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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...

   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. ...

   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...

   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 ...