Morton College's Mia Simpson, shown in a game against McHenry earlier in the season, had 19 points and 20 rebounds on March 4 against Moraine Valley. Photo by Jeff Vorva
Hoops Wrap | Morton College taking aim at national title
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
Morton College’s women’s basketball team took its first postseason step in its quest for a national championship.
The Panthers, who finished second in the nation in the National Junior College Association Division II Tournament last year, handily defeated Moraine Valley, 91-51, on March 4 in Rockford to head into the Region IV title game for the third straight year.
Morton (30-0, ranked first in the nation by NJCAA coaches) faces Rock Valley at 2:30 Saturday, March 11 in Rockford. The winner goes to the national tournament. Morton beat Rock Valley 69-59 on Dec. 8.
The Panthers scored 18 straight in the first quarter to take a 32-11 lead against Moraine Valley and had a 13-point run in the second quarter to take a 57-21 halftime lead.
Mia Simpson, 5-foot-8 guard from Waukegan, played big as she led the Panthers with 19 points and 20 rebounds. Former Nazareth star Kaylen Evans added 20 points.
Morton connected on its 400th 3-pointer of the season in the game as the Panthers nailed 17 treys against the Cyclones.
Moraine finished the season 15-16.
MVCC men fall
Moraine Valley’s men’s team also made it to the semifinals of the Region IV tournament, but fell to Olive Harvey, 84-81, on March 5.
The Cyclones, who had a 41-31 halftime lead erased in the second half, ended up having to play catch-up in the closing minute and couldn’t covert a layup with four seconds left, which would have put them ahead.
Moraine finished the season 25-7.
SXU earns national bid
The good news for Saint Xavier’s men’s basketball team is that it received an at-large bid in the 64-team NAIA Men’s National Championship Tournament.
The bad news for the Cougars is that are the 16th seed in the Cramer Quadrant of the tournament and were scheduled to play top seed William Penn University on March 7 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, in the first round.
The two teams had never played each other before. They were scheduled for a Dec. 12, 2020 battle in Oskaloosa but that game was canceled because of COVID-19.
Shimko out at St. Laurence
According to a post on the St. Laurence Facebook page, girls basketball coach George Shimko will not be returning to the program he started in 2017 when the school went coed.
“We are thankful to coach Shimko for his commitment to the program these past six years,” read a statement on the Facebook page. “Our athletic program is committed to building a program that produces long-term, sustainable success and will begin the search immediately for the next girls basketball coach.”
Shimko won his 100th game as a Vikings coach in January. Prior to starting the program at St. Laurence, he was the head coach at Queen of Peace until that school closed. Several Queen of Peace players headed to St. Laurence.
The Vikings won a Class 3A regional title in 2017-18.
All-State players
The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association named its all-state teams.
In Class 3A, state champion Nazareth did not have an all-state first-team member, but senior Grace Carstensen was named to the second team and Amalia Dray made the third team. Roadrunner players Olivia Austin, Stella Salakas and Danielle Scully were special mentions.
In Class 4A, the area was shut out of the third three all-state teams. Sandburg’s Josie Canellis, Lyons’ Ally Cesarini and Mother McAuley’s Morgan Feil were special mention players.
