Sycamore advances 10, wins regional: Saturday’s Daily Chronicle sports roundup

Boys wrestling

Class 2A Rockford East Regional: At Rockford, Sycamore qualified 10 for the sectional at Washington next week in winning the regional.

The Spartans will compete in the dual team sectional as well at a site to be determined, likely on Feb 25.

The Spartans were led by champions Carson West (106), Charlie Olson (113), Michael Olson (120), Tyler Lockhart (126), Jayden Dohogne (138), Cooper Bode (175) and Collin Hughes (285).

Clyde Nott (second at 215), Douglas Gemberling (second at 165) and Cole Kleiser (third at 150) also qualified.

Sycamore finished with 205.5 points, ahead of East in second with 186.

Class 3A St. Charles East Regional: At St. Charles, DeKalb qualified five wrestlers for next week’s Conant Sectional, including individual champ Mikey Hodge (144).

Hodge outlasted another pesty nosebleed to win at 144, earning a 5-3 decision over St. Charles East’s Logan Tatar.

“I’m a bloody guy,” he said. “Going into practice everyday, I get bloody noses. I think this one started in the second period, and the loose plugs kept falling out and it kept getting worse.”

Jaden Bradley (third at 106), Hudson Ikens (second at 150), Sean Kolkebeck (second at 165) and Jeremiah Piniera (third at 285) also reached the sectional.

Five Barbs finished in fourth, a win away from qualifying - Julian Hartwig (113), Owen Burgess (120), Cam Matthews (157), Elvis Mora (175) and Erick Rivas (190).

The Barbs took third with 132.5 points. St. Charles East won with 247.

Class 2A Kaneland Regional: At Maple Park, the Knights qualified six wrestlers for the Washington Regional, including champ Alex Gochis (130).

Camden Skipper (third at 120), John Havron (third at 132), Jack Gruber (third at 144), Caden Vanik (third at 165), and Apollo Gochis (second at 175) qualified for the regional as well.

The Knights finished fourth with 115.5 points. Yorkville Christian won with 240.5.

Class 1A Byron Regional: At Byron, Genoa-Kingston’s season came to an end as no wrestler finished in the top three.

Boys basketball

DeKalb 60, Lyons 39: At DeKalb, the Barbs rolled to the nonconference win.

Girls basketball

Polo 67, Hinckley-Big Rock 64 (OT): At Polo, Anna Herrman scored 23 points, Sami Carlino added 19, and Mia Cotton had 16 in the victory.

Women’s basketball

NIU 75, App State 62: At Boone, North Carolina, the Huskies (11-12) tied a season-high with 13 three-pointers, Lexi Carlsen draining four of them.

“We put together a game plan that makes sense, and the players are getting a better sense of what we’re trying to do,” coach Lisa Carlsen said. “We knew against App State that we had to get paint touches and had to share from there, and we did a good job of that today.”

Alecia Doyle scored 22 and grabbed six rebounds in the win. Chelby Koker flirted with a triple-double, notching 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Carlsen and Sydney McCrea each scored 12.

Boys swimming

DuPage Valley Conference meet: At Metea Valley, the DeKalb-Sycamore co-op took fifth.

Kevin Sullivan took fourth in the 100-yard backstroke for the co-op, finishing in 56.93.

“He’s a very hard worker,” coach Melanie Chambers said. “He’s looking forward to sectionals and (possibly) going downstate.

“Kevin’s been on varsity all four years, and he’s a great leader by example. He’s very calm, very level-headed, but also knows how to get his teammates hyped up.”

Men’s basketball

Louisiana-Lafayette 66, NIU 64: At DeKalb, the Huskies led by 11 at halftime but fell to the Ragin' Cajuns.

Quaran McPherson had a game-high 19 points while James Dent Jr. and Quentin Jones each added 14 points.

“Very disappointed. In the first half I thought we played the right way for about 17 minutes,” NIU head coach Rahson Burno said. “We had 14 turnovers for 22 points, and the live ball turnovers were the catalyst for (Louisiana’s) comeback in the second half. We didn’t come out with the right mindset (in the second half), I don’t know why.

“We explained to them that the first four minutes of the second half were important. (Louisiana) did a good job of attacking us because we weren’t ready to play coming out of halftime.”

Chris Walker and Bill Esbrook contributed to this report.