High School Sports
Lady Miners basketball open 2015 with three losses
Paige Niemeyer picks off a pass for the Lady Miners.
The Gillespie girls’ basketball team started 2015 with rough start as the Lady Miners dropped two games last week and another on Monday to kick off the second half of their schedule moving their record to 3-14. The girls have one more game on Thursday before the county tournament gets underway on Saturday, January 17 at Gillespie.
The Lady Miners are seeded number 5 in the 36th annual Macoupin County Tournament ahead of North Mac and Staunton. Gillespie will play two games in the tournament before the finals on Saturday, January 24.
Gillespie 38, Roxana 46
Gillespie opened the week with a tough loss on their home court on Monday against Roxana despite leading at halftime 22-21. Bailey Jarman led the team with 14 points as the Lady Miners have one last chance on Thursday to snap their 3-game losing streak before the county tournament.
The second half woes spilled over from last week to Monday night’s game as Roxana outscored Gillespie 10-8 in the third quarter and then 15-8 in the final period to give the Lady Miners a 38-46 loss. Addison Bryant posted 8 points in the matchup while Karli Carr led the team with six steals and Jarman carried the team with 9 rebounds.
Gillespie 39, Hillsboro 49
After trailing Hillsboro 8-11 after the first quarter, the Lady Miners outscored their guest opponent 16-9 in the second quarter to take a 24-20 lead at halftime, but Gillespie couldn’t hold their lead in the second half.
After the Lady Miners were scoreless for the first five minutes of play in the third quarter, the Hilltoppers doubled Gillespie’s figures in the third quarter outscoring Gillespie 12-6 to take a 32-30 lead by the end of the third quarter.
The Lady Miners are seeded number 5 in the 36th annual Macoupin County Tournament
Paige Niemeyer scored 7 points in the loss while Karli Carr and Bailey Jarman followed with 6 each. Addison Bryant carried the team in steals after she swiped 5 in the matchup and Jarman led with 9 rebounds.
Gillespie 37, Litchfield 55
After a week’s worth of rest for the Lady Miners since placing fourth in the Carlinville Holiday Tournament, Gillespie dropped last Monday’s game in Litchfield after Abby Brockmeyer posted 18 points in the matchup.
The Lady Miners trailed the Panthers 8-20 after the first quarter and then 16-29 at halftime before losing 37-55. Gillespie was led by Amanda Schmidt and Bette Hammann who posted 12 and 9 points respectively. Schmidt also led the team with four steals while Bailey Jarman carried the team in rebounds with 9.
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In a nail-biting showdown that will be remembered for years to come, the Gillespie Miners girls basketball team captured the South Central Conference title with a hard-fought 55-52 victory over the Pana Panthers on Thursday night, February 13. This marks Gillespie’s first conference championship since their back-to-back titles in 2001-02, when they shared the honors with Southwestern both finishing with a 9-1 conference record.
The game held at Pana High School was anything but straightforward. After a tumultuous 13-minute delay due to injuries and a technical foul controversy, the Miners rallied their spirits to secure the win. Amari Vickery led the charge with a stellar performance, scoring 21 points, while Mia Brawner added 11, Maggie Heyen contributed 10, Delaney Taylor posted 5, Sadie Sholtis scored 4, and Lainey Edwards and Corrine Fellin each had 2 points.
From the opening tip, it was clear that Pana was not going to roll over easily. The Panthers held leads at the end of the first two quarters, 15-14 and 28-26, showcasing their tenacity. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Pana had edged ahead 44-42, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
However, the game took a chaotic turn in the fourth quarter when a collision between Vickery and teammate Sloane Brawner resulted in both players going down with injuries. Sloane was not able to return the game but Vickery did. The Miners also lost both Delaney Taylor and Sadie Sholtis to fouls and Gillespie was assessed a technical foul under controversial circumstances which tied the game at 49. But Heyen carried the weight through the fourth quarter recording 6 of her 10 points in the final quarter of play.
