School Sports

With 4:15 left in Saturday’s game against Marquette Catholic, the Vandalia High School boys basketball team trailed by 12 points.
Just 2:10 later, that deficit was cut to five by a free throw from sophomore Tim Ritchey, and the Vandals seemed to have had found the stroke they had been seeking since the second quarter, when they outscored the Explorers, 13-10.
But Vandalia went cold again, making just one basket in the final 2:05, while the Explorers added seven more points to earn a 60-50 win.

FARINA – Vandalia allowed the first basket of Tuesday’s game to South Central, but the Vandals would then outscore the Cougars 17-0 over the next 7:19 in what proved to be the difference-maker in a 45-40 win.

“I really liked our start,” said Vandals coach Kevin Jackson. “I thought our kids came out ready to play, and that was a big key to the game.”

In the second period, however, the Cougars (8-16) started off on a 6-0 run over the first 4:15 to cut Vandalia’s lead to three.

A gelding named in tribute to a late St. Elmo man is making quite an impression on followers of harness racing.

St. Elmo Hero, a 5-year-old horse named after lifelong St. Elmo resident John Nessa, recently earned his 23rd win in 23 starts at the Complex Series finals at the Meadowlands in Rutherford, N.J., on Jan. 29.

In those 23 races since July 14, St. Elmo Hero has earned almost $200,000, and his breeder and former owner, Carl Becker owner of Fair Meadow Farm in Altamont, said the horse could win $1 million in 2011.