Game 115: United Township @ Galesburg (Girl's Basketball)

Galesburg Silver Streaks Ready to Take Floor

Game 115
United Township @ Galesburg (Girl's Basketball)
(1/27/11)

An interesting night of Western Big 6 girl's basketball, with a head coach getting ejected, over 50 fouls, over 70 free throw attempts, and video of a hard fall by Galesburg's Jessica Lieber.



Despite a rough start to the workday, I was able to get everything squeezed into the shortened day.  Since I came in at 11:00, I had to do about four hours worth of work in one hour....so there were some tense moments leading up to the Sportsline show.  All went smooth and without a hitch.

I arrived at the gym earlier than expected, arriving just after the United Township bus.  Normally, I get to the gym and get my equipment set up and scorebook filled out first.  On many occasions, this holds me back, since it's easier to get coaches interviews done before the sophomore game.  Tonight, I went down to get the coaches interviews done, then set up all of the equipment and filled out the book.  This fresh approach was must smoother.

When I dropped the equipment off in the press box, I headed downstairs to talk with United Township head coach Justin Shiltz.  He was talking with a player, so I spoke with Mike, who works at Galesburg High School.  I don't know how Mike does it, but he puts in the hours and workload of a dozen people.  He asked me how I was coming along on the quest, and I said this was game 115.  I mentioned that there have been a couple spots where I got run down, but this week I am refreshed and wished I could squeeze in another 115 games this season. 

I talked with coach Shiltz about his team and how they have come along since the last meeting between these two teams.  The Panthers knocked off the Silver Streaks in East Moline, 76-71.  He said he was a little disappointed in his team's effort last week in the Mid-Winter Classic. 

Coach Evan Massey came up to me and said, "You're here early!"  I responded that there wasn't anything else to do, no other place I'd rather be.  I was on the verge of getting both pregame interviews done 15 minutes before the sophomore game started, that may be a first this season.

My Case of College Fandom
While I waited to interview Massey, I talked with Pete Thierry.  We talked about the Illini, and I made a crack to Massey about the Illini, he being a die-hard Wisconsin Badgers fan.  I certainly don't call myself an Illini fan, since I grew up rooting for the Iowa Hawkeyes.  However, I don't consider myself a Hawkeyes "fan" anymore, because I just don't follow them like I used to, mainly because they are not covered on local TV in Macomb, like they were in the Quad Cities when I was growing up.  I watched every Iowa basketball game on TV in the 1990's, so I began rooting for the Hawkeyes.  Now, I couldn't name two players at Iowa.  On the flip side, I know all about the Illini, and actually root for them now because I've covered so many of the players on the roster when they were in high school.  Basically, I am not a "fan" of any college team, but there are a few I root for. 


On the Air
We went on the air a little early, and broadcasted the final minute of regulation of the sophomore game.  It was a tight game, and eventually went into overtime.  It's fun to casually broadcast the sophomore games on occasion, and gets the younger kids some exposure.  Galesburg pulled out an exciting 41-40 overtime win over United Township.

In the varsity game, United Township pounced on the Silver Streaks, and jumped out to an early 6-point lead.  The Streaks gathered themselves, and made it a 4-point game after the 1st quarter.  In the 2nd quarter, Galesburg began to rally, and Megan Young hit a huge three-pointer with just seconds to play in the first half.  That's when all heck broke loose.

With just two seconds on the clock, and Galesburg leading 29-23, United Township attempted a half-courter at the buzzer.  It appeared that the shooter got fouled by Galesburg on the three-point attempt, however it was waved off on a travel call as the buzzer sounded.

United Township coach Justin Shiltz was upset with the call, and according to his quote in the Moline Dispatch, was motioning to his guard, not the referee.  After one of the two technical free throws were made by Jessica Howard, Shiltz did leave the court with things to say to the referee.  That's when the 2nd technical foul was called, and he was ejected from the game.  Along with having to sit the entire 2nd half of tonight's game, he will have to sit out the next Panthers game, which is next Thursday's tilt against Moline.

The 2nd quarter also saw a short distraction with a 2-year old getting away from his supervision and running out to half court. 

After halftime, Galesburg only scored 1 point on the 2nd technical that was assessed at the start of the break.  Jessica Howard made one free throw, and the Streaks committed a turnover on their possession.  United Township began to make a run after Galesburg jumped out to an 11-point lead.  The Panthers put together an 8-0 run, and it was a tight game the rest of the way.

The 4th quarter was marred with foul calls.  In fact, there was a total of 52 fouls called between the two teams, and 71 free throws were attempted.  During the final quarter, Galesburg scored 18 points, with 14 points coming at the free throw line (14-24).  United Township was 10-12 from the free throw line in the 4th quarter.  Galesburg held on to a 61-58 win, but United Township made it interesting down the stretch, after a three-pointer by Abby Vandeventer pulled the Panthers to within a point (57-56). 

United Township had three players foul out (Vandeventer, Aisha Burris, & Kiana Brady).  Jamie Johnson finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and was our First Glass Breakout Player of the Game.  Sadee Hamilton scored 8 points, and had 12 rebounds.  Jessica Lieber and Jessica Howard each scored 11 points.  Check out this video of a hard fall by Lieber.  She's one tough player, and just a sophomore!


No Triple Cheeseburgers
The Panthers did a great job of denying the outside shot by Galesburg.  The Silver Streaks went 5-24 from outside the three-point line. 

Aisha Burris - West Point
Aisha Burris (5'8" Sr.) from United Township is headed to West Point.  Here's Doug Green's article from the Quad City Times.

Western Big 6 Standings
With the Galesburg win, coupled with the Moline win at Rock Island, the Streaks and Maroons are now tied atop the league standings at 6-2.  Rock Island drops to 6-3, and United Township is 5-3.  Moline and United Township play next Thursday, while Galesburg visits Alleman, and Rock Island plays Quincy.  The final week of the season will see Galesburg host Moline. 

Game 115 Miles:  100