1 SPORTS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009 DECATUR, ILLINOIS www.herald-review.com

By LEROY BRIDGESH&R Staff Writer

PANA — A penny for a hard dayof practice is all Pana’s girls bas-ketball team wants.

Monetarily it’s nothing, but men-tally it’s everything.

When the Panthers take the floorfor their first game againstBelleville East on Friday, theywant to know they did everythingpossible in practice. That’s whycoach J.R. Boudouris gives histeam a penny with the hope thatthe Panthers are doing at leastwhat Belleville has done in prepa-ration for the season opener.

“It’s hard to quantify whetherthings are going well or not inpractice,” Boudouris said. “It’s asource of pride.”

Boudouris knows earning 17 pen-nies — the number of practicesfrom the beginning until Friday —doesn’t guarantee a win. But heknows it means his team did whatit could to be ready for a gamethat the Panthers will be theunderdog in as the smaller school.

“It’s with that underdog mentali-ty,” Boudouris said about histeam’s preseason preparation. “Wehave to make sure we’re doingeverything work ethic wise.”

Hard work is somethingBoudouris is starting to expectfrom the group he has. After fin-ishing 27-4 and making the Sweet

16 in 2008, last season was onegiant learning experience. Theteam had only two seniors andhard work was one of the thingsBoudouris could count on fromgame to game.

“I could count on one hand thenumber of times where I felt likewe weren’t in a game last year,”Boudouris said. “We were just verycompetitive.”

After going 7-8 before January,the Panthers finished the season 7-6, including a two-point winagainst Nokomis in regionals. Dur-ing that time, then-sophomore Alli-son Allen established herself as alegitimate post player and earnedsecond team all-South Central Con-ference honors.

“She has really come a longway,” senior guard Megan DeWerffsaid about Allen. “She started outtimid, but she has gotten so muchstronger and this season we’recounting on her.”

Allen, DeWerff and junior point

guard Jessica Etter are threestarters who anchor Boudouris’lineup and were direct recipients ofavailable playing time last season.Now, the trio leads a team hopingto make a postseason run similarto 2008’s team.

“Megan’s a hard-nosed kid who’sworked extremely hard the lastthree years at making herself bet-ter offensively,” Boudouris said.“And Jessica leads the break aswell as anybody I’ve ever had.

“They know we have the poten-tial to be even more successfulthan last year,” Boudouris said.

The list of contributors doesn’tstop there. In six years of coach-ing, this is Boudouris’ deepestteam. He believes he can count on10 girls to play consistent minutes,which will allow him to push theball offensively and pressure theball defensively.

“There have been times where,due to foul trouble, we have had toback off the pressure, but it’s goingto be a situation where we can gofull throttle,” Boudouris said. “Weconstantly preach to our kids, goas hard as you can as long as youcan and we will get someone elsein to do the same thing.”

The Panthers will put their 17-pennies worth of hard work to thetest in their opener Friday atBelleville East.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Herald & Review/Kelly J. Huff

Megan DeWerff is back for another season at Pana and will be one of the veterans trying to keep the momentum the

Panthers gained during the second half of last season.

Pana making centsExperienced Panthers will rely on hard work to again be competitive

‘We constantly preachto our kids, go as hardas you can as long as

you can ...’J.R. Boudouris, Pana coach

www.hrpreps.comprepsprepshr

www.herald-review.com TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009 DECATUR, ILLINOIS SPORTS 2

www.hrpreps.comprepshr

Apollo

1. Salem

2. Charleston

3. Robinson

4. Paris

5. Olney

6. Mount Zion

7. Effingham

8. Newton

Little Okaw

1. Hume Shiloh

2. Cerro Gordo

3. Arcola

4. Heritage

5. Tri-County

6. South Piatt

7. Villa Grove

8. Okaw Valley

9. Martinsville

10. Arthur-Lovington

Okaw Valley

1. Tolono Unity

2. Warrensburg-Latham

3. Central A&M

4. Monticello

5. St. Teresa

6. Tuscola

7. Maroa-Forsyth

8. Sullivan

9. Shelbyville

10. Meridian

11. Argenta-Oreana

12. Clinton

Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City —

Though young, the Hornets have

the talent to surpass last year’s 18-

win season with a group of offen-

sive-minded sophomores. The key

will be how the Hornets take to

coach Carolyn Wendte’s pressure

defensive system. Senior Hillary

Shelton’s leadership will be key for

an otherwise youthful group that

includes potentially dominating

freshman center Micah Jones.

Cumberland — Only two players

are gone from last year’s 20-game

winner, which was the best team in

Cumberland history. The Pirates

will have height and the area’s top-

scoring guard combination in Macy

Shupe and Kennedy Gabel.

Olney — A program that has

been one of the strongest in the

area for 20 years made just its sec-

ond state tournament appearance

last year behind some good senior

leaders and a pair of talented

sophomores in Ebany Brumfield

and Taylor Stevenson. They’ll have

to provide the leadership this year

if the Tigers want to make a repeat

trip.

Pana — The Panthers return

three starters and five other players

who saw playing time last season

in what was a rebuilding year — a

15-14 record with no regional title

for the first time since 2000-01.

This year, behind junior Allison

Allen and a deep group of guards,

Pana will compete for a conference

title in the tough South Central

East, and one area coach predict-

ed a long postsesaon run for the

Panthers.

South Central — A talented group

of juniors broke out last season

and led South Central to a 19-win

season and a regional title. This

year, they’re seniors and looking

for an even bigger season. For-

ward Audrey Matheney and guard

Abbey Jones lead a team that will

be even more dangerous this year

with the emergence of junior guard

Ashley Pollard.

Teutopolis — No T-Town team

has failed to win 20 games since

1990-91, and though its streak of

17 straight years with a regional

title ended last season, this year’s

team has the talent and versatility

to start a new streak. Five Wooden

Shoes return with varsity experi-

ence, including leading scorer

Megan Kroeger. Expect the Shoes

to have a deep bench and several

players with the ability to play both

down low and out on the floor,

which should cause mismatches

against most teams.

Warrensburg-Latham — No area

team has deployed a better full-

court pressure defense than the

Cardinals the past two seasons,

and last year it began to pay off.

Warrensburg won its first 12

games before struggling at times

late in the season and falling in a

regional title game matchup

against Virginia/A-C Central. What

the Cardinals lack in height, they

make up with quickness and expe-

rience. The key will be how well

they can score in the halfcourt

offense.

