Short-Handed Sages Fall Short in IPC Opener

It was a challenging Friday night for the Lady Sages (10–8, 0–1 IPC) as they opened Illini Prairie Conference play with a 52–34 loss to the Prairie Central Hawks (9–9, 1–0 IPC). Prairie Central controlled the game from start to finish, never trailing and gradually pulling away behind relentless defense and balanced scoring.

The Sages entered the night shorthanded, missing two starters due to illness, which forced a unique rotation and tested their depth. Despite the adversity, the Sages competed with heart and effort throughout the game. Offense was hard to come by early, as they fell behind 11–3 after the first quarter. From that point on, the Sages found more of a rhythm, scoring in double figures in each of the remaining three quarters.

However, Prairie Central was simply too strong on both ends of the floor. The Hawks’ suffocating defense forced 26 turnovers and turned them into easy scoring opportunities, allowing the lead to grow at every break and preventing the Sages from ever making a serious run.

Senior center Kiara Grace led the way for the Sages, finishing with a team-high 10 points and the only player in double figures. Anya Sheppard added 9 points, while Emma Arnold was dominant on the boards, pulling down 10 rebounds in a strong effort inside. For the Hawks, Addisyn Donley was the game’s leading scorer, pouring in 21 points to pace Prairie Central.

The loss capped off a tough three-game week for the Sages, who also dropped non-conference matchups earlier in the week against Paris and Normal West. Looking ahead, the Lady Sages will aim to bounce back and end the skid with three opportunities next week. They travel to St. Thomas More (3–13, 0–1 IPC) on Tuesday, return home Friday to host Rantoul (9–10, 0–1 IPC), and then welcome Maroa-Forsyth (11–3, 1–0 Sangamo) on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader. Clinton has won its last two meetings against both St. Thomas More and Rantoul, while the Trojans of Maroa-Forsyth have taken the last three matchups since 2022.

ILSportsWire will have coverage from both games of Saturday’s doubleheader.