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Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Rock Island vs. Washington Peoria Sectional at Robertson Fieldhouse
Rock Island's season came to an end with a loss to the state's #3 ranked team. Washington jumped to an early lead as the Rocks failed to get into an offensive flow. Rocky tried to stay close to the Panthers in the first half behind six 3 pointers from Kevin Mitchell, trailing by 12 at the half. After Rocky was able to cut the lead to 8 early in the third quarter, Washington responded as their outside game got hot, and they were up by 14 after three quarters. The Panthers shot 10-24 from three point range on the night. Mitchell was the only Rock in double figures with 20 points. Ben Sparkman dished out 6 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds and Dominique Hughes ended with 5 rebounds. |
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Friday, March 2, 2007
Rock Island vs. East Moline (United) at Rock Island Regional Championship
Rock Island pulled off the upset win over a team that had beaten them twice during the regular season to capture the Regional championship. The first half was back and forth, with both teams playing at a high level. Rocky got off to a good start behind two early dunks from Amin Ekalino and baskets from Kevin Mitchell and Rico McLemore. The Panthers answered to take a one point lead at the half. The Rocks grabbed the lead midway through the third quarter with two more dunks from Ekalino and two three pointers from JJ Vandygriff, including a four point play when he was fouled making the second trey. With a solid defensive effort, Rocky was able to extend the lead down the stretch to advance to next week's Sectional in Peoria. Mitchell scored 15 points to lead a balanced effort. McLemore (13), Ekalino (12), and Vandygriff (9) all contributed to the scoring for the Rocks. Ekalino grabbed a team-high 7 boards while Ben Sparkman contributed 3 steals and 3 assists. |
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Rock Island vs. Geneseo at Rock Island Regional
Rock Island advances to the Regional Championship game Friday with the win over Geneseo. Geneseo jumped to an early 7-2 lead and maintained a 14-11 lead after the first quarter. Rocky responded with a run early in the second quarter, highlighted by a monster dunk from Amin Ekalino. The Leafs cut an eight point deficit back to three points at the intermission. The Rocks rode the momentum from some big three point shots from Jeffrey Sharp and JJ Vandygriff and solid defense to build the lead to 10 on three different occasions. Geneseo did not go quietly, however, and got at close as four points in the fourth quarter. Vandygriff and Rico McLemore each scored 15 points to lead the way. McLemore grabbed 7 boards while sophomore Ben Sparkman collected 5 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. |
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Friday, February 23, 2007
Rock Island at Galesburg
Rock Island ended the regular season with the road win at Galesburg to finish in sole possession of 3rd place in the Western Big 6. After a back and forth first quarter, the Rocks built a 14 point halftime lead by only allowing two field goals in second quarter. Galesburg responded after the break, and got the home crowd back into the game. The Streaks tied the game at 37 late in the third period with some hot three point shooting. However, Rocky was able to gain the lead back heading into the final eight minutes and never gave up the lead the rest of the way. Galesburg cut the lead to two twice late in the game, but a Ben Sparkman basket and a Rico McLemore drive helped seal the win for the Rocks. McLemore had a career-high 21 points and JJ Vandygriff added 20 to pace the Rocks. Mauricio Garcia added 9 points. Amin Ekalino grabbed 7 rebounds and Jeffrey Sharp dished out 5 assists. |
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Friday, February 16, 2007
Rock Island at East Moline
Rock Island bounced back from Friday's loss for the non-conference road win. The Rocks jumped to an early lead to take the crowd out of the game. Ben Sparkman scored 8 points early on to lead the way. After the J-Hawks cut the lead to five points in the third quarter, the Rocks responded again, finishing with a Brandon Pullman trifecta at the buzzer to give the Rocks momentum heading into the final frame. Sparkman paced the Rocks with 13 points. Rico McLemore added 11 while Pullman finished with 10. Dominique Hugehs chipped in 9 points off the bench. Sparkman grabbed 6 boards, and McLemore and Mauricio Garcia had 5 rebounds each. JJ Vandygriff dished out 8 assists. |
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Friday, February 16, 2007
Rock Island at East Moline
