Game 70: Alleman vs. Peoria Central (Girl's Basketball)

Game 70
(1/23/10)
Alleman vs. Peoria Central (Girl's Basketball)
Galesburg Mid-Winter Classic

After my postgame interview with Galesburg coach Evan Massey, I wrapped up the WAIK postgame show, and readied myself for the IHSSN broadcast of the Alleman Pioneers and the Peoria Central Lions. With everything set to go, I was able to go on the air just in time for starting lineups.

I was able to help out the Alleman coaching staff with a plug-in problem in my broadcast booth. The outlet near the bleachers in my booth is just a two-prong outlet, while the Alleman assistant had a three-prong extension cord. I was able to pull out my three-to-two converter for him during the first minute of the broadcast.

Peoria Central did not arrive at the gym until the 3:30 mark of the fourth quarter of the Galesburg/Macomb game. It seemed that they were not aware they were going to warm up in 3:30, as they took a seat in the bleachers. Coach Meechie Edwards walked in and directed his team to the locker room. They were only able to get a few minutes of warm ups in, as Alleman had been in the gym all morning.

It didn't seem to benefit the Pioneers all too much, as they struggled and committed an uncharacteristic eight turnovers in the first quarter. Alleman trailed Central by just a point, 8-7 at the end of one.

The Pioneers got back on track in the second quarter, turning the ball over just once in the next eight minutes. Alleman outscored Central 16-10 in the second quarter, to take a 23-18 halftime lead. They were led by a balanced scoring attack, with eight players cracking the scorebooks. The Lions were also pretty balanced, with freshman Denisha Womack leading the way with five points, and Shavonn Watkins and Ashley Hightower each adding four points.

In the third quarter, the Pioneers jumped out to a 31-21 lead, before Central roared back on an 8-0 run. The Lions would finish out the third quarter, outscoring the Pioneers 11-2. Tera Green hit a three-pointer at the end of the third quarter for Central. Womack had a big quarter with six points.

Central would attain the lead, and never look back in a 53-49 win, despite shooting just 50% from the free throw line down the stretch. Toni Johnson scored ten of her 12 points in the fourth quarter for Central. Freshman Denisha Womack led the Lions with 16 points, followed by Johnson's 12, and Shavonn Watkins with 11 points. A.J. Ledbetter led Alleman with 15 points.

After the game, I headed down to the hospitality room, and talked with Brad Swanson, an assistant coach for the Streaks football team. He is a Stark County graduate, and we talked about the Rebels basketball season. Girl's sophomore coach Mike Rux and freshman coach Jay Barshinger were also in the hospitality room, and a little discussion surrounded a two-hand dunk by Victor Davis the night before in Galesburg's win over Moline at the Wharton Fieldhouse. I grabbed a couple small sub sandwiches from Hungry Hobo and a Pepsi.

The next game at the Mid-Winter Classic was United Township facing Peoria Notre Dame. I sat in the stands with Alleman coach Jay Hatch and talked about the game, the regional seeds, and the play of UTHS. Hatch told me that apparently Mercer County didn't turn in their seeds and there was a tie between Kewanee and Alleman for the top seed, and a coin toss determined that Kewanee was the #1 seed at the Alleman Regional.

During the second quarter of this game, I took off to head south down Route 41 to take in the Great Western Shootout and my next broadcast. I stopped into our WAIK studios in downtown Galesburg, where I felt like I was walking into a walk-in freezer with the heat turned all the way down.

The Quest File Notes
Game 70
Date: 1/23/10
Result: Peoria Central overcomes double-digit deficit to down Alleman 53-49
Miles: 15