Aaron Frey- CSC Public Relations Specialist
Galesburg, IL-Playing in head coach Mike Bailey’s final regular-season home game, the Carl Sandburg College women’s basketball team came away with an 84-80 Sophomore Night win over Illinois Valley on Thursday, setting up a showdown next week to decide the Arrowhead Conference championship.
The Chargers (13-13 overall, 6-1 Arrowhead) won their sixth straight conference game and will close their league schedule at 5 p.m. Tuesday at co-leader Black Hawk, with the winner claiming the Arrowhead title.
KEY MOMENTS
- Trailing 74-71 with 2:17 to go, Sandburg scored seven straight points to pull ahead for good. Sophomore Kennedy Jackson (Peoria, Ill./Limestone) hit the first of two free throws, and sophomore Hailey Lovetinsky (Overland Park, Kan.) came away with an offensive rebound on the second. That led to a go-ahead trey by Sophie Whitford (Macomb, Ill./Macomb), and Cora Neal (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville) buried a 3-pointer on the next possession for a 78-74 lead with 1:33 left.
- Illinois Valley (8-13, 2-5) had the ball out of a timeout with :11.8 left and the Chargers up 83-80, but Lovetinsky partially blocked Aubrie Roda’s 3-point attempt. Whitford then split a pair of foul shots at :06.6 for the final score.
SANDBURG STANDOUT
Bailey walked away a winner in
his final home game with the Chargers. The Sandburg coach of 23 years
will step down at the end of the season and move into an academic
advising position at the College. Several of his former players were on
hand for the game, and he was recognized as part of the Chargers’
Sophomore Night ceremony following the contest.
OTHER TOP CHARGERS
- Jackson tied her career-high in scoring and rebounding, finishing with 22 points and 11 boards. She also added a career-best five blocks, had two assists and two steals.
- Whitford finished with 19 points and five rebounds.
- Neal had 13 points and seven boards.
- Freshman Kelsi Legge (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) matched her season-best with 11 points. She hit 4 of 5 from the floor, including all three of her 3-point attempts.
FOR THE EAGLES
- Aubrie Roda 19 points
- Gabby Englehaupt 19 points, 11 rebounds
- Presley Hatton 13 points
UP NEXT FOR SANDBURG
2:30 p.m. Saturday at Augustana JV
