Women's basketball players Megan Schmidt, Knoxville, and Britney Below, Antigo, Wis., were named Distinguished Academic All-Americans.

In order to qualify as an NJCAA Distinguished Academic All-American, a sophomore student-athlete must carry a grade point average of 3.80 overall or better for the academic year.

Fellow Chargers, Ashley Brault, Saginaw, Mich., Katie Wilson, Cuba, and Courtnee Brown, Avon, were named Academic All-Americans.

Brault played soccer for CSC. Wilson and Brown were two-sport student-athletes. Wilson played softball and basketball for the Chargers and Brown played basketball and volleyball.

In order to qualify as an NJCAA Academic All-American, a sophomore student-athlete must carry a grade point average of 3.60 overall or better for the academic year.

"All these student-athletes have worked extremely hard in the classroom and are deserving of the honors they have received," said Steve Norton, CSC's athletic director.

Below, a 5-foot-10 forward from Antigo, Wis., led CSC in scoring with 403 points, rebounds, 214, and blocks, 25, in her final season as a CSC Charger. As a sophomore, she was named a member of the ICC holiday tournament team, All-Conference First Team and All-Region First team.

"I feel Briar Cliff University is a great place to continue my basketball career and get a quality education," she said. "I am looking forward to carrying the winning Charger tradition over to BCU."

Below's new coach, Mike Power, believes she will be an impact player upon arrival in Sioux City.

"We feel very lucky and blessed to have Britney join our program," Power said. "I truly think that Britney can come into our program and make an immediate impact with our team and conference. I am impressed with her talent and her character, and I think she will be a great fit for what we need."

Colwell, a guard from Abingdon High School, averaged 12 points per game and shot 64.1 percent from the free throw line in her final season as a Lady Commando.

Rice, a guard from ROWVA High School, scored 231 points, had 111 rebounds, 106 steals and 67 assists in her final season as a Tiger.

"We are looking forward to having these two ladies in our program," Bailey said. "They are both guards to help us replace the kids we are losing and they will compete for playing time right away. They will fit in nicely here."

Below was named a member of the All-Conference First Team while Young was named a member of the All-Conference Second Team.

Below, a 5-foot-10 sophomore forward from Antigo, Wis., led the Chargers with 392 points, 203 rebounds and 25 blocks.

Young, a 5-foot-7 freshman point guard from Galesburg, led the Chargers in assists with 130, and was second on the team in steals with 64 and rebounds with 164.

The Chargers led 28-22 at half time and held a 45-29 lead midway through the second half before Illinois Valley rallied for the victory. At the end of regulation, CSC had several chances to seal the win and had a ten footer by Shanice Taylor bounce off the rim at the buzzer to end the game.

Jasmine Brown led the Chargers with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Taylor Young added 14 points, Britney Below had 11 points and Taylor scored 10. Audriana Blake had 27 points to lead the Eagles and tourney MVP Virginia Trotter added 16.

 "Our players gave us a great effort all year. I couldn't ask for anything more than what these kids gave us effort wise," Chargers head coach Mike Bailey said. "You can't commit 17 turnovers in a half and expect to win. We had control of the game and it slipped away from us. It was a very tough way to lose, but Illinois Valley beat us two out of three times this year and did what they had to do to win and we wish them all the best as they move forward. This was the last game for Britney Below, Katie Wilson, Sara Turk, Courtnee Brown, and Shanice Taylor in a CSC uniform. These kids were a combined 48-19 in their two years here. They helped bring a conference championship, a runner-up conference finish, a regional championship, a runner-up finish in the region, and a sixth place finish at the national tournament back to Carl Sandburg College during their two years. I would like to personally thank them for all their hard work and dedication and wish them all the best in their future endeavors."  

Below, a 5-foot-10 forward from Antigo, Wis., is leading the Chargers in scoring with 366 points, 188 rebounds, and 25 blocks.

Young, a 5-foot-7 point guard from Galesburg, is leading the Chargers in assists with 119, is the number two scorer on the team with 278 points, and is also second in rebounds with 153.

"Britney and Taylor deserve this honor," said CSC head coach Mike Bailey. "They have been very good for us all year. Night in and night out they do a real nice job for us."

The Chargers will play next on Saturday in the Region IV regional tournament final against the Eagles of Illinois Valley Community College at 2:30 p.m. in River Grove, Ill. at Triton College. CSC has faced the Eagles twice this season and have a 1-1 record against them.

