville got scoring right away from Blake Ladage but fouls started adding up and Ladage would foul out shortly after.  Taylorville would also get a basket and a couple free throws from Malique Pearse and Maddyx Owens.  Marquette got one field goal from  Cameron Jones but went 5/8 from the free throw line as Taylorville and Marquette both scored 7 to head into a second overtime.  

In the second overtime, the exhaustion took over and Taylorville and Marquette battled through the entire four minutes.  Brock Brown hit a huge 3 and Malique added four, but Maddyx Owens fouled out and Marquette got scoring from Jack Rea, Chase Jones and a couple free throws from #33 who I didn't have a name for. Looking like it was going to head into a third overtime, a deep pass led to a quick drive on the right side from Chase Jones, who spun around took a step back and hit the shot that rolled around for a good second before falling and that clinched the game for Marquette.

Marquette improves to 16-5 while Taylorville falls to 10-11.  The Explorers finish third, while Taylorville takes fourth in the tournament out of 12 teams.  Coach Ryan Brown said he was absolutely proud of his guys and thrilled with their effort over the last 12 hours against two top teams in the state. Blake Ladage was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game. Taylorville will face Rochester at home on Tuesday night before a huge conference game on the road on Friday against Mahomet. 

                              1           2         3         4       OT       2OT        F
Taylorville            17        9          6         10       7         7           56
Marquette            11       8          15         8       7         9           58

Taylorville Leading Scorers:  Blake Ladage 16, Malique Pearse 13, Maddex Havera 13, Brock Brown 11
Marquette Leading Scorers:  Chase Jones 21, Cameron Jones 16, Jack Rea 5

As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR....

Neoga - 68 vs. Central A&M - 55

Halftime: Neoga - 26 vs Central A&M - 19

Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game: #1 Ace Spinner (23 points)

Central A&M - 8 - 11 overall

Neoga - 4 - 12 overall

Next up: Central A&M vs. Mt. Pulaski (01/27/2026)

This wasn't the same team from two weeks ago.  Not by a long shot.  The Taylorville boys basketball who two weeks ago lost 75-39 to this Triad Knights team, were determined not to be that same team. They proved on Friday night that they weren't despite suffering a tough loss. Immediately from the opening tip things felt different.  Triad got a quick three from Mac Musgrave but Taylorville responded immediately after they slowed the game down and hit a field goal of their own. With the tempo slowed down, Triad ended up playing Taylorville's game and struggled at it.  Shots weren't falling, and defense became king.  Taylorville trailed at the end of the first quarter 7-4. 

Heading into the second quarter, Taylorville again took their time setting up plays, and having long possessions. Taylorville struggled to get any offense going only finding two points from Blake Ladage near the beginning of the quarter. Triad didn't find much more success than Taylorville as Musgrave got a three and Nolan Keller found twine.  Taylorville trailed at halftime 12-6.  

It felt going into the third quarter, that at any moment Triad would pull away, but it didn't happen.  Staunch defense from Taylorville continued as they allowed a field goal to Tyler Thompson and a few free throws from Justin Schrage, but the Tornadoes found points from Malique Pearse who drained two 3's and Maddyx Owens who added two points. Taylorville had a chance to take a lead against Triad, but Malique Pearse couldn't drain the free throws.  Still Taylorville found themselves tied going into the fourth quarter at 14.

Coach Ryan Brown praised Pearse saying "It's not easy when you have athletes who are go go go and you tell them they have to slow the game down and play a slow tempo." Pearse handled point all night, and had a great night. In the fourth quarter, it was Brock Brown's turn to hit two 3 pointers and Blake Ladage added a bucket.  Triad found points from Tyler Thompson, Nolan Keller and Justin Schrage, with a free throw from Musgrave. Triad got hte ball with 8 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but couldn't score despite three tries and the game went into overtime tied at 22. 

In overtime, Taylorville took an early lead courtesy of a quick fieldgoal from Pearse, but Triad's Lucas Thompson would add a three and despite Taylorville outshooting Triad in overtime, Tyler Thompson went a perfect 8/8 from the free throw line in overtime, and Taylorville couldn't get the job done despite Brock Brown hitting a three pointer that cut the defecit to three with .03 seconds left. Triad picked up a trip to the championship game with a 35-30 victory. 

Taylorville will play the third place game against Marquette Catholic Saturday morning at 9 AM.  Maddyx Owens was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game for his strong defensive game. 

Leading point scorers:  Taylorville; Brock Brown 11, Malique Pearse 11, Blake Ladage 4. Triad: Tyler Thompson 15, Mac Musgrave 11, Nolan Keller, Justin Schrage 4. 