Local News
Crime prevention starts with each of us
Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 Hi neighbors! Before I say another thing, I want to wish my fellow columnist Karen Sala well. As you know, she wrote her final column last week. I love Karen’s style of writing. It’s conversational and natural. I always felt like she…
Plenty to celebrate in February
Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 “February is the month when days start to get long and gloomy nights to shrink.” –Anonymous. Thank goodness there are only 28 days this year. We are getting closer to March. But it’s silly to…
Obituaries Feb. 3, 2022
Spread the loveRONALD ADINT Ronald Adint, age 78, passed away December 17, 2021. Beloved husband of Cynthia, (nee Zalba) Adint; loving Father of Devin (Cynthia) Adint; dear grandfather of Rayna Adint, Nolan R. Adint, Micah D. Adint, and Kendra N. Adint; dearest brother of Nadia Adint, the late Victor Adint, and the late Leonard Adint.…
Worth’s Crossing Bar and Grill closed permanently after double homicide
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong The Crossing Bar and Grill in Worth, where two men were shot and killed the night of January 10, is permanently closed. The bar had been closed since the shootings. At a village board meeting after the shootings, a resident brought up her concerns about alleged disturbances that have taken…
Storm scrambles waste pickup in Palos Park
Spread the loveOn Wednesday afternoon, the Village of Palos Park was informed by Republic Services that waste pickup is cancelled in the village, and all other communities they serve, for Thursday, February 3, due to the continued closure of landfill sites from the hazardous winter conditions. Thursday waste service customers will need to hold their…
Archer Avenue may go green
Spread the loveSt. Patrick’s Day parade planned By Tim Hadac Organizers of Garfield Ridge’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade are hoping the Lightfoot Administration will give a green thumbs-up to the small but festive celebration of all things Irish. For each of the last two years, City Hall withdrew its support and denied permits based…
No injuries in basement fire in Orland Park apartment
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A basement fire damaged a four-unit apartment building early Sunday morning in Orland Park. The fire was extinguished quickly and damage was kept to a small area of the basement, although smoke filled the building. Officials of the Orland Fire Protection District said there were no injuries and the cause…
Worth hires new management for Water’s Edge Golf Course
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Even an impending snowstorm could not damper the mood of Worth Trustee Laura Packwood regarding plans for the village’s Water’s Edge Golf Course. Packwood, who is the head of the golf committee, said that Orion, a company based out of Kansas City, Mo., became the official managers of Water’s Edge…
Cook County residents eligible for spay/neuter discounts in February
Spread the lovePet owners can bring their dogs and cats to participating veterinarians throughout Cook County to receive a $40 discount on spay or neuter services in February. The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control are offering the spay and neuter program during February – Spay and Neuter Awareness Month. More than 200…
Teen driver charged in crash that killed Alsip girl
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong A juvenile was charged by Palos Heights police Monday with reckless homicide and reckless driving in the December 27 crash that killed a 14-year-old girl from Alsip and injured six other people. Palos Heights police did not identify the juvenile because of the driver’s age. The driver was charged with…
Neighbors
Budget negotiations will extend into next week as House leaves Springfield
By JERRY NOWICKI & HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the General Assembly will go at least three more days past their self-imposed adjournment deadline after failing to pass a budget bill Saturday, although the spending and revenue framework were made public for the first time. “The House and Senate are…
Maternal health, abortion protection measures advance as session nears end
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final days of their spring legislative session, Democrats in the General Assembly advanced measures aimed at expanding and protecting aspects of maternal and women’s health care. If signed into law, the measures would expand insurance coverage of pregnancy and postpartum services, maintain abortion as a viable…
Health insurance changes targeting ‘utilization management,’ more will head to governor
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A package of health insurance reform measures that Gov. JB Pritzker called for at the beginning of the legislative session will soon be headed to his desk for his signature. The Illinois House gave final approval Saturday to a pair of bills that limit the ability…
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…
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: Measure targets ‘legacy’ admission at public universities
By DILPREET RAJU, COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers missed a self-imposed Friday deadline for passing a budget, but they had approved more than 250 bills this week as of Friday afternoon. Amid the flurry of legislation was a measure prohibiting state universities from admitting students based on familial and…
Illinois could be 19th state to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com After years of negotiations and continued opposition from service providers, Illinois appears poised to prohibit employers from using a federal exemption that allows them to pay individuals with disabilities less than the minimum wage. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established minimum wage law, but created…
Capitol Briefs: Measure blocks interstate probes of abortion services
By PETER HANCOCK & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Authorities in Illinois would not be allowed to aid another state’s investigation of people coming to Illinois to seek abortions or other reproductive health care under a bill that cleared the General Assembly Thursday. House Bill 5239, which needs only a signature from…
Advocates underscore need for statewide reentry programs
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois legislators this week approved a bill to restructure an oversight board in charge of distributing state money to courts that provide prison alternatives, while other criminal justice measures introduced throughout the session remain stalled. House Bill 4409 would change the makeup of the Adult Redeploy Illinois Oversight…
Ban on wildlife killing contests ‘unlikely’ to clear state Senate this session
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com A measure that would prohibit contests that award cash or prizes for killing certain wildlife is unlikely to clear the Senate after narrowly passing the House last week, according to its Senate sponsor. House Bill 2900 would ban the practice of holding wildlife contests that reward participants with…