Regional champs: Gardewine gets game winner to fall with 3.5 seconds left

By JACK HITTINGER
Daily News
EFFINGHAM — Nick Gardewine didn’t want to go out on a losing note on his home floor.

With 3.5 seconds left in the Class 3A Effingham Regional championship game and the score tied at 48, the Effingham senior had a clear lane and an eye on a title. He drove in, attracting two Charleston defenders who chased him to the hole before getting a soft finger roll to go through the basket.

“It was basically what coach drew up,” Gardewine said. “He told me to get the ball and drive to the hole. He told everybody to spot up, and they cleared the lane for me. My teammates did a great job.”

Gardewine’s athletic move proved to be the game-winner when Charleston’s TJ Bell couldn’t handle the long inbounds pass, and the Hearts topped Charleston 50-48 Friday night to win their own Class 3A regional title — their third in five years. They’ll take on defending Class 3A runners-up Centralia in the Class 3A Carbondale Sectional Tuesday night. The teams have split a pair of meetings this year.

Gardewine scored 11 points — including seven in the fourth quarter — to help lead the Hearts to victory.

“This is awesome,” said Hearts senior guard Curran Walsh, who scored a team-high 18 points, including a key 3-pointer early in the fourth to give the Hearts a boost. “Beating our Apollo (Conference) rivals here on our home floor, it’s our senior year. It’s definitely awesome. The fans were into it. This might be the loudest crowd we’ve ever had.”

More after the jump:

COLUMN: Hornets have lots to be proud of

By JACK HITTINGER
Daily News
NORMAL — Courtney Myers placed her fingertips on the ball carefully, not wanting to smudge the signatures. Her eyes still a bit red from tears, she still smiled when holding the ball. It meant something more to her — to the team — than just the names of the Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City girls that wrote on it in blue and gold ink.

CHBC’s run of area — and state — basketball dominance has meant more to the four communities that participate in the co-op than just wins and losses.

“It’s made the communities grow together,” the CHBC senior said following her team’s heartbreaking loss in the state title game Saturday. “It’s been pretty awesome.”

Sure, there were more than a few tears following the loss to Aquin. And that’s OK. It takes getting that far — being good — to make it hurt that much.

More after the jump:

The past two months

I wrote some things I like these past few months.

I got to follow one of our girls basketball teams to state. Unfortunately, they lost in the title game.

I also wrote about a foreign exchange student. She's from Slovakia and is really good.

There's also a column I wrote about the state basketball team that didn't make it on our website. I will post it on this blog because I thought it was good.

So. Yeah. Sports. Fun!