Rock Island was close early at East Moline, but a second quarter run by the Panthers forced the Rocks to play catch up the rest of the way. With two regulars out for the Rocks, this proved to be a difficult task with East Moline playing inspired ball on Senior Night. Every time the Rocks started to show signs of making a run, the Panthers were able to respond to close the door quickly. JJ Vandygriff was the only Rocky player to score in double figures, putting in 13 points. Ben Sparkman added 8 points and Rico McLemore 6. Jeff Sharp grabbe 5 boards. |
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Friday, February 9, 2007
Alleman at Rock Island
Rock Island used a strong second half defensive effort to rally for the Western Big 6 game versus Alleman. Alleman came out of the gates on fire in the first half, and hit six three pointers to build a 14 point lead in the second quarter. Late in the first half, Brandon Pullman finished off a convential three point play and JJ Vandygriff nailed a trey at the buzzer to cut the halftime deficit to eight points. Rocky held the Pioneers to 12 points in the second half as they battled their way back into the game. Down by seven, Kevin Mitchell hit a trifecta and then stole the ball for a layup and was fouled on the play. After finishing the three point play, the Rocks were within one. Mauricio Garcia had a big basket and two free throws late in the game to help the Rocks pull out the win. Vandygriff led the way with 13 points while Mitchell and Garcia each reached double figures with 12 and 11 respectively. Mitchell also grabbed 7 boards. |
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Saturday, February 3, 2007
Rochelle at Rock Island
Rock Island cured some offensive woes with a big non-conference win over Rochelle. However, the defensive intensity set the tone by holding the Hubs to 11 first half points. JJ Vandygriff hit three first half three pointers to loosen the defense, and other Rocks were able to attack the basket. Tony Brooks made his presence defensively, and was able to convert off steals in the first half. Vandygriff paced the attack with 16 points and Brooks added 12 while all thirteen Rocks scored in the game. Jeffrey Sharp grabbed 9 boards while Amin Ekalino grabbed 7 and Mauricio Garcia chipped in 6. Ben Sparkman dished out 5 assists. Vandygriff and Brooks came up with 4 steals each. |
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Friday, February 2, 2007
Quincy at Rock Island
Rock Island ran into a hot Quincy team, who won their 11th straight game versus the Rocks. The first half was close throughout with both teams bringing solid defensive efforts. A momentum changing play was just before halftime. Quincy was holding the ball for the last shot, and when the play broke down, the Blue Devils banked in a long three pointer at the horn for a six point lead. When Quincy hit a trey on their first possession of the second half, they took control of the game as the Rocks couldn't get their shot to fall. Sophomore reserve Brandon Pullman scored 7 points to lead the way for Rocky. Another sophomore, Ben Sparkman, scored six points and was the leading rebounder with 5. Mauricio Garcia added 6 points. |
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Saturday, January 27, 2007
Peoria Manual vs. Rock Island at Quad Cities-Peoria Shootout
Rock Island ran into a hot Manual team in the Quad Cities-Peoria Shootout. Manual, coming off a win over the state's 12th ranked team, showed that they may be a team to be reckoned with in the post-season. The Rocks started off well in building a 13-4 lead early in the game. Manual cut the lead to 14-8 after one quarter, then turned up the defensive pressure to take control of the game. A putback basket at the half made the score 27-18. The Rams carried their momentum into the second half, and an early third quarter run put them in control of the game. Kevin Mitchell scored 15 points for the Rocks while Amin Ekalino scored 8 points and grabbed 8 boards. JJ Vandygriff and Rico McLemore contributed 7 points each. |
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Friday, January 26, 2007
Rock Island at Moline
Rock Island lost ground in the conference race with the road loss at Moline. The Rocks built a six point lead late in the first half, with Amin Ekalino scoring 8 points and making a difference on the defensive end. After converting on their first possession after halftime, Rocky went cold from the field in the third quarter, only scoring 6 points. Ekalino went to the bench in foul trouble, and the Maroons capitalized, taking a six point lead into the final frame. Moline went 13 of 17 from the line in the final eight minutes as a late Rocky charge could only get them as close as 47-43 with about 1:00 to play. JJ Vandygriff led the late charge, and ended as the only Rock in double figures, scoring 14 points. Ekalino and Garcia each added 8 points, with Kevin Mitchell chipping in 7 points and 6 rebounds. |
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Saturday, January 20, 2007
Rock Island at Freeport
