The Galesburg Silver Streaks girls basketball is coming off a very impressive 25-4 regular season, including finishing 2nd in the Western Big Six, 1st at the Mattoon Christmas Tourney, and being ranked #2 by the AP for 3A Schools.
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Streaks Alumni Profile- Sarah Pacheco 2001
Today’s Streaks Alumni Profile is Sarah Pacheco of the GHS Class of 2001.
Sarah had one of the greatest basketball careers at GHS. She was on the varsity all four years. During that time her teams won 3 WB6 Championships, 4 Regionals, 4 Sectionals, and 4 Super-Sectionals. Her teams finished 4th in State twice, and 2nd in State once.
She went on to play for ICC, where her teams finished 3rd in Nationals and won the National Championship.
As a basketball player, Sarah could do it all. She was 6’0” and physical, so was unstoppable inside. She was quick, agile, and could shoot, so she could play on the perimeter.
She was an intense competitor but also fun to be around. She was a great to have on our team, and was great to coach!!
Coaches’ Corner- Point Guard Rub, WAIT
Many teams run a point guard rub action, where the point guard hits a post at the elbow area, then cuts off them for a handoff. Sometimes the handoff is a great play, but often if the post hangs on and WAITS, the point guard will be open cutting to the basket.
Saturday, February 14, 2026
State Championship Journey- Todd Borrision, Jay Hatch, Bob Becker
(This was originally posted in January of 2025)
One of the goals for coaches and players is to win a State Championship. I have asked 8 high schools basketball coaches to reflect upon their championship seasons. Today Todd Borrison (Preston, Ia & Davenport Assumption, Ia), Jay Hatch (Alleman), and Bob Becker (Morton) reflect upon their championship seasons.
Using Awards to Promote a Winning Culture
Early in my coaching career I did not give any post-season awards. It went back to my experience as a high school football and basketball player.
The entire season my coaches promoted the value of a “team-first” attitude- it was all about the team not the individual.
Then we got to the banquet, and they gave an MVP Award. It seemed the focus was not on the team’s achievements but the suspense of who would be the MVP. Players who had been great team players left the banquet feeling disappointed and perhaps unappreciated.
As a result, I chose not to give any individual awards for much of my career.
Friday, February 13, 2026
WB6 Update- Boys Basketball Standings & Leaders thru Feb. 12
Western Big Six Conference Boys Basketball Standings and Individual Leaders thru Feb. 12.
When Adolph Rupp Came to Savanna
(This was first written in 2010, and since rewritten.)
I grew up at perfect time. Growing up, I never had a house key. You didn’t need one because the side door was always unlocked. No one locked their doors in Savanna. The only violence I experienced was watching the Three Stooges.
I grew up in a perfect place. By my count there were 11 boys close to my age in our neighborhood. I don’t know how many girls lived in the neighborhood because we never paid attention to them. We were too busy. We had a baseball diamond in the field behind our house, football was played on the empty lot one house away, and basketball was in the street between our house and Davis’.
Thursday, February 12, 2026
AP Rankings- Illinois Girls/Boys Basketball- Feb. 11
AP Rankings for the Illinois Girls/Boys HS Basketball on Feb. 11.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
9 Streaks Wrestlers Will Compete at Sectionals This Weekend
Galesburg High School wrestling program will be sending 4 females to DeKalb to participate in the IHSA Sectional, and 5 males to Geneseo to participate in the IHSA Sectional. All nine wrestlers are advancing after placing in the top three at their Regional competition.
At both the girls and boys Sectionals, each weight class will include 12 total wrestlers. Four wrestlers in each weight class will advance to State. Wrestlers who took first place at the Regional will get a first round bye. Those who took 2nd in Regional will wrestle vs a wrestle who took 3rd in another Regional.
Here is a look at the Silver Streaks headed to the Sectionals…
My Coaching Plan for the Post Season
From 1995 thru 2003, Galesburg won 9 Sectional Championships in a row. During that time, we made the Final Four 5 times. The number one reason for our post-season success was our players- we had GREAT players. During that time, we developed a plan that we thought was successful for us.
