Lady Sobos Head North for Opener

By Chris Johnson, REPORTER

 A game in Wisconsin to open regular season in head-to-head action won’t affect the overall record South Beloit will be looking to reach as they play Girls’ Basketball in a new conference. It is a non-conference event in Juda, but one which will help usher in the winter season none the less. The time spent on the court is expected to help the Lady Sobos get ready for the Northeastern Athletic schedule.

In the conference is where you have to win. During those head-to-head matches, the games mean more. It’s when they start to matter. It will just be longer journeys the Lady Sobos will have to take to get those wins this season it appears. A short trip to Durand or Pecatonica would only happen now as a specifically scheduled one day event or in a tournament capacity. When the playoffs start there’s a chance South Beloit could run into an old friend such as Pecatonica or Durand. The Boys’ Team started in Pecatonica at the annual Thanksgiving Classic this year. The games are still being scheduled. For the South Beloit Lady Sobos right now though, the focus has to turn east.

Matches with Juda and Stillman Valley are in the books and Aurora Christian waits for South Beloit at home this Thursday, Dec. 1. Schaumburg is on the conference “must-play” list, as is Woodstock and Mooseheart. It’s a little different this year for the Lady Sobos. It’s busier. Instead of taking the trek to Orangeville or Warren, it’s off to the suburbs and possibly a different style of basketball. There will be many occasions throughout the season that the girls’ and boys’ programs will find themselves joining forces in split double-headers. Its end effect could mean lower transportation expenses and a chance to invest more in programs and activities at South Beloit. It could also just be convenience-based. Games at Keith Country Day, Rockford Christian and against Christian Life will all be split boy-girl double-header contests. Trips to Elgin and Arlington Heights are waiting for both the boys’ and girls’ teams in January. Without having spent much time in a conference it has been reported to be difficult to truly understand how things are done in that area. The game can “play” differently in different areas of the State.

The Lady Sobos have a chance to show northeastern Illinois what the border communities are doing on the court. A lot of hope is setting up for a successful season. There will be a few things to get used to. There will be some adjustments that have to be made. As the season unfolds, much thought surrounds the hope that the Lady Sobos will get a lot of chances to get a lot of wins in the Northeastern Athletic Conference.

Not really knowing too much about the new conference and the teams involved could slow the development of this year’s program. With Senior leaders however, there isn’t much concern that the focus will get too far away from the squad on the floor playing together as one unit in South Beloit.