Galesburg, IL 2-21-08
Carl Sandburg College (23-7) finished their regular season with a 63-43 win over McHenry College on Saturday afternoon in John Lewis Gymnasium.  Sandburg led 34-22 at the half.  CSC was led by Heather Larson with 14 points.  14 Sandburg players scored and all 16 played in each half.  McHenry was led by Lisa Beyer with 13 and Lyndsey Thompson with 12.
CSC starts Region IV tournament play next Thursday.  Time and opponent will be determined at the Region IV seeding meeting tomorrow at Waubonsee College.
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"It was nice to get all the girls playing time.  We achieved one goal in winning the league, we went 23-7 having played 13 games against teams that were ranked at one time or another this year,  and now we start our pursuit of another goal and that is to get to the national tournament.  We won't consider the season a success if we don't get this next goal."

Galesburg, IL 2-21-08
Carl Sandburg College (22-7, 10-2) women's basketball dropped their league finale at home against Sauk Valley 84-82 in OT on Thursday night.  Sandburg trailed 45-37 at the half after starting the game behind 39-21.  Sandburg led 63-58 but couldn't hold the lead and the game was sent into overtime with a Kim Fabry layup with 3.2 sec. remaining.  The OT started with the score tied at 71 and some timely shooting and Ft's sealed the win for Sauk Valley. 
Sandburg was led by Heather LArson with 25 points, Darci Renken with 14 pts., and Britney Below with 12, all in the second half.  Sauk Valley was led by Aubrey Parsons with 27, Starquis Lewis with 22, and Tiffany Chatmon with 20. 
Sandburg plays their regular season final game Saturday at home against McHenry College with a tip time of 2pm. 
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"We dug ourselves a huge hole getting down by 18 early, climbed all the back to control the game and gave up an offensive rebound and putback which turned the momentum around in one play.  We left a lot of points on the block tonight and it cost us.  When another team is playing at the level that Sauk was you have to make those shots or you get beat and that happened to us tonight.  We missed 15 layups easily but Sauk contested them and we couldn't finish.  It was a good college basketball game and we just got beat.  Hopefully we can turn it around on Saturday and come out ready to play before we get down 18."

Galesburg, IL 2-19-08
Carl Sandburg College (22-6, 10-1) won the women's basketball Arrowhead Conference title outright Tuesday night with a 65-40 win over Highland Community College.  The 1st half of the game was not very pretty as both teams played very hard and physical defense.  The Chargers led 29-22 at the break.  The second half was dominated by Allison Epping, a 6'1 So. who scored 13 of her 17 in the second half.  Sandburg went to Epping early and often and she responded and helped CSC to a quick 11 point lead that they never relinquished.  She was the only player for CSC in double figures.  Highland (19-9, 7-4) was led by Gena Gray with 11 pts. 
CSC finishes their conference schedule Thursday night at home against Sauk Vallley.  It will be sophomore night for a group of athletes that in their two years at Sandburg are a combined 55-8.  Come show your support for these fine student-athletes. 
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"Our team is playing so well on the defensive end right now and I wish that they would reward themselves on the other end but we were not very good offensively tonight.  Epp played well and Kim Fabry hit a couple of big 3's which was great to see.  Our bench play outside Kim was not very good and so our starters had to log a lot of minutes.  We need to get going offensively."

South Holland, IL 2-16-08
Carl Sandburg College (21-6) went to South Suburban College on Saturday afternoon and came away with a 63-43 victory in Region IV women's basketball.  Sandburg which led 27-21 at the half hit 14 3 pointers in the game.  Leading the way for CSC was Heather Larson with 27 points on 9 3 point FG's.  Larson was the lone offensive bright spot for the Chargers in the first half with 4 3's and 12 points.  She had a liitle help with her 5 second half 3's and 15 more points.  Sara Turk hit 2 and Ashley McKown and Katie Wilson both made a long ball.  Tasia Wellons was the lone player for South Suburban in double figures with 11. 
CSC returns home after going 5-0 on their latest road stint for three games at home February 19, 21, and 23rd to round out the season.  Thursday the 21st will be sophomore night and support for our sophomores would be greatly appreciated.  As of today this group of sophs is 54-8 which means they have won 87% of their games in two years at CSC.  They deserve support!!!  Forward this info on to as many Sandburg supporters as possible. 
Coach Mike Bailey-"Our defense won out again until we could get our offense clicking.  Thank goodness for Larson in the first half because the rest of our perimeter girls were struggling and our posts were struggling against their 6'3 post play.  The second half our execution was better and shots fell which gave our kids some life and we pulled away.  Our D was very good especially against their posts."