The Chargers led 33-29 at halftime. The second half was a back-and-forth battle and Black Hawk held a 49-44 lead with 7 minutes left.  CSC went on a 10-0 run that featured back-to-back three's by Courtnee Brown and CSC never looked back.

CSC had 4 players in double figures led by Shanice Taylor with 13 points and 10 rebounds, Sara Turk had 11 points, and Courtnee Brown and Taylor Young both scored 10.  Joselyn Gray led Black Hawk with 15 points and Lydia Aceviz added 12 for the Braves. 

The Chargers were 4-for-16 behind the arc and was outrebounded 45-36. The two stats in CSC's favor were free throws and turnovers—CSC had 20 points from the charity stripe and Black Hawk had 24 turnovers to CSC's 14.

"Our defense carried us for a good portion of the game especially down the stretch and we stuck with the game plan of going inside. We didn't always finish, but we got to the line a great deal and that was one of the differences in the outcome," said Chargers head coach Mike Bailey. "The thing about this team that is impressive is how hard they will play for each other even when things are not going their way. We couldn't buy a hoop. All the sudden, out of the blue, Courtnee buries a couple of three's after struggling for much of the game. Our leading scorer is 1-for-11 and our second leading scorer is 2-for-9 and we find a way to win. Shanice Taylor played a great game for us. This group drives us nuts with their inconsistency in ability but makes us proud because of the consistent effort."

The Chargers will play next on Saturday in the Region IV regional tournament final against the Eagles of Illinois Valley Community College at 2:30 p.m. in River Grove, Ill. at Triton College. CSC has faced the Eagles twice this season and have a 1-1 record against them.

CSC led 30-20 at the half and started the second half on an 11 point run and never looked back. Taylor Young was the only Charger in double figures with 19 points. Silvia Armato led Elgin with 12.

"We played hard but were sloppy with the ball at times," said Chargers head coach Mike Bailey. "I'd really like to see us clean up some of our mistakes. If we do we should be hard to beat."

CSC travels to Triton College in River Grove, Ill. on Sunday for a 4 p.m. game versus Black Hawk College in the semifinals of the Region IV Tournament.

CSC led 50-10 at the half and played all available players equal minutes in both halves. CSC was led by Britney Below with 20, Jenelle Hibser had 13, Jasmine Brown added 12, and Sara Turk chipped in with 11.  Kyesa Gavin led Olive Harvey with 11.

"Today was a nice game to get everyone involved," said CSC head coach Mike Bailey. "It was good to let everyone play equal time and get some kids a little rest from the minutes we have been asking them to play. We start the regional next and the kids will be ready to go."

CSC starts Region IV Tournament play at 5:30 p.m. Thursday night at home versus Elgin Community College. The Chargers are led by Britney Below who averages 13 points and 6 rebounds and Taylor Young, who averages 11 points and 4.5 assists.  CSC and Elgin squared off in December with Sandburg winning the road game 56-38. 

CSC trailed 24-20 at the half and took command 35-27 early in the second half. However, Highland scored the next seven points to close to within one. The Chargers rebuilt the lead to six with three minutes, thirty seconds left and had the ball. CSC turned it over in three of their next four possessions to allow Jaclyn Barton, a Western Illinois signee who scored 21, to hit the game winning bucket with 5.6 seconds left.  Taylor Young got off a contested 17 footer at the buzzer that missed and the Cougars had the title.

Britney Below had 15 points, Jasmine Brown had 14, and Courtnee Brown finished with 11.  Barton led the Cougars with 21 points.

"You can nitpick a bunch of possessions in the game but Highland beat us twice and deserves to be the conference champs," said Chargers head coach Mike Bailey. "Barton hit some big shots and their defensive pressure was just a little much for a couple of our perimeter kids to handle. Outside of breakaway layups our perimeter players scored nine points."

CSC led by as many as 10 points in the first half and had several chances to extend the lead but settled for a 32-27 score at halftime. The Chargers led by as many as 15 points in the second half.  CSC was led by Taylor Young who had five three-pointers for her 15 points. Fellow Chargers Courtnee Brown had 15,  Britney Below added 12 and Jenelle Hibser chipped in 10. 