                    1        2      3        4        OT      F
Taylorville  4        2      8        8          8       30

Triad           7        5      4        8         13      35
 

The Taylorville girls basketball team lost by a wide margin to Alton 74-43 on Thursday night.  The Redbirds showed the offensive prowess that sent them to third place at the 4A level last season. 

The Tornadoes started the game well, gaining multiple leads on Alton thanks to key scores from Nora Thomas.  Only four minutes in did the away side begin to find its footing.  Three threes from Madeleine Ducey set her team away.  Their winning margins after each quarter were 7, 13, 27, and 31. 

Both teams struggled to take care of the ball, but especially so for Taylorville.  They can, however, hang their hats on scoring 43 points against a team which had conceded that many only once in their previous six games.

Ducey finished with 14 points, but only Kaylea Lacey beat her out with 23.  Lacey's performance included five made threes.

For the Tornadoes, Thomas had six points and was named the Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game for setting Alton on edge early.  Grace Rogers and Baileigh Jackson each scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

The loss sends Taylorville's record to 6-17.  They travel to Monticello on Saturday, with tip-off scheduled for 2:15 p.m. and commentary available on 96.5 The Chill.  Alton is now at 18-2 and hosts Glenwood.

The Taylorville Tornadoes boys basketball team secured a spot in the championship bracket in the Litchfield Tournament, but more importantly exercised some early season demons as they came back on Wednesday night with a huge 42-39 win over Glenwood.  The Titans won earlier this year in a 46-33 matchup and Taylorville was determined to not let that be the case on Wednesday night at the Rick McGraw Memorial Invitational Tournament. 

The defense shined early as Glenwood jumped out to a quick lead.  The Titan’s Cohen Reid dropped 6 points on two 3 pointers and Bordy Green and Hugo Lopp go ta couple buckets as well, but Taylorville answered with a big three from Brock Brown and 5 points from Maddyx Owens as Taylorville trailed at the end of the first 11-8. 

Heading into the second quarter, the defenses shined again as both teams ran designated plays and neither side could take an advantage. Taylorville only got one basket that wasn’t a free throw, a 3 pointer from Maddex Havera.  Otherwise Taylorville went 5/6 from the free throw line.  For Glenwood Hugo Lopp would score eight points but no one else would get on the score sheet. The Titans took a 19-16 lead going into the locker room.

In the third quarter, Glenwood again threatened to pull away as Brody Green got four and Jack Kurmann got five, but it was Kurmann who was an absolute menace on the boards and did a fantastic job of outrebounding and boxing out Tornadoes. Taylorville got 7 points from Brock Brown, one from Malique Pearse, and two from Blake Ladage. Taylorville took a brief lead at the beginning of the third quarter, but trailed at the end 30-26. 

In the fourth quarter, Taylorville came storming out of the gate. Brock Brown got Taylorville within one, eventually getting eight points including 2 3-pointers.  The defense continued to be the story of the night as Glenwood struggled to get anything going.  Taylorville would tie up the game as they would go to the free throw line quite a bit in the fourth quarter, but with 1:16 left, Glenwood would get the ball back.  The Titans wouldn’t be able to score as Taylorville played tough defense and got the ball back with 38 seconds.  

Glenwood sat at four fouls and needed to foul to get the ball back.  The Tornadoes used a flurry of passing back and forth which allowed them to keep the ball but more importantly not get fouled and by the time they did there was only 16 seconds left.  Coach Ryan Brown said ultimately that’s what won the game for Taylorville.  Taylorville went 6/7 from the free throw line and hung on for a 42-39 victory.  

The Tornadoes will take on Triad on Friday night at 6 PM with the winner of that game going to the championship.  Depending on their game against Triad, Taylorville will face either Marquette or Roxana either on Saturday at 10:30 or Saturday at 9:00.  Please note these times have been adjusted due to snow forecast.  Taylorville improves to 10-9 on the season. Taylorville lost to Triad earlier this year in Troy 75-39. 

Top scorers for Taylorville Brock Brown 19, Blake Ladage 8, Maddyx Owens 7.  Top scorers for Glenwood: Cohen Reid 11, Hugo Lopp 10, Jack Kurmann 7, Brody Green 7. 

                              1          2          3        4        F
Glenwood           11       8        11        9        39
Taylorville           8         8        10       16       42

Taylorville’s WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game was Brock Brown.  

The Tornadoes jumped out to a quick lead once again against Hillsboro and never looked back taking game 1 of the Rick McGraw (Litchfield) tournament. The Tornadoes got off to a 15-4 lead as Brock Brown and Blake Ladage contributed 17 points in the first quarter.  Maddyx Owens also poured in four points and was relentless on defense against a Hillsboro team that couldn't find the basket.  Hillsboro's Noah Satterlee would finally get hot, hitting back-to-back threes, but at the end of the firs,t it was Taylorville who led 21-15. 

