Boys Basketball: Improving Sandburg still seeking first conference win
By Randy Whalen
Correspondent
Sandburg coach John Daniels doesn’t have to give to his team what he refers to as the “let’s play hard” speech.
The Eagles play hard. But as Daniels acknowledged after a 53-43 loss at Lockport on Jan. 17, they “have to play better.”
David Vargas led Sandburg (9-14, 0-3 entering this week) with 15 points, all on 3-pointers. Fellow junior guard Paulius Mizeras had nine points and six boards, and senior guard Om Shukla contributed six points on a pair of 3-pointers. James Prendergast had four points and six rebounds.
Lockport junior guard Jalen Falcon finished with a game-high 19 points and added six rebounds, and senior guard Adam Labuda scored 17 points and grabbed five boards.
Sandburg had a 30-29 rebounding advantage but committed 19 turnovers, with seven of those coming in the fourth quarter. The Porters had nine turnovers.
“We all push each other and play together now,” Vargas said of the Eagles’ improvement since last season. “That’s the difference. But we have to take care of the ball better.”
Sandburg’s nine wins entering his week are two more than last season’s team that went 7-24.
“We’re getting better,” Daniels said. “We have to be stronger with the ball, but we play hard and are building something here. We just have to make some adjustments for the next time that we play Lockport.
That will be Friday, Feb. 3 in Orland Park. Sandburg’s next chance to get its first SouthWest Suburban Blue win of the season will be Jan. 27 at Bolingbrook. The Eagles face Lincoln-Way East for the second time this season Jan. 31 in Frankfort.
Vargas was named one of Sandburg’s Athletes of the Week the week of Jan. 9, during which he averaged 20 points in a trio of games, including a 47-33 victory over Joliet Central and a 63-52 win over Bremen.
“That was nice, but it’s a credit to my teammates,” Vargas said of his Player of the Week award. “They put me in position to get it.”
The Eagles followed the setback to the Porters with a 61-50 win at home over St. Francis De Sales the following night. Prendergast led Sandburg with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Vargas added 17 points and Mizeras contributed 10 points and eight assists.
Homewood-Flossmoor topped the Eagles, 77-68, in a SouthWest Suburban Blue matchup. Mizeras had 16 points, and Vargas and junior guard Yanal Ssaiss both scored 15.
H-F (14-8, 1-1), which beat Bloom 70-69 in overtime the next day for its sixth win in seven games, was paced by senior power forward Vince Davis (21 points) and sophomore guard Jayden Tyler (19 points).
Local News
Obituaries for Jan. 27, 2022
Spread the loveJUDITH CLAIRE BENNETT Judith Claire Bennett “Judy”, age 76, of Chicago, Garfield Ridge community, passed away peacefully at home January 15. She was the beloved daughter of the late Donald and late Claire Bennett; loving sister of Donald (Christine) Bennett, Ronald (Rita) Bennett and Gary (Brenda) Bennett; dear aunt of Michael, Gary, Carolyn…
Lyons man is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch While you’re reading this story, Lyons resident Stephan Alheim will be busy climbing the tallest mountain in Africa. Alheim is one of 10 adventurers who this week are climbing to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 19,341 feet tall. They started climbing Jan. 23 and are expected to reach…
Willow Springs expected to hire Lyons official as village administrator
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Ryan Grace, public works director in Lyons for the past four years, is expected to be hired as the Willow Springs village administrator tonight. The village board is expected to approve his hiring during its 7 p.m. meeting. Grace, 38, said he was offered the job by Willow Springs Mayor…
Chicago Ridge librarian knocks off ‘Jeopardy’ champion
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Rhone Talsma grew up watching “Jeopardy!” – the classic game show with a twist where the answers are given first, and the contestants supply the questions. On Wednesday, Talsma knocked off 40-day champion Amy Schneider and won almost $30,000 in the process of becoming the new champion. Locally, the show…
Seven Mt. Carmel wrestlers win titles, help Caravan to Chicago Catholic League crown; Brother Rice takes 3rd
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent Ryan Boersma did not get the opportunity to become a four-time Catholic League champion because the COVID-19 pandemic caused to the cancellation of the conference tournament. But winning three Catholic League championships at two schools, and wrapping it up by winning a Lawless Award for the league’s best senior…
Davion Lawrence’s double-double leads Oak Lawn over Richards
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent When they were growing up, Johnny McGowan had the upper hand when squaring off on the court against Davion Lawrence. “Me and him go way back,” said McGowan, a senior guard at Oak Lawn. “He used to sleep over at my house when we were younger. We went to…