"We played very well in stretches and Taylor hit some big shots for us," said Chargers head coach Mike Bailey. "Jenelle gave us solid minutes in the post that really allowed us to build the lead in both halves. If we make our layups we win by 25 and going 5-13 at the line is not going to cut it. We have put ourselves in a position to win the league and that is what is important about tonight's win."

CSC hosts Highland tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m.  This game will be for the Arrowhead Conference Championship for the Chargers. CSC is the five time defending conference champions.

CSC led 38-34 at the half behind the hot shooting of freshman Taylor Young who hit four three's in the first half. The second half was a story of post play as CSC was able to get 19 of their 36 points inside against the 6'3" tandem that SSC had on their front line.

Young led the Chargers in scoring with 18 points, which were all from behind the arc, Courtnee Brown had 15, Jasmine Brown had 11 and Britney Below added 10. 

"It was nice to see our team play with some energy and passion," said Chargers head coach Mike Bailey. "I don't know where they went this week but I hope we can sustain this."

CSC travels to Malta, Ill. to face the Kougars of Kishwaukee College tomorrow night in Arrowhead Conference play. The game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

CSC trailed 33-26 at the half and trailed 46-34 with 12 minutes to go in the game before making a comeback. With the score tied at 50 the Braves forged back ahead by a score of 55-50 with three minutes left in the second half.  Sophomore Britney Below hit key free throws with the Chargers down 60-59 with 40 seconds left in the game for the winning margin. Neither team scored the rest of the way.

Below led the Chargers with 19 points and Jasmine Brown, who sat out the game on Tuesday due to a sprained ankle was the other Charger in double figures with 11. Black Hawk was led by Deanne Giles with 15 points, Joselyn Gray with 11 and Mollie Yeargle with 11.

"We are really fortunate to win tonight," said Chargers head coach Mike Bailey. "I give Black Hawk a lot of credit. They played hard and really pressured our perimeter kids out of where we like to get the ball. I give our kids credit too. We were down and dead in the water and found a way to get this win. We could have given in but didn't. Britney and Taylor stepped to the line and hit some free throws down the stretch when we needed it and we got three stops in the last 40 seconds when we needed them."

The Chargers host South Suburban College tomorrow.  Game time is 1 p.m.

The Chargers had the lead only once in the game and that was when the scoreboard inside John M. Lewis Gym read 2-0. At halftime, IVCC had a 22-17 lead as they headed into the visitor's locker room.

CSC was led in scoring by Britney Below with 18 points, Sara Turk with 12 points and Shanice Taylor added 10 points.

"We were horrible in all aspects of the game," said Chargers head coach Mike Bailey.

CSC travels to Black Hawk College in Moline tomorrow night for a game versus the Braves, which is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Young, a freshman 5-foot-7 point guard, averaged 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists and went 7-for-10 from behind the arc in wins over Black Hawk East College and Illinois Valley Community College this past week.

"Taylor had a big week for us. She has really started to shoot the ball and it is nice to see her put her whole game together," said CSC women's basketball head coach Mike Bailey. "Her leadership skills are really starting to develop. I am not sure she understands how good she can be. We see her getting better and better before our eyes and that is rewarding for us as coaches."

CSC led 38-28 at the half and never trailed in the contest. The Chargers started the game with a 28-10 lead. CSC was led by Taylor Young, a 5-foot-7 freshman guard from Galesburg with 19 points including four three's. Teammates Britney Below finished with 17 points and Shanice Taylor had 10. Virginia Trotter led IVCC with 15 and Courtney Johnson added 10.

"We really played well today," said Chargers head coach Mike Bailey. "We have to play these gals again Tuesday (tomorrow) so it will be interesting to see the adjustments that are made. Taylor and Courtnee shot them out of their zone and then we were able to establish Britney inside. We didn't shoot free throws very well and Jasmine Brown sprained her ankle and appears to be out for a while so we have to adjust to that."

CSC returns to John M. Lewis Gym tomorrow night versus IVCC with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

CSC trailed 29-26 at halftime and did not have a lead until 14 minutes left in the game when the score was 38-36. The Chargers were led by Taylor Young with 17 points, who was joined in double figures by Jasmine Brown with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

"We did what it took to win," said Chargers head coach Mike Bailey. "There was a lot of challenging between coaches and players because we just weren't matching their intensity. Taylor had a big game for us and is really starting to shoot the ball. She has played well all year for us but her shooting is taking her game to another level. Jasmine was big on the boards and did a nice job posting up and finishing plays."