Altamont — Former Teutopolis

player Nikki Bloemer inherits an

undersized but experienced team

that will push the ball when possi-

ble. Defense could be an issue, but

the talent is there for at least 15

wins.

Central A&M — The Raiders lost

five seniors who all contributed to

the team’s success the last two

years, but coach Brianna Morrow

still has some pieces to work with.

Though this year’s team may lack

the depth of the last two, Shelby

Jackson is a prolific scorer with the

ability to take her game up to an

even higher level. She’ll have help

on the perimeter in Carissa Burge

and a freshman class that should

yield some varsity players.

Cerro Gordo — If a large group of

underclassmen can mature quickly

and mix with a group of three sen-

iors led by Tara Phelps, the Bron-

cos could surpass their 10-win sea-

son from last year.

Charleston — Stephanie Harper

— the school’s all-time leading

scorer and rebounder — is defi-

nitely a major loss. But players like

Holly Wohltman and Brittany

O’Dell have the talent to keep

Charleston winning games. The

Trojans will need someone to step

into Harper’s role as leader to

repeat last year’s success.

Effingham — The Hearts have no

replacements for last year’s top

post players Kelsey Mosher and

Brittany Shadowens. But Effing-

ham will still be a tough out with

sharpshooter Sam Zerrusen lead-

ing the way.

Effingham St. Anthony — The

Bulldogs lost four starters from last

year’s 20-game winner, but should-

n’t suffer a major falloff with the

return of Victoria Wolke, Kelly

McHugh and Lena Grunloh. Lack

of height will be St. Anthony’s

biggest concern, but the Bulldogs

counter with good shooters and a

tough defense.

Flora — The Wolves had an out-

standing 21-win campaign last

year, but lost three all-conference

players to graduation. Some

younger players will have to step

up, but they should still post their

seventh straight winning season

with junior Hannah Golden leading

the way.

LSA — The Lions are looking for

their fourth 20-win season in five

years, and have a good nucleus

with Whitney Thompson and Jeri-

ca Hawkins. But the losses of

Rachel McBride and Christi Rever

on the inside will hurt unless LSA

can find replacements.

MacArthur — The Generals have

offense from their backcourt in

Lexy Carson and Miranda Murry,

but will have to find a couple of

frontcourt presences or rebounding

could be a problem. If those con-

cerns are addressed, MacArthur

could record its fourth straight win-

ning season.

Maroa-Forsyth — If the Trojans

can find some players to build

around the inside-outside combina-

tion of guard Val Sobol and forward

Amy Mandrell, they can compete

in the upper portions of the Okaw

Valley. Hannah Ford, who has

been injured the past two seasons,

could be a pleasant surprise for

the Trojans.

Mattoon — Kayla Patrem and

Paige Roytek lead a Green Wave

team capable of eclipsing its 16-

win total from last season.

Mount Zion — The Braves have a

legitimate post threat in Jade Beck-

er and some players who flashed

some shooting touch last year in

Liz Barter and Madison Huskey.

They’ll have to show consistency

and the ability to handle pressure

defense in order to take the next

step up from last year’s nine-win

season.

St. Teresa — The Bulldogs have

limited experience outside of Haley

Fitzgerald, Holly Haskins and Mary

Walker, but they’ll make up for it

with a deep and talented group of

newcomers ready to step in.

Expect a breakout year from Hask-

ins, and even bigger rebounding

numbers from the undersized

Fitzgerald.

Taylorville — The Tornadoes will

be small, but they have the shoot-

ers to be dangerous — particularly

with a defense that will be applying

constant pressure. If Taylorville can

make the game a scramble, play-

ers like Emily Menichetti will be

dangerous pulling up from the out-

side in the open court.

Tuscola — Lindsay Troike in the

post and Raechel Buckner in the

backcourt provide the Warriors with

some experience, but both will

have to step up their scoring for

Tuscola to go on another postsea-

son run. Defense will definitely be

a strength, but the Warriors will

need to find at least one other

scorer to compete at the top of the

Okaw Valley.

Argenta-Oreana — After going

winless in the Okaw Valley Confer-

ence last year, the Bombers could

string together a good season with

five seniors with a good mix of

height and shooting ability.

Brownstown — Though just a

seven-win team last year, Brown-

stown has quickness and athletic

ability up and down its roster.

Using an up-tempo style, Brown-

stown may have the ability to wear

down its opponents and increase

its win total this season.

Casey-Westfield — The Warriors

have all the pieces for a breakout

year, and should easily top last

year’s nine-win mark. Kara Repp is

a force in the post and Amanda Tif-

fin was an all-conference first-team

selection last year.

Eisenhower — Guard play hasn’t

been a problem for the Panthers in

recent years, and that will continue

this year. Senior Tiara Thomas and

junior Kriza Allen are solid perform-

ers, and the roster is loaded with

capable backcourt players. Eisen-

hower’s weakness has been lack

of height, and though that could

still be an issue this season, 5-foot-

11 sophomore Marshaya Sangster

is a solid start. But she’ll need

help.

Louisville North Clay — After tak-

ing North Clay to its first regional

title two years ago, coach Curtis

Thompson will field a team that

has the potential to do the same.

The key will be how much seniors

Alyssa Fender and Hailey Oliver

can step up their games.

Monticello — The Sages lost five

of their top six players from last

season, and their leading returning

scorer averaged 4.1 points per

game. But Monticello has good

height in 5-10 Karli Harshbarger

and 5-11 Ashley Whitney, and a

potential scoring threat in Sammi

Thompson. Plus, Monticello’s JV

teams recorded 14-0 and 13-1

records, respectively, the last two

seasons.

Mount Pulaski — After winning

10 games a season ago, the Hill-

toppers are ready to burst onto the

scene as one of the area teams to

beat with the duo of Meghan

Moore and Ashley Southerlan.

Neoga — The Indians have been

solid in recent years, but even with

the graduation of 3-point bomber

Jaimee Roy, this could be a break-

out year. They’ll have to grow into

their varsity roles fast, and could

struggle at times early because of

that. But with a front line that goes

5-11, 6-0 and 6-1, a solid point

guard in Molly Tarter and the rest

of the spots filled up from a group

that went 15-1 at JV last year,

Neoga could restart a 20-win sea-

son streak that ended at nine in a

row in 2007-08.

Robinson — The Maroons will

miss Morayo Akande on their mis-

sion to post a winning record for

the first time since 2003-04. But

with the inside-outside combination

of 6-4 sophomore Kelsey Dirks and

senior Jordan Connelly returning,

Robinson could be the Apollo’s

dark horse.