Rock Island dropped this non-conference road game to the hosts in a game that was close all the way. The Rocks never seemed to get going from the opening tip, missing a number of opportunities early to gain control. The Pretzels took advantage and took the lead just before the end of the first half. The Rocks were able to tie the game on a couple of occasions, but Freeport was able to answer when needed and hit free throws down the stretch after the Rocks had gotten to within 44-42 in the last minute. JJ Vandygriff scored 14 points and Kevin Mitchell added 11 as the only Rocks in double figures. Rico McLemore grabbed four boards off the bench. |
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Friday, January 19, 2007
Galesburg at Rock Island
Rock Island gave Galesburg their first Western Big 6 loss of the season, while improving their confernce record to 3-2. The Rocks trailed early as the Streaks knocked down some three point shots early. In the second quarter, Rocky was able to find their shooting touch while stepping up the defensive pressure to take a lead at the half. The Rocks were able to extend the lead in the third quarter, and built the lead to 16 points early in the final frame. Galesburg began to rally by hitting some three point shots down the stretch before Rocky seemed to seal the when a JJ Vandygriff three play made the lead 8 points in the last minute. Galesburg bombed in a couple of trifectas before missed free throws late gave them a three point heave at the buzzer for the tie, which bounced off the rim. Vandygriff scored 18 to lead the Rocks, including an 11 for 11 performance from the free throw line. Kevin Mitchell scored 11 after coming back from a injury last weekend. Rico McLemore scored 6 points to go along with 6 boards, and Amin Ekalino grabbed 7 rebounds and chipped in 5 points. |
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Saturday, January 13, 2007
Maine South at Rock Island
Rock Island struggled early against the hot-shooting Hawks, as Maine South jumped to an early lead. The Rocks were playing without leading scorer Kevin Mitchell, nursing an injured knee, and they struggled early to find their shooting touch. Rocky was able to cut the lead to 34-31 early in the final quarter, but couldn't get any closer on route to the non-conference loss. JJ Vandygriff was the only Rocky player to reach double figures with 12 points. Amin Ekalino and Brandon Pullman each added 6 points. Ben Sparkman was the leading rebounder with 6 boards. |
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Friday, January 12, 2007
East Moline (UT) at Rock Island
Rock Island lost a fourth quarter lead in this Western Big 6 clash and lost the game in overtime. The Rocks jumped to an early 9-1 lead to take control of the game and maintained the lead until early in the fourth quarter when the Panthers tied the game. With the game tied in the last minute, UT scored to take a 41-39 lead. Rocky was able to tie the game at 41 on a Kevin Mitchell basket before UT got the final shot for the win. The Rocks' defense held, and the game went to an extra session. UT grabbed the lead right away and held off the Rocks. Mitchell was the game's leading scorer with 24 points while Jeffrey Sharp added 7 and JJ Vandygriff chipped in with 5. Mitchell, Amin Ekalino, and Rico McLemore all grabbed 5 boards. |
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Saturday, January 6, 2007
Rock Island vs. Milwaukee South Division at Rock Falls Shootout (3:30)
Rock Island used a great defensive effort to put this non-conference game away early in the first half. After taking some time to find their stride on offense, the Rocks turned a 12-4 first quarter lead into a runaway by the half. Rocky limited the Cardinals to only three first-half field goals, and eight Rocks scored in the first half. Amin Ekalino was the only Rocky player in double figures in the balanced attack, with 10 Rocks scoring on the night. Ekalino paced the way with 10 points while Kevin Mitchell added 9 and Rico McLemore chipped in 7 off the bench. Mitchell's 8 boards and McLemore's 7 keyed a huge Rocky rebounding advantage. Mitchell rounded out his night with 4 assists and 4 steals. |
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Saturday, December 30, 2006
Rock Island vs. Quincy Notre Dame at State Farm Classic Normal West H.S. (1:30)
Rock Island finished the State Farm Holiday Classic with a 3-1 record and came away in 5th place in the 16 team field with an overtime win over Quincy Notre Dame. Rocky jumped to an early lead behind Amin Ekalino's 6 first quarter points, only to see the Raiders scrap their way back and the Rocks were only up one at the half. QND controlled the pace of the game and seemed to have more energy than the Rocks in the third quarter and took a 38-33 lead heading to the fourth quarter. They would eventually build the lead to nine points with six minutes remaining, but the Rocks wouldn't go away. Kevin Mitchell and Adam Tarnow each hit big three pointers, and Rico McLemore finished and was fouled for a conventional three point play during the stretch. With 10 seconds remaining, Mitchell was fouled and hit both free throws to tie the game. After a defensive stop by Rocky, the game went to overtime. In the overtime, the teams traded baskets early. Jeffrey Sharp hit a big three to tie the game, and then two free throws from McLemore gave the Rocks the lead for good. When JJ Vandygriff finished an old-fashioned three point play on the next possesion, the lead was 5, and the Rocks held on for the win. Mitchell scored 13 and dished out 5 assists while Vandygriff added 11 points, 4 boards, and 3 assists. Ekalino finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds while McLemore added 7 points and 7 boards off the bench. |
