It was a busy night for high school basketball. Pontiac fell to Central Catholic, 89-50, in Bloomington. Tri-Point was also in Bloomington, the Chargers lost to Cornerstone, 69-62. Prairie Central stumbled in a 56-43 loss to Tri-Valley. Ridgeview turned back Roanoke-Benson, 58-50. Flanagan-Cornell clipped Fisher, 55-54. GCMS won at Fieldcrest 56-41.

In girls basketball Dwight topped Wilmington, 45-34. Lexington needed overtime to get past Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland, 47-38. GCMS won at Tri-Point, 41-26.

The Illini crushed Rutgers, 91-60, in Champaign. Trent Frazier knocked down five straight three-pointers in the first half on his way to a 17-point night. Kipper Nichols scored a game-high 19 points in his second start for U of I as the Illini score their second Big Ten victory. The Illini play at Ohio State on Sunday.

Illinois State led wire to wire in a convincing 76-60 win at Missouri Valley preseason favorite Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. Keyshawn Evans and Milik Yarbrough led five Redbirds in double figures with 15 points each. The win puts ISU over 500 in the Valley and overall. The Redbirds host Evansville on Saturday.

The Chicago Blackhawks opened the second half of the season on a winning note, edging Nashville, 2-1, in the Music City. Anton Forsberg has a career high 42 saves for the Hawks. 

A trade in the NFL – The Kansas City Chiefs have sent quarterback Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins.