The Pantagraph Bloomington, IL

Two All-Americas Don't Disappointmccray and Isu's Cirone Total 55 Points

LAWRENCE, Kan. - The two honorable mention All-America performers had some rocky moments during Wednesday night's Women's National Invitation Tournament semifinal at Allen Fieldhouse. By the time the final horn sounded, there was little doubt how important Illinois State senior point guard Kristi Cirone and Kansas junior forward Danielle McCray are to their teams.

Rally Falls Shortisu Throws Late Scare Into Kansas in Semifinal

LAWRENCE, Kan. - There was no April miracle for the Illinois State women's basketball team Wednesday night at venerable Allen Fieldhouse. But ISU came oh so close.

Frosh's First Rbi Lifts Isu

NORMAL - Freshman Jake Thornton strode to the plate in the second inning with a .259 batting average and as many RBIs as when he arrived on the Illinois State campus. Thornton broke the seal on his collegiate run production with a two-out single that led to a six-run inning and added a two-out, two- run single in the fifth to key the Redbirds to a 9-6 nonconference victory over Iowa on Wednesday at Duffy Bass Field.

Sweep Gives Fischer 800smith's Pitching, Hitting Help Isu Softball Coach to Milestone Win

NORMAL - Rain and snow kept Illinois State softball coach Melinda Fischer two victories shy of 800 for a week. Amber Smith made sure it wasn't another three days.

Booras Sets Team Markas Thunder Snaps Skid

FLINT, Mich. - Jon Booras scored twice to set the Bloomington Prairie-Thunder record for goals in a season and help end a nine- game losing streak with a 6-5 victory over Flint in International Hockey League action Wednesday at Perani Events Center. Five first-period goals including Booras' pair put Bloomington (28-35-2-5, 63 points) in control for good.

Odzic'sexit Gives Isu Anotherscholarship

NORMAL -The spring signing period has now become doubly important for Illinois State's basketball team. Reserve guard Sead Odzic announced Wednesday he will not take advantage of a fifth year of eligibility for the 2009-10 season. Instead, Odzic plans to earn his bachelor's degree in business during the summer and pursue a career.

Wildcat Baseball Rallies by Lincoln

Trailing 5-1 in the top of the seventh, the Normal West High School baseball team (3-2) scored six runs to notch a 7-5 triumph in a rescheduled game at Lincoln (1-2) Wednesday. A three-run triple by Alex Johnson tied the game at 5-5. A wild pitch later allowed Johnson to score the go-ahead run.

Honor Roll Track Meet to Be Discontinued

The Pantagraph has decided to discontinue the Honor Roll Track Meet, an event it co-sponsored with Bloomington High School for 25 years. The Illinois High School Association's change this year to a three-day boys state track meet beginning on the Thursday after the Tuesday Honor Roll Meet led many Class 1A coaches to indicate they would not ask their state qualifiers to compete in the Honor Roll Meet.

Father, Son Pocket $17,000 in Winnings

Steve "Pinky" Sandor of Tonica and his son, Adam Sandor of Ottawa, won the Masters Walleye Circuit opener last weekend on the Illinois River. The duo overcame high water and snow to catch a two-day limit of 10 sauger, weighing 27.6 pounds. Their bag included a big fish bonus for one of those days for a 4.76-pound sauger. Their winnings totaled more than $17,000.

Titan Baseball Sweeps Past Millikin

Alex Tosi and Joe Sweeney combined for a four-hit shutout as the Illinois Wesleyan baseball team downed Millikin, 3-0, in the first game of a doubleheader at Horenberger Field on Wednesday. Jason Pankau followed by pitching six innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight, as the Titans breezed to a 12-2 win in the nightcap.

Go & Play

Football What Normal Groundhogs youth football league (tackle, flag, and cheerleaders)

Take 2

The Morning Line Joe Deacon

From Pages Past

5 years ago (2004): Two-time defending state Class A softball champion Olympia put everyone on notice with a combination of flawless defense, clutch hitting and the four-hit pitching of sophomore right-hander Kaylee West in claiming a 1-0 win over Class AA Bloomington. 15 years ago (1994): Illinois State announced that basketball players Jon Litwiller and Ryan Weichman will leave the university at the end of the spring semester. Litwiller, a sophomore forward from Morton, started nine and pla...