Girls 2022-2023 High School Basketball Week 9 Rankings 

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Girls 2022-2023 High School Basketball Week 9 Rankings

(Monday, Jan. 16 games included)

Week 2

Week 4

Week 5

Week 7

Week 8

(Week 8 rankings in parentheses)

1. Nazareth (1) 

Testing themselves to begin the new year, the Roadrunners convincingly defeated Fremd, Naperville North and Batavia consecutively.

2. Fremd (2)

18-2 after a loss to Nazareth and a win vs. Conant. 

3. Alton (3)

Improved to 21-0 with wins over Collinsville, Edwardsville, Triad and Teutopolis, the later in an exciting 58-56. Laila Bakery scored 20 points in the Teutopolis win. 

4. Bolingbrook (4) 

Lost to Mason (OH) 44-43, both losses are out-of-state. Also beat Shaker Heights (OH), Lincoln-Way West and Lincoln-Way East.

5. O’Fallon (9)

Wins vs. Belleville West and Hillsboro.

6. Whitney Young (11)

Defeated Hersey at Benet, as Destiny Jackson and Skylar Jones scored 25 points apiece and Olivia Vick hit timely 3-pointers late. Victories over Lane Tech, Lincoln Park and Evanston.

7. Geneva (6)

Fell at Montini in a thrilling game, then defeated Glenbrook South. Notched wins over St. Charles East and Lake Park. 

8. Lake Zurich (8)

Without Baylie Parks, defeated Glenbrook South in a double overtime thriller at Montini Catholic in the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest. Then played without Parks, and had Avery Cooper sustain an injury in the second quarter of a loss to St. Charles North. Defeated Libertyville and Mundelein during the week. 

9. Kenwood (4)

Big week of matchups, beat Phillips, lost to Loyola Academy and defeated Libertyville in Overtime. 

10. Hersey (10)

Lost to Whitney Young and defeated Elk Grove. 

11. Benet (7)

Fell to Noblesville (IN) as Sam Trimberger scored 22. Had a win over Proviso West. 

12. Maine South (15) 

Winners of 14 straight after beating Carmel, New Trier and Prospect.

13. Lincoln (20)

Kloe Froebe’s ridiculous triple-double of 43 points, 11 rebounds and 11 steals led Lincoln to a 91-54 thrashing of Wheaton North.

Also beat Champaign Central. Puts undefeated, 22-0 mark on the line Saturday vs. Peoria.

14. Libertyville (12)

Led late but couldn’t hold on vs. Kenwood, also lost to Lake Zurich. Defeated Zion-Benton and Stevenson, the latter on an Emily Fisher buzzer-beater. Fisher also became the program’s all-time leading scorer.  

15. Quincy Notre Dame (13)

Defeated Rochester by 10 and Rock Island by 53. 

16. Peoria Notre Dame (18)

Handed Normal its first loss of the season, 49-46. Had a close call vs. Elmwood, 34-31 and bested Winnebago and Dunlap 52-51.

17. St. Ignatius (UR)

Undefeated in the GCAC and had wins this week against Loyola Academy and York. 10 straight wins against Illinois foes. 

18. Montini (19)

Big win at home Coach Kipp Hoopsfest against Geneva, with Victoria Matulevicius scoring the game-winner. Also defeated Marist, Fenwick and Rosary.

 

19. Normal  (14)

Lost its first two games of the season to Peoria Notre Dame and Incarnate Word (MO.) Won over East Moline. 

20. Carmel (16)

Lost to Maine South, defeated Conant, Huntley and Stevenson. 

21. Peoria (21)

Defeated Richwoods and Pattonville (MO.) , has a rubber match with peoria Notre Dame coming up Thursday. 

22. Barrington (22) 

Lone game was a win over Palatine. Has a game at Fremd Tuesday. 

23. Deerfield (23)

Now 17-4  after wins over Maine West, Vernon Hills and Mother McAuley. Play Barrington Wednesday.

24. Loyola Academy (17)

Defeated Kenwood, Northside and Minooka. Fell against Saint Ignatius and Lincoln-Way Central. 

