With wins on back-to-back nights, the Spartans extended their winning streak to eight games.

On Friday, SJ-O improved to 7-0 in Illini Prairie Conference games with a 63-52 win at Pontiac.

On Saturday, the Spartans opened up a 44-16 halftime lead against Auburn and went on to a 71-47 triumph in the Sangamo Conference/Illini Prairie Conference Shootout at Unity’s Rocket Center.

Against Pontiac, Chance Izard drained six three-point shots and tossed in a game-high 26 points. Jordan Kelly scored 10 points. Conner Hodge ended with nine points.

Izard and Kelly each tallied six points in the third quarter as SJ-O used a 15-10 spurt to extend its lead.

Drew Coursey and Ty Pence both cleared five rebounds.

The Spartans made 12 of 17 free throws.

Against Auburn, Izard led the way with 18 points and was followed by Pence (15 points), Payton Cain (10 points) and Payton Grimsley (seven points).

Coursey captured seven rebounds. Pence hauled down five rebounds to go with three assists. Izard contributed five assists and four steals. Cain had three assists.

SJ-O (18-6) returns to action on Tuesday at Rantoul.

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Ty Pence scored a career-high 25 points on Tuesday, leading the Spartans to their sixth consecutive Illini Prairie Conference win.

Pence nailed four three-point shots in SJ-O’s 57-52 win at home over Monticello. The game marked the fourth time in the past six games that the freshman led the team in scoring.

Chance Izard chipped in with 10 points. Payton Cain had eight points and Jordan Kelly finished with seven points.

SJ-O held a 19-18 halftime edge and broke from a 22-22 deadlock by virtue of an 11-0 run that extended into the early seconds of the fourth period.

Cain and Drew Coursey each pulled down eight rebounds. Cain had three assists and Coursey provided three steals.

The Spartans helped their cause by hitting 21 of 25 free throws.

Pence cleared five rebounds and Izard handed out three assists.

The Spartans (16-6) put their 6-0 league record on the line on Friday in a game at Pontiac.

On Saturday, SJ-O will participate in the Sangamo Conference/Illini Prairie Conference Shootout with a 4:30 p.m. game against Auburn at the Rocket Center, in Tolono.

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Ella Armstrong hit two tie-breaking free throws with 2.6 seconds left on Saturday as the Spartans captured an Illini Prairie Conference win at Pontiac, 44-42.

The Spartans held a 13-3 lead after the first quarter, but had lost the lead in the fourth quarter.

Katie Cramer matched her season’s high with four three-point baskets and led SJ-O with 12 points. Armstrong totaled nine points, six from the free throw line.

Cramer’s final three-pointer, in the last 30 seconds, created a 42-42 deadlock.

The Spartans are 5-2 in conference action.

SJ-O (18-6 overall) returns to action tonight at Rantoul.

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Taylor Barnes scored a season-high 18 points on Monday and teammate Payton Vallee grabbed 13 rebounds to lead St. Joseph-Ogden past visiting Monticello 47-39 in a girls’ Illini Prairie Conference basketball game.

SJ-O held a slim 21-20 halftime lead, but built its advantage to 34-27 after three quarters. Five Spartans scored in the third quarter, but no player hit more than three points in the stanza.

Katie Cramer finished with eight points and Ella Armstrong contributed six.

SJ-O helped its cause by sinking 11 of 15 free throws.

The game was the 13th in 23 games played by the team this season that have been settled by nine points, or less. SJ-O is 10-3 in those contests.

The Spartans (17-6) return to action tonight at Pontiac. The team is 4-2 in conference games.

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The Spartans went 4-4 in the Illini Prairie Conference dual-meet series, which ended on Saturday at Pontiac, and placed fifth in the nine-team event.

Individually, two SJ-O athletes compiled 7-1 records during the two-day competition.

A.J. Wagner (113 pounds) won all but one of his bouts, including four by pin. His fastest fall was 37 seconds.

Isaiah Moore (126 pounds) was also 7-1 at the league meet. He posted three pins, including one in 23 seconds.

Overall, 12 SJ-O athletes competed at the IPC meet and all 12 won at least one match. Eight squad members had pins.

Brodie Sullivan (182 pounds) was 5-2 with two pins. His quickest pin was 56 seconds. Trevon Carr (170 pounds) was 5-3 with three pins. His fastest fall was in 1:03. Max Shonkwiler (195 pounds) was 5-3 with three pins, including one in 55 seconds.