Malta, IL 2-14-08
Carl Sandburg College (20-6, 9-1) went on the road Thursday night in Arrowhead Conference women's basketball and defeated Kishwaukee College 77-49.  The Chargers led 46-20 at the half and never looked back.  Solid defense and good execution keyed the 1st half run.  CSC was led in scoring by Heather Larson with 14pts., Courtnee Brown and Sara Turk both added 10, and 14 players scored as Sandburg clinched at least a tie for the conference championship with two games to go.  Kishwaukee was led by Christine Espe with 11 while Megan Lawler and Nichole Dames added 10 each. 
Carl Sandburg travels to South Suburban Saturday for a 1pm tip as part of a women/men twin bill.  CSC finshes the regular season at home Feb. 19, 21, and 23.
CSC Coach MIke Bailey-"We played very well tonight in a lot of areas but we were very poor shooting FT's.  Our defense was very good and our ballhandling executing some plays was as good as it's been since possibly December.  We didn't make them pay by hitting FT's (8-23) and in close games that could come back to haunt us.  It's been good so I hope this is just one of those nights where they wouldn't fall."

Moline, IL 2-12-08
Carl Sandburg College (19-6, 8-1) went on the road Tuesday night to Black Hawk and defeated them 68-34 in women's college basketball.   CSC led 34-17 at the half.  The Chargers were led in scoring by Sara Turk with 12 pts. and Jessie Rosenow with 10.  Black Hawk did not have a player reach double figures.  
CSC travels to Kishwaukee Thursday night for a men/women double header. 
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"Our defense was very good all night long.  It really covered up for the numerous turnovers we had.  It is awfully late in the season to still be seeing some of the same old mistakes over and over again.  Some of our kids have to make an adjustment or they won't get as much playing time.  Our team gave a very strong defensive effort tonight and hopefully we can build on that."

Oglesby, IL 2-7-08
Carl Sandburg College (18-6, 7-1) went on the road Thursday night and defeated Illinois Valley 81-58 in Arrowhead Conference women's basketball action.  CSC led 39-25 at the half.  Sandburg was led in scoring by Heather Larson with 16, Courtnee Brown and Darci Renken both tallied 14, and Allison Epping finished with 13.  12 players scored for the Chargers.  The Eagles of Illinois Valley were led in scoring by Shelsi Weaver with 20 and Courtney Johnson with 17. 
CSC has the weekend off and returns to action next Tuesday at Black Hawk.  Tip time is scheduled for 5:30pm.
 CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"Anytime you can go on the road, get a win, and play your entire bench at least 5 minutes it is a good night.  Every gal that stepped on the court for us gave a good solid effort.  We didn't handle the ball very well but we had some nice runs that put the game away.  We are in the middle of a 4 game conference roadtrip and to be 2-0 is very nice.  Hopefully we can sustain the effort."

Dixon, IL 2-2-08
Carl Sandburg College (17-6, 6-1) went on the road Saturday night and took over sole possession of first place in the Arrowhead Conference with a 73-44 win against Sauk Valley (15-6, 5-2).  CSC led 46-19 at the half, extended the lead to 53-21 and were never threatened in the second half.  CSC was led by Heather Larson with 11 and Allison Epping with 10.  13 Sandburg players were in the scoring column.  Sauk Valley was led by Karly Fisher with 11points.
Sandburg, ranked #8 in the country, returns to action next Thursday at Illinois Valley.  Game time is scheduled for 5:30pm.
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"We played a very good first 20 minutes.  Our defensive pressure was solid and led to several fastbreak opportunities.  We didn't finish very well around the basket but the kids played hard and we got the win on the road.  It's nice to have control of the conference race back in our hands."