CSC travels to Oglesby, Ill. on Saturday for a conference game versus the Eagles of Illinois Valley Community College, which is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

CSC led 32-27 at halftime after freshman Sarah Heller, a 2008 West Central High School graduate, buried a shot from behind the arc as the halftime buzzer sounded. The Chargers were led by Courtnee Brown with 18 points, Britney Below with 16 and Taylor Young added 15. Jessica Bennett led the Skyhawks with 22 points and Tiffany Chatmon added 16.

"We are very proud of our team," said Chargers head coach Mike Bailey. "Tonight was a much needed win for us and leaves us tied at the top of the league. Some very tough games await us but we have a bunch of confidence that these kids will represent our College and community well."

CSC travels to face the Warriors of Black Hawk East College on Tuesday, Feb. 3 for a conference game, which is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

At halftime, the score was tied 31-31 and CSC scored the first five points of the second half for its biggest lead of the game at 36-31. Back to back shots from behind the arc by Western Illinois University bound Jaclyn Barton gave the Cougars a 37-36 lead. The game was then back and forth until the final margin.

CSC was led in scoring by Taylor Young with 15 points. She was joined in double figures by Britney Below with 14, Courtnee Brown with 13 and Shanice Taylor with 12.

CSC returns to Arrowhead Conference action tomorrow night against the Skyhawks of Sauk Valley Community College at home, which is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

CSC had four players in double figures led by Taylor Young with 18 points, Sara Turk with 16, Britney Below with 15 and Courtnee Brown added 11.  The Chargers led 42-34 at the half and extended the lead to 13 points early in the second half before the Cavaliers began their comeback.

"The loss makes us 2-6 against ranked teams and we've had the lead in the second half of five of those losses," said CSC head coach Mike Bailey. "Today, we were up 13 in the second half. It's a shame to play as well as we did and then just totally break down and give up a huge lead. We missed layups and were 7-for-16 at the free throw line and it cost us."

The game was the second time the Chargers had played Kankakee. The Chargers and the Cavaliers faced each other two days before the New Year, with Kankakee coming out on top 65-51. The Cavaliers now have a seven-game winning streak and CSC ended a five-game winning streak.

CSC returns to Arrowhead Conference play tomorrow night in Freeport, Ill. when they face the Cougars of Highland Community College, which is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tip-off.

At halftime, CSC led 34-29. The beginning of the second half was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, but the Chargers eventually built a 14 point lead with six minutes to go in the game and never looked back.

CSC had four players in double figures led by Jasmine Brown's 18 points. Sara Turk and Britney Below chipped in 12 points respectively and Courtnee Brown added 10.

"It was a good win against a very solid squad," said CSC head coach Mike Bailey. "We got the intensity we wanted and needed to win this game. Our kids feel very good being alone atop the league right now.  There is still a long way to go but the gals need to have fun with this win." 

CSC plays next at home on Saturday versus the #8 ranked Cavaliers of Kankakee Community College, which is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

CSC led 29-24 at the half and extended the lead to as many as 16 points before settling for the final score.  Sara Turk and Shanice Taylor led the Chargers in the first half with 16 of the Chargers 29 points and Britney Below and Courtnee Brown combined for 20 of the Chargers 32 points in the second half.  Brown ended the game with 15 points, Turk added 13, Below added 11 and Taylor chipped in 9. 

 "Kids played hard and the game was won on the offensive boards," said CSC head coach Mike Bailey. "We earned several second shots, which was the key to the game."

CSC trailed 29-19 at halftime and was down by 12 points with 16 minutes, 7 seconds left when head coach Mike Bailey looked to his bench to provide a spark. A complete lineup change, which included the insertion of Sarah Heller, a freshman from West Central High School, and Megan Schmidt, a freshman from Knoxville High School, into the game did the trick.

Schmidt hit a three from the right wing which cut the lead to nine and Heller hit a three from the left wing two possessions later to cut the lead to eight. A Schmidt rebound and assist cut the lead to six and the Chargers were able to gain the lead with 2:45 left on a three from Galesburg High School Alum, Taylor Young.

"Megan and Sarah saved the day," Bailey said. "They don't play a whole lot but were there when we called on them today. Our team found a way to win despite another horrible shooting day and I give them credit for that. Confidence is fragile right now with some of our kids shooting the ball. They are playing through it well and getting stops when they need them but we can't continue to shoot 30 percent or less and win, which we have done our last two games."

