By Gargoyle sports staff
Posted Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, The OG, sports

Rachel Skoza tries to launch a shot during
Uni's 53-26 win over Decatur Christian.
(Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)

DECATUR — Aran Yoo had 8 steals, Jessi Sullivan grabbed 13 rebounds, and Rachel Skoza scored 15 points as the Illineks defeated conference opponent Decatur Christian 53-26 Thursday night at Stephen Decatur Middle School.

The win raises Uni's varsity record to 8-7 overall and 4-1 in the East Central Illinois Conference. Decatur Christian falls to 4-9, 2-2.

The victory was the fifth straight for the Illineks, who have rebounded nicely from a six-game losing streak that began shortly before Thanksgiving and lasted until the second week of December.

During that streak, the team was in the midst of adjusting to the loss of junior point guard Samantha Nguyen, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the first game of the year, a 37-35 win over visiting Atwood-Hammond Nov. 16.

But toward the end of the streak, the Illineks showed signs of improvement as juniors Yoo and Sarah Pfander gained experience sharing the point-guard responsibilities.

Meanwhile, sophomore forwards Skoza and Sullivan continued to develop as scorers and rebounders, while junior Ruthie Welch set the tone with her tenacity on every possession. With key contributions from other players as well, such as senior Mandy Grill and sophomore Kaylie Dastrup, the team began its turnaround against ECIC rival Judah Christian on Dec. 11, pulling away 44-29.

Now, five double-digit wins later, the Illineks have regained their confidence and are playing like legitimate contenders for the second spot behind ECIC leader Decatur Lutheran.

In Thursday night's game, the Illineks took immediate control over host Decatur Christian as they jumped off to a 14-0 lead.

The Warriors remained shut out until 2:25 left in the first quarter. They outscored Uni 8-2 to head into the second period trailing only 16-8.

But a strong Illinek defense held Decatur Christian to just 6 second-quarter points as Uni built a 26-14 lead by halftime.

When the Warriors hit a 3-point shot early in the third quarter, it looked like the game would tighten up. But those would be Decatur Christian's only points until 2 minutes into the final period. Uni's aggressiveness paid off with a 16-3 advantage in the third, expanding the Illinek lead to 42-17.

With many of her starters on the bench, coach Rebecca Murphy looked on as Uni outscored the Warriors 11-9 in the fourth quarter to come away with a 27-point victory.

Besides Skoza's team-leading 15 points, Welch scored 10, Pfander added 8, and Grill scored 6. Skoza's 11 rebounds ranked just behind Sullivan's 13. Pfander led the Illineks with 3 assists.

Murphy is reluctant to conclude too much from her squad's current winning streak, which has come against some of the weaker teams on Uni's schedule.

“It's given us a chance to perform in a game-environment setting without quite so much pressure,” she said. “It's given our kids a boost in confidence. They can carry that into the more evenly matched challenges that lie ahead.”

The Illineks will face a major test Saturday morning when they host Fisher in a nonconference game. There will be no JV contest. Varsity action is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

“Fisher is very disciplined and well-trained,” Murphy said. “It's going to be a tough game.”

VARSITY RECORD: 8-7 overall, 4-1 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: 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: see above

Remaining games: see schedule

*East Central Illinois Conference opponent