Area teams ready for IPTT

CHAMPAIGN — The Unity and SJ-O track teams are participating in the Illinois Prep Top Times indoor state meet this weekend at Illinois Wesleyan University.

The meet begins at 1 p.m. Friday at IWU's Shirk Center with all Class 1A events. The Class 2A and Class 3A events will be held Saturday.

All meet schedules and results can be found at the Illinois high school track and field Web site: http://il.dyestat.com.

Unity qualifiers 

Emily Clennon, 55 meter dash

Micah Johnson, 55 meter dash

Lydia Mitchell, 55 meter hurdles

Dustin Jolley, 55 meter hurdles

Austin Perry, triple jump

Girls' 4x200 relay

Boys' 4x200 relay

Boys' 4x400 relay

SJ-O qualifiers

Rachel Ballard, 200 meter dash

Chelsea Blaase, 800 meter run

Lauren Cessna, 800 meter run

Zeke Elkins, 800 meter run

Alex Hargus, 800 meter run

Ryan Thompson, 800 meter run

Landon Vowels, 800 meter run

Jolee Paden, 1600 meter run

Landon Vowels, 1600 meter run

Rachel Ballard, long jump

Kyle Duke, high jump

Bria Olson, high jump

Thomas Jean, pole vault

Girls' 4x200 relay

Girls' 4x400 relay

Girls' 4x800 relay

Boys' 4x800 relay

Savoy Rec Center basketball tourney set for Thursday

SAVOY — The Savoy Recreation Center's mens basketball league begins its two-week postseason this Thursday with five games. The tournament was seeded based on an eight-game regular season, and the upcoming tournament is single elimination. The bracket is as follows:

Opening Round

Game 1: (8) Crush vs. (9) Foul Outs, 5:30 p.m., March 25

Game 2: (7) Lights Out vs. (10) White & Blue, 6:30 p.m., March 25

Quarterfinals

Game 3: (1) LOVC Legends vs. Game 1 winner, 7:30 p.m., March 25

Game 4: (2) Jimshoes vs. Game 2 winner, 8:30 p.m., March 25

Game 5: (4) Messman Farms vs. (5) Savoy UMC, 9:30 p.m., March 25

Game 6: (3) Brian Greene vs. (6) Mighty Ducks, 5:30 p.m., April 1

Semifinals

Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30 p.m., April 1

Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7:30 p.m., April 1

Championship

Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9 p.m., April 1

Rockets' season opener moved to Monday

TOLONO — The Unity girls' softball team will host off the spring outdoor sports season Monday at 4:30 p.m. against St. Thomas More. The Rockets and Sabers were originally set to meet next Friday, but a scheduling change means the Rockets will open the 2010 season at home Monday, rather than on the road next Thursday at Paris.

The Unity boys' baseball team will open its season next Thursday at 4 p.m. at Salt Fork, and the Rockets' first home game is 11 a.m. next Saturday against Iroquois West.

The SJ-O baseball and softball teams both play at Watseka at 4:30 p.m. next Tuesday in their season openers, and the Warriors come to St. Joseph the following Thursday to complete the conference twin bill.

Rockets fall in double OT thriller

EFFINGHAM — The lead was 12 with 9:21 left in the game. Hold on for another quarter-plus and Unity would have reached the Class 2A sectional final. 

Meyers Leonard and his Robinson teammates decided otherwise. The Maroons outscored the Rockets by 12 in the final 9:21, forcing overtime. The teams remained tied after the first overtime before Robinson outscored Unity 12-1 in the second for a 61-50 win.

After the game, the Rockets were broke up, but proud.

"I think it's easy to see how much (the Rockets) cared," Unity coach Jarrett Brown said. "I think it's important that our fans, our community and everybody in the stands saw how hard these kids worked.

"They are torn up, but they represented us very well, and our program is in good hands because of them."

The Rockets worked hard against Illinois recruit Leonard, holding him to six points in the first half. With the second-half surge, Leonard finished with 25 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots.

"He's tall. I don't know what else to say," Brown said. "Our guys did everything we could against him."

With the score tied in the final seconds of regulation, Unity had a chance to win. But Dylan Sturgeon's 12-footer rolled off and Leonard grabbed the rebound.

Sturgeon led the Rockets with 16 points. Austin Perry scored 13 and Kyler McFall added 11.

Unity was 1 of 16 from the field in the two overtimes.