Arcola — The Purple Riders will

have one of their youngest teams

in recent memory, with just two

returning letter winners. Arcola

coach Nancy Stiff will dig deep in

the roster early in the season to

hopefully find the right combination

come postseason.

Arthur-Lovington — The Knights

boast some experience and quick-

ness, but will have eight freshmen

on varsity and not much height.

Clinton — Josh Williams takes

over for a team that won three

games last season, but returns

four experienced players including

Meghan Matthews. Williams’ first

goal is to improve the Maroons’

defense.

Lincoln — Since posting back-to-

back regional titles in 2005 and

’06, the Railers have just 16 total

wins, and only one of those came

last season.

Meridian — The good news for

Meridian is that it loses just two

seniors from last year's team. The

bad news is that one of them was

the Hawks' best player, Lauren

Doyle. Meridian has no one player

to replace her, but has several

capable of more production, includ-

ing Kristen Doyle and Erica Funk.

Newton — The Eagles could

have a tough time topping 10 wins

again this season with a roster that

features as many freshmen as

upperclassmen.

Nokomis — Rachelle McDowell

takes over a young team that does

boast some quickness, including

leading returning scorer Mandy

Smith.

Okaw Valley — With 75 percent of

its scoring from last year gone,

Okaw Valley will have to dig in on

defense and control tempo until it

finds out where its points will come

from.

Sangamon Valley — The Storm

went winless last season and could

struggle again this season with a

young team and low numbers. But

Sangamon Valley will use it as a

building year, getting valuable var-

sity experience for its younger play-

ers.

Shelbyville — The Rams lost 90

percent of their scoring from last

year. Five-foot-10 sophomore

Amanda Finley will provide some

scoring punch, but the team is

mostly freshmen and sophomores

and will have to do the little things

— minimizing turnovers and keep-

ing teams off the offensive boards

— to compete.

Sullivan — The Redskins gradu-

ated most of their experienced

players, including leading scorer

Lauren Taylor, from last year’s 14-

win team. Seven of the team’s 14

members are freshmen, sopho-

mores or juniors playing their first

year on varsity.

Vandalia — Following an out-

standing 28-2 season, the Vandals

graduated eight seniors and will

field a team with little to no varsity

experience. There is some young

talent that will benefit from some

early playing time.

TEAMS MOST LIKELY TO REACH 20 WINS

BIGGEST SLEEPER TEAMS

TEAMS ONE PIECE AWAY

TEAMS STILL A YEAR AWAY

They are expected a good year in Cerro Gordo where Tara Phelps is

one of three experienced seniors.

Tiara Thomas is back to provide

some punch for Eisenhower.

Alyssa Riley, above, is one of the players expected to lead another run by the Warrensburg-Latham

club. Olney coach Brent McKinney, below, again has enough impact players to win at least 20 games.

From the coaches

Here’s a look at conference

predictions as voted on by area

league coaches.

Rosters and schedules for

all of our teams can be found

at: www2.herald-

review.com/scoreboard

SportsHerald&Review

BSIDELINES

www.herald-review.com

Monday, November 16, 2009

Blackhawks end

tough homestand

with OT win/B3

Compiled from H&R staff and news service reports

Closing the gapRams improving,but still fall shortagainst Saints/B6

Questions or comments regarding this section? Contact Sports Editor Mike Albright at 421-7909

Speak up

Vote online at:

www.herald-review.com/sports

Gamble keeps Colts unbeatenBill Belichick’s stunning gamble

failed, and Peyton Manning took

advantage by throwing a 1-yard

touchdown pass with 13 seconds

left that rallied the unbeaten Indi-

anapolis Colts over the New Eng-

land Patriots 35-34 Sunday night.

Manning’s toss to Reggie Wayne

completed the Colts’ comeback

from a 17-point deficit. A decision

by Belichick put them in position.

The Patriots coach decided to go

for it on fourth-and-2 from their own

28 with 2:08 to go. The pass to

Kevin Faulk came up short.

It was the most improbable victo-

ry for the Colts (9-0) in their 18-

game regular-season winning

streak, tied for the second-longest

in NFL history with New England. It

was the first time Belichick’s Patri-

ots had lost when leading by at

least 13 in the fourth quarter.

TCU stuck in BCS standingsTCU’s big victory wasn’t enough

for the Horned Frogs to make a

move up the BCS standings.

TCU (10-0) remained behind Flori-

da, Alabama and

Texas in the race to

the national title

game.

The Horned

Frogs defeated Utah 55-28 on Sat-

urday night in what figured to be the

most difficult game left on their

schedule. But they remained stuck

in fourth place in Bowl Champi-

onship Series standings.

TCU, from the Mountain West

Conference, last week became the

first team from a league without an

automatic BCS bid to break into the

top five of the standings this late in

a season. BCS standings B2

Kareem appreciates sympathyKareem Abdul-Jabbar is glad he

went public about being treated for

a rare form of

leukemia because it

has given him a

chance to reconnect

with people.

The NBA’s career

scoring leader said

Sunday that since his

recent announcement he has been

stopped by people in public who

wish him well and encourage him

about his condition.

“The response has been really

intense,” he said. “I didn’t expect it

to play out this way, but it’s been

wonderful. I’ve got people’s prayers

and their support and they ask what

they can do. People just want to

connect and it’s been beautiful.”

Their reaction has taken the 62-

year-old six-time NBA MVP by sur-

prise. Abdul-Jabbar was known for

being introverted and sullen during

his 20-year playing career, often

refusing to talk to the media. As a

result, he has been a low-profile

presence since retiring in 1989

despite his stellar basketball accom-

plishments at UCLA and in the NBA.

No ordinary kill shotWho needs a deer rifle when you

have a lawn ornament?

Mark Brye of Viroqua, Wis.,

boasts a freezer full of serendipitous

venison after a love-crazed 7-point

buck dropped dead in his yard after

he rammed Brye’s concrete elk

lawn statue. Talk about a mismatch:

The deer weighed 180 pounds—

and the lawn ornament 640 pounds.

And just to make it legal, wrote Bob

Lamb of the La Crosse Tribune, “Brye

claimed the buck with a tag from the

Vernon County conservation warden.

He laughed at the warden’s tag note:

‘lawn ornament fight — lost.’ ”

How many games

will the Illinois

men’s basketball

team win?

