When The News-Gazette announced its all-area honors for girls basketball last week, a few familiar Uni faces were in the mix. Freshman sensation Jamie Blue earned a place on the all-area second team, while senior Rachel Skoza capped her Uni career with a News-Gazette special mention. Read on for more.

A season's worth of dedication and hard work by Uni basketball players received its due Monday night as players, coaches, and parents gathered at Uni Gym for the annual winter athletic awards ceremony. Senior Rachel Skoza won the most valuable player award for the girls varsity, while junior Dan Lilly won varsity MVP honors for the boys.

First-year sensation Jamie Blue has been named the state's top newcomer of the year among small schools by Illinois Basketball Services, a national scouting and recruiting agency. During the 2008-09 season, the 5-9 Blue demonstrated an ability to do just about anything on the basketball court and do it well.

"Never let up," coach Rebecca Murphy told her players during last week's Class 2A regional semifinal matchup against St. Joseph-Ogden. They followed her advice and almost came back from an 18-point deficit. With 12 seconds left, they had a chance to force the game into overtime. Although they fell short, the Illineks gave their fans a game — and a season — to remember.

The Illineks take a 16-8 record into the Class 2A playoffs tonight against host St. Joseph-Ogden. The girls ended their regular season last week with two more wins, including a Senior Night triumph over Decatur Christian. The victories set a personal best for head coach Rebecca "Merf" Murphy, now in her 15th season.

You can't miss them in the Uni hallways and you can't miss them on a basketball court. Luckily for Illinek fans, 6-7 Warren Skoza, a sophomore, and his sister, 6-1 Rachel Skoza, a senior, have the talent to go along with the size. Will Fernandez introduces us to the siblings who have played such an important part in their teams' winning records this season.

Led by high scorer Jamie Blue, the host Illineks took care of business over the weekend, handily defeating conference opponents Buckley Christ Lutheran and DeLand-Weldon. Tonight the team will go for its 15th win, which would set a season record for head coach Rebecca Murphy. The team will also honor its six seniors before the game.

Conference rivals Uni and Judah Christian played to a 20-20 deadlock in the first half, but the host Tribe pulled ahead after the break. Judah's Uzuri Williams scored a game-high 28 points, while Uni's Jamie Blue and Rachel Skoza combined for 31. The Tribe's victory exacted a measure of revenge for Uni's 19-point win in December.

Decatur Lutheran showed that it remains the undisputed leader of the East Central Illinois Conference, handily dispatching the Illineks despite freshman Jamie Blue's 16 points. The Lady Lions are heading toward their fourth straight undefeated conference record and fifth consecutive title.

Next year, without 1,000-point scorer Rachel Skoza, the Uni girls won't have to look far to find their next great player. She's Jamie Blue, who's already making a name for herself in varsity hoops. Just a freshman, the 5-foot-9 Blue ranks seventh in the area in points and steals, eighth in assists, and 13th in rebounds.

The 6-foot-1 senior reached the 1,000-point mark Friday night in a 61-28 win over DeLand-Weldon. Only four others have reached the milestone in Uni girls basketball history. The next day, Skoza dropped 24 and grabbed 19 boards to lead Uni to a 60-52 win over Donovan.

[UPDATED] In the history of Uni girls basketball, only four players have scored 1,000 career points. Later today, senior Rachel Skoza has a great shot at joining the club. When the Illineks take on DeLand-Weldon at Kenney Gym, Skoza will need only 11 points to reach the 1,000 mark.

Senior Rachel Skoza and freshman Jamie Blue combined for 35 points and 18 rebounds to lead Uni past the Crusaders in a conference matchup Monday night. Skoza needs just 11 more points to become only the fifth Uni female player to score 1,000 career points.

It was a tough day for Uni varsity basketball on Saturday, with both the girls and boys losing by double digits. The good news, though, is that both games were nonleague. The girls are still only one game behind conference leader Decatur Lutheran, while the boys remain tied for the ECIC lead with Normal Calvary Baptist.