The Chargers were led by Katie Wilson with 11 points and Young was in double figures with 10. Lisa Beyer of McHenry was the leading scorer in the game with 20 points, including a 13-for-14 effort from the charity stripe. The Lady Scots outrebounded the Chargers 47-27. 

CSC trailed 28-23 at the half. The Chargers were led by Britney Below with 16 points and Taylor Young added 13. 

"Our players deserve a lot of credit," said CSC head coach Mike Bailey. "We did not shoot the ball well, but we stayed in the game with our defense and rebounding. A win is a win but we will need to be better than this."

The Chargers went on a 16-2 run at the end of the first half to take a 32-24 lead into the locker room. CSC was led by Courtnee Brown led with 21 points, Britney Below with 13, Jenelle Hibser with 11 and Sara Turk added 10 points. 

"We started out sluggish, but once we started playing we were pretty good," said CSC head coach Mike Bailey. "Jenelle Hibser and Michelle Storm gave us a nice lift in the post, which we needed because of some foul problems. Britney Below found a little rhythm in the second half which was another real positive for our team. We need her to be good."

"Several kids played with poise and confidence tonight and it showed up in the score book," said CSC head coach Mike Bailey. "It would be great to get that kind of balance every night. We would be very hard to defend."

On Monday, Dec. 29, CSC played the Cougars of Illinois Central College and lost 64-55.

The Chargers led 28-23 at the half and held a 45-36 with 11 minutes to go in the game, but they were unable to walk away with a win. CSC was led by Britney Below with 12 points and Taylor Young with 11.

 "We struggled offensively down the stretch and it cost us," Bailey said. "The team played hard and if we give this kind of effort we will have a good second half to the season."

On Tuesday, Dec. 30, CSC took on the Cavaliers of Kankakee Community College in the third place game and lost 65-61.

The Chargers were led by Jasmine Brown with 13 points and Britney Below added 11.

"We must defend and rebound better or we're going to be in big trouble with the conference season starting next week," Bailey said.

CSC begins conference play on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 5:30 p.m. when they travel to Dixon, Ill. and play the Skyhawks of Sauk Valley.

On Friday night, the Chargers traveled to Elgin, Ill. and defeated the Spartans of Elgin Community College 56-38. The Chargers were led in scoring by Britney Below with 17 points, Sara Turk 12 and Jasmine Brown added 11.  

On Saturday afternoon, CSC traveled to Grayslake, Ill. and defeated the College of Lake County Lancers by a score of 67-50. The Chargers were led by Courtnee Brown with 19 points, Sara Turk with 14 and Shanice Taylor added 10. 

"We really had to grind out both games," said CSC head coach Mike Bailey. "We controlled the games defensively but didn't have the finishing instinct offensively in either game."

CSC will resume their schedule on December 28th in the Illinois Central College holiday tournament against the Mott Community College Bears, which is scheduled to tip-off at 5:30 p.m. Last year, Mott finished fourth in the NJCAA Division II national tournament.

The ICC holiday tournament boasts five of the top six finishers at last year's national tournament.

The Chargers went on a 16-0 run to start the game and at the half led 45-21. CSC started off the second half slow, but once they scored with 17:17 remaining they never looked back.

"Coach told me to concentrate on my defense and crash the boards. I went out and did that for my teammates and him," said freshman Jenelle Hibser, who led CSC with 17 points and nine rebounds. "The second half, coach told us to swing the ball. We were in 32 and we can't really swing the ball well when we run 32 so it kind of screwed us up a little bit, but we got the hang of it and got back in our groove."

 Also scoring in double figures for the Chargers were Sara Turk with 16, Jasmine Brown with 11 and Britney Below with 10. 

"In key points in our previous games, we had kids trying to make individual plays at big times in the game. You always have to share the ball and play together," said CSC head coach Mike Bailey. "The whole game tonight, we shared the ball well, which has been our focus for the last two weeks in practice. We are trying to tell these kids to just relax and play not to worry about the scoreboard or the other team's record. We are still adding plays and we are getting to the point where we can change defenses and offenses."

Bailey was able to get all but two of his players into the game. Freshman Taylor Young did not dress for the game due to a left ankle injury and freshman Cady Riggs sat out due to a back injury.