Herald & Review/Stephen Haas

LSA’s Jerica Hawkins helped the Lions to a 22-6 record as a freshman, and this season she should be counted on for more. Hawkins is one of just two LSA players

with significant varsity experience.

With poise comes noiseBy JUSTIN CONNH&R Staff Writer

DECATUR — JericaHawkins didn’t say muchlast season, but she stillmanaged to make a lot ofnoise.

Joining a team with sev-eral established seniors —including H&R All-MaconCounty First-TeamerRachel McBride —Hawkins was careful not

to ruffle feathers as afreshman starting varsity.But once on the court,Hawkins’ game spoke foritself. She scored 17 pointsin her first varsity gameand went on to lead theLions in scoring as theyrecorded a 22-6 season,nearly knocking off Cen-tral A&M in the regionaltitle game.

“I think one of the rea-

sons she did so well lastyear was because she wasa quiet leader,” LSA coachMark Burgener said.“Once our seniors lastyear saw what she coulddo, they had no problemwith her being part of themix.

“I thought that wasimportant,” Burgenersaid. “If you have someonewho comes in and acts

like they know they’regood, there can be a rubthere. But the team chem-istry we had last year witha freshman, a sophomorepoint guard and three sen-iors — it was incrediblethe way they jelled.”

Hawkins was surprisedat how easy the transitionwas.

n More girls coverage inside

See what’s in store for DecaturChristian, LSA, MacArthur,Mount Zion, Eisenhower and St. Teresa with city team previews.

hrpreps/B3

HAWKINS/B3

n Hoops preview schedule

The H&R will kick off thehigh school basketballseason witheight straightdays of previews. SeeTuesday’s edition for a look at some of theother girls teams from aroundthe area.

hrpreps GIRLS BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Herald & Review/Stephen Haas

Quarterback Juice Williams didn’t play in the Illini’s 21-16 loss against

Northwestern on Saturday, but is expected to play Nov. 27 against Cincinnati.

Juice back in fold next game

By MARK TUPPER H&R Executive Sports Editor

CHAMPAIGN — Illi-nois’ revolving door atquarterback is spinningback to Juice Williams.

Coach Ron Zook saidSunday that Williamswill be the starter whenIllinois (3-7) returns toaction on Friday, Nov. 27 at unbeatenCincinnati. Kickofftime for the game maybe announced today byESPN.

Williams, who hasbeen nursing asprained left ankle, didnot play in Saturday’s21-16 loss to North-western. Redshirtfreshman JacobCharest started butstruggled in the firsthalf. Eddie McGeeplayed quarterback fortwo series in the thirdquarter, but Charestreturned and led Illi-nois to a pair of latetouchdowns.

But Zook said heexpects Williams to behealthy and wants hissenior to have achance to beat aCincinnati team that is10-0 and ranked fifth in

the country. “We’ll go into this

game with Juice as thequarterback,” Zooksaid. “We owe Juicemore than that. Juiceis a warrior, a fighterand he’ll be ready togo.

“He probably couldhave played (againstNorthwestern) if wehad forced the issue.The doctors didn’t feelthat was in the bestinterest of Juice andthat’s what you try tolook at.”

Zook said despite thefact that Illinois has nochance to go to a bowlgame, he won’t switch

ILLINI/B4

Zook expectssenior to playagainst Cincy

LSA’s Hawkins steps into leadership role as a sophomore

The champarrives

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — When afluke accident cost Jimmie Johnson ahuge chunk of his points lead, he knewthere was no more room for error inhis bid to win a NASCAR record fourthconsecutive championship.

But when it came time to plot astrategy for Phoenix InternationalRaceway, playing it safe was neveran option.

Johnson cruised to a dominatingvictory Sunday that moved him to theedge of history, winning the fourthrace of this Chase for the Sprint Cupchampionship in what his rivals con-sidered a “statement” showing.

Associated Press

Jimmie Johnson’s win at Phoenix on Sunday

leaves him needing a 25th-place finish or better to

clinch the Sprint Cup title next week.

Millikin passes first

test in season opener

By MIKE ALBRIGHTH&R Sports Editor

DECATUR — A month ofpractice is great to get inshape and find out what thecoaches expect. But there isnothing like that first gameto really learn what needswork.

Millikin had its share oflessons on Sunday while stillmanaging to do plenty ofthings well in a season-opening 68-58 victory overRose Hulman at the Griswold Center.

“It feels good to get out

and compete,” Millikinsenior guard Charles Warren said. “But itshowed us what we needto work on.”

With a Millikin squadthat could be trying to fig-ure out a starting lineup forawhile, center JoscarDemby called the game atime of “trial and error,seeing what we were goingto do.”

What they did was getthree freshmen involved,get senior leadership andfound a hot-shooting touchin time to win its openerfor the seventh straightseason.

MILLIKIN/B4

Seniors lead wayvs. Rose Hulman

Win at Phoenix putsJohnson on verge of title

JOHNSON/B4

Abdul-Jabbar

www.herald-review.com MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2009 DECATUR, ILLINOIS SPORTS B3

HAWKINSContinued from B1

“As a freshman coming in, Ithought the varsity playersmight give me a hard time,”she said. “There was Rachel— she was so tall and one ofthe best post players in thecounty, so that was kind ofintimidating. And I thoughtthe high school game, in gen-eral, was going to be moredifficult. But it all seemed tocome natural. The seniorswere nice and they acceptedme, and we had a lot of fun.”

This season, Hawkins willbe forced to take a largerleadership role — along withjunior teammate WhitneyThompson — as well as devel-op the skills she’ll need tomaximize her considerablepotential.

Normally, sophomoresaren’t counted on for muchleadership. But Hawkins isone of only two LSA playerswith significant varsity expe-rience.

“That’s a lot of responsibili-ty for young players, but Ithink Jerica welcomes that,”Burgener said. “I think itcomes natural to her. She’s acompetitor. Neither Jericanor Whitney like to lose. Idon’t have any reservations

about either of their abilitiesto step into that role.”

While off the court Hawkinsadmitted she doesn’t alwayshave a lot to say, that changeswhen she’s competing in thegame she first started playingat 3 years old.

“I’m shy in the classroom,but on the basketball court,I’m a whole different person,”Hawkins said. “I love basket-ball. It means a lot to me andI think that shows when I’mon the floor.”

Hawkins averaged 15.5points per game last year, butBurgener said there’s roomfor improvement.

