Dixon goes on road, gets first-ever NIB-12 win
Break up the Dukes
Riley Mehrens helped the Dixon Dukes secure their first Northern Illinois Big 12 West win by denying Streator’s top scorer any points after halftime Friday in Streator.
After the Bulldogs’ Nolan Sokol scored all of his team-high 19 points in the first half, the Dixon freshman asked for an opportunity to shut him down and made good in a 55-52 victory, the Dukes’ first in their third season competing in the NIB-12 West.
“He did a phenomenal job against their best shooter,” Dixon coach Jason Mead said. “... He wanted the challenge, and he deserves every minute he gets.”
Meanwhile, Dixon (1-5, 1-0) sophomore Cal Jarrett filled the cup to the tune of 23 points, including four 3s. He came up a couple of rebounds short of his second straight double-double, and classmate Matt Coffey hit three 3s and scored 13 points.
The Bulldogs (1-4, 0-1) took a 15-13 lead right before the end of the first period. They led until midway through the fourth.
“Let’s just say that it was pretty fun in the locker room,” Mead said. “This one was a long time coming.”
Geneseo 58, Sterling 50: After being tied 20-20 at halftime, the Golden Warriors were outscored 38-30 in the second half of a NIB-12 West road loss.
Alex Soriano hit four 3-pointers and scored 12 points for Sterling (3-3, 0-1). Micah Miller and Tre Whittaker scored 10 points apiece for the Warriors.
Newman 65, Erie 64, OT: The Cardinals hit all 13 of their free-throws, but the Comets outscored them 9-8 in the extra period to pull off a Three Rivers road win.
A.J. Sharp poured in 29 points for Newman (6-1, 2-0), while Kyle Moore scored 12. The Comets trailed by four points (22-18) at halftime, and led by two (37-35) heading into the fourth quarter.
Connor Saad hit five 3s and scored 21 points for Erie (2-3, 0-1), while Rhett Stover scored 17 and Jacob Johnston had in 15.
Bureau Valley 52, Amboy 40: Parker Neuhalfen poured in a game-high 18 points to lead the Storm past the Clippers in Three Rivers play at Amboy.
Frank Gebek and Tommy Johnston had 10 points each for BV (4-3, 1-1). Tyson Powers scored 16 for Amboy (2-4, 0-2).
Kewanee 71, Morrison 68: Alex Volckmann poured in a team-high 23 points for the Mustangs, but it was not enough to top the Boilermakers in a Three Rivers clash in Kewanee.
Alex Weeks and Matt Wilkens had 11 and 10 points for Morrison (1-6, 0-2). Dayton Ince paced Kewanee (5-1, 2-0) with 25 points, while Dalton Nuding added 21.
Prophetstown 55, Riverdale 49: Carter Ames and Devin Johnson scored 17 points apiece to lead the Prophets past the previously unbeaten Rams in Port Byron.
Grant Ames added nine points and Ethan Howard eight for Prophetstown (4-2, 2-0 Three Rivers).
Oregon 61, North Boone 40: Holden White hit five 3-pointers for his team-high 15 points, leading the Hawks to the nonconference win at the Blackhawk Center.
Alex Cain, Josh Drew and Jessie McKinley added 10 points apiece for the 5-0 Hawks, who outscored North Boone 41-21 in the second half.
Dakota 61, AFC 51: After tying the game at 50 with less than 2 minutes to play, the Raiders were outscored 11-1 down the stretch of an NUIC East loss on the road.
Bret Gittleson scored 24 points for AFC (3-3, 0-1), and Ermir Ramadani had 10. Brett Benning’s game-high 25 points led the Indians (2-0, 1-0).
Durand 62, Milledgeville 56: The Missiles rallied to within three (41-38) after three quarters, but couldn’t finish off the comeback on the road.
Kaleb Ebersole scored 17 points, Jordan Harris had 11 and Zach Herin added 10 for Milledgeville (2-2, 0-1 NUIC East).
Men’s basketball
Sauk Valley 65, Daley 60, OT: The Skyhawks outscored Daley 13-8 in overtime to win their first-round game at the DuPage Tournament.
Daven Ottley had a double-double for Sauk (4-3), scoring 23 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Jalen Riley added 18 points, and Carlos Hendrix had 10 points and seven assists against just two turnovers. Magd Owayed chipped in eight points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Jeremy Price scored a game-high 33 for Daley, hitting four 3-pointers.
Friday’s stars
A.J Sharp, Newman, 29 points
Bret Gittleson, AFC, 24 points
Daven Ottley, Sauk, 23 points, 13 rebounds
Cal Jarrett, Dixon, 23 points, four 3s
Alex Volckmann, Morrison, 23 points
Connor Saad, Erie, 21 points, 5 3-pointers
Riley Mehrens, Dixon, held Streator’s Nolan Sokol to 0 points in the second half after he scored 19 in the first
