Game 114: Elmwood @ Abingdon (Girl's Basketball)

Abingdon, IL: Hospitality Capital of the World!

Game 114
Elmwood @ Abingdon (Girl's Basketball)
(1/26/11)

Another late add to the broadcast schedule took me to Abingdon to cover this rescheduled Prairieland Conference girl's basketball matchup.  The last time I was in Abingdon, I was furnished a broadcast recliner. 



I didn't have any special requests tonight!  The game was originally scheduled for Monday night between the Trojans and Commandos.  Elmwood has just one coach, Dawna Crawford, and she was sick on Monday and unable to bring the team, so the schools decided to schedule the game for tonight.

Before making the short drive from Monmouth to Abingdon, I covered a press conference at Monmouth-Roseville High School, regarding their new Ag/Fitness Facility.  Currently, the school's ag room is used for multiple purposes, and the weightlifting facility is located at the football/baseball field, which is several blocks away from the school.  A brand new facility is going to be built, and the expectations are for it to be ready by the start of next school year.

Finding a gym, baseball/softball diamond, or football field is no problem.  Finding a classroom in a high school?  That's a different story.  One of my co-workers, Kris Kinney, was giving me some instructions before I left on how to get to the ag room at the school. 

Artist's rendering of Monmouth-Roseville Ag/Fitness Facility

I walked into Monmouth-Roseville High School where I normally walk in for a basketball game.  I was told to walk up the stairs, then walk down a set of stairs.  I didn't see the other stairs, maybe hidden by a door, I didn't know.  Basketball practice was going on, and the door swung open.  It was freshman center Trayvon Smith.  I said, "Trayvon...where's the ag room?"  He said, "It's right next to the library."  That didn't help me, because the only rooms at the school that I'm familiar with are the gym and the A.P. (All-Purpose) room.  "Where's the library?" I asked.  "Follow me, I can show you," Trayvon said.  Hopefully, I didn't keep him away from practice for too long.  As he showed me to the end of the hallway, he gave me directions for the rest of the way. 

I headed down another hallway, in search of the staircase, and downstairs I went.  Trayvon said something about the library.  I saw the library, and it was dark and looked closed.  I don't think I was going the right way, so I found the nearest hallway.  Fortunately, it was still early enough that some teachers were still in their classroom.  I found a teacher and asked her how to get to the ag room.  She said that I needed to go through the library...but it may be locked.  I agreed and said it probably was because all of the lights were off.  She said I would probably have to go out the doors and around.  As I walked to the exit, another teacher, with another member of the media was heading downstairs.  So, here was the third person to direct me to the ag room.  After the press conference, I decided to just use the outside door of the ag room and walk around the school to spare any headaches!

At the start of the press conference, I was a little worried that it may run long and I would be late for my game.  However, that was not the case and I made the short drive to Abingdon with plenty of time to spare.

Abingdon High School Gymnasium

When I arrived at the gym, I headed upstairs to my broadcast location.  Abingdon's gym is one of my favorites to broadcast in, not just because of the hospitality, but because of the view.  Also, the artwork in the gym is second to none.

One thing that I always forget, in the 200 times I've broadcasted in the gym, is to not tape the banner in front of the broadcast table.  It will obstruct the view.  On several occasions, this has slipped my mind, and I have had to make banner adjustments just before air time. 

Once all of the equipment was set up, it was time to talk with the coaches.  Commandos head coach Roger Thurman and his son, Jeff "Doodle" Thurman were standing in the corner of the gym.  Jeff was an assistant coach for the Carl Sandburg College men's basketball team the last couple years.  He is finishing up his degree at Western Illinois University and will graduate in May.  He is looking to be a coach and athletic director in the future.  They jokingly said to me, "You must not have anything better to do tonight."  What is better than broadcasting basketball????

With the reschedule of this game, there is only a varsity game, and the tip off is set for 6:00.  This is great, I was there in plenty of time, no sophomore game to wait through, and an early arrival at home!  Little did I know how quick this game would go.

It was a tight game after the first quarter, with Abingdon taking a 3-point lead after the 1st quarter, 10-7.  It was a 7-point game at halftime, 22-15 in favor of the hosts.  There were only 4 fouls called altogether in the first half, cruising right along.

Not too many timeouts in this 0:56 game

At halftime, there was a half-court shoot, where fans could pitch in $1 and take a half-court shot.  The first shooter was Commandos boy's basketball player Johnathan Miller-Austin, or better known as J-Mil.  He sunk the half-court shot.  Not to be outdone, Abingdon athletic Director Joe Nichols, or J-Nic, knocked down his half-courter.  The J-Mil half-court legacy grew even larger as he took the event's final shot, and you guessed it...nothing but net.  Prairieland Conference, look out...J-Mil is coming to a center court near you!

After the break, Abingdon took their time on posessions, and capitalized on them as well, outscoring Elmwood 15-4 to take a 37-19 lead heading into the 4th quarter.  The Commandos shut the Trojans down in the final eight minutes also, holding Elmwood to another 4 points.  Abingdon improved to 17-8 with the 42-23 victory.

The most impressive stat line of the night was elapsed time from tip-off to final horn.  This is the total minutes of game time, including dead balls.  The game tipped off at 6:02 p.m. and the buzzer sounded to make it final at 6:58, making the entire game only 56 minutes.  Kudos to the Joe Thompson officiating crew for a swift game! 

Abingdon was called on just two fouls during the whole game, and Elmwood was whistled for 8 fouls.  Just 10 fouls combined by the two teams.  Elmwood committed 16 turnovers, while Abingdon committed 15 turnovers.  Two players scored in double figures.  Abingdon's Madyson Glisan scored a game-high 12 points.  Paige Carver led Elmwood with 10 points. 

Neither team had a very deep roster.  Abingdon had 11 players available, while Elmwood had just 10 players.  The Commandos played all 11 girls, while Elmwood played 7 girls.

This Ford Explorer is ALWAYS THIRSTY!!!

With the early night, I retired to a dinner of frozen pizza.  Normally, I get a California Kitchen Spinach & Mushroom or a Gino's Deep Dish, but tonight I opted for a DiGiornio's rising crust supreme.  I really, really need to start watching what I eat.  It's a downward spiral.

I made a stop in Bushnell to get gas, as I took Route 41 back to Macomb from Abingdon.  For some reason, Bushnell has the cheapest gas in western Illinois.  Gas in Macomb is $3.19 and it's actually a nickel cheaper ($3.14) in Monmouth, which is a rarity.  In Bushnell, gas is just $3.08, so I filled her up at Casey's.

This week is a light week, with just one game scheduled each game this week, and it will end up being a five-game week.  Next week, there may be a trip north for a girl's basketball game between Class 1A ranked Hinckley-Big Rock and Class 4A ranked DeKalb.  I have an opening on Saturday February 12th, and there are a couple options.  There is a shootout in southern Illinois, the Riverton Shootout, and maybe a Chicago Public League Tournament.  In years past, I have broadcasted at Riverton, however I am still looking to broadcast a Public League game this year, so this may be a good opportunity. 

Game 114 Miles:  106