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Friday, December 29, 2006
Rock Island vs. Normal U-High at State Farm Classic Illinois Weslyan Shirk Center (1:00)
Rock Island bounced back from the late loss on Thursday night to gain the win over Normal U-High. The Rocks came out hard from the opening tip and hit three treys to go up 18-6 after the first quarter. U-High managed to hang around cut the lead to single digits on a couple of occasions during the second frame. During the second half, the Rocks started to take control and their balanced attach helped secure the win over the Pioneers. JJ Vandygriff was the only Rocky player in double figures with 11, but many others got into the scoring column. Mauricio Garcia (9), Adam Tarnow (9), Kevin Mitchell (8), Amin Ekalino (5), and Rico McLemore (5) all chipped in. Ekalino grabbed 9 rebounds while Garcia (6) and Vandygriff (5) helped the rebounding cause. Tony Brooks came away with 3 steals. |
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Thursday, December 28, 2006
Rock Island vs. Chicago DeLaSalle at State Farm Classic Illinois Weslyan Shirk Center (9:00 PM)
Rock Island was not able to advance to the semi-finals against the #3 seeded Meteors. DeLaSalle jumped out to an early lead after the first eight minutes. Jeffrey Sharp had the hot hand in the second quarter, helping the Rocks cut into the lead. However, DeLaSalle hit two late trifectas to build the lead to 10 at the half. After playing even in the third, Rocky managed to claw their way back into the game, cutting the deficit to four on one occasion. The Meteors were able to hold off the late charge by going 17 of 19 from the free throw line in the final eight minutes. JJ Vandygriff led the charge in the second half, scoring 18 of his game high 20 points. Kevin Mitchell added 18 points, 5 boards, and 4 assists for the Rocks. Sharp ended with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. |
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Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Rock Island vs. Hononegah at State Farm Classic Normal West H.S. (6:00)
Rock Island advanced into the winner's bracket of the State Farm Holiday Classic with the win over Hononegah. The Rocks looked sluggish during the first half after having a layoff of almost two weeks, but still held a five point lead at the break. The Indians closed the gap during the third quarter and tied the game on two occasions early in the fourth quarter. Kevin Mitchell and JJ Vandygriff each hit big shots for the Rocks in the final frame when Hononegah had tied the game. Jeffrey Sharp also hit a shot with less than two minutes left to give the Rocks a four point lead that would stand up after hitting free throws down the stretch. Mitchell paced the Rocks with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Amin Ekalino added 6 points and 5 boards while Vandygriff chipped in 6 points, all in the fourth quarter. |
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Saturday, December 16, 2006
Rock Island vs. Davenport North Iowa-Illinois Shootout at Augustana College (6:15)
Rock Island's win in game five of the State Farm Iowa-Illinois Shootout gave Illinois a 4-1 advantage and clinched the 2006 event for Illinois. This was an exciting game that wasn't decided until the final seconds. North only had one lead in the game, late in the first half, while Rocky held a nine point lead late in the third quarter on an Amin Ekalino dunk. The Wildcats were able to rally to tie the score at 53 with two minutes remaining. The Rocks took the lead for good with just over a minute to go as J.J. Vandygriff drove and dished to Ekalino for a score. The Rocks got a late steal from Kevin Mitchell and basket from Mauricio Garcia to ice the game away as the horn sounded. Ekalino posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds while adding 3 blocks in a great defensive effort inside. Garcia also reached double figures by scoring 12 points. Vandygriff scored 9 and added 5 assists. Mitchell contributed 9 points despite being saddled with foul trouble. Ben Sparkman played a solid floor game off the bench while scoring 8 points. |
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Friday, December 15, 2006
Rock Island vs. Alleman at Augustana College