Massey Quiz #33- People of Galesburg
I have fifteen Galesburg pictures of the past and present. There may be pictures of places, people, monuments, parts of buildings, and even more. The quiz is designed to celebrate how wonderful Galesburg is, and test your knowledge of our community. Enjoy and have fun!!
The answers are at the end of the quiz. Keep track of your score and read exactly what your score indicates. If you would like- share your score on the Facebook or Massey Blog under the comments.
The Impact of IHSA Changes on the Old Time Downstate Powers
If you are a fan or a coach, and you know Illinois basketball history- here is a quick test. What is the answer to these questions:
1- Were Districts always just for small schools?
2- In the 1920’s and 1930’s, who were the “powers” in Illinois basketball?
3- Has a school ever won a District and a State Championship?
4- Has a school ever not won a Regional but won a State Championship?
5- Did any teams ever play each other twice in the State tourney series?
Streaks Alumni Profile- Prov (Boydstun) Sommers 2008
Today’s Streaks Alumni Profile is with Prov (Boydstun (Sommers) from the GHS class of 2008.
I got to know Prov when she was a manager for the girls basketball team. Prov brought energy and effort to her job. And she didn’t hesitate to let Coach Peachey or me know when there was something we needed to get done. Prov was all about getting things organized.
Prov is one of those people that everyone enjoys being around- she worked hard but knew how to have fun!
It is exciting to see how life is unfolding for Prov and her family.
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
1959 Silver Streaks- Bumpy Comes to Galesburg, Ranked #1
1959 was one of the most exciting years in Galesburg basketball history. The Streaks were ranked #1 in the State, all but one week of the season. They lost in January at Pekin and dropped to #2 just for one week.
Coaches’ Corner- Late Game- Inbounding Ball vs Denial Defense
Every coach and every team wants to be in this situation…
End of season championship game, loser goes home.
Up 2 with only 7 seconds left.
You are shooting double bonus.
Your ball out of bounds.
Get it in, make two free throws.
Celebrate!!
This is a situation you MUST be prepared for, and you have a plan for. How do you get the ball inbounds when the other team is going to deny the ball inbounds? How do you get it to your best free throw shooters?
Monday, February 9, 2026
HOF Insights- Approach to Post Season
What was your approach to the post season? Was your approach to the post season any different than to regular season? Were there things you did or didn’t do that you felt were important to the success you had in the post-season?
It should be noted that the three coaches who answered this question had TREMENDOUS post-season success. Kathy Bresnahan (Volleyball), Mike Tracey (Football), and Tim Engebretson (Football) consistently had great post-season runs.
One thing opposing coaches knew about these threes teams- Their teams played their best in the post-season.
Kathy Bresnahan- Iowa City West
Players - especially seniors - are keenly aware that a loss means they’ll never put on that uniform again. Reduce their sense of urgency and keep them focused on the task at hand. Stay with your regular routine.
I always worried about that end of season injury so once we qualified for the State tourney, I reduced some net drills as we didn’t want to blow out an ankle or knee. We still had intense practice but dialed them down a notch
Finally I suggest to young coaches to keep copious notes during the post season, especially the state tournament. What worked, what didn’t? Little things like team meals before the game. What time to arrive at that venue. What distractions should be eliminated/reduced? It’s up to the head coach to put their team in the best position to be successful so evaluate everything after the season is over.
Mike Tracey- Alleman, UT
First of all, we looked at making the playoffs as a great accomplishment and honor. We shared our feelings with the players and community members every chance we got.
The main thing we did was cutting back our running, conditioning, etc. during practice. We kept our two days of lifting as critical. We did our best to stay strong and not be physically tired.
Lastly, we did our best to keep everything positive. We did extra film study with our guys to make them as confident as possible. This was very important in "the old days" of the Wednesday-Saturday games. I do not believe we ever lost a second game. We certainly lost games in all the other slots, but if we won game #1, we won game #2.