In the second quarter, Hillsboro would get within 4 but Taylorville would get an even performance as almost everyone on the team contributed points in the second quarter.  Owens, Wyatt Younker, Blake Ladage, Patrick Curtin, Malique Pearse, Brody McDowell, and Brock Brown all contributed as Taylorville outscored Hillsboro 23-9 in the second quarter, taking a 44-24 lead into the locker room. Hillsboro got points from Satterlee, TOny White, and Mark Mattson.

The third quarter saw more of the same as Taylorville continued to pour it on with eight points from Maddex Havera, five from Younker, and contributions from Pearse, Curtin, and Brown.  Hillsboro got points from Satterlee along with Jalen Stewart, and 7 points from Mattson.  Taylorville outscored Hillsboro 25-15 and took a 69-39 lead into the fourth with running clock. 

In the fourth quarter, Brody McDowell got a free throw, Curtin, Braylon Kirk, Maddyx Owens, and Landon Bowhser all got points. For Hillsboro Kamdin Civitate got 4, and Noah Satterlee got a field goal.  Taylorville wrapped up an impressive 10-6 fourth quarter and grabbed a 79-45 point victory to improve back to .500 at 9-9. 

Taylorville will face Glenwood today who beat Taylorville earlier in the season 46-33.  Wyatt Younker was named the WTIM Tornado Player of the game for 7 points, at least one block, and several rebounds. 

The Taylorville girls basketball team came out on top of Sacred Heart-Griffin 46-40 after a back-and-forth encounter in Springfield on Tuesday night.  The Tornadoes went a span of nearly half the game behind before coming back and making sure of the win. 

Both teams struggled in front of the basket and in keeping possession over the first quarter as the Tornadoes finished it in front 8-5.  SHG found their range in the second quarter, pulling ahead 19-14 at the break.  Taylorville did the same in the third, reducing the deficit to two at the end of that period. 

Lilee Durbin began the fourth quarter with two two-point scores.  Their next six points came from Grace Rogers as the purple-and-gold continued to take advantage of takeaways.  Threes from Alyse Mantei and Ali Fleischli kept the Cyclones in it until foul trouble gifted the Tornadoes key scoring chances, from which they largely took advantage. 

Grace Rogers earned the title of Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game with 18 points, 13 of which coming in the second half.  Baileigh Jackson added 11 and was the only player to score from the field in each quarter.  Notably, the Tornadoes did not score from beyond the arc in the game.  Also notably, on SHG's Senior Night, it was a freshman in Camilla Butler who led their scoring totals with 11. 

With the win, Taylorville now stands at 6-16 overall, as the win ends a nine-game losing run.  They have a tall task next up in Alton at home, and commentary will be available on 96.5 The Chill.  Sacred Heart-Griffin's record now reads 4-15.

Taylorville High School has had several college signings this year and one of those signings was Taylorville Senior Robyn Ward.  Ward has signed with University of Illinois Chicago to play volleyball and after a successful senior season, is looking to continue that success at the college level.  Ward says that she got introduced to the game in fourth grade and hasn’t put it down since. 

Ward says that she loves feeding off cheers from the crowd despite trying to tune it out so she can focus.  She credits Coach Peabody for her work with her. 

Ward says that going to UIC was an easy choice after many in her family attended school there. 

For more information on UIC volleyball visit https://uicflames.com/sports/womens-volleyball. 

The Taylorville girls basketball team lost control of an otherwise back-and-forth encounter away to Mt. Zion, losing 50-30.  The Tornadoes scored as many points in the second half as in the second quarter while the Braves turned up their shooting accuracy. 

The two sides shared a number of lead changes and ties in the first half as the margin did not exceed one score for much of it.  Baileigh Jackson's ten first-half points were key in keeping her team in the game.  The home side led by just a point after each of the first two quarters.

Taylorville's shooting - in terms of both quantity and efficiency - dried up in the third quarter.  It allowed Mt. Zion to develop a lead which only grew from there.  In the fourth, Taylorville's many fouls offered their opponents 11 free throws, of which only two were missed.  They accounted for more than half of Ava Anderson's 11 points in that quarter.  Anderson - set to attend Malone University in Division II in the fall - finished with 24 points, matching her total from the reverse fixture.  Mt. Zion managed 21 points in the last quarter.

Jackson scored 12 points and was named the Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game.  McKynlee Siempelkamp added seven, which came in part from a pair of three-point scores. 

Taylorville is now 5-16 overall and 3-3 in the Apollo Conference.  They travel to Sacred Heart-Griffin on Tuesday, with commentary available on 96.5 The Chill.  Mt. Zion is 12-8 overall and 4-2 in the conference.  Their next game is a trip to Lincoln. 

