The daily pitch from Sports Editor Matt Daniels: Jan. 24, 2025

To subscribe, please click here Want a copy of today's edition? Here's a map of single-copy locations Sign up for our daily newsletters Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what's going on around the area: Illinois athletics Genesis Bryant and the Illinois women's basketball team rolled to an 85-60 win at Northwestern on Thursday night in Evanston.

Three reasons we love sports today 1.

The Illinois womens basketball team cruised to an 85-60 win at Northwestern on Thursday night , making Shauna Green 5-0 against the Wildcats.

Kendall Bostic flourished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Illini.

2.

The Illinois football team is up to five verbal commitments in the Class of 2026 after three-star wide receiver Kenyon Alston from Bishop Moore Catholic in Florida pledged to the Illini on Thursday.

3.

Congrats to Quinn Starkey of the Watseka boys basketball team and Addison Lucht of the Cissna Park girls basketball team .

The pair received the most votes to win our latest high school Athlete of the Week contest.

Read more about the duo in Mondays News-Gazette.

Former Illini Nick Allegretti has a chance to go to his fourth Super Bowl on Sunday.

Numbers game: 1,299 snaps former Illini Nick Allegretti has played this season for the Washington Commanders.

Or 99.1 percent of the Commanders 1,311 total offensive snaps this season.

The 28-year-old left guard, in his first season with Washington, will play in his 20th game since September on Sunday when the Commanders face the Eagles in the NFC championship game.

If the Commanders win, Allegretti will suit up for the fourth Super Bowl of his career after winning three earlier this decade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Salt Fork's fans give a standing ovation to Salt Fork's Alexa Jamison (10) after she scored her 2000th point in a Vermilion County Principals Association prep girls basketball tournament game at Danville Area Community Colleges Mary Miller gym on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.

Crowd control Three events Im paying attention to 1.

Hoopeston Area vs.

Salt Fork girls basketball .

The Vermilion County Tournament title game tips off at 8 p.m.

Friday at Danville Area Community College, with Salt Fork (20-2) vying for its fourth straight title.

Hoopeston Area (13-7) is trying to win its first county title since 1997.

2.

Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin vs.

Georgetown-Ridge Farm girls basketball .

BHRA (13-9) and G-RF (9-9) meet in the third-place game of the Vermilion County Tournament at 6:30 p.m.

Friday at DACC.

3.

Armstrong-Potomac vs.

Oakwood girls basketball .

A-P (7-14) and Oakwood (8-16) are set to play in the fifth-place game of the Vermilion County Tournament at 5 p.m.

Friday at DACC.

From left, Brittany Hari, Thomas Stone and Taylor Leake.

Coachs corner Three questions with Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley volleyball coach Thomas Stone: 1.

My favorite sports team is ...

LOVB Salt Lake.

2.

Three coaches Id like to have dinner with are ...

Tyler Rubarts, Ryan Fitzgerald and Kevin Hambly.

3.

My biggest pet peeve is ...

when athletes complain about conditioning..

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