Galesburg, IL 1-31-08
Carl Sandburg College (16-6, 5-1) women's basketball defeated Black Hawk East (14-8, 4-2) Thursday night in an Arrowhead Conference game by a score of 82-59.  CSC led 43-27 at half and extended the lead to 72-34 before settling for the final margin of victory.  CSC was led in scoring by Heather Larson with 21 including 5 3's, Darci Renken with 12, and Allison Epping with 12.  Amber Clark led BHE with 15.
Sandburg travels to Sauk Valley Saturday for  a 5:30pm game that will have a major impact on the race for a conference championship.  Sauk Valley is undefeated in the league and this is considered their best team ever. 
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"I was very impressed with the effort tonight.  We challenged the ladies very hard after the loss at Kankakee last Saturday and they accepted it and turned in a solid effort.  We face a tough challenge Saturday and will need this same kind of effort.  Sauk Valley has a couple of transfers that are being recruited DI so we need to play another solid game."

Kankakee, IL 1-26-08
Carl Sandburg College (15-6) women's basketball went on the road Saturday and lost to #3 ranked Kankakee (18-1) 68-45 Saturday in a Region IV basketball contest.  With the score tied at 23 and about 6 minutes remaining in the first half, Kankakee went on a 15-0 run to end the half and led 38-23 at the break.  Sandburg would get no closer than 11 in the second half.  CSC was led in scoring by Britney Below with a 11 points.   CSC returns to action Tuesday night at Sauk Valley in a key Arrowhead Conference matchup.  Game time is 5:30PM. 
CSC Coach Mike Bailey- "Kankakee controlled the last bit of the first half and we couldn't recover.  Turnovers plagued us the whole day and didn't allow us a chance to get back into the game.  I thought our defense was pretty solid and several of their scores were off turnovers and we didn't have a chance to defend."

Freeport, IL 1-24-08
Carl Sandburg College(15-5, 4-1) women's basketball went on the road in the Arrowhead Conference Thursday night to Highland Community College(13-6, 3-2) and came away with a 75-53 win.  CSC was led in scoring by Courtnee Brown with 17, Britney Below added 16, Heather Larson chipped in with 13, and Allison Epping finished in double figures with 12.  Highland was led by Nicole Barton with 13.  CSC led 38-29 at the half. CSC travels to #3 ranked in the country Kankakee Saturday for a 1pm tip time. CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"It was a good night for us defensively.  Our defense definitely kept us going until we could get some things going offensively.  It was a nice win on the road."

Galesburg, IL 1-22-08
Carl Sandburg College women's basketball team won an Arrowhead Conference game at home Tuesday night against Kishwaukee College by a score of 82-57.  Sandburg led 38-14 at the half.  CSC was led by Britney Below with 19 pts. and Heather Larson with 15 on 5-6 shooting including 3 3's.  Kishwaukee was led by Nicole Dames and all-american candidate Megan Lawler with 15 points each.  14 players scored for CSC.  CSC travels to Highland College Thursday night for a 5pm tip time. CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"Our defense was stifling the first half.  That was as hard as we have played all season.  We came out strong to start the second half and really put them away.  It is encouraging to see our kids begin to put games together where we sustain effort."

Galesburg, IL 1-15-08
Carl Sandburg College (11-5, 1-1)  women's basketball, playing their first home game since December 17, won a convincing 92-58 Arrowhead Conference game Tuesday night in John Lewis Gymnasium against Illinois Valley.  CSC led 46-23 at the half and the game never got closer in the second half.  Sandburg was led by Allison Epping with 15 pts., Heather Larson with 12, and Courtnee Brown with 11.  15 players scored for CSC.  Illinois Valley was led by Shel'si Weaver with 16 and Camillia Caliph with 15.Sandburg women are at home as part of a conference double header Thursday night against Black Hawk College.  Game time is set for 5:30pm. CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"It was a sound win.  All the gals that stepped on the court for CSC played with some effort which was lacking in our last game."

