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.

Local roundup: The St. Francis boys basketball team won the Glenbard West Holiday Classic with a 52-47 win over Nazareth on Dec. 26. Clint Pierce scored 27 points, which included seven 3-pointers, to pace St. Francis (7-4). Ryan Ferguson scored 14.

Boys basketball: Plainfield North has displayed a talent for digging deep holes and, just as important, a propensity for being able to climb out of them. This may not be the easiest formula for being undefeated after nine games, but so far it's working.

Boys basketball: Host Wheaton North would never recover from a 16-6 first-quarter deficit as crosstown rival Wheaton Warrenville South cruised to a 53-46 win Dec. 12. North (2-4, 0-2 DuPage Valley Conference) actually jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first minute of play. But that was the only time the Falcons would hold the advantage as the Tigers went on a 14-0 run after that.