Rock Island improved to 2-1 in the Western Big 6 with the road win over Alleman. The Rocks jumped to an early lead but saw the Pioneers battle back in the second quarter to take a 25-23 halftime lead. The third quarter opened with a couple of lead changes before the Rocks took over and led by 9 heading to the final quarter. From there, they were able to get the lead to double digits and take the win. Kevin Mitchell paced Rocky with 19 points, with 12 coming in the decisive third quarter. Mauricio Garcia had a solid game with 12 points and 8 boards. Tony Brooks and Rico McLemore each grabbed 6 rebounds for the Rocks. |
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Saturday, December 9, 2006
Bensenville (Fenton) at Rock Island
Rock Island bounced back after the long road trip Friday to post the non-conference win over Fenton. For the first couple of minutes of the game, it looked as though the Rocks were not ready to play. However, they responded to at 5-0 deficit with an 8-2 run to take a lead they wouldn't give up. The Rocks then used some hot shooting to extend the lead to 8 after the first quarter. They built a 15 point lead at one point in the second quarter, but only led by 8 at the half. The third quarter was where the Rocks put the game away, leading by 18 after three quarters. The Bison put on a late charge to close the gap for the final score. Kevin Mitchell knocked down four threes to score 16 points. Adam Tarnow scored 12 points off the bench, and Amin Ekalino had a strong game with 10 points and 8 boards. Mitchell dished out 5 assists. |
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Friday, December 8, 2006
Rock Island at Quincy
Rock Island was victim to a second quarter Quincy run, and that 4:00 stretch seemed to ultimately lead to the conference road loss for the Rocks. Quincy was hot from the field in the first half leading to a 37-21 half time lead. Rocky gained some momentum in the third quarter, but could only cut the lead to 11 heading to the final eight minutes. They were able to sustain this momentum and rally behind some hot shooting of their own. After cutting into the lead early in the final frame, they ultimatley got to within two points with less than a minute to go in the game. The Blue Devils, however, were able to knock down their free throws to hold off the Rocks' charge. Kevin Mitchell was the only Rocky player in double figures with 16 points, including four treys. The Rocks also got scoring from Mauricio Garcia (9), Adam Tarnow (9), and JJ Vandygriff (7). Mitchell dished out 4 assists while Dominique Hughes grabbed 4 rebounds. |
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Friday, December 1, 2006
Moline at Rock Island
Rock Island set the tone defensively in this rivalry game to open a big lead early, cruising to the Western Big 6 opener for both teams. Balanced scoring was also a key to the Rocks' win. However, holding the Maroons to only 7 first half points was the main factor to the Rocky 21 point half time lead. Moline made a third period charge after being down 23 points. They scored 10 in a row to cut the lead to 30-17, but the Rocks responded with a 6-0 run to extend the lead and essentially ice the game away. Kevin Mitchell paced the scoring with 11 points while a number of others contributed as well. Mauricio Garcia (8), Amin Ekalino (6), JJ Vandygriff (6), Adam Tarnow (5), Jeffrey Sharp (4), and Drew Davis (4) all chipped in some key plays in the game. Ekalino and Vandygriff each grabbed 5 boards to lead the way. Mitchell came away with 3 steals for the Rocks and Ekalino blocked 4 shots. |
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Saturday, November 25, 2006
Aurora West vs. Rock Island at RI-Milan Booster Club Thanksgiving Tournament
Rock Island showed some heart against state-ranked Aurora West, but fell short in this triple overtime thriller. In the first half, Aurora West controlled the game with their defensive pressure and hot shooting, leading by 13 at the half. Rocky began to get things going in the third quarter, but the Blackhawks always had an answer and still had a 16 point lead late in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was much different, as Rock Island outscored Aurora West 18-4 in the fourth quarter with many players making some huge plays. A defensive stop by the Rocks sent the game to overtime. With the Blackhawks leading by three at the end of the first overtime, JJ Vandygriff got free in transition and nailed a trey at the buzzer to extend the game. Aurora West couldn't convert at the end of the second overtime, and the game went to another extra session. In the third ovetime, Aurora West hit their first three shots and the Rocks couldn't recover. Mitchell and Vandygriff paced the Rocks with 16 and 15 points respectively, and Amin Ekalino chipped in 8 points. Ekalino and Rico McLemore each grabbed 6 rebounds. |
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Saturday, November 25, 2006 Chicago Carver vs. Rock Island at RI-Milan Booster Club Thanksgiving Classic
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