ON THE SCHEDULE TODAY AT FCHS:
Lady Mules Wrestling at the Lady Wildcat Invitational at Marion 9am
OTHER AREA SPORTS FOR TODAY:
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL:
Wayne City at Grayville
AREA SPORTS FOR THE WEEKEND:
ON THE SCHEDULE SATURDAY AT FCHS:
Lady Mules Wrestling at the Benton Invitational 9am
Mules Fresh/Soph Basketball at the Richland County Fresh/Soph Basketball Tournament at Olney. Fairfield will play Salem in the 1st Round at 9:00 a.m.
RICHLAND COUNTY FRESH/SOPH BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT:
Fairfield vs. Salem
Olney vs. Mt. Carmel
Robinson vs. Flora
Marshall vs. Effingham
Afternoon action will see 2nd Round Winners and Losers Bracket Games followed by the Consolation Championship and the Tournament Championship.
OTHER AREA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL FOR SATURDAY:
Wayne City vs. Christ Our Rock Lutheran
***NATIONAL SPORTS***
THURSDAY’S SCOREBOARD
NBA
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Houston Rockets 120, Brooklyn Nets 96
Miami Heat 118, Detroit Pistons 112
Philadelphia 76ers 123, Dallas Mavericks 108
Boston Celtics 120, Sacramento Kings 106
LA Clippers 118, Utah Jazz 101
NHL
——-
Chicago Blackhawks 4, Dallas Stars 3
Ilya Mikheyev had a strong game as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Dallas Stars 4-3 at United Center. Mikheyev scored two goals in the victory, including the eventual game-winner in the third period. Artyom Levshunov and Teuvo Teravainen also lit the lamp in the victory. The Hawks are in seventh place in the Central Division with 37 points. They visit the Capitals tomorrow night.
Ottawa Senators 4, Washington Capitals 3
Utah Mammoth 7, New York Islanders 2
Toronto Maple Leafs 6, Winnipeg Jets 5
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Detroit Red Wings 3 (OT)
Montreal Canadiens 7, Carolina Hurricanes 5
Tampa Bay Lightning 5, Los Angeles Kings 3
Seattle Kraken 4, Nashville Predators 1
The St. Louis Blues aim to avoid a third consecutive loss when they host the Vegas Golden Knights at Enterprise Center this afternoon. The Blues are coming off a 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on the road on Wednesday. St. Louis is in sixth place in the Central Division with 38 points. Today’s game starts at 2:00PM.
College Football Bowl Games (CFP Rankings)
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#5 Oregon 23, #4 Texas Tech 0 (CFP Quarterfinals Orange Bowl at Miami Gardens, FL)
#1 Indiana 38, #9 Alabama 3 (CFP Quarterfinals Rose Bowl at Pasadena, CA)
#6 Ole Miss 39, #3 Georgia 34 (CFP Quarterfinals Sugar Bowl at New Orleans, LA)
Men’s College Basketball (Top-25 Coaches’ Poll)
——-
No Games Scheduled
***Top Sports Headlines***
>>Illinois Visits Penn State
(Philadelphia, PA) — The number-19 Illinois Fighting Illini go for their third win in a row when they take on Penn State at The Palestra tomorrow night. The Illini beat Southern 90-55 at home on Monday. Illinois is 1-and-1 in Big Ten play and 10-and-3 overall. Tomorrow’s game tips off at 6:00PM and can be heard on WFIW-AM 1390 and FM 103.3 on the Illini Sports Radio Network powered by Learfield. Pre-game show starts at 5PM.
>>Illinois Kicker David Olano Entering Transfer Portal
(Champaign, IL) — Illinois Football kicker David Olano is leaving the program. The Naperville native announced on social media that he is entering the transfer portal. The announcement comes less than 48 hours after he kicked the game-winning field goal in the Illini’s victory over the Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. During his time with Illinois, Olano was a two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention.
>>NFL Week 18 Preview
(Undated) — Top seeds and division winners will be determined as the NFL reaches its final week of the regular season. Week 18 kicks off on Saturday when the Panthers can clinch the NFC South with a win over the Buccaneers in Tampa. In the evening, the number one seed in the NFC will be decided as the 49ers host the Seahawks. The AFC takes center stage on Sunday with the Jaguars hosting the Titans, the Broncos hosting the Chargers, and Patriots hosting the Dolphins. Jacksonville, Denver and New England are still in contention for the top seed. The regular season wraps up when the Steelers host the Ravens for the AFC North title on Sunday Night Football.