Peoria, IL 12-30-07
Carl Sandburg College (10-4) defeated #12 Owens, OH 63-50 in the last day of the Illinois Central Holiday Tournament Sunday to complete the 2007 part of their schedule.  CSC led 30-18 at the half and built the lead to 51-30 midway through the second half.  Carl Sandburg was led by Heather Larson with 13 pts., Ashley McKown with 10, and Britney Below with 10 pts.  Darci Renken turned in a nice game on the glass with 9 rebs. and Allison Epping finished with 8 boards.  6'3 Nikki Coates led Owens with 4 pts. and 10 rebs. and 6'3 Laura Gerhardt with 9 pts. and 7 rebs.

Peoria, IL 12-29-07
Carl Sandburg (9-4) women's basketball team played Cincinnati State Saturday in the Illinois Central Tournament and won 79-63.  CSC led 43-24 at the half and started the second half on a 16-1 run to lead 59-25 and put the game away.  Sandburg was led by Heather Larson with 19 pts., Allison Epping with 16 pts., Britney Below added 14 pts. and 9 rebs., and Ashley McKown finished with 12 pts.  Cincinnati State was led by Ryan Thurman with 16 pts. and 12 rebs
Sandburg plays the 3:15pm game on Sunday to conclude the tournament against the winner of the Owens, OH and St. Louis- Meramec, MO game.
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"It was nice to see our team come back after losing Friday and play very well today.  Our bench was not very good today with the exception of Britney but our starters were outstanding.  The start to the second half was really nice to see and it allowed us to play everybody and rest some kids for tomorrow."

Peoria, IL 12-28-07
Carl Sandburg College (8-4) dropped their opening game in the Illinois Central Holiday Tournament to Kirkwood, IA by a score of 84-67.  Kirkwood, the defending national champions led 35-28 at the half and scored the first 8 points of the second half to extend the lead to 15.  Kirkwood eventually led by 20 before a CSC rally cut the deficit to 9 with 9:30 left in the game.  That was as close as the Chargers would come.  Sandburg was led by Sara Turk in points with 12 on 4-4 3 pointers, Katie Wilson with 11, and Allison Epping added 11 points and 8 rebounds.  Kirkwood was led by Marquette signee Lauren Thomas-Johnson with 26 points and 9assists, and Breann Hill with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
CSC will play tomorrow in the 1pm game against the loser of the Cincinnati State,OH/Kellogg, MI game.
 Coach Mike Bailey-"Our gals had chances today but struggled at times against the size and length of Kirkwood especially out front.  Sara Turk and Katie Wilson were our best perimeter players and I didn't do a very good job of getting them on the floor more.  I kept thinking our starting guards would get going and they never really did.  Hopefully we don't hang our heads for very long because tomorrow will be another tough challenge."

Peoria, IL 12-20-07
Carl Sandburg College (8-3) women's basketball went on the road and defeated Illinois Central College Thursday night by a score of 78-72.  It marked the first victory for CSC against Illinois Central's women since the 1996 season.   After trailing 13-3 to start the game, Sandburg fought back to tie the score at 35 all at the half.  ICC came out and scored the first 6 points of the second half and then the CSC squad took over.  Back to back 3's by Heather Larson and Courtnee Brown tied the game and a putback by Britney Below put the Chargers up 43-41 and they never looked back extending the lead to as many as 11 in the final minutes.
Below a 5'10 Fr. from Antigo, WI led Sandburg with 25points and 5 boards, Larson a 5'9 So. from Canton, IL had 20 points including 4 3's and Brown a 5'8 Fr. from Avon added 12 points and 4 steals.  ICC was led by Latasha Hollingshead a 6'2 Fr. with 18 points and 11 rebs.

