Shooting the basketball is one skill that stands out with Mark and Paul Tometich.

"They came here as catch-and-shoot guys," said Rob Buss, who coaches the brothers at Kishwaukee College in Malta.

This season, the Cary-Grove graduates are still dangerous shooters, as evidenced by their combined 76 three-pointers.

Yet their games have blossomed on the court along with Kishwaukee's win total.

While helping the Kougars to a 20-4 record, the Tometich brothers have expanded their skills and become key contributors.

"We definitely came in as catch-and-shoot players," Mark Tometich said. "But we realized that after you hit a couple of shots, everybody's going to be up in your face. You have to have something else to go to."

The Tometich brothers have helped Kishwaukee -- which got off to a 19-1 start and a top-five national junior college ranking - by driving to the basket more.

Over the summer, Mark and Paul honed their games by playing twice a week during open gyms at Kishwaukee that drew college players from around the region.

"When we first started playing, every guy was 10 times quicker and 10 times stronger (than us)," Paul Tometich said. 

As the summer went on, the brothers said they got more comfortable going to the basket and adjusted to the more physical college game.

The results have shown up on the court this season for Kishwaukee, where Mark and Paul are among eight sophomores on a tight-knit team.

"Everybody has a feel for each other's game," said Paul Tometich, who is averaging 12.3 points and 4.9 rebounds and has connected on 31 threes.

Mark Tometich has a team-high 45 threes and is averaging 9.2 points.

Tuesday's 76-62 win at Black Hawk East gave the Kougars 20 wins and helped the team rebound from a three-game losing streak.

"It was a wakeup call," Mark Tometich said. "We were slacking a little bit on our defense. But we've got our defense back together."

The Kougars have six regular-season games left before the Region IV playoffs and perhaps a trip to Danville in March for the NJCAA tournament.

"We really want to get to the national tournament," Paul Tometich said. 

Pitcher makes choice: Kankakee Community College softball pitcher Heather Gradishar has signed a national letter of intent to play for NCAA Division II University of Illinois at Springfield next season.

Gradishar, a Marian Central grad, helped KCC to fourth place last spring in the NJCAA Division II nationals while earning all-tournament honors.

As a freshman last season, the left-handed Gradishar compiled a 16-6 record and a 1.29 ERA for the Cavaliers (46-11). She struck out 106 batters in 124 1/3 innings. 

CCIW honor: Crystal Lake Central grad Gabe Youel earned College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Co-Wrestler of the Week honors Tuesday after making history at last weekend's Pete Wilson Invitational at Elmhurst College.

Youel, a senior 184-pounder at D-III North Central College, won his weight class at the meet to become the tournament's first four-time winner in its 60-year history.

Youel is 26-3 on the season and is third in the National Wrestling Coaches Association individual rankings.

Speedy Illini: Cary-Grove grad Madeline Aufmann, a freshman track and cross county athlete at Illinois, won the 800-meter run last weekend at the Illinois Intercollegiate meet in Charleston, Ill.

Aufmann won the event in 2 minutes, 14.92 seconds in the three-team meet.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

Woodstock graduate Jennifer Nichols' time as a college basketball player is winding down.

As a senior forward at NCAA Division III University of Dubuque in Iowa, Nichols is entering the final month of her career.

But if Nichols has her way, she won't be away from the game for long.

"That's my dream, to be a college coach," said Nichols, who leads the Spartans in scoring at 15.8 points a game.

Nichols got some experience with recruiting last year when she hosted fellow Woodstock grad and current Dubuque freshman point guard Mollie Whiting on campus.

"When I gave Mollie and her parents a tour of campus, they fell in love with it," Nichols said. "She didn't have to fear the unknown. I told Mollie, 'I can guarantee you a great education and a great career.' "

So far, Nichols has been right on target. 

Whiting is the team's leader in assists (49) and second-leading scorer at 10.9 points a game for the Spartans (11-8).

"I've never seen a freshman who is so comfortable on our team," said Nichols, who teamed with Whiting as a senior at Woodstock. "It's like my senior year in high school. We got really close that year."

Along with sharing some of the scoring load, Whiting has helped get other players more involved, Nichols said. 

"We've got five girls on our team who can all score in double figures," said Nichols, who ranks second on the team with 38 three-pointers and 4.6 rebounds a game. "That's what really makes us dangerous."

The Spartans are tied for fifth place in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference at 5-5 with six league games remaining. 

A strong finish would put the team into the IIAC Tournament for only the second time in school history.

"Not only making it, but winning in the first round and getting to the championship game - which we've never done - is a big goal for me," Nichols said. 

Front and Central: D-II Central Missouri's men's basketball team has gotten a lift this season from Dundee-Crown grad Ryan Harris.

A junior guard for the Mules, who are ranked No. 4 in this week's D-II National Association of Basketball Coaches poll, Harris is averaging 8.3 points a game and ranks third on the team with 33 three-pointers.

