Sports feature: When December arrived with the first lash of winter, Tom Pukstys couldn't help but smile. He was toasty warm, even though he was in a space seemingly as big as all outdoors -- 88,000 square feet of emerald turf and running, hitting and throwing space laid out before him. Bo Jackson's Elite Sports Dome, which officially opened Dec. 13, has a way of untethering athletes in the snow belt.

Boys basketball: Montini opened the week in a big way and it closed it in an equally impressive fashion. The Broncos followed up on winning the Dvorak Invitational by nearly 40 points with a 30-point dual meet victory at Providence on Dec. 27.

Boys basketball: Montini opened the week in a big way and it closed it in an equally impressive fashion. The Broncos followed up on winning the Dvorak Invitational by nearly 40 points with a 30-point dual meet victory at Providence on Dec. 27.

Girls basketball: Michelle Bilek didn't score a point on Dec. 27, but she played a big role in Loyola winning the Suburban Holiday Showcase. With the host Ramblers clinging to a four-point lead, the 5-foot-8-inch senior guard grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds off missed free throws as Loyola held off Montini 53-48 to extend its winning streak to 12 games.