By Avanti Chajed & Andrew Lovdahl

Gargoyle staff reporters

Posted Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007, The OG, girls basketball & sports

URBANA — Mandy Grill and Bianca Zaharescu, the lone seniors on the Uni girls basketball team, will have a Senior Night to look back on with pride, as the Illineks defeated the Decatur Christian Warriors 47-40 in a nail-biting conference game Monday at Kenney Gym.

The win raises Uni's record to 12-11 overall and 8-3 in the East Central Illinois Conference. Decatur Christian falls to 7-15, 4-7.

With one game left in the regular season, the Illineks can finish no lower than third in the ECIC, and they have a shot at tying for second.

Before the contest, Grill and Zaharescu — flanked by their parents — were honored during a brief ceremony.

From the very start, the game kept fans on the edge of their seats as one team pulled ahead only to be shut down by the other. The first quarter ended with the Illineks and the Warriors tied at 7, and the half ended with another deadlock, 17-17.

But thanks to some sharpshooting by junior guard Aran Yoo and tough rebounding by Grill and junior Karen Woodley, the Illineks began to move ahead in the second half.

“Aran played an amazing game, an amazing game,” said Grill.

Indeed she did, scoring two 3-pointers in the third quarter in quick succession, adding another trey early in the fourth period. All three shots were received with tumultuous applause from the Senior Night fans.

Yoo led the team with 21 points, a season high for any Illinek (and the first total over 20), and added 7 steals.

Junior guard Sarah Pfander scored 7 points and dished out 3 assists. Sophomore Jessi Sullivan contributed 6 points and 3 assists, while Grill finished with 6 points and 8 rebounds in her final home game.

Bianca Zaharescu, left, and Aran

Yoo battle Candace Lehman for possession

during Zaharescu's final home game.

(Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)

Woodley, seeing extensive action now that sophomore post player Rachel Skoza is out for the season with a broken bone in her shooting hand, led Uni rebounders with 9.

The crowd gave the team plenty of support throughout the game, and the Illineks played hard in return.

Uni took the lead that it would carry to the end about midway through the third quarter, although the Warriors came within a point in the fourth.

Play became frantic and fouls grew common; in the last 2:30 of the final quarter, players took free throws on eight occasions. One of those came at the expense of the visitors' head coach, Troy Willoughby, who was charged with a technical foul.

After losing by 43 last week to Donovan, the Illineks have regrouped to win two straight. With each victory, they're adapting to a more guard-oriented style of play to compensate for the loss of Skoza's 11.9-point scoring average, tops on the team. At the same time, Woodley is showing signs of becoming a strong presence under the boards.

“With Skoza out, we've had to generate more offense, which has had to come from the guards,” Pfander said. “The increase in outside jumpers has been the biggest change. With Skoza gone, we're now really looking at development for next year. If the junior guards continue to improve, Karen Woodley continues to develop as a post, and [freshman] Erika Belmont adjusts to varsity play, we will be in really good shape for next season.”

The Uni varsity will travel to Normal Calvary Baptist Thursday for its final regular season game. If the Illineks win that contest, they will share second place in the ECIC with NCB. Uni goes into the game with three conference losses (two to Decatur Lutheran, one to NCB), while Calvary Baptist has two losses (both to Decatur Lutheran, which has clinched a third straight title).

After that, the IHSA Class A postseason tournament will begin. Seventeenth-seeded Uni faces No. 7 Oakwood Feb. 7 in a first-round regional game at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.

VARSITY RECORD: 12-11 overall, 8-3 East Central Illinois Conference
(Games at Kenney Gym in bold)

Season Preview: Illineks ready for season opener tonight

Nov. 16: Atwood-Hammond, W 37-35
— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 14 pts
— story: Illineks triumph in season opener

Nov. 18: Hoopeston (at Oakwood/Westville Thanksgiving Classic), W 45-23
— leading scorer: Ruthie Welch, 13 pts
— story: Illineks win one, lose one in Oakwood

Nov. 18: Chrisman (at Oakwood/Westville Thanksgiving Classic), L 50-48
— leading scorers: Rachel Skoza & Jessi Sullivan, 15 pts each
— story: Illineks win one, lose one in Oakwood

Nov. 20: Blue Ridge (at Oakwood/Westville Thanksgiving Classic), W 52-47
— leading scorer: Sarah Pfander, 13 pts
— story: Illineks down Blue Ridge in tournament action

Nov. 21: Oakwood (at Oakwood/Westville Thanksgiving Classic), L 72-39
— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 16 pts
— story: Shorthanded Uni loses to undefeated Oakwood

Nov. 24: Milford (at Oakwood/Westville Thanksgiving Classic), L 44-24
— leading scorer: Aran Yoo, 10 pts
— story: Uni finishes sixth in Thanksgiving Classic

Nov. 28: Shiloh, L 45-25
— leading scorer: Ruthie Welch, 5 pts
— story: Uni drops third straight

Nov. 30: Villa Grove, game postponed because of bad weather

Dec. 5: Paxton-Buckley-Loda, L 34-23
— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 9 pts
— story: Slump continues as Uni falls to PBL

Dec. 8: Decatur Lutheran, L 57-38 *
— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 14 pts
— story: Uni begins conference play with loss to defending champ

Dec. 9: Villa Grove, L 38-27
— leading scorer: Kaylie Dastrup, 9 pts
— story: Villa Grove hands Illineks fourth home defeat of season

Dec. 11: Judah Christian, W 44-29 *
— leading scorer: Aran Yoo, 13 pts
— story: Illineks end six-game losing streak

Dec. 14: at DeLand-Weldon, W 64-26 *
— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 16 pts
— story: Illineks win by 38

Dec. 16: LeRoy, W 43-33
— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 18 pts
— story: Girls basketball: Skoza, Yoo lead Uni to third straight win

Jan. 2: at Buckley Christ Lutheran, W 57-19 *
— leading scorer: Aran Yoo, 12 pts
— story: Four players score in double figures as Uni gets back to .500

Jan. 4: at Decatur Christian, W 53-26 *
— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 15 pts
— story: Uni wins fifth straight game, record improves to 8-7

Jan. 6: Fisher, L 52-41
— leading scorer: Aran Yoo, 15 pts
— story: Fisher ends Uni winning streak

Jan. 8: Normal Calvary Baptist, L 48-36 *
— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 12 pts
— story: Uni loses showdown for second place in conference

Jan. 11: DeLand-Weldon, W 58-14 *

— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 13 pts
— story: Uni completes sweep of DeLand-Weldon

Jan. 19: at Decatur Lutheran, L 79-41 *

— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 16 pts

— story: Conference leader Decatur Lutheran tops Uni

Jan. 22: at Judah Christian, W 49-47 *

— leading scorer: Rachel Skoza, 14 pts

— story: Illineks win close call against Judah, lose Skoza

Jan. 25: at Donovan, L 84-41

— leading scorer: Aran Yoo, 12 pts

— story: Minus three players, Illineks lose big to Donovan

Jan. 26: Buckley Christ Lutheran, W 66-18 *

— leading scorer: Sarah Pfander, 19 pts

— story: see Illineks return to .500, improve ECIC record

Jan. 29: Decatur Christian, W 47-40 *

— leading scorer: Aran Yoo, 21 pts

— story: see above

Remaining games: see schedule

*East Central Illinois Conference opponent