“She’s got great naturalathleticism,” Burgener said.“There’s so much potentialthere, and I don’t think we’vecome anywhere near seeingthe best that Jerica can deliv-er out on the court. And that’sexciting.”

Burgener said the twoaspects Hawkins needs themost work on are using herleft hand to drive anddefense.

“To be successful at thehighest level in high school,you have to be able to useboth hands. You don’t want tobe predictable,” Burgenersaid. “But I’d say her biggestweakness is defense. You’dnever know it by looking ather stats, because she hadtons of steals last year. And Idon’t think she’d admit tothat. But she gets by a lotwith her athletic ability.

“We’ve been working a loton proper defensive spacingand positioning,” Burgenersaid. “I think if she comesalong and takes that instruc-tion, people are going to see areally complete, dominant all-around player.”

jconn@herald-review.com|421-7971

DECATUR — The successof the St. Teresa girls fall pro-grams was a delight for BruceMoore to watch.

At the same time, it was abit troubling as last postsea-son runs by the volleyball andcross country teams meant apretty thin roster at times forthe Bulldogs basketball coach.

“It was tough to evaluateplayers,” he said.

But now that they are all inhouse, Moore is starting tolike what he sees despite theloss of a couple of key players.

“I think we’re going to befine this year,” he said. “Wedon’t have a lot of height andyou have to have height to besuccessful in the long run.

“But we do have a lot ofathletic girls. The girls thatwe have are a good group.”

He believes he has just the per-son to take over the spot of AlexReynolds, who was first-team all-Macon County a year ago.

Haley Fitzgerald averagedeight points and eight reboundsas a junior and has been play-ing at the varsity level sinceshe was a freshman.

“If she wants to, she is avery unselfish player. Some-times she passes up too manyshots,” Moore said. “This yearwe’ll ask more of her and askher to be an offensive threat.”

The Bulldogs will surroundher with some role playersand some youngsters.

He said Lizzy York andHannah Richards are danger-ous from the 3-point arc.Mary Walker is a sneakyquick defender and HollyHaskins is capable at thepoint guard spot.

“She is a mismatch for a lotof point guards because herheighth, strength and athleti-cism,” Moore said.

Quick peek

COACH: Bruce Moore

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 13-14

TOP RETURNERS: Mary Walker

(Sr.); Holly Haskins (Jr.); Haley

Fitzgerald (Sr.)

TOP NEWCOMERS: Katie Landry (Jr.);

Claire Raycraft (So.); Erin Hettinger

(So.); Marie Hogan (Sr.); Jamie

Brown (Jr.); Raeshel Braden (Jr.)

Roster

Fitzgerald, Haley 5-9 Sr.

Hogan, Marie 5-7 Sr.

Richards, Hannah 5-4 Sr.

Walker, Mary 5-6 Sr.

York, Lizzy 5-6 Sr.

Braden, Raeshel 5-8 Jr.

Brown, Jamie 5-4 Jr.

Haskins, Holly 5-8 Jr.

Landry, Katie 5-10 Jr.

Hettinger, Erin 5-4 So.

Raycaft, Claire 5-10 So.

Rogers, Jordan 5-9 So.

Duncan, Ann 5-4 Fr.

Schedule

Nov. 18 vs. St. Joseph-Ogden in

Riverton, 5 p.m.

Nov. 19 vs. Clinton in Riverton, 8 p.m.

Nov. 20 vs. Riverton in Riverton, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 23 Sangamon Valley, 7 p.m.

Nov. 24 at Cerro Gordo, 7 p.m.

Nov. 30 Warrensburg-Latham, 7 p.m.

Dec. 3 Sullivan, 7 p.m.

Dec. 5 at LSA, 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 7 Central A&M, 7 p.m.

Dec. 10 at Argenta-Oreana, 7 p.m.

Dec. 14 Tolono Unity, 7 p.m.

Dec. 17 at Maroa-Forsyth, 7 p.m.

Dec. 19 at Springfield SH-Griffin, 7 p.m.

Jan. 4-9 at Macon County Tournament

Jan. 11 Tuscola, 7 p.m.

Jan. 14 Monticello, 7 p.m.

Jan. 18 at Clinton, 7 p.m.

Jan. 20 at Mount Zion, 7 p.m.

Jan. 21-28 OKAW Tournament

Feb. 1 at Shelbyville, 7 p.m.

Feb. 4 at Meridian, 7 p.m.

DECATUR — MacArthur isthe only area team that canboast three players of the yearin its program, and that shouldhelp the Generals to anothersuccessful season — even iftwo of those three are coaches.

After going 20-10 last seasonwith the program’s first section-al title appearance, the Gener-als graduated four of their sixtop players and also lost theircoach when H&R Macon Coun-ty Coach of the Year Eric New-bon left to become Eisenhow-er’s boys coach.

But last year’s county playerof the year Lexy Carson givesnew coach Gwen Muex — the1983 county player of the year—a major building block. AndMuex will have plenty of helpcoaching an otherwise mostlyyoung team with two-timecounty player of the year Mon-ica Rogers (at St. Teresa in2003 and ’04) coming back toDecatur after a successfulfour-year career at Bradley tobe one of Muex’s assistants.

Muex, a 1983 StephenDecatur grad, previouslycoached the varsity girls atStephen Decatur in theschool’s final season, thencoached several years at thejunior high level.

“I took last year off fromcoaching, but when I heardthey had an opening atMacArthur and people weren’tapplying, I felt bad for thosegirls,” Muex said. “I didn’tfeel like I was done coaching,so I decided to get back in andhelp these young ladies.”

Carson emerged as a legiti-mate scoring threat last yearwith 17.4 points per game, andmay have to score even morethis year to lead a Generalsteam with just one other play-er with significant varsityexperience. That player,Miranda Murry, givesMacArthur an outside scoringthreat. And Muex expectssophomore Sydney Sturdivantto have a breakout season.

Quick peek

COACH: Gwen Muex

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 20-10

TOP RETURNERS: Lexy Carson

(Sr., G); Miranda Murry (Sr., G)

TOP NEWCOMERS: Sydney Sturdi-

vant (So., F)

Roster

Brown, Shay F Sr.

Carson, Lexy G Sr.

Murray, Miranda G Sr.

Parsons, TaCharra C Sr.

Tarvin, Kaylyn F Sr.

Allyn, Maegan F Jr.

Bond, Ashley F So.

Cooper, T’Nasha G So.

Roberts, Natalee G So.

Stanley, Taylor G So.

Sturdivant, Sydney F So.