25. Lyons (24)

Handed losses to Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, Downers Grove South and St. Charles East.  

7 Unranked Team Notes:

Naperville North can play with near anyone in the state and has played close games with some of the state’s best.

Glenbrook South impressed me against Lake Zurich and Geneva. 

St. Charles North  has been dealt some heavy losses, but is looking really good night now. 7 straight wins.  

Huntley has been on the fringe of rankings for a while, had a good win this week vs. Lincoln-Way East (67-54).

Stevenson still has a chance to improve its standing among the state’s best within remaining games against Lake Forest, Lake Zurich and Nazareth Academy. 

Trinity has been playing great ball against good teams. Will enter the postseason potentially as the best team in the state with double-digit losses (currently 13-9). 

Marian Catholic is up to 20 wins and has won 13 straight games since losing to Providence Catholic. 

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Illinois Girls Hoops Week 8 Top Performers And Grow The Game Notes 

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Illinois Girls Hoops Week 8 Top Performers And Grow The Game Notes 

Each week, I’ll be highlighting the best team and individual performances from around the state that stood out in girls basketball. It could be a state record, an amazing highlight or anything in between. Last season, I tended to base the top performers on stats from several games over the course of a week. For this season’s individual honorees I’ll be focusing on individual game performances. This will hopefully help me recognize more players and spend less time searching for statistics. 

As far as teams go, I want to highlight squads that upset highly-respected foes, put up absurd statistical performances or set new program records, things of that nature, over the course of the week, which will be focused on results over a week and not just in one game. 

Stats are critical to highlight these players and teams. Get in touch to submit a girls team or player at any point during the 2022-2023 season. You can submit stats to our Twitter, @ILL_HS_Hoops and @ill_hoop_scoops. I can also be reached at KalebCarter4256@gmail.com or on Twitter @Kaleb_M_Carter. 

Editor’s note: Not every submission is included in the top performers. Choices made at KC’s discretion. Games eligible to be considered for top performers were played Jan. 2-8

Grow The Game Shootout Notes 

I attended the concluding day of the Grow The game Shootout at North Central College in Naperville. I saw Stevenson-Evanston, Barrington-Montini Catholic, Alton-Hersey, Maine West-Lake Forest and Highland Park-University High.

No team was more impressive Saturday than the undefeated, 18-0 Alton Redbirds in a 63-50 win over Hersey. 

The Redbirds led by as much 19, withstood a run where the Huskies cut it to 7 in the third quarter , and looked consistent at every spot on the floor. 

“The goal was to stay disciplined, make sure we stay mentally here, don’t take mental breaks on (defense), communication, talk just play the best we had,” sophomore forward Jarius Powers said. 

The big, likely future D1 forward scored 18 points. She muscled up buckets, established good inside position for timely buckets and scored when it was most critical. Double-doubles are common occurrences for Powers, who was averaging 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game through 15 games. Proctor (12.8) and Lewis (10.8) were also averaging double-digit scoring figures. 

“The attitude I approach (with) is you know you can depend on me to come through in the clutch in big games and I’m not going to disappoint you,” Powers said. “I love my teammates to death and I think they’ve got the trust in me in big games when we’re close to give me the ball.”

Sophomore point guard Kiyoko Proctor scored 15 points in the win over Hersey and led Alton’s relentless defense with 9 steals, and distributed 5 assists. She looked beyond her years in terms of composure and getting the Redbirds into their offense. 

Alyssa Lewis (2024), while often a scorer, uses her athleticism to lock up opponents. 

Laila Blakeny (2023) and Kaylea Lacey (2026), the latter already a physical match or superior physically to her elder peers, played well Saturday too. 

Talia Norman (2025) provides a great deal of size off the bench for the Redbirds.

With the absence of Megan Mrowicki for the Huskies, Natalie Alesia (2023) has had to step up and scored 20 points in earning POTG honors.