Despite the setbacks, the Miners displayed remarkable teamwork resilience under the leadership of Nikki and Matt Brawner. With the SCC championship secured and the regular season concluded with a 22-8 overall record and 9-0 conference record, the Miners now shift their focus to the upcoming regional which is being hosted in Gillespie.
Gillespie hosts Alton Marquette on Monday, Feb. 17 for the regional semi-finals after Alton Marquette knocked East-Alton Wood River, 36-29, to face the Miners. The winner advances to the regional championship that will be played on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Gillespie versus the winner of Staunton/Roxana.
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On December 16, Gillespie played against Southwestern and dominated on the court. They secured an impressive 41-25 win.
Gillespie’s Amari Vickery played a crucial role in their offense in the first period, contributing 5 out of their 10 points. Sloane Brawner demonstrated range from behind the three-point line, extending their lead as they moved into the second period. Southwestern was able to muster up 7 points against Gillespie.
The defense really held strong in the second period of the game. It was a low-scoring affair, with only a total of 11 points scored by both teams. Gillespie managed to score 8 points, while Southwestern scored 3. Darr from Southwestern scored their only 3 points by shooting from beyond the arc. Vickery contributed 6 points for Gillespie, while Sadie Sholtis added two more to the scoreboard. Gillespie held the lead going into halftime with a score of 18 to 10.
After halftime, Gillespie’s Mia Brawner came out refreshed and had a strong offensive performance, scoring 9 out of Gillespie’s 11 points in the third period, while Maggie Heyen contributed the other two points. Southwestern managed to put up 8 points in an attempt to set the stage for a comeback against Gillespie. After three periods of play, Southwestern trailed behind with a score of 29 to 18.
Gillespie secured their victory during the fourth period by outscoring Southwestern 12 to 7. Vickery continued to impress with her offensive performance, contributing 6 points to extend their lead. Brawner also added 4 more points to her total for the game, while S. Brawner contributed an additional 2 points. Despite Stormer from Southwestern successfully scoring from behind the three-point line, it wasn’t enough to give them the lead.
Vickery and Brawner were the key players for Gillespie’s offense. Vickery scored a total of 17 points, while Brawner contributed 15 points to the team’s total.
Gillespie took home another win with a final score of 41 to 25.
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Gillespie stepped onto the court against Auburn on December 9th and came out on top, clinching a hard-fought 71-65 win.
Gillespie started off hot, racing to an early lead in the first period. By the end of the period, the scoreboard read 17-15 in their favor. Auburn’s relentless defense sent Gillespie to the free throw line a total of five times in the opening period. Gillespie capitalized on those opportunities, converting 5-of-10 attempts as a team.
The star of the show, however, was Amari Vickery, who shone brightly from the charity stripe, sinking an impressive 4-of-6 free throws. Vickery’s impact didn’t stop there – managing to find the net for an additional goal during the period, further cementing her status as a dominant force in Gillespie’s offense. Mia Brawner and Sadie Sholtis proved to be a dynamic duo, combining for 8 points to bolster Gillespie’s scoring efforts in the first period.
Auburn attempted to make a comeback during the second period, besting Gillespie 16 to 15. Addison Whatley was the driving force behind Auburn’s offense, pouring in 8 of their 16 points. Maggie Heyen, Delaney Taylor, and Sloane Brawner were the forces behind Gillespie’s offensive surge in the second period. Heyen poured in 7 points, while Taylor and S. Brawner demonstrated their shooting range from beyond the arc.
Gillespie clung to their narrow one-point lead as the teams headed into the second half of the nail-biter.
Gillespie’s M. Brawner took over the second half, pouring in 15 points to overwhelm Auburn. Vickery’s offensive onslaught kept on rolling, as she added 9 more points to Gillespie’s tally. Heyen, Sholtis, Taylor, and S. Brawner all contributed to their winning effort.
When the final buzzer sounded, Gillespie emerged victorious, 71-65.