The Taylorville Tornadoes saw a huge start from Maddex Havera and finished it with domination from Brock Brown as the Taylorville Tornadoes won a huge Apollo Conference matchup over the Mt. Zion Braves 62-39.  The Tornadoes got off to a huge start thanks to a couple Maddex Havera 3’s and a field goal from Patrick Curtin giving Taylorville an early 8-0 lead and forcing an early Mt. Zion timeout.  The Tornadoes wouldn’t look back.  Taylorville would extend their lead as Havera would add 11 points, Malique Pearse would add four and of course Curtin’s 2, the Tornadoes would take a 17-11 lead into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Mt. Zion made some adjustments and came firing out with threes from Holden Wirey and Jordan Sams, but the Tornadoes saw points from several players including Curtin, Pearse, Brock Brown with a three, and Wyatt Younker.  However, the big moment came in the closing seconds of the second quarter. With 6.4 seconds left and a four point lead, Mt. Zion stepped on the end line turning the ball over to Taylorville. That’s when Landon Bowsher took over.  On a pass in from Malique Pearse from the top of the key, Bowsher split two defenders racing up the endline putting in a basket and solidifying the quarter for Taylorville as both teams put in 11 and Taylorville lead at halftime 28-22. 

The third quarter was much more defensive although the pressure was still extremely high. Taylorville continued to gradually build their lead with a big three from Wyatt Younker, and points from Maddyx Owens and Brock Brown.  Only Holden Wirey and Brody Lipa would score for the Braves in the third.  Taylorville took a 35-27 lead into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, it was all Taylorville, well it was all Brock Brown and Malique Pearse.  Brown would pour in 13 points, Pearse would add 9 as Taylorville would outscore the Braves 24-12 in the fourth quarter securing a huge Apollo Conference win.  Lipa would get 5 in the fourth and a couple field goals from Wirey and Drake Gensler, but it would be Taylorville who was smiling on Friday night with a big 62-39 victory.  Maddex Havera would be named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game for getting Taylorville going in the first and giving the Tornadoes an early lead that they would never relinquish. 

Taylorville leading scorers: Brock Brown 18, Malique Pearse 15, Maddex Havera 11, Patrick Curtin 6. 
Mt Zion leading scorers: Holden Wirey 11, Brody Lipa 10, Jordan Sams 8. 

                             1             2         3             4          F

Taylorville         17          11         7            24        62
Mt Zion             11           11         5           12        39

Taylorville (8-9, 3-2) next faces Hillsboro in the Litchfield (Rick McGraw) tournament. 
 

As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR...

FINAL: Warrensburg-Latham - 76 vs. Central A&M - 27

1Q: W/L - 30 vs. CAM - 3

Half: W/L - 51 vs. CAM - 20

3Q: W/L - 70 vs. CAM - 23

Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game: #1 Ace Spinner - 18 points

Central A&M - 7 - 11 overall

Warrensburg-Lathan - 17 -2 overall

The Taylorville girls basketball team lost away to MacArthur 47-24 on a cold Thursday night.  The Tornadoes struggled to put up points early on, allowing the Generals to take control easily. 

Taylorville frequently missed shots they are used to putting away, while MacArthur at the other end of the court had fewer issues.  The Tornadoes put up only seven points in the first half.  MacArthur, meanwhile, shrugged off a slow first quarter to sail ahead 23-7 at the interval.  They continued that momentum through the third quarter and used the fourth mostly to see themselves through to a third straight win.  Neither team shot well from the free-throw line, combining for a 6-18 performance. 

Grace Rogers scored ten points, including a pair of threes in a better fourth quarter for her side, earning her the title of Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game.  For MacArthur, Journee Wilson amassed 16 points.

Taylorville now drops to 5-15 overall and will look to sweep Mt. Zion on Saturday.  Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m., and commentary will be available on 96.5 The Chill.  MacArthur jumps to 14-4 and stays at home against Jacksonville.

Shelbyville's Owen Beyers dropped 29 points, the Tornadoes blew a 14 point lead, and Taylorville used a strong 26 point fourth quarter as the Taylorville Tornadoes won a non-conference game against the Shelbyville Rams on Tuesday evening 65-56. The Tornadoes got off to a fast start courtesy of Malique Pearse.  The senior forward poured in ten points in the first quarter and the Tornadoes got contributions from Maddex Havera along with Brock Brown and Blake Ladage.  Towards the end of the first, the Rams started chipping away at the Taylorville lead--a theme that would rear its ugly head multiple times throughout the evening. 

With a 21-11 lead at the end of the first, the Tornadoes felt that they were going to cruise to a easy victory, but the Rams fought back as Taylorville struggled to find the net.  Thanks to a 10 point contribution from Beyers along with 5 points from Aiden Hardy and 3 from Gabe Georges, the Rams clawed their way back into the game once again with an 18-11 lead. The Tornadoes went into the locker room up 32-29. 

