By Alan Liang & Gargoyle sports staff

Posted Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007, The OG, boys basketball & sports

URBANA — Just three days after suffering their most lopsided loss of the year, the Illineks rebounded by defeating conference opponent Decatur Christian 59-38 Tuesday night at Kenney Gym.

The 21-point victory erased some of the sting from Saturday's 68-37 nonconference loss to Lexington.

“It was a nice game,” said senior forward Jeremy Pillow. “It was a good comeback from getting killed on Saturday.”

Junior forward Mike Renner continued his prolific scoring by netting a game-high 19 points, 14 of them in the first half.

Uni is now 11-12 overall and 7-1 atop the East Central Illinois Conference. The Warriors are 3-14, 2-6.

Tuesday's game had an eerie similarity to Uni's Jan. 5 victory over the Warriors. In that earlier contest, the Illineks jumped out to a big first-quarter lead (21-9) and went into halftime ahead by 19 points (38-19).

In the rematch, Uni pulled away 20-5 in the first period and built an 18-point lead by halftime (35-17).

“We played well in the first quarter and opened up the lead,” said head coach Joel Beesley. “We held them scoreless for 4 to 5 minute stretches. Defensively we did well at some times.”

The big difference in this game was Uni's ability to close things out. In their first meeting, the Illineks let the Warriors cut the deficit to 10 points with 1:25 left before coming away with a 66-52 road win.

This time, the Illineks built a 22-point advantage by the end of the third period and made sure it didn't erode. Strong play by backups such as 6-foot-4 center Nick Pratt and 6-1 junior forward Ammar Rizwan allowed head coach Joel Beesley to rest his starters for most of the fourth quarter.

“We played better than the first time we played them,” said senior guard Michael Belmont.

Nick Pratt goes in for 2 of his 10 points.

(Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)

With 10 points, Pratt ended the night as one of three Illineks to score in double digits. Renner and 6-1 junior forward Isaac Radnitzer (15 points) were the others. Renner finished with three 3-pointers to his credit.

Radnitzer led the Illineks in rebounds with 7, followed by Renner with 6. Belmont and Pillow grabbed 5 boards apiece.

Junior point guard Chumar Williams led the team in assists with 3. Belmont, Renner, and Pillow contributed 2 each. Renner recorded 7 steals.

As pointed out in the Gargoyle's coverage of the Jan. 5 Uni-Decatur Christian game, the Warriors have an unusual setup this year. The team that plays in the ECIC is considered the Warriors' JV squad, even though its games are counted as varsity by the conference.

Decatur Christian's varsity is a team made up of highly recruited players from a number of foreign countries. Because Decatur Christian is not a member of the Illinois High School Association, it is exempt from IHSA regulations on the eligibility of foreign students and the recruitment of athletes.

The Warrior varsity features eight foreign players, including Lucca Staiger of Germany, a 6-foot-6 senior guard who has signed with Iowa State, and Beas Hamga of Cameroon, a 7-foot junior who has committed to Iowa. This team plays a national schedule as an independent. (Click here for more about Decatur Christian's “A” team.)

The Illineks will travel to Normal Calvary Baptist for a grudge match Friday. NCB is the only conference team to have defeated Uni this season. In fact, the 51-36 loss on Jan. 9 marked the first time the Uni boys varsity lost a conference game since February 2004.

An Illinek win would further strengthen Uni's hold on first place and bring the team closer to a third straight ECIC title.

“We're looking forward to the game against Normal,” Beesley said.

Both the JV and varsity will play Friday, with the varsity getting under way at 7:30 p.m. The boys will play their next home game Feb. 13 against conference opponent Decatur Lutheran.

VARSITY RECORD: 11-12 overall, 7-1 East Central Illinois Conference
(Games at Kenney Gym are in bold)

Season Preview: A new era begins

Nov. 20: Buckley Christ Lutheran (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), W 50-44
— leading scorer: Michael Belmont, 12 pts
— story: Uni wins season opener over Buckley Christ Lutheran

Nov. 21: Mahomet-Seymour JV (vs. Uni varsity) (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), W 58-53
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 18 pts
— story: Illineks defeat Mahomet-Seymour JV in Turkey Tourney

Nov. 24: Bement (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney), L 54-46 (OT)
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 13 pts
— story: Illineks fall in overtime

Nov. 25: Martinsville (Uni/Atwood-Hammond Central Illinois Turkey Tourney, at A-H), L 51-48
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 24 pts
— story: Illineks go down to the wire again

Dec. 1: Shiloh, W 55-46
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 29 pts
— story: Illineks get back on winning track, defeat Shiloh

Dec. 5: at St. Thomas More, L 54-32
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 7 pts
— story: Illineks suffer tough road loss to crosstown rival

Dec. 9: Fisher, L 53-39
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 21 pts
— story: Renner scores 21 but Uni falls to Fisher

Dec. 12: at Buckley Christ Lutheran, W 79-51 *
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 18 pts
— story: Uni wins conference opener against Buckley Christ Lutheran

Dec. 15: Oakwood, L 74-61
— leading scorer: Michael Belmont, 19 pts
— story: Oakwood denies Uni comeback bid

Dec. 27: Shiloh (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 65-61
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 17 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 27: Salt Fork (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 53-32
— leading scorer: Dan Lilly, 10 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 28: Heritage (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 62-48
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 15 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 28: Atwood-Hammond (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), W 62-51
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 24 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Dec. 29: Oakwood (Hayden's Athletic Classic at Heritage H.S.), L 52-50
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 17 pts
— story: Uni finishes eighth out of 12 teams in holiday tourney

Jan. 5: at Decatur Christian (DC's “JV,” as explained in article linked below), W 66-52 *
— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 15 pts
— story: Illineks remain unbeaten in conference play

Jan. 9: Normal Calvary Baptist, L 51-36 *

— leading scorer: Michael Belmont, 11 pts

— story: Normal Calvary hands Uni first conference loss of season

Jan. 12: DeLand-Weldon, W 79-43 *

— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 16 pts

— story: Uni rebounds from ECIC loss to win by 36

Jan. 16: at Paxton-Buckley-Loda, L 69-60 (OT)

— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 21 pts

— story: Illineks lose a heartbreaker in overtime

Jan. 18: at Decatur Lutheran School Association, W 62-56 *

— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 21 pts

— story: Uni defeats Decatur Lutheran, takes control of second place

Jan. 23: at Judah Christian, W 65-52 *

— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 24 pts

— story: Illineks roll against Judah in showdown for conference lead

Jan. 26: Buckley Christ Lutheran, W 62-55 *

— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 19 pts

— story: Uni defeats BCL, keeps control of conference lead

Jan. 27: at Lexington, L 68-37

— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 10 pts

— story: Illineks stumble in Lexington

Jan. 30: Decatur Christian, W 59-38 *

— leading scorer: Mike Renner, 19 pts

— story: see above

Remaining games: see schedule

*East Central Illinois Conference game