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  BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) March 19, 2010 — The Flying Dutch of Hope College punched their ticket to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship final Friday night, defeating the University of Rochester Yellowjackets 86-75 in a hard-fought semifinal at the Shirk Center at Illinois Wesleyan. The game featured intense competition, including a moment when Hope’s Philana Greene and Rochester’s Jodie Luther wrestled for a loose ball. Ultimately, the Flying Dutch pulled away with strong offensive play and clutch shooting to secure the victory. Hope College will now advance to the championship game, looking to claim the national title.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (March 18, 2011) — Brittany Hasselbring maneuvered around the top of the key during an NCAA women's basketball game between the Washington University Bears and the Illinois Wesleyan Titans at Shirk Center on Friday. The matchup featured intense competition as both teams fought for a spot in the next round. Hasselbring played a key role in the Titans’ offensive efforts, looking to create opportunities against Washington University's defense. Illinois Wesleyan hosted the game at Shirk Center, drawing a strong home crowd in support of the Titans.

  This Day in History: BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (March 14, 2009) — Sioux Falls Storm quarterback Mitch Tanney delivered a pass under pressure Saturday night as the Bloomington Extreme defense closed in at U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Tanney, facing an unblocked rush from defensive lineman Leif Murphy, managed to get the throw off before being hit. The Storm traveled to Bloomington for the matchup against the Extreme in the indoor football showdown. Both teams looked to gain early momentum in the season as they battled in front of a lively crowd in downtown Bloomington.

When the world slowed to a halt in early 2020, so did childrens routines. Schools shuttered, playgrounds emptied, and screens became a lifeline to education and entertainment. But amid the upheaval, a surprising trend emerged: the revival of classic, hands-on toys like toy trucks, Lincoln Logs, and wooden train sets. Among the biggest beneficiaries was Lincoln Logs, the nearly 110-year-old construction toy that saw a resurgence as families embraced home-based play. Toy trucks, particularly the classic die-cast models and sturdy plastic dump trucks, also made a comeback. For some, the return to old-school play wasn’t just about entertainment—it was a way to cope with the uncertainty of the pandemic. It was the same for this sports photographer... no games, no sweaty gyms, no photos to edit unless you found something else to photograph! Thank goodness for Lincoln Logs, and old toy trucks! #bloomingtonnormalsportsphotos #bloomingtonnormalsportsphotographer #bestlookmagazine #alanlook...

  NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — The Ridgeview Mustangs secured a hard-fought victory over the Annawan Braves in the IHSA Class 1A Super Sectional boys basketball game on March 6, 2018, at Redbird Arena, punching their ticket to the state finals. Ridgeview overcame a determined Annawan squad with a strong second-half performance, pulling away late to earn a win. The Mustangs’ disciplined defense and clutch shooting proved decisive in the battle for a spot in the state semifinals. Annawan fought valiantly throughout the contest, however, Ridgeview’s defensive pressure forced several crucial turnovers late in the game, limiting Annawan’s chances to mount a comeback.

  On this day in History... NORMAL, Ill. (March 5, 2005) — The Normal Community Ironmen secured the boys' basketball regional championship Saturday night, defeating cross-town rival Normal Community West in a hard-fought matchup. The Ironmen relied on a balanced scoring attack and strong defense to hold off the Wildcats in front of a packed gymnasium at Normal Community High School. West kept the game close throughout. The Wildcats cut the deficit to three with under two minutes to play, but Normal Community responded with key free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach. https://alanlookphotography.zenfoliosite.com

  March 4, 2005 – Normal, Ill. Normal Community’s boys basketball team secured a hard-fought victory over Bloomington on Friday night, defeating the Purple Raiders in an IHSA Class AA Regional matchup at Normal Community West High School. The Ironmen, led by a strong defensive performance and clutch shooting, outlasted Bloomington in a tightly contested game that saw multiple lead changes. Normal Community’s fast-paced offense and aggressive rebounding helped them pull away in the final minutes to clinch the win. With the win, Normal Community advances to the next round of the IHSA Class AA tournament. Bloomington’s season comes to an end, but the Purple Raiders showcased resilience and determination throughout the year. https://alanlookphotography.zenfoliosite.com

  Tri-Valley hosted Fieldcrest in the last home regular season varsity boys basketball last night. The Vikings were victorious over the Knights by 10 points. It's off to the state Regionals for both teams Check out the photos at Alan Look Photography

  From my chair, the West v Richwoods varsity boys basketball game looked closer than it ended up. West fell short on a 50-36 game. West has what seems to be an unusually young bunch of ballers with just 3 seniors on the team. Two or three of the starters for this game were sophomores and very hard working young men! Be sure to check out all this games and this seasons photos at https://alanlookphotography.zenfoliosite.com

Redbird Arena - 2-16-2019 Bradley at Illinois State The Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball outcomes have been absolutely unpredictable this season.  A few games back, Illinois State defeated Loyola to take the lead in the conference.  Last night they lost to a struggling Bradley team.  Actually, Bradley has been staging a bit of a comeback the last few seasons, albeit a slow one.  But, nothing seems to happen overnight with maybe the exception of the Loyola Rambler cinderella team last season...Devine Intervention? The game has always been a rivalry, but in recent years it's been beat up.  This game, 9000 people filed in to the 'nest' to watch the game.  Some accounts say the contingent of Braves fans that travelled 40 miles from Peoria were more energized.  Maybe so, so much red in Redbird that I couldn't tell the fans apart by just looking up.  Still, the rivalry wasn't like it was in its heydays a dozen plus years ago when the th...