Into the third quarter, Taylorville jumped out to a 7-0 run ballooning the score 39-29.  Once again, Shelbyville came storming back, this time in the last 2 1/2 minutes with 11 points as Shelbyville took their second lead of the night. When the horn sounded at the end of the third, Shelbyville lead 40-39 with 5 points from Taylorville's Maddex Havera, who would foul out in the third quarter.  Taylorville was outscored 11-7 in the third.

In the fourth quarter, Taylorville would take over and not look back, although Shelbyville hung around for a good portion of the fourth. Taylorville went 12/16 from the free throw line including 7 from Pearse who was nearly perfect from the line (8/9). The Tornadoes would also get contributions from Brock Brown in the fourth who dropped 11 points in the fourth en route to a 17 point night. 

                             1              2             3          4

Taylorville          21           11            7          26        65
Shelbyville         11            18           11        16        56

Malique Pearse was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial player of the game for his 21 points, strong defense, and being nearly flawless from the free throw line. 

Leading Point scorers:  Taylorville; Malique Pearse 21, Brock Brown 17, Maddex Havera 12, Blake Ladage 7. Shelbyville Owen Beyers 29, Aidan Hardy 12, Gabe Georges 6, Karson Bruns 5. 

The Taylorville girls basketball team lost 46-37 to Lincoln on Tuesday night.  The Tornadoes spent much of the game down only by single digits to the state champion from only two seasons ago. 

In the first and second quarters, Lincoln and Taylorville each put up 14 and 9 points, respectively.  Both teams began the game strong from beyond the arc and continued as such, combining for 14 three-point baskets.  The teams also moved up the court quickly, even amid their opponents' full-court press.  Lincoln eventually pulled away thanks to key scores from Grace Bivin. 

Peyton DeMichael was named the Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game.  Her only points came from behind the three-point line in a pair of such hits which put the away side on edge.  She also secured key rebounds and steals.  Baileigh Jackson added 11 points for the Tornadoes.  For the Railsplitters, Bivin finished with nine points, while Mia Clark led the way with 13. 

Taylorville drops to 5-14 on the season and travels to MacArthur on Thursday.  The game will be available on 96.5 The Chill.  Lincoln jumps to 13-6 and hosts Taylorville's Saturday opponent, Mt. Zion. 

The Taylorville Tornadoes who had just picked up an overtime win on Friday night, couldn't use that momentum in the first half, as the Peoria Notre Dame Irish took advantage ultimately leading to a 51-49 win that once again occurred in overtime. Taylorville coach Ryan Brown said that the Tornadoes came out a little flat in the first half, and that they should have been a little more aggressive.  As it was, the Tornadoes only had two fouls in the entire first half. 

Blake Ladage scored five points in the first quarter, and Maddex Havera and Maddyx Owens both contributed a three pointer, but Peoria Notre Dame saw seven points for Ronin Spinks, and five for Kevin O'Donnell, along with a couple field goals from Patrick Graham who played fantastic defense, and the Irish led 16-13 at the end of the first. 

In the second quarter, the Tornadoes again just couldn't find the hoop, as the Irish made several adjustments on defense and Taylorville just didn't get many shots off as the Tornadoes were outscored 15-9. The Tornadoes headed into the locker room trailing 31-22 with Patrick Curtin the leading scorer in the second quarter with four points. 

The Tornadoes didn't necessarily play any better in the third quarter at least offensively wise, but their defense made some huge adjustments and the Tornadoes only allowed five points in the third quarter: a field goal from Patrick Curtin and Jack Miller who also had a free throw. The Tornadoes saw offensive contributions from Maddyx Owens, Blake Ladage and Malique Pearse.   Heading into the fourth quarter on a 12-5 run the Tornadoes found themselves trailing by four 36-32. 

In the fourth quarter, Taylorville continued their dominating defense as the Irish matched Taylorville basket for basket with a huge three from Drew Bergschneider, and a couple field goals from Sean Graham and Ronin Spinks but the Tornadoes got huge contributions from Brock Brown, who after putting up 34 points the night before, had a rough first half before pouring in 10 points.  Brown willed the Tornadoes back into the game with 3:24 left in the fourt and the Tornadoes trailing 38-37, Brown got fouled as he made the basket. He would add the free throw and Taylorville led 40-38.