Some Takeaways

-Stevenson’s a much-improved team from what I can tell. Kate Arne (2024) has had to pick up more slack. The young guards are better. Emory Klatt (2024) reached 1,000 career points in the game. 

-Having watched Montini twice, they’re one of the more enjoyable teams to watch on both sides of the ball and you expect players to make the smart play.

-Barrington has to find more ways to get out and run. Also in half-court, keep getting touches for Molly O’Riordan (2024). Adaobe Ibe’s (2024) role seems to be growing.

-As a 2A squad, University High is going to have the potential to make another postseason run due to its size and athleticism. 

-Highland Park has a ton of size. They were able to get some good high-low looks that made a difference. 

-Start making more perimeter shots and Maine West may surprise some teams down the stretch. 

-Lake Forest’s Rachel Kaus (2023) does so much, it’s hard to keep up. Her court-vision and movement without the ball separate her from many good bigs. She’ll be a great addition to Cornell, which has Maine South 2022 grad Emily Page already succeeding. 

Here are the players who I most enjoyed watching on the floor at North Central College. 

I did this in a Twitter post recently about the Morton College tourney, so going to include this tidbit.

Stevenson – Kate Arne (2023) (Improved offensively)

Evanston – Ciara Gentile (2023)  (Defensive deterrer )

Barrington – Gwen Adler (Is everywhere all at once)

Montini – Victoria Matulevicius (2024) (high-volume scoring capabilities)

Hersey – Natalie Alesia (2023) (Picking up more responsibility)

Alton – Kiyoko Proctor (2025) (Young, skilled, feisty and in control)

Highland Park – McKenzie Reitmayer (2024) (Skilled in a number of ways)

University – Kari Merriweather  (Spark plug with super athleticism)

Lake Forest – Bella Ranallo (Highly skilled, great insticts, can tell she’s a multi-sport athlete just from watching)

Maine West – Aya Deiri (Athletic, defends, attacking on offense and plays with intensity)

Notable Week 8 Team Performances

PORTA

Incredible week with a win over previously-unbeaten Fieldcrest, 48-38. Also beat Beardstown and Havana. Was 17-0 after the week.

Byron

Macy Groharing scored 27 points in a 72-56 win over Morrison. The Tigers also defeated Rock Falls 54-44 and sit at 15-2 and unbeaten in the Big Northern.  

Stevenson


Kate Arne scored 24 vs. Hampshire. Emory Klatt also reached 1,000 career points in the Evanston win.

Sycamore

Pulled out single-digit wins over conference foes Ottawa, 46-43 and LaSalle-Peru, 58-54. 

Chester 

Won the Lady Jacket Midwinter Classic tournament with a 32-27 win over Marissa/Coulterville. Camrynn Howie was tournament MVP. Also beat Dupo and New Athens.

Lincoln

Defeated Pleasant Plains and Mahomet-Seymour by 24 and 25 points, respectively.

Parkview Christian Academy

Defeated Heritage Christian of Indiana 46-33 to improve to 16-0. Grace Lambes is averaging 17.7 points per game and Liz Griswold is contributing 16.6 points. 

Mater Dei (Breese)

Wins over Althoff Catholic, 39-35 and Benton, 43-31, have the Knights at 13-3. 

Hillsboro 

Had a 5-game win streak going at the end of last week after Riverton, Vandalia and Southwestern, allowing an average of 29.7 points during the week. 

Teutopolis 

Nabbed close wins over Mattoon, 60-57, and Rochester, 47-43. Record improve to 14-2 after the pair of wins. 

Amboy 

Wins over Somonauk-Leland, Polo and Aquin Catholic. 

Notable Week 8 Individual Performances

Janae Kent, Oak Forest, Sr. 

30 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals in a 58-42 win over Tinley Park. 

Heidi Rathmann, Antioch, Fr. 

Put up 28 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals and 2 blocks in a 58-51 victory vs. Wauconda. 

Trinity Jones, Naperville Central, Fr.

Totaled 29 points, 10 rebonds, 8 blocks and 4 steals as the Redhawks beat Plainfield Central 56-49. 

