By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometdaily.com
Whatever the sport, whatever the school, the weekend winner was the same across the area: Mother Nature.
Thursday athletic events were played, as scheduled. Some Friday events were held, but Saturday was a total loss thanks to a snowstorm which swept across the region.
For St. Joseph-Ogden, Oakwood and Villa Grove/Heritage, that meant seven of 12 events scheduled for the final three days of the week were postponed or canceled.
A look at what happened:
Boys’ basketball
Villa Grove/Heritage
The Hawks received points from 10 players on Friday as they snapped a two-game losing streak with a 64-43 win at home over Cerro Gordo/Bement.
Sophomores Jake Eversole (20 points) and Blake Smith (13 points) each hit a season’s high in scoring. Eversole drained four three-point shots.
VG/Heritage led, 14-11, after one quarter and expanded its lead to 31-18 at halftime.
Wrestling
St. Joseph-Ogden went 2-2 in the first day of action in the Illini Prairie Conference Tournament on Friday at Unity.
Saturday’s second round was postponed until Jan. 21, also at Unity.
SJ-O topped St. Thomas More, 59-12, and Pontiac, 38-30, but lost to Unity, 41-32, and to Prairie Central, 52-28.
The lightest six wrestlers in the Spartans’ lineup were a combined 21-3.
Isaiah Moore (106 and 113 pounds), Isaiah Immke (132 pounds) and Peyton Holt (138 pounds) were all 4-0. Moore won three time by fall. Holt and Immke each registered two pins.
Compiling 3-1 records at the event’s midway mark were A.J. Wagner (106 and 113 pounds), Chase Chapman (120 pounds) and Nat Nosler (126 pounds). They each collected one pin.
The Spartans filled 12 of 14 weight classes and all of their competitors won at least once.
Compiling 2-2 marks were Trevon Carr (152 pounds) and Max Shonkwiler (195 pounds).
Winning once were Conrad Miller (145 pounds), Zac Seeley (160 pounds), Brodie Sullivan (160 and 170 pound) and Cole Zaccarelli (220 pounds).
The Spartans, 13-15 in dual meets overall, return to action on Thursday at Clinton in a meet that also includes El Paso/Gridley.
Girls’ basketball
St. Joseph-Ogden, ranked ninth in Class 2A, overpowered Prairie Central, 50-34, on Thursday in Fairbury.
SJ-O (17-4) led, 15-8, after one quarter and 29-13 at halftime.
Bree Trimble scored 19 points and Peyton Crowe added 10 points as the Spartans won their third consecutive game.
SJ-O returns to action today at Monticello.
Oakwood
Five Comets scored in the first quarter on Thursday as Oakwood jumped into a 12-6 lead against Salt Fork.
Oakwood (17-5) posted a 50-36 triumph for its third win in a row.
Katelynn Young hit 7 of 7 free throws en route to a game-high 25 points. Paiton Frerichs totaled nine points and Kylie Neuman finished with seven.
Top-seeded Oakwood will face Hoopeston Area on Tuesday in a Vermilion County Tournament game at Bismarck..
Villa Grove/Heritage
VG/Heritage won its third successive game, posting a 56-25 win on Thursday over Hutsonville/Palestine in Palestine.
Kyleigh Block made 14 of her game-high 19 points in the first quarter. Aliya Holloman had 18 points.
VG/Heritage led 19-7 after one quarter and 34-17 at halftime.
