WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

As of now (Tuesday evening), NCC @ NPU is still on for tomorrow night.

[GoPerry]

Looks like Carthage @ Wheaton is still on, for now.  The reasoning might be that the storm is less severe on the Kenosha to Wheaton route - even more so after Noon when the Firebirds will board the bus.

[Gregory Sager]

Tonight's NCC @ NPU game has been postponed. A makeup date has not yet been set.

[RogK]

Augustana at Elmhurst is off as well.
Bus rides between Naperville and Chicago should not be particularly perilous today. I don't get that one.

[lmitzel]

I can't speak to what NCC is looking like, but if it's anything like my house just down the road, with how quickly stuff is coming down and accumulating it makes sense. That said, I don't know how long this is supposed to continue.

And yeah, the highways would probably be fine and getting cleared on a pretty regular basis, but probably better to err on the side of caution.

Reminds me a lot of the one time I was supposed to go call a game for WONC at the crackerbox but there was no room for us on the team bus and I made the executive decision that I really didn't want to drive there in the snow (I think today's is worse than that particular day, but it's been so long I don't remember for sure.) Still never been to a game there, which I need to remedy at some point.

[Gregory Sager]

Reminds me a lot of the one time I was supposed to go call a game for WONC at the crackerbox but there was no room for us on the team bus and I made the executive decision that I really didn't want to drive there in the snow (I think today's is worse than that particular day, but it's been so long I don't remember for sure.) Still never been to a game there, which I need to remedy at some point.

Tomorrow might be your lucky day, then! I just got word that the game is officially rescheduled for tomorrow night (Thursday, February 3) at 7 pm.

[RogK]

In the first match-up of tonight's game, Carthage topped Wheaton 50-39 on Dec 1.
Seems like that was months ago!

[Gregory Sager]

Not just months ... one-sixth of a year ago!

[RogK]

no whey !

[GoPerry]

Carthage 58
Wheaton 51

All credit to the Firebirds for taking this one down at King for the regular season sweep.  Ayanna Ester came into tonight's game shooting 31.3% from the field, 28.9% from three and averaging 6.6 pts/game.  She absolutely torched the Thunder tonight for 23 pts on 8-8 shooting, 7-7 from three point range.  As a team Carthage outscored Wheaton 25-12 in the final frame.

Wheaton had a decent first 20 mins but really struggled offensively in the third and fourth quarter.  3 of 18 from three for 16.7% really hurts.

[Gregory Sager]

Carthage prevails on the road at Wheaton, 58-51. Wheaton led most of the way and had a 13-point lead at the half, but the Firebirds outscored the hosts by twenty points in the third and fourth quarters. Ayanna Ester was utter perfection tonight, going 8-8 from the field and 7-7 from downtown to lead the Firebirds with 23. Kelsey Coshun likewise had a strong second half, finishing with 13 and 6. Wheaton was paced by Ellie Cassel's 15 and Hannah Swider's 13, while Annika Richardson continued her shooting slump, scoring 12 but only going 3-16 from the field.

[GoPerry]

Carthage prevails on the road at Wheaton, 58-51. Wheaton led most of the way and had a 13-point lead at the half, but the Firebirds outscored the hosts by twenty points in the third and fourth quarters. Ayanna Ester was utter perfection tonight, going 8-8 from the field and 7-7 from downtown to lead the Firebirds with 23. Kelsey Coshun likewise had a strong second half, finishing with 13 and 6. Wheaton was paced by Ellie Cassel's 15 and Hannah Swider's 13, while Annika Richardson continued her shooting slump, scoring 12 but only going 3-16 from the field.

Yes.  After five red hot games when first inserted into the starting lineup, she has cooled off considerably in the four games since.  Some of this is mean reversion.  But asking a freshman to take on significant scoring takes its toll as well.  Even so, she has the skills and I'm glad she has stayed aggressive and has not at all backed down from taking shots.  It is what the team needs and will also serve her in the long run beyond this season.

[Gregory Sager]

Carthage prevails on the road at Wheaton, 58-51. Wheaton led most of the way and had a 13-point lead at the half, but the Firebirds outscored the hosts by twenty points in the third and fourth quarters. Ayanna Ester was utter perfection tonight, going 8-8 from the field and 7-7 from downtown to lead the Firebirds with 23. Kelsey Coshun likewise had a strong second half, finishing with 13 and 6. Wheaton was paced by Ellie Cassel's 15 and Hannah Swider's 13, while Annika Richardson continued her shooting slump, scoring 12 but only going 3-16 from the field.

Yes.  After five red hot games when first inserted into the starting lineup, she has cooled off considerably in the four games since.  Some of this is mean reversion.  But asking a freshman to take on significant scoring takes its toll as well.  Even so, she has the skills and I'm glad she has stayed aggressive and has not at all backed down from taking shots.  It is what the team needs and will also serve her in the long run beyond this season.

My thoughts exactly.

[RogK]

I wonder if Annika has certain spots along the 3pt arc from which she shoots best. Maybe she's shooting too much from spots not favorable for her. Just a speculation. She definitely is a major reason for future Thunder optimism.
Teammate Bryn Durrill caught my eye (which one?) last night; in limited minutes, she played with vigor that stood out. She might be a key Thunder player next season, as guard minutes become available due to Swider's graduation. Durrill hasn't shot FGs well so far, but it's a tiny sample (2 for 12). Her 17 rebounds in 95 minutes is good for a guard.
Wheaton is now 6-6 in CCIW play. Against the remaining 4 conference opponents, they went 1-3 in the earlier matchups. But, even if they end up 7-9, they'll still be in the CCIW tournament.

[RogK]

Perhaps iwu70 can update us :
did he locate his car somewhere under a heap of snow?
did he go part way toward Millikin last evening and set up base camp, from where he can attempt the final push into Decatur today?