In high school softball, Woodland-Flanagan-Cornell blanked Gardner South Wilmington, 10-0, at South Streator behind a compete game two-hitter from Shea Moritz. She fanned nine batters in the win. Elisa Kane had four hits including a homerun and drove in three. In other softball, Prairie Central scored a 5-2 win over El Paso-Gridley.
In baseball, Pontiac bested Ottawa, 5-2. Lexington rolled past Dwight, 18-4. WFC fell to Gardner South Wilmington 5-3.
Loyola continues to ramble on. Marques Towns three pointed in the final seconds helped seal Loyola’s 69-68 win over Nevada to send the Missouri Valley Conference school into the Elite 8 for the first time since winning it all in 1963. The Ramblers now one win away from the final four and will play Kansas State in the South Regional Final on Saturday. The Wildcats overturned Kentucky on a layup in the final minute, 61-58.
In the West Region, Michigan crushed Texas A&M, 99-72. Florida State upset Gonzaga, 75-60.
In Friday’s Sweet 16 games, Clemson and Kansas and Syracuse, Duke have the earlier games, followed by West Virginia and Villanova and Purdue-Texas Tech.
More coaching moves in the Missouri Valley, Drake’s Niko Medved had left for Colorado State after just one season, the Bulldogs first wining season in the MVC in a decade.
Evansville has hired Boston Celtics assistant and Evansville native Walter McCarty to replace Marty Simmons who was fired earlier this month.
The Central Illinois Flying Aces are home tonight against a Team USA 17 and under squad.
The Chicago Blackhawks dropped their fifth in a row, 5-2, to the Vancouver Canucks.
