By Gargoyle sports staff
Posted Friday, Dec. 15, 2006, The OG, sports

DELAND — Sophomore Rachel Skoza and junior Aran Yoo combined for 30 points as Uni defeated conference opponent DeLand-Weldon 64-26 Thursday night.

The win, Uni's second in a row, lifts the team's record to 5-7 overall, 2-1 in the East Central Illinois Conference.

DeLand-Weldon, which has the sixth-smallest enrollment of any school in the IHSA (47), is fielding its first girls basketball team in three seasons.

The Eagles kept the game close early, trailing 15-10 at the end of the first quarter. But strong rebounding and intense defensive pressure turned the second quarter into a rout for the Illineks as they outscored their hosts 20-3, taking a 35-13 lead into halftime.

The third quarter was more of the same, with Uni outscoring the Eagles 21-7 even though head coach Rebecca Murphy began taking starters out of the game 2 minutes into the second half.

By the fourth quarter both teams were sluggish. The first basket wasn't scored until 4:18 remained, when DeLand-Weldon hit a jumpshot. Junior Karen Woodley scored half of Uni's final 8 points as the Illineks won by 38, their largest margin of the season. (Their previous best was a 22-point win over Hoopeston on Nov. 18.)

Skoza led Uni with 16 points, followed by Yoo with 14. Junior Sarah Pfander added 9 points, while junior Ruthie Welch and sophomore Jessi Sullivan each scored 8.

Skoza and Pfander each grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Sullivan dished out 3 assists.

Sullivan and Yoo each recorded 5 steals. The team as a whole came away with a remarkable 26 steals.

“We were trying defensively to contain them, to deny them easy passes and make them work the ball,” Murphy said.

The Illineks will play their final game of December Saturday at Kenney Gym against LeRoy. JV action begins at 11 a.m. The varsity will resume play Jan. 4 on the road against Decatur Christian.

VARSITY RECORD: 5-7 overall, 2-1 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: 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: see above

Remaining games: see schedule

*Conference opponent