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Schmidt hits 1,000 career points, girls basketball riding winning streak

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Amanda Schmidt surpassed 1,000 career varsity points last week and set two new school records.

Amanda Schmidt surpassed 1,000 career varsity points last week and set two new school records.

Amanda Schmidt reached a career scoring milestone Wednesday evening in Gillespie’s victory over Bunker Hill scoring her 1,000th varsity point in Gillespie’s sixteenth game of the season while setting two new school records for Gillespie High School.

On top of scoring her 1,000th point, the Gillespie senior also broke the high school girls’ basketball records for most points in a single game with 43 points and the record for most field goals in one game with 17. Former record holder for most points in a game was Tracy Petersen with 34 points and former record holder for most field goals was Jodi Ottersburg Alexander with 16.

Schmidt scored her 1,000th varsity point and set two new school records for Gillespie High School.

The girls’ basketball team (9-8) is riding a three-game winning streak and their record has surpassed .500 for the first time this season. After finishing 2016 in third place in the Carlinville Holiday Tournament with three wins and one loss, the team is off to a great start in 2017 winning three of their four games as they approach the Macoupin County Tournament that has been postponed to start Monday in Carlinville.

The girls started 2017 losing to Hillsboro but bounced back with wins over Roxana, Bunker Hill, and Metro East Lutheran. Gillespie is ranked third in the Macoupin County Tournament behind Mt. Olive (#1) and Carlinville (#2). Find the revised County Tournament schedule here.

HILLSBORO (66-71): Like many other teams that have faced Hillsboro this season, Gillespie had trouble stopping Hillsboro’s sophomore gunner: Sammi Matoush. Matoush finished the game with 28 points but was matched with Gillespie’s own dominant scorer, Amanda Schmidt, who also finished the game with 28 points.

Paige Niemeyer is dominant on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court for Gillespie.

Paige Niemeyer is dominant on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court for Gillespie.

The Miners led 12-7 after the first quarter, 30-18 at the half and 50-38 after the third quarter, but didn’t fare well in the fourth quarter as Hillsboro scored 33 points in the final quarter – 14 of those points from the free throw line – while the Miners only put up 16. Gillespie got 19 points from Paige Niemeyer and 19 combined points from five other players.

ROXANA (64-22): The Miners had no trouble with the visiting Roxana Shells, a South Central Conference opponent. Gillespie got off to a hot start scoring 20 points in the opening quarter, adding 18 in the second, 11 in the third and then finishing the Shells with 15 in the fourth quarter. Schmidt led with 20 points, Niemeyer followed with 11 and Ally Bires and Karli Carr each put forth a 7-point effort.

BUNKER HILL (76-55): No team will pose much of a threat when a captain nearly outscores the other team single handily. The Minutemen were wiped away by a 43-point performance from senior captain Amanda Schmidt. Forwards Abbie Barber (14 points) and Paige Niemeyer (12 points) also posed a dual offensive threat combining for 26 points for Gillespie while the Schmidt-Barber-Niemeyer trio covered over 90 percent of team’s scoring.

METRO EAST LUTERHAN (51-40): Gillespie extended their winning streak to three games in the team’s first road game of the New Year with a victory over the private Lutheran school in Edwardsville. The Miners led the entire game after starting the game with a 22-point first quarter performance. Gillespie followed with 11 points in the second, eight in the third and then 10 in the fourth. Karli Carr led all scorers with 20 points, 18 of which came from beyond the three-point arc, Schmidt followed with 13 and Niemeyer tallied 11.

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Thunderstorms, winds, snow, freezing rain coming to BenGil area

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Another major winter storm is forecasted to blanket the BenGil area in heavy rains, flooding and snowfall starting Wednesday night through Thursday.

The mixture of precipitation and rapidly changing weather likely will produce the potential for sudden icing on roads, with high winds leading to blowing snow and reduced visibility.

“The Illinois Department of Transportation’s snow-and-ice teams will be prepared and out in force, but the public needs to be ready for conditions to change quickly and worsen if they are out on the roads,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “As always during periods of extreme weather, the safest option is to postpone any unnecessary trips and stay home. If you must travel, prepare for very slow and potentially hazardous conditions. And please slow down around our plows and other emergency vehicles, giving them plenty of room to do their jobs.”

The National Weather Service is predicting a wintry mix of precipitation to start with thunderstorms and heavy rain in much of the state this evening, converting to freezing rain overnight before turning to snow Thursday morning. In addition to localized flooding, ice and sleet accumulations are likely, creating extremely slippery surfaces and slick conditions.

Due to the rainy conditions ahead of temperatures falling overnight, the effectiveness of pretreating and salting surfaces in advance of significant snowfall will be limited. The public should anticipate icy conditions even when roads appear clear and greatly reduce speeds. 

“As the Illinois State Police plans to take on the unpredictable Illinois weather, we would like to remind motorists to do their part in keeping the roads a safe place,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly.  “ISP, alongside IDOT and other agencies, will be working in hazardous weather conditions. Please remember to slow down, stay vigilant and move over for ANY vehicle on the side of the road.”

Statewide, IDOT has available more than 1,800 trucks and equipment to plow, treat roads and respond to weather emergencies. If you encounter a plow or any maintenance vehicle during your travels, please slow down, increase your following distance and remain patient. Do not attempt to pass – conditions in front of the plow will be worse than behind it.

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Police investigating death of Bunker Hill woman

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Police are investigating the death of a Bunker Hill woman who was found dead at the end of her driveway near the roadway on Monday morning, January 31.

Nancy Blycker, 91, had multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call to the 2900 block of Wood Hill Lane around 7:40 a.m. on Monday.

The initial suspicion was homicide, according to a release by the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis who said approximately 20 investigators were working the investigation, but the autopsy contradicted that suspicion.

The Major Case Squad said on Tuesday it is “highly unlikely” Blycker’s death was the “result of homicidal means.”

The Major Case Squad turned the case back over to the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department. The official cause of death is pending further lab analysis.

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Winter storm warning issued for BenGil area

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The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the BenGil area, southwestern Illinois, and the St. Louis area.

The warning was issued early Tuesday taking effect at midnight tonight until noon on Thursday, February 3 calling for a “wet, heavy” snow. The forecast also calls for ice prompting a warning about possible power outages.

“All indications continue to point to a disruptive, impactful, and dangerous winter storm impacting the region starting late tonight and lasting through Thursday night,” the National Weather Service said in its Area Forecast Discussion.

The BenGil area is expected to receive heavy mixed precipitation including snow accumulations between 6 and 10 inches, sleet accumulations around three-quarters of an inch, and ice accumulations around two-tenths of an inch. Wind gusts will be as high as 35 mph on Thursday.

The storm is expected to start with rain most of the day today before transitioning into a mixture of freezing rain and/or sleet Tuesday night, then all snow Wednesday morning or as late as Wednesday afternoon continuing until about noon on Thursday.

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