After an unexpected loss in East Central Illinois Conference play, the Illineks are ready to regroup as they try for a third straight ECIC title

By Michael Belmont
Gargoyle staff reporter
Published Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, Gargoyle, sports

On Dec. 6, in its second home game of the year, the Uni girls varsity basketball team followed its trend of East Central Illinois Conference hegemony by trouncing Judah Christian 50-32.

Al Johnson scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while freshman Rachel Skoza added 10 rebounds and eight points as Uni thoroughly dominated the Tribe from the beginning to the end of the contest.

“That was a pretty good game,” concluded senior guard Julie Chen.

Along with their Dec. 1 win against Buckley Christ Lutheran, the Illineks now had two solid conference victories under their belt and felt they had proved they still have what it takes to dominate the ECIC.

Since Uni joined the ECIC, the varsity girls had only suffered one conference loss — a nail-biter against arch-nemesis Decatur Lutheran last year. Naturally, the Illineks went into Monday night's game against Normal Calvary Baptist expecting an easy win.

What they got was a nasty shock and a new season low as Normal unexpectedly blew them out 62-48, leading by as many as 35 points at one stage.

Coming off a slow, sloppy start in which they struggled to find offensive rhythm against a tough full-court pressure defense, the Illineks fell behind rapidly and were never really able to claw their way back. Johnson led Uni with 12 points, while freshman Jessi Sullivan had 10 points and eight rebounds.

The team was thwarted again on Wednesday by a quality LeRoy squad. Playing on the road against the Sangamon Valley Conference power, Uni fell 57-32. The Illineks were led by Skoza's 12 rebounds and sophomore Aran Yoo's 10 points and four steals.

Coming off such a rough week, the Illineks have looked inward for some answers.

“We had a serious discussion on the way back from the Normal game about our intensity and attitude,” said Johnson. “We need to improve them as a team, but we've been getting better.”

Head coach Rebecca Murphy has also been frustrated by the sporadic performance of the squad.

“Our biggest problem has been inconsistency,” Murphy said. “[In particular] we haven't been able to have everybody come together and really play well in the same night. When one or two of our main players have a good night, another one or two will have a terrible night, and they'll rotate through so that everybody ends up having played well at some point, but not at the same time as everyone else.”

The team has also encountered a significant setback in the health of senior guard Nuole Chen. Chen hurt her knee in practice on Dec. 5, and despite making appearances in two of the games since then, is not optimistic about her recovery. She is currently awaiting the results of an MRI to determine if she has a torn ACL.

As a result of Chen's injury, younger players have been forced to carry even more weight, as the sophomore guard trio of Yoo, Samantha Nguyen, and Ruthie Welch have seen an increase in their responsibilities.

With the 2005 portion of their season completed, the Illineks are looking for more in the second half. Disappointed with their performance thus far, the girls have vowed to make a better showing in January and February, especially anticipating their Jan. 24 rematch with Normal Calvary Baptist. Their hopes for a third straight conference championship are still alive.

“We don't expect to lose any more games in the conference,” said senior Julie Chen confidently.

With key games still to come against Decatur Lutheran, the projected primary rival for the ECIC championship, Uni has a lot to gain — or lose — in the coming weeks.