Free Press Advocate

Boys, girls basketball brackets for I-8 Tournament

Published by admin on Thu, 01/18/2018 - 10:51am

Wildcat matmen finish fourth during Comet Classic

Published by admin on Tue, 01/16/2018 - 5:58pm

    The Wilmington wrestling program’s dominance over the Comet Classic came to an end Saturday, as the team settled for fourth place in the 18-team tournament.
    The Wildcats had won 15 Comet Classic titles in the past 17 years, but found themselves finishing just behind Reed-Custer this past weekend with 128 team points. Clifton Central took the top spot with 184.5, while Prairie Central (161) and Reed-Custer (130) rounded out the top three.
    Still, it doesn’t take away from Wilmington’s performance as they had eight wrestlers medal.

Wildcats fall to scrappy Lions

Published by admin on Tue, 01/16/2018 - 5:53pm

    The Wilmington varsity boys basketball team remains searching for their first conference win of the season, as they dropped their fifth I-8 game Friday night.
    The Wildcats found themselves unable to bounce back from an earlier loss in the week to Manteno, losing to Lisle on the road, 62-37.
    The Lions proved to be too much to handle offensively, as they slowly pulled away down the stretch, enjoying a six-point lead at the end of one, and then a 15-point gap by half-time, 35-20.

Lady ‘Cats unable to close out game with Streator

Published by admin on Tue, 01/16/2018 - 5:50pm

    The Wilmington varsity girls basketball team  ran out of gas Monday, missing out on an opportunity to secure their first conference win. They were within striking distance until the end when they lost a 38-27 decision to Streator.
    Wilmington faced a seven-point deficit midway through the second quarter, but wound up pulling within four by half-time, 18-14.
    The Lady ‘Cats would get as close as one point, 23-22, by the end of the third quarter.

Conference update: Who gets to keep the name?

Published by admin on Tue, 01/09/2018 - 5:59pm

    The makeup of the Interstate Eight Conference continues to change with five new teams potentially joining Sandwich and Plano.
    As reported by the Free Press in November, eight schools including Reed-Custer, Wilmington, Coal City, Streator, Peotone, Herscher, Lisle and Manteno, are leaving the I-8.
    A year ago Seneca was the first of the 12-team I-8 conference to announce it was leaving.

Wildcats place four at Princeton Invitational

Published by admin on Tue, 01/09/2018 - 5:56pm

    The Wildcats had four matmen place against some of the best wrestlers in the state during the Princeton  Invitational held Friday and Saturday.    
    The tournament features individuals from 33 teams, in a format just like the individual state finals, with points added up in the end to determine team standings.
    It’s a tournament many say is a preview for what to expect on the road to state, and the Wildcats didn’t dissapoint.
    Wilmington wound up tied for 19th with 71 points, thanks to four wrestlers who placed third to sixth.

Lady ‘Cats clip the dragons

Published by admin on Tue, 01/09/2018 - 5:54pm

    The Wilmington varsity girls basketball secured their third win of the season Saturday, defeating Grant Park  28-25 in a non-conference contest.
    The Lady Wildcats didn’t register a bucket until three minutes into the game. They trailed, 5-0, but wound up closing the gap by the end of the first quarter, going on a 7-2 run to tie it, 7-7.
    From the second quarter on, the Lady Wildcats  took a lead and never looked back.
    Wilmington got a lot of help from Kiley Sowa, who paved the way with 11 points.

Wildcats bounce back with win over Grant Park

Published by admin on Tue, 01/09/2018 - 5:52pm

    The Wilmington varsity boys basketball team got the job done in overtime on Saturday, picking up a non-conference win over Grant Park.
    The Wildcats wound up claiming  the lead in OT, defeating Grant Park, 53-51.
    Both teams were held close in the first quarter, as Wilmington slowly took their initial lead in the second, jumping out, 21-15 by half-time.
    Grant Park closed the gap in the second half, and would go on to outscore Wilmington, 27-21, tying the game up at 42-42.

Area represented well at ABE Rumble

Published by admin on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 6:42pm

    Coal City, Wilmington, Reed-Custer, and even Seneca competed favorably during the ABE’s Rumble in Springfield.
    The wrestling tournament was Wednesday and Thursday, attracting 43 teams from all over the state in one of the toughest tournaments so far this season.
Coal City
    The Coalers finished second overall, the highest out of the four I-8 conference teams that attended. Last year they won the tournament title.
    The Coalers shutout Monmouth-Roseville 84-0 in the opening round.

Lady ‘Cats finish tournament with a win

Published by admin on Tue, 01/02/2018 - 6:39pm

    The Wilmington varsity girls basketball team ended the Momence Holiday Tournament Thursday on a high note.
    The Lady Wildcats bounced back from three earlier losses in the tournament to defeat Donovan 52-10.
    The dominating win came thanks in part to the offensive play of Claire Rink and Chloe Sanford, who both finished with 12 points.
    WHS had the advantage throughout, holding Donovan scoreless through the first nine minutes while building a 13-0 lead.