Owen Birt (220 pounds) was 4-3 and Isaiah Immke (138 pounds) was 4-4. Immke had two pins, including a fast fall of 1:53.

Chase Chapman (132 pounds) was 3-3 with a pin in 4:37. Conrad Miller (145 pounds) was 3-5 with two pins, including one in 35 seconds.

Other Spartan competitors were Austin Kofoot (120 pounds), who was 2-4; A.J. Wells (285 pounds), who was 1-2; and Austin Cotter (285 pounds), who was 1-4.

The Spartans’ conference team wins were 46-4 over St.  Thomas More, 54-18 over Olympia, 47-21 over Rantoul and 42-39 over Chillicothe IVC.

The team’s losses were to eventual champion Unity 65-5, eventual runner-up Prairie Central 62-18, eventual third-place finisher Pontiac 48-32 and eventual fourth-place finisher Monticello, 50-24.

The lone SJ-O winner against Unity was Immke, who collected a 19-3 technical fall triumph. Wagner, Moore and Chapman were the winners against Prairie Central.

SJ-O returns to action on Thursday at El Paso in a meet that also includes Clinton.

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Dwight Colvin scored three first-half touchdowns as St. Joseph-Ogden overpowered visiting Unity 38-14 Friday night in an Illini Prairie Conference game.

Colvin rushed for a game-high 191 yards on 22 carries.

SJ-O is 4-0 for the season. Unity is 0-4.

Colvin scored the game’s first three TDs on runs of 2, 5 and 3 yards.

The Spartans led, 25-0, at halftime.

Also scoring TDs for SJ-O were Brayden Weaver, Jack Cook (on a pass from Keanen Swanson) and Sam Wesley (on an interception return).

Aiden Coon added two conversion kicks.

Weaver completed 7 of 14 passes for 37 yards. Cook had 19 receiving yards. Joel Orcutt hauled in two receptions.

Wesley was one of three Spartans with interceptions. Teammates who also picked off passes were Cook and Swanson.

Weaver led the defensive effort with 14 tackles, 10 of which were solos. Kaden Jacobs had nine stops, and one sack.

Head coach Shawn Skinner lauded the play of his defensive brigade.

“Our defense played a huge roll in our victory,” he said. “Up until the third quarter, Unity did not cross our 40-yard line.

“That’s a testimony to the job Coach (Bob) Glazier (31st-year assistant) and the entire defense did.”

SJ-O forced the Rockets into four turnovers.

Besides the interceptions, special teams player Jarrett Stevenson recovered a fumble.

“Brayden Weaver and Kaden Jacobs continued their great play in the middle of that defense and Jack Cook and Keanen Swanson both played very well at the cornerback spots,” Skinner said.

SJ-O plays another 4-0 opponent, Pontiac, at 7 p.m. on Friday in a road game.

“Pontiac will be a true test,” Skinner said. “A hostile environment, as we like to call it, and a long bus trip.

“Two similar teams. We want to establish the run, control thde line of scrimmage and time of possession.”

In some ways, the teams are mirror images.

“They are 4-0 for many of the same reasons we are,” Skinner added. “Solid special teams and really try not to beat themselves.

“They are physical, and tackle as well as any team we see in the conference.”

Oakwood 48, Hoopeston Area/Schlarman Academy/Armstrong-Potomac 21

Colby Smiley, Nick Grubb and Cody Hansbraugh combined for 542 rushing yards as the Comets posted their first football victory of the season in a Friday game played at Hoopeston.

Smiley gained 214 yards while Grubb’s 193-yard effort raised his season rushing total to a team-best 673 yards.

Oakwood returns to action on Friday at home against Iroquois West (0-4).

Soccer

Dawson Rogers broke the Oakwood/Salt Fork record for goals in a match, with six, as the Comets shut out Georgetown-Ridge Farm 7-0 on Thursday.

He had all four first-half goals as the Comets built a 4-0 lead.

Also scoring for Oakwood was Caleb Lashuay. He also had an assist.

Joe Lashuay had two assists while teammates Sam Howie and Ayden Hanson each had one.

Goalkeeper Chris Winkler had five saves.

Volleyball

Oakwood (11-6) won its third consecutive match, 25-23, 22-25, 25-18, over Georgetown-Ridge Farm on Thursday. Oakwood’s McKenzie Doan had 10 kills and nine assists.

Golf

Teammates Ryan Hicks (41) and Logan Hoshauer (43) swept the top two spots as Oakwood topped Danville, 191-214 in a Thursday dual meet at Turtle Run, in Danville.

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