Abbey Schreacke, Quincy Notre Dame, Sr. 

 Scored 34 points as her team defeated 1A power Okawville 61-54.

Alayna Kraus, Okawville, Jr.

Had 24 points, 4 3-pointers, 3 assists in loss to QND.

Lauren Miller, Central/Southeastern

Scored 27 in a 50-39 win over  Lewistown. Her team is now 15-2 as of Sunday. 

Aaliyah Guyton, Peoria, Jr. 

Totaled 28 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 6 steals in a win over Champaign Central. 

Lexi Sepulveda, Plainfield East, Jr.


Posted 32 points in a 70-64 victory vs. Plainfield North. 

Makenna Yeager, Glenwood, Jr. 

Scored 25 in a win over Eisenhower. 

Sophia Remmel, Dunlap, Sr. 

Tallied 17 points 6 rebounds and 4 assists in a 59-38 win over Morton. 

Page Erickson, Central (Burlington), Sr. 

In a win vs. Cary-Grove, had 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. 

Aubrey Galvan, Deerfield, So. 

Totaled 22 points 12 steals and 6 assists in a win over Marist. 

Elise Ward, Marist, Sr. 

In same game as Galvan’s performance, the lengthy forward put up 29 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists. 

Catey Carney, Glenbard East, Jr. 

Had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals vs. Elgin.

Maeve Hassett, Oak Lawn, Jr. 

Knocked down 9 3-pointers and scored 34 points vs. Eisenhower.

Bella Kedryna, Lemont, Sr.

Had 30 in a 37-30 win over Argo.

Iyanah Crosby, Richards, Jr.

Scored 30 as her team beat De La Salle 60-43

Payton Toussaint, Johnsburg, Sr.

Had 22 points, 7 3-pointers in a 52-27 win over North Boone.

Amelie Flowers, Hinsdale South, Jr. 

Totaled 23 points, 8 rebounds in a tight, 43-40 victory against Glenbard South.


Sophia Loden, Mascoutah, Sr.

Scored 23 points and had 18 rebounds in a win over Civic Memorial.

Tessa Crawford, Jerseyville, Jr.

20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals, 5 assists vs. Carrollton. 

Grace Wilke, Highland, Sr.

Had 24 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists in a win over Waterloo.


Abby Compton, Goreville, Jr.

Tallied 23 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists in a win over Johnston City. 

Girls 2022-2023 High School Basketball Week 8 Rankings

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Girls 2022-2023 High School Basketball Week 8 Rankings 

After one week of play in the calendar year, we head toward a grueling stretch of conference games for many of the state’s best teams. 

Previous rankings: 

Week 2

Week 4

Week 5

Week 7

(Week 7 rankings in orange parentheses)

1. Nazareth Academy (1)

Defeated conference foe Benet and still has not lost to an in-state foe. The zone defense the Roadrunners employ can slow any of the state’s best offenses. Mary Bridget Wilson’s defense, tenacity and heads-up play make a huge impact that stats just cannot tell clear enough. 

They host No. 2 Fremd on Monday.

2. Fremd (2)

Only played Palatine this week and won comfortably. 

An exciting matchup set for Monday at Nazareth. 

3. Alton (6)

Having finally seen the Redbirds in-person, I was blown away by how capable every player the floor was for Alton at all times in a 63-50 win over Hersey at the Grow The Game To. Kiyoko Proctor was in control. Alyssa Lewis, Kaylea Lacey and Laila Blakeny had their moments.  Jarius Powers took over late. 

17-0.

4. Kenwood (3)

Kenwood didn’t do anything to make the fall down a spot, I was just that impressed with Alton that I felt the Redbrds needed to make the leap from No. 6. Love that the Broncoso are challenging themselves with out-of-state competition. 

5. Bolingbrook (4)

Took care of Homewood-Flossmoor by 24. 

6. Geneva (5)

Vikings have won their last 9 games. We may be looking at a second consecutive unbeaten conference season for Geneva in the DuKane. Big test next week for them against Montini. 

