Northern Illinois 3x3 Basketball League seeking more teams: Monday’s Sauk Valley sports briefs

Area basketball

Last week to register for Northern Illinois 3x3 Basketball League: Registration for a new basketball league is open until Saturday, Oct. 5. Signup is $300 for teams of three, but up to five players are allowed per team for boys and girls in second through 12th grade. Games take place on Sundays from Oct. 6 to Nov. 3 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Westwood Fitness & Sports Center (Building 3) in Sterling.

Session 1 is from 5 to 6:30 p.m. for second through seventh grade, and session 2 is eighth through 12th grade from 7 to 9 p.m. The games are 12 minutes long with three games a night per team and 14 games minimum per team. There is also a double elimination tournament in Week 5. Referees and scorekeepers are also present.

More information can be found at nibl3x3.yourleagueally.com, or by contacting Jake Seidel at NIBL3x3@gmail.com. Seidel is a 2015 Rock Falls graduate who wanted to start a league in the area after seeing the value of it in Wichita, Kansas.

“I want to see kids achieve their goals out of this area,” Seidel said. “Even if they don’t want to go pro, get them scholarships and go to college and get their degrees.”

College volleyball

Sterling grad Rodriguez recognized: Nebraska senior libero Lexi Rodriguez was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after two strong performances last week. Rodriguez had a season-high 20 digs in a 3-1 win against UCLA on Friday and followed up with 13 digs in a 3-0 sweep of No. 20 USC on Sunday.

Rodriguez helped hold the Bruins to a season-low .153 hitting percentage and USC to a season-low .137 hitting percentage.

For the week, Rodriguez averaged 4.71 digs per set, which was second in the Big Ten in the opening week of conference play.

Rodriguez is a three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week six times in her distinguished career.

Women’s golf

Emerald Hill Ladies League Golf Association: Last Tuesday’s year-end “scramble plus putts” event on Sept. 24 was won by Cheryl Allen, Mimi Boysen, Jean Hermes and Sue Nestor with a 344 score.

Tying for second with a 354 were Becky Dieterle, Karla Anderson and Sandi Ivey, along with Janet Freil, Julie Pratt, Marty Dowell and Pat Twining.

Connie Wolber, Jane Minard, Sherry Wells and Vicki Carlson took third with a 362. Freil had the longest drive on No. 5, Minard had the longest putt on No. 10, and Twining had the longest drive on No. 13. Wells was closest to the pin on No. 2 and Minard had the shortest drive on No. 18.

Anderson improved by 32 strokes in the 2024 ringer tournament for 18 holes and Minard improved by 10 shots for nine holes. In the yearly putt tournament, Nestor (18 holes) and Minard (9) took first, Freil (18) and Pratt (9) took second and Carlson (18) and Wells (9) were third. Ivey took first in birdies with two and seven players tied for second. Taking first with two chip-ins were Allen, Jackie Foster, Ivey, Minard and Freil.