DECATUR — With just one conference loss, Uni went into Friday night's game against Decatur Lutheran School Association (LSA) with a reasonable claim to being the second-best team in the East Central Illinois Conference.

One problem: The host Lady Lions are far and away the class of the ECIC. They demonstrated just how far in the first eight minutes of their 69-40 conference victory over the Illineks.

LSA sped to a 20-2 lead, then added 20 more points in the second quarter to go into halftime ahead 40-13.

After the break the Lady Lions didn't slow down, outscoring Uni 21-13 for a 61-26 advantage as the final period began.

The Illineks did a bit better against the LSA bench, but the defending ECIC champs still emerged with a 29-point victory. It was their second win over Uni this season; the first came on Dec. 12 at Kenney Gym (65-43).

Rachel McBride scored 24 points for the hosts, followed by teammate Jerica Hawkins with 21.

Freshman Jamie Blue scored a team-high 16 points for Uni, giving her 311 for the season (16.4 per game).

Senior Rachel Skoza entered the contest ranked fifth on the Uni all-time girls scoring list, one point behind 2005 graduate Molly Smith (1,028). She scored nine points against LSA, overtaking Smith and pushing her career total to 1,036.

For the Lady Lions (17-4, 8-0 ECIC), it was another day at the office; they've defeated their conference opponents by an average score of 63-27 this year. They haven't lost a league game since falling to Uni 36-34 on Jan. 10, 2005.

They are heading toward their fourth consecutive undefeated ECIC season and their fifth straight title; LSA shared the championship with Uni in 2004-05, when both teams finished 9-1.

That was also the season when Uni went 14-9 overall, head coach Rebecca Murphy's best record at the school. Now 12-7 overall and 5-2 in the ECIC, this year's Illineks have five varsity games left in the regular season, all of them against conference opponents they have already defeated.

So while an East Central title is out of reach, the Illineks still have plenty to play for, whether it's to give "Merf" her best season record or to wrap up undisputed possession of second place.

After that, it's the Class 2A postseason. Uni, seeded third in the five-team St. Joseph-Ogden regional, will face host SJ-O at 8 p.m. Feb. 10; the Spartans are seeded second.

The winner of that game will play for the regional title on Feb. 12, also at SJ-O. The No. 1 seed is St. Thomas More.

But first things first. Uni will travel across town Monday night to play conference rival Judah Christian; varsity action begins at 6 with JV to follow (the reverse of the usual sequence).

The Tribe will be looking to avenge Uni's 68-49 win in December, while the Illineks will try to avoid the upset and build momentum for a strong season finish.

At a glance: Uni at Decatur Lutheran

Game Summary
Decatur Lutheran School Association (LSA) defeated Uni 69-40 in a conference game

• Uni: 02 11 13 14 — 40
• LSA: 20 20 21 08 — 69

Varsity Record

• Overall: 12-7
• East Central Illinois Conference: 5-2

Uni Highlights

• Freshman Jamie Blue scored a team-high 16 points
• Blue now has 311 points on the season for an average of 16.4 points per game
• Senior Rachel Skoza entered the game ranked fifth on the Uni all-time girls scoring list, one point behind 2005 graduate Molly Smith (1,028 points); Skoza's nine-point total against LSA gives her 1,036 for her career

Uni Individual Statistics
Player: Total Points (2-pointers made - 3-pointers made - free throws made)

• Jamie Blue: 16 pts (7-0-2)
• Rachel Skoza: 9 pts (4-0-1)
• Jessi Sullivan: 7 pts (2-1-0)
• Sheri Grill: 4 pts (2-0-0)
• Maritza Mestre: 2 pts (0-0-2)
• Erika Belmont: 1 pt (0-0-1)
• Joy Shapley: 1 pt (0-0-1)
• Lizzy Warner: 0 pts (0-0-0)
• Michelle Wong: 0 pts (0-0-0)

LSA's Rachel McBride scored 24 points, followed by teammate Jerica Hawkins with 21

Uni Team Statistics (opponent totals in parentheses)

• Total Points: 40 (69)
• 2-pointers made: 15 (32)
• 3-pointers made: 1 (1)
• Free throws made: 7 (2)