Maddyx Owens would add a field goal on a quick outlet play to give the Tornadoes a 42-38 lead with 3:04 left. The Irish would cut the defecit to two, but Brock Brown hit another runner and the Tornadoes lead was 44-40 with 92 seconds left. That's when Bergschneider would hit his three cutting the deficit to 1.  Brown would get fouled but miss both his free throws with 32 seconds left and a one point lead.  Going the other way Bergschneider would shoot another three but on the rebound attempt, Maddyx Owens would foul the Irish' Jack Phillips who would make one of his free throws sending the game into overtime all tied at 44. 

In overtime, the Tornadoes only got one field goal from Malique Pearse and 3 free throws from Brock Brown but a field goal from Sean Graham and four free throws from the Irish would give Peoria Notre Dame the road victory 51-49.  Malique Pearse would add a field goal at the buzzer but Taylorville just couldn't get anything going in overtime. 

Taylorville falls to 6-9 and Peoria Notre Dame improves to 5-9. Taylorville will head to Shelbyville on Tuesday for a rematch from last year's Shelbyville victory. 

Leading scorers:  Peoria Notre Dame; Ronin Spinks 17, Kevin O' Donnell 10Sean Graham 8, Patrick Graham 7, Jack Miller 6 
Taylorville: Brock Brown 17, Blake Ladage 11, Maddyx Owens 7, Malique Pearse 7. 

Blake Ladage was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game. 

                                         1        2       3     4     OT      F
Peoria Notre Dame      16      15     5      8      7      51

Taylorville                       13       9     10  12     5       49

In their second game in the space of 24 hours, the Taylorville girls basketball team suffered another heavy defeat, this time against Morton by 61-33.  For the away side, it would be seen as revenge after the loss in the junior high state championship between the corresponding teams, in which several players on both current teams featured.

Three Potters each scored two baskets in the first quarter as Morton finished it 17-10 in front.  They forced several turnovers in the second quarter and prevented the Tornadoes from scoring a single field goal in that time.  Both teams' shooting improved in the third, while the Tornadoes did improve in the final session with more offensive cohesion and sharp shooting from McKynlee Siempelkamp. 

Abby VanMeenen finished the game with 20 points, with Paige Selke's 15 not far behind.  Siempelkamp had 13 points, of which 11 came in the second half. Siempelkamp's scoring and steals earned her the title of Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game. 

Taylorville now drops to 5-13 overall and faces Lincoln on Tuesday.  Commentary will be available on 96.5 The Chill. 

Brock Brown hit, what felt like a 75 foot three point shot, dropped 34 points, and helped the Tornadoes to an overtime win in Effingham against the Flaming Hearts on Friday night 57-52.  The Taylorville Tornadoes got off to a quick start in the first quarter with a 17-9 run.  Coach Ryan Brown said he was thrilled with Taylorville's defensive efforts and that the Tornadoes did a good job preventing second chance shots. 

In the second quarter, the Tornadoes couldn't play as efficiently as they had in the first quarter, leading to some easy turnovers and Effingham outscored Taylorville 11-7 as the Tornadoes headed into the locker room with a slim 24-20 lead.  Taylorville had lead as much as by ten points but Effingham's Brayden McDaniel and Cannon Bockhorn put together a strong second quarter and kept the Flaming Hearts within striking distance. 

In the third quarter, Effingham rolled on the back of Jenner Pals who put in 11 of his 21 points and Effingham got contributions from Cole Phillips as well. Brock Brown hit two huge back to back threes to keep the Tornadoes in it, but Effingham would take the lead on a big 19-13 run and it felt like the Hearts had all the momentum going  into the fourth quarter.  Brock Brown got a quick rebound off a last second shot and turned around and put it up from near the end line of where the volleyball line was painted and it caromed off the backboard right into the net giving the Tornadoes a 40-39 lead at the end of the third. 

In the fourth quarter, the Tornadoes and Hearts would go back and forth and trade leads and it felt that the Hearts would pull away, but Effingham struggled at the free throw line and the Tornadoes came back into it. Jenner Pals hit a big three that seemingly put the game away, but Maddex Havera hit a huge three pointer and the Tornadoes and Hearts continued the battle into overtime all knotted up at 49. 

In overtime, the Tornadoes would finally pull away, courtesy of a three from Maddex Havera, and free throws from Brock Brown and Maddyx Owens. The Tornadoes would hang on and win in overtime 57-52. 

Brock Brown was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game.  

                       1         2        3         4        OT         F
Effingham     9        11      19       10       3           52  

Taylorville    17        7        16        9       8           57

Leading scorers Effingham: Jenner Pals 21, Brady McDaniel 8, Cole Phillips 6

Taylorville: Brock Brown 34, Maddex Havera 11, Malique Pearse 6, Blake Ladage 4

Taylorville boys basketball improves to 6-8 (2-2 Apollo).  They play Peoria Notre Dame on Saturday. 

The Taylorville girls basketball team lost 72-31 away to Effingham on Friday night.  The Hearts overcame a slow start to pull far away from the Tornadoes.