The Illinois State Redbirds defeated the Eastern Illinois Panthers on September 8, 2018 at the 107th playing of the Mid-America Classic held at Hancock Stadium in Normal Illinois.  The combination of Brady Davis at quarterback coupled with runners and receivers Spencer Schnell, Markel Smith and James Robinson provided many of the highlights.  The Panthers used 3 or more players at the quarterback position and couldn't seem to get started against the Redbird defense. Click for Photo Gallery Images are available for licensing from the Best Look in Sports Action Photography in Bloomington-Normal, Alan Look Photography .

A fairly uneventful first half led to a 2nd half full of excitement as the Racers of Murray State visited Redbird Arena to play basketball against the Illinois State Redbirds.  Refs whistles came alive in the 2nd have creating some tension and escalating the level of play.  The Racers at one point mounted a double digit lead of 13.  The lead only changed one time, with the Redbirds giving it up to the Racers.  Late in the game, the Redbirds had trimmed the lead to one possession, but a couple of miscues evaporated the chance of taking the lead back to win the game.  Final score on the board was 78-72.

Normal University High Pioneers hosted the Crimson of Jacksonville on Friday night winning both the junior varsity and varsity boys basketball games.  Joe Brown, a sophomore had a personal game high best in scoring by putting in 11 points in the second quarter and ending out the game with 15 total.  The Pioneers enjoyed a lead of 15 points in the 3rd quarter, but the Crimson wasn't ready to shutdown yet, pulling back to within 6 points.  Four free throws sealed the game late for the Pioneers with a pair being hit by both Doug Holmes and Joe Brown.  Pioneers at the buzzer by 8, 59-51.

The Illinois Wesleyan Lady Titans started 4 local ladies against the Titans.  On the floor at the tip off were Seniors Rebekah Ehresman (EP-G), Molly McGraw (CCHS), Junior Maddie Merritt (TVHS), Sophomore Sydney Shanks (CCHS) with the 5th starter a Junior from Nokomis, Ashley Schneider. The game progressed with both teams taking scoring runs and exchanging the lead.  Close to midway through the 3rd quarter, the score was tied at 61.  The Titans made the adjustments and ended the competition on top 88 to 81. The Titans had 4 players in double figures.  Rebekah Ehresman dropped in 16 to lead the Titans with Maddie Merritt and Kendall Sosa both adding 15. Raven Hughes rounded out those in double digits with 12.  Hannah Frazier led the Thunder with 25 points and Maggie Dansdill with 19.  The only other Thunder player in double digits was Jennifer Berg with 13.

The Heyworth girl's basketball team on paper is short on experience, especially in the depth of the bench.  The roster shows 4 seniors and the rest are all sophomores.  The lack of juniors would normally signal an alarm, and it probably does in this situation as well. The 4 seniors take the center, forward and one guard positions, whilst the starting sophomore handles the point guard duties.  It served them well in the defeat of the Eureka Hornets.  When I first looked up at the scoreboard it read 21-7, Heyworth in charge.  Eureka managed to bring it back to within 5 a couple of times, but Heyworth ended the comp at the buzzer with a 67-56 victory.  The sophomores that came in from the bench showed great poise and potential.  The Hornets outlook is good. Eureka had hosted the travelling trophy since the end of last year, their first year of eligibility after joining the HOIC.  Us old timers know that those golden globed trophies started their ex...

Boys Intercity always has a couple good rivalry games.  For years, the Central Catholic Saints and the University High Pioneers have had a pretty good one.  This years seems no different, maybe even a little moreso since they are now in different conferences.  The whole game was a back and forth affair that had the Saints trailing most of the night.  They closed the gap in the 4th quarter and nearly won it in the last minutes with a foul to get the ball back strategy.  In the end, the Pioneers remained on top by 4. BHS and NCHS have had a rivalry for years, even before Normal West came to exist.  The game last night was between the West Wildcats and the Bloomington Raiders.  They also have a rivalry, but with 2 of the best players in the state - one on each team - the game took on a tone of its own.  The Shirk Center was 3 rows deep of standing room only during the 4th quarter of the earlier game.  At the start of this affair the SRO had dw...

For the first time since 2006, the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Volleyball Tournament is being held at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal Illinois.  Participating teams are the Drake Bulldogs, Indiana State Sycamores, Valparaiso Crusaders, Illinois State Redbirds, Missouri State Bears and Northern Iowa Panthers.  The Bears pulled in the #1 ranking followed by the Panthers as #2.  Both teams had the first round off.  The Redbirds ranked 3rd.  Surviving the 1st round were the Sycamores and the Redbirds.  Round two will pit the Sycamores against the Bears and the Redbirds against the Panthers. 

If you skipped last nights game at Redbird Arena, you missed a good game to watch some of the players that don't dust the floor very often.  Among those was Luke Litwiler, a walk on from Olympia High School who hit 3 points from beyond the arch and narrowly missed a 4th bringing the crowd to their feet!

In what looked like it would be a runaway win for the Hornets in the beginning of each half ended with a 2 point lead for the Hornets as they got possession of the ball with split seconds left avoiding a last second tie by the Cardinals. The Hornets successfully hit a lot of outside shots for 3 points.

Best Look Magazine - LeRoy Basketball Championship Issue By Alan Look in Best Look Magazine 32 pages, published 3/13/2016 Best Look Magzine - LeRoy Panther 2016 IHSA Class 1A Basketball Championship Commemorative Issue The LeRoy Panthers took the championship game 38-35!  -Chimper