Galesburg, IL 12-17-07
Carl Sandburg College (7-3) defeated Elgin CC (6-5) on Monday night by a final score of 95-59.  It was CSC's first game in 13 days because of weather postponements.   Sandburg had 13 players score and were led by Courtnee Brown who had 15 pts., Britney Below with 14, and Allison Epping had 11.   Elgin was led by Anna Topps with 19.  CSC led 58-31 at the half. The Chargers came out firing and finished the night with 9 3's as a team and when the Lancers of Elgin went man to man the Chargers were able to go inside and get easy baskets. 
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"It was nice to see the gals play freely and not hesitating.  Elgin didn't put a lot of pressure on us defensively when they were man to man and we hit shots when they were in their zone.  It was great to see the ball shared the way it was.  If we can play with that mentality against better teams we will do just fine."
CSC travels to Illinois Central in East Peoria, IL for a game Thursday night at 6pm.

Canton, IL 12-04-07
Carl Sandburg College(6-3) went on the road Tuesday night and defeated Spoon River College 67-54 in women's college basketball.  CSC held a 31-21 lead at the half and built their lead to 51-31 before a late push by Spoon River created the final score.  Allison Epping led the Chargers with 16pts.  and Heather Larson added 15.  Ruth Ann Simms a 6'1 Fr. from the Virgin Islands and Jaquetta Westley each had 16 for Spoon River College.  CSC controlled much of the game but was only 11-20 from the FT line and missed the front end of 2 one and ones.
CSC plays at home Saturday afternoon against Elgin Community College with a tip time of 2pm.
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"We were efficient on the offensive end for the first 35 minutes.  We were able to get the ball inside and our post players did a nice job of finishing plays.  If we would step to the line and make some FT's we would put ourselves in better position to control games but we have struggled there most of the year.  It was a good win- they had just defeated two teams in our league so they were playing with confidence and I thought we really took it to them."

Galesburg, IL 11-28-07
Carl Sandburg College(5-3) hosted John Wood Community College of Quincy, IL Wednesday night and dropped a 63-58 decision.  CSC led 36-26 at the half but turnovers and poor shooting cost the Chargers in the second half.  CSC was led by Heather Larson with 14pts. and Britney Below with 12.  John Wood was led by Amber Anders with 15pts. and Sam Poppe with 11.
CSC travels to Spoon River College for their next game on Tuesday, December 4th.
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"We didn't sustain our offensive output in the second half and it cost us.  These kind of games can be a good learning experience if we approach it in a positive way.  They will prepare us for future close games."

Kewanee, IL 11-24-07
Carl Sandburg College (5-2) lost the championship game of the Black Hawk East Tournament by a score of 85-57 to Jefferson College, MO(8-0).  The 14th ranked team NJCAA DI led 43-26 at the half and the lead was never closer than 13 in the second half.  CSC was led by Allison Dynes with 11pts.  Jefferson College was led by 6'4 post Danielle Adams with 26 pts. including 4 3's and LaToya Johnson with 15pts.  CSC led 8-2 early for their only lead of the game after Jefferson went on a 12-2 run at that point.
CSC next plays at home Wednesday, November 28th against John Wood CC of Quincy who is coming off a win against Illinois Central College.  Game time is set for 5:30pm.
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"Our team played against a very good team today and didn't react very well.  We were outplayed in every aspect of the game.  They started 6'5 and 6'4 and their perimeter players gave us trouble all day long.  Hopefully we will have good practices and bounce back next Wednesday against a team playing with a lot of confidence right now."

Kewanee, IL 11-23-07
Carl Sandburg College defeated Prairie State College by a score of 79-55 in the first round of the Black Hawk East Tournament Friday night.  CSC led 43-20 at the half and extended the lead to as much as 69-28 in the second half.  Britney Below led Sandburg with 16pts., Allison Dynes added 13, and Heather Larson finished with 11. 
CSC plays at noon on Saturday against the 14th ranked DI Jefferson College, MO.
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"We played pretty well for the first 30 minutes and really created some good opportunities in the open floor.  We are a little disappointed in the way we finished the game but had a chance to play everyone again and that was good."