Tim Engebretson- United
It was not drastically different because we wanted to stay with what helped get us to the postseason. However we did alter a few aspects. 90% of playoff games for us were played on Saturdays. So we had one extra day of practice. With one extra day we could afford to shorten up our practices. I always felt that helped the crispness of practice.We also felt it helped our players' mentally.
We spent a little more time on our opponent and the scouting reports. Especially if it was someone who was unfamiliar to us. Practice was less physical and we had a lot more walkthroughs.
We also reinvested time on special teams. The last thing we did was revert back to preseason fundamentals. We tried to stress to our players that blocking and tackling were still the most important aspects of the game.
One of my personal favorite things of postseason practice was watching the underclassmen. Players not needed for scout teams were given tremendous freedom to do what they wanted in another practice area. You could see the leaders by who was setting everything up. You also found out who was aggressive and who didn't want to be very physical. Without coaches controlling the environment you could learn a great deal about each individual. The great thing about it was those players never realized how much we observed them.
WB6 Update- Girls Basketball Standings & Leaders thru Feb 9
This is WB6 Girls Basketball Standings & Leaders thru Feb 9- with one game to go.
Sectional Assignments Are Set Until They Aren’t
As coaches, every year you can’t wait to find out what the IHSA assignments are for the State Tourney series…
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Streaks Alumni Profile- Maddy Ross 2015
Today’s Streaks Alumni Profile is with Maddy Ross from the class of 2015.
In high school, Maddy was somebody who added to every sport she played, every activity she was involved in, and every classroom. She has energy, enthusiasm, strong work-ethic, and humility.
In basketball, whether she played a little or played a lot, she was “all-in” for her team and her teammates.
Maddy has always had a positive impact on the world!
My Scout Report- Shot Clock, Rules, Refs
It has been another fun week watching basketball. Here are some random thoughts from this week.
Coaches’ Corner- Flex Backdoor
This is a nice backdoor off flex action. If you have a shooter that they want to deny coming up off the baseline, this is a good option.
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Galesburg Wins 15-13 in 4 OT’s- Why Were Scores So Low?
In 1929, Galesburg defeated Pekin in the Sectional, 15-13 in 4 over-time’s. Any of us who have looked back at basketball scores before 1940 have seen examples of these low scoring games. It is easy to look at the scores and dismiss basketball of the era. Some might say, “They couldn’t have been that good if they couldn’t even score 20 points.”
We would be mistaken to feel that way. An example would be the great Lou Boudreau of Thornton HS. As a freshman, he led his team to a State title in 1933, then seconds in 1934 and 1935. He went to become one of the all-time greats in MLB. He and many others playing basketball in this era were great athletes.
Coaches’ Corner- Late Season, Play 8, Trust 7
In the NBA, playing an 82 game schedule, teams need to have a deep roster. If you look at NBA boxscores, you will see that usually teams usually have 9 to 10 players playing at least 15 minutes per game. This allows them to have most of their top players only play 30-35 minutes per game. This distribution of minutes is necessary to maintain play health over an 82 game schedule.
Once the teams get to the NBA Play-Off’s, teams shorten their bench. Instead of playing 9-10 players significant minutes, they will cut that to just 8-9 players in the rotation.
1966- WGIL Adds FM-95
In 1966, WGIL added FM 95 to their programming. The Register-Mail celebrated this with an insert into the paper, describing the inner workings of WGIL.
Friday, February 6, 2026
Coaches’ Corner- Need Two Pros
As coaches put together their playing rotation and their offensive system, each coach is trying to calculate the best formula to produce a championship team.
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Massey Quiz #32- 15 Galesburg Pictures
I have fifteen Galesburg pictures of the past and present. There may be pictures of places, people, monuments, parts of buildings, and even more. The quiz is designed to celebrate how wonderful Galesburg is, and test your knowledge of our community. Enjoy and have fun!!
The answers are at the end of the quiz. Keep track of your score and read exactly what your score indicates. If you would like- share your score on the Facebook or Massey Blog under the comments. Please don’t share answers in the comments!!
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