After the first two weeks of the girls basketball season, the calendar has flipped to December, signalling the start of the Little Illini Conference season. The first three league games are on Thursday night, as the race for the regular-season title begins.

The LIC season opens with a bang. Paris and Newton, who last year shared the regular-season title with Mt. Carmel (all with 6-1 records), clash at Newton, while Mt. Carmel, which claimed the in-season tournament crown last season, opens league play on the road at Marshall.  Olney hosts Robinson in the other LIC game. Three more conference games follow next week, on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

Casey-Westfield sports the best non-conference record to date, at 6-1. Next come Newton and Paris, both at 4-1. Mt. Carmel carries the longest winning streaks into the week ahead, with three straight victories after beginning the season at 0-3.

THE WEEK AHEAD
Monday, Dec. 1
Charleston (0-5) at Robinson (1-4), 6:00 p.m.
Mt. Carmel (3-3) at Flora (0-5), 6:00 p.m.
Casey-Westfield (6-1) at Cumberland (2-2), 6:00 p.m.
*** CANCELED Newton (4-1) at Sullivan (3-1), 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 2
Lawrenceville (1-4) at Vincennes Lincoln (3-3), 5:30 p.m.
Marshall (2-1) at Tri-County (4-1), 6:00 p.m.
Paris (4-1) at Fairfield (3-2), 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 4
x-Robinson (1-4) at Olney (3-2), 6:00 p.m.
x-Mt. Carmel (3-3) at Marshall (2-1), 6:00 p.m.
x-Paris (4-1) at Newton (4-1), 6:00 p.m.
Red Hill (2-0) at Lawrenceville (1-4), 6:00 p.m.
Casey-Westfield (6-1) at Altamont (3-2), 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6
Lawrenceville (1-4) at Washington Catholic (1-6), 12 noon
Teutopolis (4-0) at Olney (3-2), 1:00 p.m.
Paris (4-1) at Sullivan, Ind. (2-5), 1:00 p.m.
Mt. Carmel (3-3) at Mt. Vernon (2-2), 2:00 p.m.

All Times CST
Non-Conference records listen in parenthesis
NOTES: The LIC is 24-17 (.585) in non-conference games so far in the young season… Teutopolis is 3-0 vs. LIC teams…