Galesburg, IL 11-20-07
Carl Sandburg College(4-1) women's basketball team hosted Monmouth College JV on Tuesday night and defeated the Scots 78-37.  The Chargers of CSC led 45-16 at the half.  CSC was led by Fr. Courtnee Brown from Avon, IL with 13 pts., Allison Epping, a 6'1 So. from Portage HS with 11pts., and Britney Below a 5'11 Fr. from Antigo, WI with 10pts. 
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"All of the kids got extended playing time tonight which was nice to see.  We came out with some intensity and wanted to get out in the open floor a little more.  We seem to play a little better with a quick tempo."

Galesburg, IL 11-17-07
Carl Sandburg College(3-1) hosted Iowa Central Community College(4-0) on Friday night and dropped a 61-45 women's basketball game.  CSC lead 5-0 at the beginning of the game but lack of offensive production led to a 32-20 halftime deficit.  Iowa Central stretched the lead to 46-20 as CSC failed to score for the first 9 minutes of the second half.  The loss was the first of the young season for Sandburg who was led in scoring by Abby Wade who scored 7 points.  Iowa Central was led in scoring by Jacque Markert, Danni Huss, Renita Hillard, Jessica Hunecke, and Kennedy Bollmeyer who all scored 8 pts.
CSC's next game is Tuesday, November 20th at home against Monmouth JV.
Coach Mike Bailey-" Can't win if you can't score.  I will be anxious to see the film and count the point blank shot after point blank shot we missed in the paint.  It really makes it hard to stay positive when the team can't make shots and I felt that it affected our defense at times.  I thought we gave up a little bit at times and need to work in practice on our toughness.  They outplayed us for the last 38 minutes of the game and that is a bad feeling.  I hope the kids feel that way."

Keokuk, IA 11-10-07
Carl Sandburg College(3-0) women went on the road Saturday and defeated Southeastern Community College, IA(2-2) by a score of 62-41.  The Chargers of CSC led 31-13 at the half.  Southeastern climbed to within 14 twice in the second half but Sandburg maintained the lead in an evenly played 2nd half.  CSC was led in scoring by Allison Epping with 11 points and Sara Turk with 10.  Southeastern was led in scoring by Janay Jennings with 13 and Lene Lox with 12.
CSC's next game is at home in John Lewis Gymnasium November 16 at 6pm against Iowa Central in a rare Friday night game.
 CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"I was pleased in the first half.  We played 14 players and they all did a nice job contributing and we built an 18 point lead and our defense was very solid.  I really felt like we lost focus in the second half and the game was played fairly evenly.  I would like to see us play two halves of ball that we can call positive.  We did not shoot the ball well at all and it turned into an ugly game in the second half from our standpoint.  Our focus level can be seen by us going 8-19 at the FT line after coming into the game 27-30 in our first two games!"

Champaign, IL 11-06-07
Carl Sandburg College (2-0) women went on the road Tuesday night and won 67-52 against Parkland College (2-1) in Champaign, IL.  CSC led 29-26 at the half.  Trailing 35-33 in the second half Sandburg was finally able to establish an inside game and Allison Epping scored all of her 14 pts. on 7-7 shooting in the last 15 minutes of the game.  Epping added 3 rebounds and 7 blocked shots to her totals.  Also scoring in double figures was Courtney Brown, a 5'8 Fr. from Avon, IL with 11 points.  Parkland was led by Heidi McKean with 18pts.
CSC Coach Mike Bailey-"Once we got used to their ball pressure and established Allie down low we controlled the game for the rest of the way.  It was a nice win against a very good team.  Our defense really kept us in the game until our offense could find some timing and efficiency.  This was the kind of game where we can learn a great deal about what we have.  Courtney Brown gave us a nice lift off the bench in her first action of the year."

Galesburg, IL 11-01-07
CSC women opened their season with a 78-51 win against Spoon River College and the CSC men followed up with a 86-85 4OT victory on opening night.  Both CSC teams are 1-0 on the young season.
The CSC women led 38-26 at the half and controlled most of the game.  CSC was led by Darci Renken with 17 pts., Heather Larson with 14pts., and Britney Below added 10pts.  Sandburg hit 8 3's and was 18-21 at the FT line.