>>Bears Host Lions In Season Finale
(Chicago, IL) — Ben Johnson will try to bring down his old boss when his Chicago Bears take on Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on Sunday. The 11-and-5 Bears have already clinched the NFC North, but they lost out at a chance for the one-seed after losing to San Francisco 42-38 in Week 17. Chicago can grab the two-seed on the conference with a win. Sunday’s game kicks off at 3:25PM.
>>Colts Close Out Season On Sunday
(Houston, TX) — The Colts are closing out the season this weekend. Indianapolis will be looking to finish the season above .500 when it visits the Houston Texans on Sunday. Sixth round rookie Riley Leonard has already been named the starting quarterback for the finale.
>>Ravens QB Jackson To Play Vs. Steelers
(Owings Mills, MD) — The Ravens will have their quarterback this weekend. Lamar Jackson will return to the field Sunday night for Baltimore’s de facto AFC North title game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The winner will be the fourth seed in the AFC playoffs, while the loser’s season is over. Jackson missed last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers with a back contusion.
>>Report: Saints WR Chris Olave Out With Blood Clot
(Metairie, LA) — The Saints will be without their leading receiver for their season finale. ESPN reports that New Orleans wide receiver Chris Olave [[ oh-LAH-vay ]] developed a blood clot in one of his lungs and will miss the team’s game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Olave has no previous history with blood clots and is expected to recover within the next month. He will reportedly be able to participate in the team’s offseason program when it begins in April. The 25-year-old will wrap up his fourth NFL season with 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns.
>>Rams Sign S Quentin Lake To Three-Year Extension
(Undated) — The Rams are locking up a key member of their secondary with a new contract. Los Angeles announced that it is signing safety Quentin Lake to a three-year contract extension. The deal is reportedly worth up to 42-million-dollars and includes 25.7-million-dollars guaranteed. Lake was a sixth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft and is in the final year of his rookie contract. The 26-year-old suffered a dislocated elbow in Week 11, but is expected to be able to suit up for the team in the playoffs. Lake has totaled 61 tackles and one interception in 10 games played this season.
>>Philip Rivers Retires Once Again
(Indianapolis, IN) — Philip Rivers is once again hanging up his football cleats. He announced his second retirement in an interview with the “Up and Adams” show on Wednesday, saying he’ll return to coaching his sons’ high school team. Rivers came out of retirement to return to the Indianapolis Colts. He played in three games, throwing for 544 yards and four touchdowns, but did not come up with any wins. Rivers was a Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 semifinalist before he came out of retirement, but will now have to wait another five years to be eligible again.
>>Oregon, Indiana, Ole Miss Punch Tickets To CFP Semis
(Undated) — The Semifinal Round of the College Football Playoff is set. Number-5 Oregon shut out fourth-seeded Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl from Miami to advance. Top-ranked Indiana blew out Number-9 Alabama 38-3 at the Rose Bowl from Pasadena. The Ducks and Hoosiers duel at the Peach Bowl from Atlanta next Friday. Sixth-seeded Ole Miss took down Georgia 39-34 at the Sugar Bowl from New Orleans. The Rebels square off against Number-10 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl from Glendale next Thursday.
>>Report: Astros Signing Japanese SP Imai To Three-Year Deal
(Undated) — The Astros are adding star Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai [[ TAHT-soo-yah EE-my ]] to the roster. ESPN is reporting that Houston is signing the right-handed starter to a three-year deal that could up worth up to 63-million-dollars and includes 54-million-dollars guaranteed. The contract terms reportedly also include opt-outs. The 27-year-old went 10-and-5 with a 1.92 ERA while suiting up for the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball this past season.
>>Panthers Face Rangers In NHL Winter Classic
(Miami, FL) — The NHL Winter Classic is heading to South Beach. The reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are set to challenge the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park on Friday. The matchup marks the league’s 17th edition of the annual outdoor game and will be the farthest south the marquee event has been played. The stadium that is the home of Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins has a retractable roof that will be open for the opening puck drop. The Panthers will be playing in their first outdoor game in franchise history, while the Rangers have won all five of their previous outdoor games.