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McLean County Tournament Opens With Execution and Authority

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   McLean County Tournament Opens With Execution and Authority Photos by Alan Look Photography The opening round of the 2026 McLean County Boys Basketball Tournament offered an early reminder that January basketball is less about promise and more about purpose. Two games, played in different gyms with different energies, underscored that truth as Fieldcrest dispatched Flanagan-Cornell and El Paso–Gridley asserted control over Heyworth. Fieldcrest Knights 66, Flanagan-Cornell Falcons 50 Watching Flanagan-Cornell during shootaround and pregame warmups, it was easy to believe points would come easily. Shots fell cleanly, the ball moved crisply, and confidence appeared abundant. Once the game began, however, the tone shifted. Under pressure, the Falcons struggled to convert opportunities, and the scoreboard quietly documented just how cold the offense became and how vulnerable the defense proved against a disciplined opponent. Fieldcrest, by contrast, played a game rooted in patie...
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U-High’s Patience Pays Off in Home Win Over Lincoln

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   U-High’s Patience Pays Off in Home Win Over Lincoln Photo by Alan Look Photography University High School doesn’t rush things. Not possessions. Not decisions. And certainly not basketball games. That measured approach was on full display Tuesday night in Normal, as the U-High Pioneers steadily wore down Lincoln Community High School for a 56–37 boys varsity basketball win inside a quietly tense gym that never quite found an upset pulse. From the opening tip, U-High dictated pace. The Pioneers led 12–9 after one quarter, content to probe, pull the ball back out, and make Lincoln defend every inch of hardwood. By halftime, the advantage had grown to 25–18, less because of any single surge and more because of a thousand small, disciplined decisions.                                                            Photo by Alan Look Pho...
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Location: 601 Gregory St, Normal, IL 61790, USA
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A One-Point Night in Heyworth

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   A One-Point Night in Heyworth Photography by Alan Look Photography Some basketball games are remembered for what went right. Others linger because of what almost did. El Paso-Gridley’s boys varsity team left Heyworth with a 51–50 win Tuesday night, a game that stayed tight from start to finish and never allowed either side to breathe easily. From the outset, both teams showed a clear sense of strategy. Possessions were deliberate. Defensive looks changed. Coaches adjusted. The structure of the game was solid, even when the results were not. Execution, for long stretches, was uneven. Passes were mistimed. Shots didn’t fall. Rebounding effort came and went. Those small breakdowns, shared by both teams, kept the score locked in a one-possession window and prevented either side from taking control. That margin showed itself most clearly in the final moments. Heyworth had three chances to win — two missed layups and a missed free throw that would have sent the game to overtime. ...
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Location: 308 W Cleveland St, Heyworth, IL 61745, USA
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McLean County Tournament - Pictures and Memories… and Rivalries!

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   McLean County Tournament -  Pictures and Memories… and Rivalries! When I flip through pictures from past McLean County Tournaments, the memories don’t just come back—they blitz. They rush the lane. They pull up from deep. And sometimes they beat the buzzer with a hand in their face.  That’s the McLean County Tournament , one of the longest-running basketball tournaments in the United States, and brother, it’s built on  rivalries . I’ve been covering this tournament since 2000, and in that time, no school has leaned into the rivalry role quite like the  Ridgeview Mustangs . You could circle their games on the bracket in ink—bold ink. And if you were talking boys basketball, chances were good that somewhere down the road,  Fieldcrest  would be standing there saying,  “Not so fast, my friend.” The Mustangs and the Knights. Cue the dramatic music. For much of this era, the rivalry had two masterminds on the sidelines.  Rodney Kellar ...
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Location: 302 E Emerson St, Bloomington, IL 61701, USA
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McLean County Basketball Tournament 2026: Preview and Look Back

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   McLean County Basketball Tournament 2026: Preview and Look Back Basketball season in McLean County reaches its annual peak with the  2026 McLean County Basketball Tournament , tipping off   January 17th . This is the tournament where every team rises to the occasion, where pride, bragging rights, and lasting memories are on the line. Many of these players know each other off the court as teammates in travel leagues when the school season isn’t in play, adding extra intensity and rivalry to every matchup. Fans can expect fast-paced action, fierce competition, and the kind of moments that define high school hoops in our community. The  boys’ bracket  kicks off in  El Paso-Gridley , where first-round games promise plenty of intensity, surprises, and early fireworks as teams fight to advance. While the top seeds —  Le Roy  (#1) and  Eureka  (#2) — won’t see action until Monday, every matchup before then is a chance for underdogs to m...
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Location: McLean County, IL, USA
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The Quality of a Photograph Still Matters

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   The Quality of a Photograph Still Matters — Especially Now We live in an age where more photographs are made in a single day than were produced in entire decades not that long ago. Cameras are everywhere. Bursts are cheap. Storage is endless. And yet, for all this abundance, truly  good photographs—images that stop you, hold you, and tell you something real—feel increasingly rare. That’s because quality in photography has never been about volume or convenience. It has always been about intent. At its core, photo quality is a convergence of three things: technical execution, visual composition, and emotional truth. Sharpness matters, but only when it serves the moment. Exposure matters, but only when it reveals what the image is trying to say. Timing matters most of all—because the decisive moment, once missed, is gone forever. Nowhere is this more evident than in sports action photography. A great sports image doesn’t just show  what  happened; it shows ...
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Location: Heyworth, IL 61745, USA
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Wall Art Trends for Today’s Homes and Offices — And How Photography Fits the Moment

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   Wall Art Trends for Today’s Homes and Offices — And How Photography Fits the Moment Interior design trends come and go, but wall art remains one of the most personal and impactful ways to define a space. As homes and offices move away from sterile minimalism and toward warmth, texture, and storytelling,  photography has re-emerged as a top choice for wall art in 2026  — especially work rooted in nature, atmosphere, and authentic place. Today’s design aesthetic favors  calm over clutter, meaning over novelty , and art that invites viewers to pause rather than scroll past. That shift plays directly into the strengths of well-composed photographic wall art. Nature, Landscapes, and a Sense of Place One of the strongest trends right now is  nature-inspired wall art . Landscapes, skies, rural scenes, and environmental details are being used to soften interiors and bring a biophilic element indoors. These images work particularly well in living rooms, bedrooms,...
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Location: Illinois, USA
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