Prim, Aarhianna C Fr.

Schedule

Nov. 24-28 at Mount Zion Tournament

Dec. 3 Champaign Central, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 5 at Jacksonville, 4 p.m.

Dec. 10 at Normal West, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 11 Eisenhower, 6 p.m.

Dec. 19 at Mattoon, 4 p.m.

Dec. 28-30 at Mattoon Holiday Tourn.

Jan. 7 at Urbana, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12 Springfield SH-Griffin, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14 at Bloomington, 7:45 p.m.

Jan. 16 Champaign Cent., 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 21 Normal, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 28 Normal West, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 2 at Eisenhower, 6 p.m.

Feb. 4 Danville, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 6 at Normal, 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 9 at Mount Zion, 7 p.m.

Feb. 11 Bloomington, 7:45 p.m.

DECATUR — LSA coachMark Burgener’s message tohis team this season is: Ifyou’re not moving at break-neck speed, you’re doing itwrong.

With no height to speak ofafter the graduation of 5-11post players Rachel McBrideand Christi Rever, the Lionswill have to rely on theirquickness to get their third 20-win season in the past fouryear and fifth straight confer-ence title.

“We’re not going to havesize, so for us it’s going to beall about transition offenseand pressure defense,” Bur-gener said. “We have toemphasize our quickness —that’s our asset. And to makethat work, we’re going to haveto be in good condition andout-hustle our opponents.”

The key will be JericaHawkins — both her ability toscore and the team’s ability totake advantage of defensesdesigned to stop her fromscoring.

“Jerica’s scoring will beimportant to us, but her will-ingness to pass will be just asimportant,” Burgener said.“This group is young, but thenice thing is they’ve playedtogether since junior high andknow how to use theirstrengths.”

While LSA won’t have theheight and experience ofrecent teams, Burgener saidshooting will be a strengthwith sophomore Jamie Schol-lenbruch, sophomore ArianaShelton and junior WhitneyThompson.

Quick peek

COACH: Mark Burgener

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 22-5, 12-0

East Central Illinois

TOP RETURNERS: Whitney Thomp-

son (Jr., G); Jerica Hawkins (So., G)

TOP NEWCOMERS: Ariana Shelton

(So., G); Jamie Schollenbruch (So.,

G); Kylie Laskowski (So., F); Rachel

McCormick (Sr., G)

Roster

McCormick, Rachel Sr.

Buhr, Jennifer Jr.

Thompson, Whitney Jr.

Hawkins, Jerica So.

Laskowski, Kylie So.

Sack, Rebekah So.

Schollenbruch, Jamie So.

Shelton, Ari So.

Schedule

Nov. 17 vs. Williamsville in Riverton, 8 p.m.

Nov. 19 vs. Mount Zion in Riverton,

6:30 p.m.

Nov. 20 vs. Virginia in Riverton, 5 p.m.

Nov. 24 at Sangamon Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 27-28 Sangamon Valley Tourn.

Nov. 30 Champaign Judah Christ-

ian, 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 3 at Normal Calvary Baptist,

7:15 p.m.

Dec. 5 St. Teresa, 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 8 DeLand-Weldon, 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 11 University Laboratory High

School, 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 14 at Christ Lutheran, 6 p.m.

Dec. 19 Warrensburg-Latham, 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 21 at Okaw Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 26-30 at Okaw Valley Christmas

Tournament

Jan. 12 at Decatur Christian, 6:15 p.m.

Jan. 15 Calvary Baptist Academy,

6:30 p.m.

Jan. 16 at Maroa-Forsyth, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 19 at DeLand-Weldon, 7:15 p.m.

Jan. 22 at University Laboratory

High School, 7:15 p.m.

Jan. 25 Christ Lutheran School, 6 p.m.

Jan. 28 at Champaign Judah

Christian, 7:15 p.m.

Feb. 2 at Springfield Lutheran, 7:15 p.m.

Feb. 5 Decatur Christian, 6:15 p.m.

MOUNT ZION — Hopefully agood summer means a betterwinter for the Mount Zion Braves.

“We had a really good sum-mer,” Braves coach Jeff Shu-mate said. “We played verywell and some girls steppedup to fill some of the rolesfrom our seniors who gradu-ated last year. I think we havea lot of options this year.”

The biggest option willagain be 6-foot junior JadeBecker (11.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg), whohas gotten bigger, strongerand maybe gained some moreconfidence through her sum-mer play and her success dur-ing volleyball season.

Becker already holds theschool’s single-season recordsfor offensive rebounds, defensiverebounds and total rebounds.

“She’s going to hopefullyhave a good game everynight,” Shumate said. “Weneed to get some early lowpost scores to help openthings up for us.”

Mount Zion got off to a nicestart before hitting ApolloConference play. The Braveslost 10 of its last 11.

Part of the reason wasturnovers.

But Shumate feels that hasimproved as Madison Huskeywill be joined by NicoleWeaver and Haley Mathes.

“I feel comfortable with allthree of them handling theball,” he said.

Expected to provide somehelp on the offensive end aresenior guard Liz Barter (6.0ppg) and Huskey, who seemedto come through more in thebigger games. Huskey aver-aged 4.4 points last season buthad 16 against MacArthur and13 against Olney.

Quick peek

COACH: Jeff Shumate

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 9-19, 2-12

TOP RETURNERS: Jade Becker (Jr.,

C); Liz Barter (Sr., G); Madison

Huskey (Sr., G); Kendra Schaub (Sr.,

G); Megan Perry (Sr., F); Nicole

Weaver (So., G); Haley Mathes (Jr., G)

TOP NEWCOMERS: Bailey Atkins

(Jr., G); Mackenzie Steck (So., G);

Rachel Huggins (So., F)

Roster

Barter, Liz G Sr.

Huskey, Madison G Sr.

Schaub, Kendra G Sr.

Atkins, Bailey G Jr.

Becker, Jade C Jr.

Mathes, Haley G Jr.

Perry, Megan F Jr.

Frey, Jordan G So.

Huggins, Rachel F So.

MacIntosh, Olivia F So.

Steck, Mackenzie G So.

Weaver, Nicole G So.

Schedule

Nov. 17 vs. Virginia in Riverton, 5 p.m.

Nov. 19 vs. LSA in Riverton, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 20 vs. Williamsville in Riverton,

8 p.m.

Nov. 24-28 at Mount Zion Thanks-

giving Tournament

Nov. 30 at Charleston, 7 p.m.