"Riggs could be out for the rest of the season. If that is the case, we have to have other kids do well. They did tonight, but they have to be consistent," Bailey said. "We are thinking we will get Taylor back for the ICC Tournament."

CSC's next game is in Elgin, Ill. on Friday, Dec. 12 against the Spartans of Elgin Community College, which is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.

CSC was led by Courtnee Brown with 21 points, Taylor Young with 14 points and Sara Turk and Britney Below each added 10 points.

"It's been since game one that we hit some shots. Nine 3's were nice to see," said head coach Mike Bailey. "We have to get ready for Spoon River and the two this weekend."

CSC will take on Spoon River College this Wednesday at home at 5:30 p.m.

CSC led 27-26 at the half and held their last lead with 13 minutes to go in the game at 37-36. John Wood built the lead to as many as 10 before settling for the eight point win.

Britney Below led the Chargers with 20 points and was joined in double figures by Sara Turk with 12. The Blazers was led by Randi Gronewald with 15, Carlie Wear added 13, Kirsten Johnston 10 and Jamie Flesner 10.

The loss was the second in a row for the Chargers who are currently ranked #5 in the nation. ICC entered the game ranked #6 and was able to battle back from being down at halftime to beat the Chargers.

On Friday night, the Chargers traveled to Fort Dodge, Iowa and defeated the #13 ranked Iowa Central Tritons (6-2) 73-71 in double overtime. The game was tied at 54 at the end of regulation and 62 at the end of the first overtime. Taylor Young, a freshman from Galesburg, led the Chargers with 18 points. Teammates Courtnee Brown added 15 points, Jasmine Brown had 13, Britney Below had 12, while Cady Riggs added 10.   

On Saturday afternoon, the Chargers traveled to Iowa Falls, Iowa and played the Ellsworth Community College Panthers (6-2) and lost by a score of 68-59. CSC watched the Panthers close the first half on a 14-1 run, which left the Chargers down 37-28 at the half. CSC cut the lead to four on several different occasions in the second half, but never got closer than that. Jasmine Brown led the Chargers in scoring with 19 points and Cady Riggs added 10. 

"Friday night was a game that neither team deserved to lose. Our gals competed for the full 50 minutes and earned a hard fought win," said head coach Mike Bailey. "Saturday came way too soon after a battle like the one on Friday and we could not duplicate our energy at all. Ellsworth was at the game Friday night and put together a nice game plan and dictated the game for the last 25 minutes or so. We are looking forward to a day off and then get ready for ICC."

CSC's next game is at home on Tuesday, Nov. 25 against the #3 ranked Illinois Central College Cougars.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The Chargers were led by freshman Jasmine Brown, a 5-foot-10 forward from Gary, Ind., with 16 points. Sophomores Courtnee Brown had 15 points and Britney Below had 14. CSC was 15-21 from the free throw line and hit seven three point field goals.

The Chiefs were led by Lisa McQuade with 13 points and Sarah O'Leary with 12. Waubonsee was 13-22 from the free throw line and hit two three point field goals.

"We really need to get some games under our belt," CSC head women´s basketball coach Mike Bailey. "We need to see new things and learn to react to them. We didn't shoot the ball very well, and we let it carry over into other parts of our game. Learning to play hard at all times is really our first goal. We have a lot of good players that aren't on the same page right now. Jasmine is coming around slowly but surely and we need to get her on the floor more. It was nice to have Courtnee Brown back in the mix as well." 

Both teams, along with their respective coaches, taught basketball fundamentals such as shooting, passing, dribbling, and defensive skills to local second and third graders, who participated in a clinic ran by the YMCA.

"The Y is happy that we could collaborate with Carl Sandburg College and the local athletic teams. The youngsters at the YMCA got a lot out of it," said Justin Inskeep, YMCA program director. "We are very appreciative of Sandburg and the athletic teams being involved thanks to Ryan Twaddle and Mike Bailey. I think it is a very positive message to be giving to the community as well as these kids here at the Y."

The clinic ran every Monday and Tuesday and the CSC basketball teams alternated the days they volunteered.

"It is good for our athletes to give back a little bit to this community," said Bailey, CSC assistant athletic director and women's basketball head coach. "It gives them a chance to get out in public, work with young kids just starting out in the game of basketball, and it gives our programs a little exposure away from practice and games."

"The team has had a good fall conditioning," Bailey said. "They are giving a solid effort in pre-season practice, and we are really looking forward to the year."