The Purple-and-Gold led 7-1 after the opening minutes, but Effingham snuck in front 17-15 at quarter-time.  They kept going through several baskets by Alyssa Martin, who finished with 21 points.  Effingham won the middle quarters 44-10, forcing a running clock in the fourth.

Averie Wolfe and Tessa Raddatz finished with 18 and 17 points respectively.  Baileigh Jackson was named the Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game for her team-leading eight points and multitude of rebounds.

Taylorville's record is now 5-12 overall and 3-2 in the conference.  They turn around quickly to host Morton on Saturday.  Tip-off will be not earlier than 5:30 p.m. with coverage available on 96.5 The Chill.  Effingham is now at 16-2 and remains perfect in the conference; they face Paris at home next. 

The Triad Knights celebrated two 1,000 point accomplishments, and the Tornadoes couldn't score in the fourth quarter as the Tornadoes fell on the road 75-39 Friday night. Triad's Nolan Keller and Tyler Thompson both hit the 1,000 point mark on Friday night and had huge games, as the Tornadoes just couldn't match the speed of Triad. Triad utilized a fast break system that sometimes would result in layups being scored before the shot clock was reset. 

Malique Pearse got the scoring started for Taylorville with 7 points and Brock Brown added a three, but the Tornadoes struggled to slow down Lucas Thompson and Nolan Keller who combined for 19 points en route to a 23 point first quarter.  When the buzzer sounded, Taylorville trailed 23-12.  The Knights wouldn't look back.  Taylorville and Triad would actually go blow for blow in the second both scoring 18 points each, but the third quarter would be troublesome for the Tornadoes would be outscored 24-9. 

In the fourth quarter, the Knights, who led 65-39 would add 10 more points with their second squad in, while the Tornadoes wouldn't find the basket. The Tornadoes will next face Effingham on Friday night as part of a doubleheader with the Taylorville girls.  Brock Brown was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Agent Player of the game. 

                        1          2        3       4           F

Taylorville     12       18        9       0         39
Triad              23       18        24    10        75


Taylorville leading scorers: Brock Brown 15, Blake Ladage 10, Malique Pearse 9, Maddyx Owens 3, Brody McDowell 2

Triad Leading Scorers: Nolan Keller 25, Tyler Thompson 19, Lucas Thompson 17, Matt Morris 5

As heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR…

Central A&M – 58 vs. Argenta-Oreana – 49

Halftime score: 24 – 24

Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game: #1 Ace Spinner
Honorable Mention: #0 Talon Rhoades

Central A&M – 7 – 7 overall
Argenta-Oreana – 5 – 8 overall

Next game: Central A&M @ Meridian (01/09/2026)

Taylorville went 2-3 this week in basketball as they played an absolutely hectic schedule with 5 games in a week. The Tornadoes got the week started off with their holiday tournament in Taylorville where they ended up taking fourth place out of 8 teams.  Before the tournament got started, the Tornadoes were recognized for their 1500th win in school history. 

Taylorville 51 Glenbard South 56

Taylorville suffered an opening loss to Glenbard South as they survived a furious comeback from the Tornadoes down the stretch. Taylorville jumped out to a 15-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, courtesy of some great play from Brock Brown who dropped 9 en route to a 25 pt game. The second quarter would be tough for Taylorville as Glenbard South’s Amir Jackson would drop 11 points and the Tornadoes would be outscored 19-9 heading into the locker room.  The score was 31-24 and Taylorville was pushing hard. The third quarter was extremely close but it would be Glenbard South taking advantage with a 16-13 run. In the fourth the Tornadoes would take full advantage and hit the court hard going on a big run and getting within a few, but a big 3 from Camden Earley from Glenbard South sealed the deal and the Raiders held off the Tornadoes 56-51. Taylorville uncharacteristically went 6/15 from the free throw line. 5 Maddex Havera finished with 11 points and was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game. Leading scorers for Taylorville: Brock Brown 25, Maddex Havera 11, Malique Pearse 6, Blake Ladage 5.

Taylorville 67 Chicago Comer 42

The Tornadoes went on a scoring spree and jumped out a 23-7 lead at the end of the first en route to a big game as Malique Pearse had himself a career day. This was game one of two in the day and the Tornadoes needed some wins to secure a higher game for championship day. Pearse would drop 20 points in the first game including a 9 point first quarter. The Tornadoes would take a 37-16 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Tornadoes would come out in the third picking up right where they left off dropping another 20-9 3rd quarter and the Tornadoes would cruise to victory.  Pearse was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game. Leading Scorers for Taylorville: Malique Pearse 20, Brock Brown 14, Maddyx Owens 9, Blake Ladage 9.