Dec. 3 Olney East Richland, 7 p.m.

Dec. 7 Paris, 7 p.m.

Dec. 10 at Newton, 7 p.m.

Dec. 14 at Robinson, 7 p.m.

Dec. 18 at Effingham, 7 p.m.

Dec. 26-30 at Okaw Valley Christmas

Tournament

Jan. 4 at Salem, 7 p.m.

Jan. 7 Charleston, 7 p.m.

Jan. 11 at Paris, 7 p.m.

Jan. 14 at Olney, 7 p.m.

Jan. 20 St. Teresa, 7 p.m.

Jan. 25 Newton, 7 p.m.

Jan. 28 Robinson, 7 p.m.

Feb. 1 Effingham, 7 p.m.

Feb. 4 Salem, 7 p.m.

Feb. 9 MacArthur, 7 p.m.

DECATUR — If the sum-mer is any indication of howmuch success Eisenhower willhave this year, then the Pan-thers are set for a good sea-son.

Eisenhower coach ChrisSeider was ecstatic with thecommitment he got from histeam and that translated intoresults. The group workednearly every day during thesummer and competed in 27games finishing with a recordof 24-3.

“That was a huge step forus because last year we reallyunder achieved,” Seider saidabout the summer successcompared to last season’s 6-21record. “The talent’s alwaysbeen there, it was just a mat-ter of mixing the right peopletogether.”

Seider has a veteran groupthat’s led by 10 seniors andtwo juniors of the 13-personroster. The experience com-bined with each player know-ing and understanding herrole sets up for what Seiderexpects to be a quality year.

“I am sure at 6-21 with 12returners not many peopleexpect a lot from this group,”Seider said. “But I do.”

The group is plenty readyfor tonight’s intrasquadscrimmage and then it opensthe season with Sacred HeartGriffin.

“It’s going to be a toughgame for us,” Seider said.“But the girls had a taste ofsuccess this summer and theywant that to continue.”

Quick peek

COACH: Chris Seider

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 6-21, 2-11

Big 12

TOP RETURNERS: Tiara Thomas

(Sr.), Kriza Allen (Jr.), Tyniesha

Cardwell (Sr.), Kari Fabley (Sr.)

TOP NEWCOMERS: Marshaya

Sangster (So.), Maya Houston

(Jr.), Zemeka Fuller (Sr.)

Schedule

Nov. 18 at Springfield Sacred

Heart-Griffin, 6 p.m.

Nov. 24-28 at Mount Zion

Tournament

Dec. 3 at Normal, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 10 at Urbana, 6 p.m.

Dec. 11 at MacArthur, 6 p.m.

Dec. 12 vs. Quincy Notre Dame,

2:30 p.m.

Dec. 19 vs. Bloomington, 1 p.m.

Dec. 28-30 at Charleston

Tournament

Jan. 7 vs. Mattoon, 6 p.m.

Jan. 14 at Normal West, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 16 vs. Normal, 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 21 at Bloomington, 6 p.m.

Jan. 23, 25, 27, 28 at Lincoln

Round Robin

Feb. 2 vs. MacArthur, 6 p.m.

Feb. 4 at Champaign Central,

7:30 p.m.

Feb. 6 vs. Normal West, 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 8 vs. Charleston, 6:15 p.m.

Feb. 11 at Champaign Centennial,

6 p.m.

Roster

Allen, Kriza G Jr.

Cardwell, Tymiesha G Sr.

Cardwell, Tyniesha F Sr.

Dunning, Shana C Sr.

Evans, Lena G Sr.

Fabley, Kari G Sr.

Fuller, Zemeka F Sr.

Houston, Maya F Jr.

Jackson, Dynia G Sr.

Owens, Samantha F Sr.

Patterson, Kacy G Sr.

Sangster, Marshaya C So.

Thomas, Tiara G Sr.

DECATUR — With thedeparture of three startersand no seniors on this year’steam, Decatur Christian isgoing to need some time todevelop.

DCS has only one junior,Keirstyn Spangler, on theteam and its also breaking infirst-year coach Tom Grady.The team’s other starter froma year ago is sophomore Han-nah Guske.

“Guske didn’t score a lotlast year, but in practice sheseems to be able to shoot theball pretty well,” Grady said.

Grady is also hoping theaddition of freshman CarlyRobinson helps the teamprogress throughout the year.Robinson will be the team’spost player.

“She looks like she can getthe job done down low,”Grady said about Robinson.

Grady knows the seasonwill be one of learning andprogression. The team has sixsophomores, including Guske,and four freshmen, includingRobinson.

“There’s no substitute tohaving seniors and experi-ence,” Grady said. “I am sureby the end of the year, weshould be coming into ourown.”

Quick peek

COACH: Chris Seider

LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 7-20, 0-10

TOP RETURNERS: Keirstyn Span-

gler (Jr.), Hannah Guske (So.)

TOP NEWCOMERS: Carly Robin-

son (Fr.)

Schedule

Nov. 30 vs. DeLand-Weldon, 6 p.m.

Dec. 1 at Christ Lutheran, 6 p.m.

Dec. 5 vs. Cornerstone Christian

Academy, 1 p.m.

Dec. 8 vs. Judah Christian, 6 p.m.

Dec. 11 at Okaw Valley, 6:15 p.m.

Dec. 12 at Heritage, 1 p.m.

Dec. 12 at Heritage, 2 p.m.

Dec. 14 vs. Calvery Baptist Academy,

6:15 p.m.

Dec. 17 vs. South Fork, 6:15 p.m.

Dec. 19 at Atwood-Hammond, 1 p.m.

Dec. 29 vs. First Christian Baptist,

5 p.m.

Jan. 7 at University High, 6 p.m.

Jan. 8 at Decatur Home School,

6:30 p.m.

Jan. 12 vs. LSA, 6:15 p.m.

Jan. 15 vs. Christ Lutheran, 6 p.m.

Jan. 16 vs. Cornerstone Christian

School-Sycamore, 1 p.m.

Jan. 19 at Judah Christian, 6 p.m.

Jan. 22 at Cornerstone Christian

Academy, 6:45 p.m.

Jan. 23 at Northwest Christian

Campus, 4 p.m.

Jan. 23 at Northwest Christian, 4 p.m.

Jan. 26 at Calvary Baptist Acade-

my, 6:15 p.m.

Jan. 29 at DeLand-Weldon, 6:15 p.m.

Feb. 1 vs. University High, 6 p.m.

Feb. 5 at LSA, 6:15 p.m.

