By Avanti Chajed
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006, The OG, sports

URBANA — Decatur Lutheran showed Friday night why it's favored to win a third consecutive East Central Illinois Conference championship, defeating Uni 57-38 at Kenney Gym.

The loss drops the Illineks' record to 3-6 overall, 0-1 in the ECIC.

The Lady Lions came into the game as a formidable opponent. In the previous two seasons, Decatur Lutheran went 19-1 in the ECIC, including a perfect 10-0 mark last year. Its only conference loss during that stretch was to Uni (36-34 in 2004-05 — the two schools shared the title that year). Five of the six Lady Lions who earned ECIC honors in 2005-06 have returned for the new season. Entering Friday's contest, the team sported a 5-1 record overall, 1-0 in the conference.

But the Illineks didn't allow any of that to bother them. They came out strong, keeping a small lead throughout the first quarter until the visitors tied it at 10. Sophomore Rachel Skoza scored with 21 seconds left in the period, giving Uni a 12-10 advantage as the quarter ended.

However, Decatur Lutheran took the lead 14-12 with 7:14 remaining in the half and never let up. Behind strong rebounding, the Lady Lions outscored Uni 21-8 to take a 31-20 lead into halftime.

A minute and a half into the third quarter, Uni narrowed the deficit to 10 points (32-22) on a basket by sophomore Jessi Sullivan, but that was the closest the Illineks would get.

Skoza led the team with 14 points, followed by junior Aran Yoo with 6 and senior Mandy Grill with 5. Sullivan grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds and also led Uni in steals (4) and assists (3).

Despite the loss, the Illineks came out of the game with a positive outlook. Besides the strong first quarter, the team showed toughness throughout the entire contest, forcing turnovers and fighting for rebounds down to the final buzzer.

“It's a huge change,” said Grill. “If we play like that we'll win second or third in the conference.”

Last year Uni went 5-5 in the ECIC (8-16 overall), tying for third with Judah Christian.

The Illineks will host Villa Grove today at 1 p.m. in a game originally scheduled for Nov. 30 (it was canceled due to bad weather). Uni will play Judah Christian 6 p.m. Monday at Kenny Gym.

VARSITY RECORD: 3-6 overall, 0-1 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: see above

* Conference opponent