Taylorville 56 Sterling 51

Taylorville played one of the best games of the year with a big win over Sterling for their second game on December 30th. Taylorville jumped out to a 21-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and once again Malique Pearse started off the game hot with 10 points scored en route to another huge game where he would score 22 points capping off a fantastic day on the court. The Tornadoes would take a 31-24 lead into the locker room and even by the end of the third quarter, the Tornadoes were clinging to a 45-37 point lead. The Tornadoes looked a little flat coming into the fourth quarter and Coach Ryan Brown called a timeout with 2:48 left and the Tornadoes holding a one point lead. The team came out firing and Malique hit a quick steal and a lay up. After a series of free throws, the Tornadoes clung to a lead and walked out winners of the day and improving in the tournament to 2-1 where they would await Limestone in a 3rd/4th place matchup. Malique was once again named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game with his 22 points (42 points on the day!) Taylorville Leading Scorers: Malique Pearse 22, Blake Ladage 11, Maddex Havera 10, Brock Brown 8, Maddyx Owens 4.

Limestone 59 Taylorville 55

The Tornadoes played Limestone for the 3rd place game and the Tornadoes came out of the gate again strong taking a 15-10 lead after the 1st courtesy of 7 points from Brock Brown and Maddyx Owens who went 4/4 from the free throw line. Limestone’s Jay Caho scored 8 points on his way to a 15 point game.  The Tornadoes couldn’t find the net in the second quarter struggling to score points and Limestone would take the lead with a 7-2 run to start the second quarter and Limestone wouldn’t look back as they would score 19 in the second quarter and head to the locker room up 29-23. Taylorville would come out strong in the third with the Tornadoes spreading around the points and the Tornadoes cutting the deficit to 4 trailing 43-39. Taylorville cut into the lead with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter 47-44 when Blake Ladage got fouled making a layup tying up the game with 5:30 left. Taylorville even pulled ahead by 5, 52-47.  Things got heated in the fourth quarter as fouls weren’t being called and the officials were letting them play. Limestone’s Preston Quine hit a huge 3 enroute to a 12 point game to cut the deficit to 2. Taylorville led 55-50 but Kayvion Graham who scored 18 on the night, hit a jump shot from in the paint with 1:45 left in the game. Quine hit another huge dagger tying up the game with 59.4 seconds left and free throws were made giving Limestone 3rd place and the victory. Maddyx Owens was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game.  Leading Taylorville Scorers: Brock Brown 14, Blake Ladage 12, Maddyx Owens 11, Malique Pearse 9, Maddex Havera 7. 

Metamora 75 Taylorville 57

The Tornadoes wrapped up their holiday tournament and headed on the road for a Saturday afternoon matchup against 10-4 Metamora.  The Red Birds got off to a quick start from the strong play of Sam Koch who would put up 26 points. While Taylorville kept the Red Birds Brady Jones in check (11), Koch and Briggs Bucy would put up huge games.  Taylorville would trail at the end of the first 21-15.  Starting the third Taylorville would get within three, but it felt that everytime Taylorville went on a little run, Metamora would go on an even bigger one.  Heading into the locker room Taylorville trailed 46-22.  The Tornadoes would actually outscore Metamora in the second half but couldn’t comeback getting within 12 midway through the fourth quarter but falling short on the road and falling to 5-7 on the season. Brock Brown was named the WTIM Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game.  Leading point scorers for Taylorville: Brock Brown 11, Blake Ladage 8, Patrick Kurtin 6, Malique Pearse 5, Tucker Durbin 4, Maddex Havera 4.

Taylorville sits at 5-7 and will face Triad on the road on January 6th. 
 

In a game featuring several lead changes and ties, the Taylorville girls basketball team lost 49-46 away to Springfield.  The fourth quarter was the only quarter in which the Tornadoes finished behind. 

Taylorville started well, as three-point shots from Grace Rogers and McKynlee Siempelkamp put their site up by five at quarter-time.  A similar performance by the Senators' Gloria Ayilisungu and Zoe Luhtala deadlocked the game at 23 at halftime. 

The second and third quarters saw most of the game's lead changes.  That trend is especially notable in the third quarter, in which Taylorville outscored Springfield by just 9-8. 

In the fourth, Springfield pulled ahead and led by as many as 11.  They took advantage of solid shooting by Malorie Harris and many free-throw opportunities largely from the bonus.  Taylorville made a late push to come back, but the task was only just too tall.

Grace Rogers finished as the Chill Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game.  She totaled six points and exceled in a variety of ways, including forcing turnovers.  Baileigh Jackson scored 11 points, as did Harris for the home side. 

Taylorville now is at 5-11 for the season.  They next take the court in a week's time away to Effingham, and coverage will as usual be available on 96.5 The Chill.