Roster

DeBrun, Michelle So.

Edgecombe, Morgan So.

Fronk, Heather So.

Guske, Hannah So.

Hanks, Jessica Fr.

Klemm, Sara Fr.

Lehman, Mikayla So.

Robinson, Carly Fr.

Simms, Sarah So.

Spangler, Karrissa Fr.

Spangler, Keirstyn Jr.

girls basketball preview — city teamsprepshr

NHL

ST. TERESA MACARTHUR LSA MOUNT ZION EISENHOWER DCS

T IPOFF T IME

Today’s girls basketball gamesMount Pulaski at Heyworth, 7 p.m.

Oblong at Martinsville, 7:30 p.m.

Lawrenceville at Robinson, 7 p.m.

Bloomington at Normal University

High, 6 p.m.

Cowden-Herrick at South Central,

7 p.m.

Cumberland at Louisville North

Clay, 7 p.m.

Argenta-Oreana at Arcola, 7:15 p.m.

Arthur at Meridian, 7 p.m.

Chrisman at Villa Grove, 7:30 p.m.

Heritage at Sangamon Valley,

7:30 p.m.

Shelbyville at Okaw Valley, 7 p.m.

South Piatt at Cerro Gordo,

7:30 p.m.

Neoga at Central A&M, 7 p.m.

LeRoy at Warrensburg-Latham,

6 p.m.

EASTERN CONFERENCEAtlantic DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA

New Jersey 18 14 4 0 28 51 37

Pittsburgh 20 13 7 0 26 61 56

N.Y. Rangers 20 11 8 1 23 61 54

Philadelphia 16 10 5 1 21 59 41

N.Y. Islanders 20 7 6 7 21 56 63

Northeast DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA

Buffalo 17 12 4 1 25 48 37

Boston 19 8 7 4 20 46 48

Ottawa 17 8 6 3 19 48 52

Montreal 20 9 11 0 18 49 59

Toronto 18 3 10 5 11 45 68

Southeast DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA

Washington 20 12 4 4 28 75 62

Atlanta 17 10 6 1 21 63 50

Tampa Bay 17 7 4 6 20 44 52

Florida 17 7 9 1 15 46 59

Carolina 19 3 12 4 10 42 72

WESTERN CONFERENCECentral DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA

Chicago 19 12 5 2 26 57 46

Detroit 18 10 5 3 23 62 54

Columbus 18 10 6 2 22 55 65

Nashville 18 9 8 1 19 39 48

St. Louis 18 6 8 4 16 41 47

Northwest DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA

Colorado 20 12 5 3 27 60 54

Calgary 18 12 4 2 26 59 47

Vancouver 21 11 10 0 22 62 57

Edmonton 20 8 10 2 18 58 63

Minnesota 20 7 11 2 16 49 63

Pacific DivisionGP W L OT P GF GA

San Jose 22 14 4 4 32 73 53

Los Angeles 21 12 7 2 26 65 64

Phoenix 19 11 8 0 22 50 45

Dallas 19 8 5 6 22 59 57

Anaheim 18 6 9 3 15 52 62

NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for

overtime loss.

Saturday’s gamesN.Y. Rangers 2, Ottawa 1, SO

Florida 5, N.Y. Islanders 4, SO

New Jersey 5, Washington 2

Detroit 7, Anaheim 4

Calgary 5, Toronto 2

Buffalo 3, Philadelphia 2

Los Angeles 2, Tampa Bay 1, SO

Pittsburgh 6, Boston 5, OT

Nashville 2, Montreal 0

San Jose 3, St. Louis 1

Phoenix 3, Dallas 2

Vancouver 8, Colorado 2

Sunday’s gamesCarolina 5, Minnesota 4, SO

Atlanta 3, Edmonton 2

Chicago 4, San Jose 3, OT

Today’s gamesNew Jersey at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.

N.Y. Islanders at Boston, 6 p.m.

Edmonton at Columbus, 6 p.m.

Anaheim at Pittsburgh, 6:30 p.m.

Los Angeles at Florida, 6:30 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Phoenix, 8 p.m.

Tuesday’s gamesWashington at N.Y. Rangers, 6 p.m.

Toronto at Ottawa, 6:30 p.m.

Carolina at Montreal, 6:30 p.m.

San Jose at Nashville, 7 p.m.

Colorado at Calgary, 8:30 p.m.

BLACKHAWKS 4, SHARKS 3, OTSan Jose 1 2 0 0 — 3

Chicago 1 2 0 1 — 4

First period-1, Chicago, Sopel 1 (Hendry),

4:08. 2, San Jose, Heatley 14 (Thornton,

Demers), 15:01.

Second period-3, San Jose, Demers 1, 1:14

(pp). 4, San Jose, Marleau 12 (Pavelski, Joslin),

1:59. 5, Chicago, Kane 7 (Toews, Keith), 7:54. 6,

Chicago, Madden 3 (Ladd, Keith), 18:41.

Third period-None.

Overtime-7, Chicago, Seabrook 2 (Toews,

Brouwer), :41.

Shots on Goal-San Jose 7-8-8-0-23. Chicago 9-

13-6-2-30. Goalies-San Jose, Nabokov. Chicago,

Huet. A-21,130 (19,717). T-2:25.

SCORING LEADERSThrough Saturday

GP G A PTSAnze Kopitar, LA 21 14 17 31

Marian Gaborik, NYR 18 13 12 25

Rick Nash, Cls 18 13 11 24

Alex Ovechkin, Was 14 14 9 23

Corey Perry, Anh 18 13 10 23

Henrik Sedin, Van 21 12 11 23

Patrick Marleau, SJ 21 11 12 23

Scoreboard ’Hawks get

OT victoryCHICAGO (AP) — A per-

fect homestand against theWestern Conference elitereminded the Chicago Black-hawks just how good they are.

“We feel we can win anynight, against any team,” saidBrent Seabrook, whose goal 41seconds into overtime Sundaynight lifted the Blackhawks toa 4-3 victory over the San JoseSharks. “We have a great group... and we want to prove that.”

By rallying from a two-goaldeficit to defeat the team withthe NHL’s best record, Chicagocompleted a 4-0 homestandthat also included gamesagainst Colorado and LosAngeles. The Blackhawks, whoreached the conference finalssix months ago, have wonseven consecutive at home.

“Down two against a topteam like that, you’re not veryoften going to come back andget (the victory),” Blackhawkscoach Joel Quenneville said.