Harris has started 13 games for the Mules (18-1), who are in second place in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

St. Norbert ranked: Dundee-Crown grad Paul Mallers is part of a St. Norbert men's basketball team that is ranked No. 12 this week by D3Hoops.com.

Maller, a junior guard-forward, is averaging 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds for the Green Knights (15-1), who are leading the Midwest Conference with a 9-0 record.

Top gun at Illinois: Crystal Lake South grad Erin Johnson was honored with the Jimmy and Jeane Seyler Top Gun Award at Illinois volleyball team's postseason banquet.

The award is given to the Illini player with the highest attack percentage. 

Johnson, who was named to the Big Ten Conference's All-Freshman Team, hit .314 with 113 kills. 

Johnson and junior setter Hillary Haen of Prairie Ridge helped the Illini finish 26-6 during the fall season and make the NCAA's Sweet 16.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

Gabe Youel made North Central College wrestling history Jan. 20 in Elmhurst with a historic person by his side.

Youel, a Crystal Lake Central graduate, won his school-record 144th career match with NCC assistant coach and former record holder Adam Johnson looking on.

"I told him, 'You can coach me differently if you want,' " Youel joked. "He told me if I didn't get it this year, he'd be mad."

Youel, a two-time NCAA Division III All-American, has won more than 40 matches in each of the past two seasons. This year, he is 22-3 in the 184-pound weight class.

"I wasn't really keeping track," said Youel, a senior. "It felt good to get the win and get the milestone." 

The record was not something Youel was aware of when he first arrived on campus.

"Not when I started my career," Youel said. "But last year, I definitely thought about it."

Like Johnson, Youel will now be a major part of the program's history.

"It's good to know that kids will know about you in the future," he said.

His pin of Elmhurst's Mike McNeill in 1 minute, 10 seconds, on Jan. 20 earned Youel handshakes and pats on the back from teammates and coaches.

Youel is hoping for a bigger celebration in March during the D-III national tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"Hopefully, I can win a national championship," said Youel, who has finished fourth nationally the past two seasons. "I hope when the tournament comes around, I'm feeling healthy and feeling strong."

Double duty at Lewis: Junior forward Jenny Turpel has helped D-II Lewis University's women's basketball team to four wins in its last five games while piling up seven double-doubles this season.

Turpel, a Johnsburg grad, leads the Flyers in scoring (15.8 points a game) and rebounding (8.1) while also being tops on the team in blocked shots (18) and steals (26).

Turpel ranks among the top 10 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in scoring, rebounding and blocks.

Valpo bound: Prairie Ridge grad Bobby Martin will play second base and shortstop this spring at Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill.

Martin's plans for the 2011 season are already set as well. 

Martin, a sophomore at HCC, has signed a national letter of intent to play at D-I Valparaiso. He is one of six Heartland players who have committed to D-I schools for 2011, including Cary-Grove grad Eric Aguilera, an outfielder who will play at Illinois State.

As a freshman at D-I Ohio University last season, Martin started 21 games before transferring to Heartland.

The Hawks finished 42-9 last season and were ranked as high as No. 4 in the NJCAA Division II rankings.  

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

Jacobs grad Johnny Moran and the Northern Iowa men's basketball team achieved a school-record 15th straight win Saturday night against Indiana State.

A day later, the Panthers (16-1) enjoyed another historic event.

UNI made its season debut this week in The Associated Press media poll and the USA Today Coaches' Poll at the highest level in school history. The Panthers are ranked No. 20 in the AP poll and No. 22 by the coaches.

UNI's previous high was No. 25 in the AP poll and No. 24 in the coaches' poll in 2005-2006.

Moran, a sophomore guard, was one of four players to score in double figures in Saturday's 62-40 win against the Sycamores, tallying 11 points. He also grabbed two steals to add to his team total of 24.

UNI travels to Wichita State for an 8:05 p.m. Missouri Valley Conference game Tuesday that will be televised on ESPNU. The Panthers' 7-0 MVC start also is a school record.

Only Kentucky (18 games) and Texas (17) have longer current win streaks than UNI.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.

Cary-Grove grad AJ Raebel, who begins chemotherapy treatments Monday for testicular cancer, first noticed a problem with his health in March.

That is when Raebel, a two-time all-American linebacker at Wisconsin-Whitewater, discovered a lump on his left testicle.

Detecting a problem is the first step to a quick diagnosis, said Raebel, who is urging young men to perform testicular self-exams.

"There is no reason that you can't check yourself in the shower," Raebel said. "You'll know if something's different."

Numerous Web sites, including the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org, contain step-by-step instructions on self-exams.

And if someone notices a problem during a self-exam, Raebel said the next step should be to call a doctor.

"If you think you have a problem, just get in (to see a doctor)," he said. "Don't make an excuse not to get checked out."

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.