Funds flow to Back of the Yards
Spread the loveFour groups get grants; millions more available By Tim Hadac Four organizations in Back of the Yards—three businesses and a non-profit—are among 31 awarded more than $14.4 million in small business grants being allocated through the Chicago Recovery Plan. They are: Diaz Group Office Space, 5100 S. Damen, $250,000. El Nuevo Guadalajara, 4350…
Offer reward in grandma’s slaying
Spread the loveWas shot on 71st Street By Tim Hadac A $15,500 reward is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever shot and killed a 49-year-old grandmother in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. Tamiko L. Talbert Fleming, of south suburban Dolton, was in the driver’s seat of her vehicle at 71st…
A sweet salesgirl
Spread the love Alessandra Valentina Paredes, a Daisy Scout with Girl Scout Troop 20637 (sponsored by St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish), shows a sweet smile as she begins her first-ever time selling Girl Scout Cookies. The daughter of West Lawn residents Jose Antonio and Lorena Paredes, Alessandra, age 5, joined the Daisies just four months…
Midway is new for Frontier
Spread the loveLow-fare airline coming in April By Tim Hadac Low-fare passenger airline options are set to increase at Midway International Airport this spring, with the arrival of Frontier Airlines. The expansion of air travel options was announced at a press conference last week at the airport. With 10 new nonstop routes taking off starting…
Neighbors
Illinois launches summer food assistance program
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state is launching a new program to provide food assistance during the summer for families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. Gov. JB Pritzker joined other state officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday to announce that Illinois will…
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he…
House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education. By the time it’s fully operational in 2026, the new…
As vacated Centralia funeral home prepares for new tenant, owner makes a startling find
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com In the basement of a Centralia funeral home in a dark hallway off the embalming room, tucked inside a nook behind two steel plates and a door, a visitor found three disembodied, neatly wrapped human legs, two of them marked with names and dated to the 1960s. The…
Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals
By DILPREET RAJU & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – While Cortez Turner was in a hospital room being treated for a gunshot wound to his leg in 2016, police took his clothes. Now, the Illinois Supreme Court is weighing whether that action violated Turner’s expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment. The…
Capitol Briefs: House OKs program for student teacher stipends – but not the funding for it
By PETER HANCOCK & ANDREW CAMPBELL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House approved a bill Tuesday to allow student teachers to receive stipends while earning their education degree, even though the money needed to fund those stipends is unlikely to be included in next year’s budget. House Bill 4652, by Rep. Barbara…
As Medicaid redeterminations restart, about 73% of state’s recipients remain enrolled
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com About 73 percent of Illinois’ Medicaid recipients remain on the rolls after the first redetermination cycle following the COVID-19 pandemic, while approximately 660,000 recipients have been disenrolled. Speaking at a news conference in Chicago, Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated the fact that 2.6 million Illinoisans remained on the rolls…
Capitol Briefs: Republicans sue over law banning legislative candidate slating
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com One week after Gov. JB Pritzker signed an elections-related measure that his fellow Democrats quickly muscled through the General Assembly, Republicans sued over the new law, alleging the majority party is blocking ballot access to would-be legislative candidates. The law , passed early this month as the legislature’s…
For Many Illinoisans in Flood-Prone Areas, Buyouts Are the Only Way Out
By Laura Stewart, Illinois Answers Project April 23, 2024 DIETERICH, Ill. – Every day, Berdeena Leturno checks her email for an update on when the state of Illinois will finally pay her $80,000. It’s been over two months since she signed the paperwork to sell her flood-damaged home as part of a buyout program, and…
Capitol Briefs: Senate advances elections bill, measure targeting ‘predatory’ lending
By PETER HANCOCK & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would put more controls on certain kinds of high-cost loans to small businesses cleared the Illinois Senate Thursday. Senate Bill 2234, known as the Small Business Financial Transparency Act, targets a relatively new kind of nontraditional lender in the credit…