By Andrew Lovdahl & Avanti Chajed
Gargoyle staff reporters
Posted Friday, Jan. 12, 2007, The OG, sports

Sarah Pfander on the move against DeLand-

Weldon. (Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)

URBANA — The Illineks ended a two-game losing skid with a resounding 58-14 victory Thursday night over conference opponent DeLand-Weldon Eagles at Kenney Gym.

Using a deep bench, superior coordination, and a considerable height advantage, Uni was able to raise its record to 9-9 overall and 5-2 in the East Central Illinois Conference, while the visiting Eagles remain winless.

With the victory, the Illineks have already exceeded last year's win total. The 2005-06 team finished 8-16, 5-5.

Sophomore Rachel Skoza scored 13 points, leading Uni's attack and raising her team-high scoring average to 11.5 points per game. Sophomore Kaylie Dastrup contributed 10 points as well as 6 rebounds, while juniors Ruthie Welch and Sarah Pfander added 8 and 7 points, respectively.

Playing in a rout might not seem much of a challenge, but the Illineks looked on Thursday's game as an opportunity for the entire roster to get playing time and to experiment with different lineups.

“We get to work on lots of other stuff and get to work on playing with other people,” Dastrup said.

All 11 Illineks who were available for varsity action saw playing time, and every one of them scored at least 2 points.

The game was lopsided from the beginning as Uni jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the first 5 minutes of play and led 16-1 by the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the margin had swelled to 33-5.

Uni's highest-scoring quarter was the third, when the Illineks scored 19 points. The final margin, 44 points, was Uni's highest this season. On two previous occasions the Illineks won by 38 points; one of those games was against the Eagles, on Dec. 14.

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

Sophomore Jessi Sullivan had 8 rebounds, while junior Karen Woodley and senior Bianca Zaharescu finished with 7 and 6, respectively.

Junior Aran Yoo led Uni in steals yet again, with 6; Pfander had 4 steals and 4 assists, while Skoza contributed 3 assists.

A junior varsity tournament is scheduled for Saturday at Paxton-Buckley-Loda. The varsity will play next Friday at defending ECIC champion Decatur Lutheran (a team that defeated the Illineks in a December meeting).

Uni will travel across town to face conference rival Judah Christian on Jan. 22. The Illineks will not return to Kenney Gym until Jan. 26, when they take on Buckley Christ Lutheran.

By the time the girls play at home again, they will probably know their first-round opponent in the IHSA Class A playoffs. Uni has been assigned to the 22-team Watseka sectional, but the schools have not yet been seeded.

When regionals begin on Feb. 5, head coach Rebecca Murphy and her players will try to extend their four-year streak of winning a first-round playoff game. Last year the Illineks defeated Judah Christian 47-35 before falling to Unity in the second round 61-21.

ILLINEK NOTES: According to Thursday's issue of The News-Gazette, guard Aran Yoo leads the area in steals, with 5.3 per game (or, more precisely, 5.31). When her 6 steals from Thursday night are factored in, Yoo's average now stands at 5.35 per game …. Also in Thursday's News-Gazette, forward Rachel Skoza received honorable mention for female high school athlete of the week. The 6-footer has emerged as the Illineks' top scorer this season. She and forward Jessi Sullivan are each averaging more than 7 rebounds per game.

VARSITY RECORD: 9-9 overall, 5-2 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: see above

Remaining games: see schedule

*East Central Illinois Conference opponent