7. Benet (7)

Lost to Nazareth, fell behind 12 early and never was able to pull back even. In unfamiliar territory after losing three straight, albeit to 3 of what I would say are the top 30 teams in the state, including the top 2 teams. 

8. Lake Zurich (8)

Last game was 12-30 win over Deerfield.

9. O’Fallon (10)

3 wins last week. 

10. Hersey (9)

Tried to battle back after falling down 19 points vs. Alton, cut it to 6 and ultimately fell. Also had a comeback win over Prospect. 

11. Whitney Young (11)

Last game was  Dec. 30 lloss to Nazareth.

12.  Libertyville (12)

A lot of downtime for the Wildcats over the holidays. Will have some big challenges coming up. Within the next two weeks, will play Lake Zurich, Stevenson and Kenwood consecutively. 

13. Quincy Notre Dame (13)

Beat Okawville 61-54 in a small-school matchup that I love to see being played. Missouri-commit Abbey Schreacke scored 34 in the game. 

14. Normal (14)

Defeated Bloomington and Moline to move to 18-0. 

15. Maine South (15)

Avenged an earlier loss to Evanston. 

16. Carmel (17)

Knocked off Marist 57-40. 

17. Loyola Academy (18)

Big conference road game at St. Ignatius this week. Defeated Trinity and Sandburg. 

18. Peoria Notre Dame (19)

Beat Danville 80-4.

19. Montini (22)

Nabbed a good win over Barrington after splitting a pair of gams out in Arizona. 

20. Lincoln (20)

Now a state-best 20-0 after beating a strong Mahomet-Seymour team 46-21. 

21. Peoria (21)

Have won 10 straight games. 

22. Barrington (16)

Beat Hoffman Estates, fell to Montini. 

23. Deerfield (24)

Put up 73 on Marist on Friday. Aubrey Galvan Had 22 points and 12 steals. 

24. Lyons (23)

Beat Trinity and TF North, lost to Norcross (Georgia)

25. Stevenson (UR)

Guard play has been getting better and Kate Arne has developed offensively. Stevenson re-enters the rankings. 

Teams On The Fringe 

 

York

Huntley 

Naperville North 

Lake Forest 

Hononegah

Glenbrook South 

Butler College Prep

Okawville

Marian Catholic

St. Ignatius

Illinois Girls Hoops Week 6 & 7 Top Performers and State Farm Classic Notes 

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Each week, I’ll be highlighting the best team and individual performances from around the state that stood out in girls basketball. It could be a state record, an amazing highlight or anything in between. Last season, I tended to base the top performers on stats from several games over the course of a week. For this season’s individual honorees I’ll be focusing on individual game performances. This will hopefully help me recognize more players and spend less time searching for statistics. 

As far as teams go, I want to highlight squads that upset highly-respected foes, put up absurd statistical performances or set new program records, things of that nature, over the course of the week, which will be focused on results over a week and not just in one game. 

Stats are critical to highlight these players and teams. Get in touch to submit a girls team or player at any point during the 2022-2023 season. You can submit stats to our Twitter, @ILL_HS_Hoops and @ill_hoop_scoops. I can also be reached at KalebCarter4256@gmail.com or on Twitter @Kaleb_M_Carter. 

Editor’s note: Not every submission is included in the top performers. Choices made at KC’s discretion. Games eligible to be considered for top performers were played Dec. 19-Jan. 1.

State Farm Holiday Classic Notes 

(Games I watched in-part or full)

Washington vs. Bloomington (Tuesday)

Against Bloomington, I watched Bradley-signee Claire McDougall be just relentless in man-to-man defense.

Was quite impressed with some of the passing I saw from Carly Vaughn, and tough rebounding around the bucket from Addie Kimler. 

Katie Barger looked like the best athlete on the floor for the Raiders. She had a game-high 18. 

https://twitter.com/StaabAlex/status/1607799388016984069

Brimfield vs. El Paso-Gridley (Tuesday)

Brimfield moves the ball very well. Ava Heinz is leading the way and her team is  doing just fine in Year 1 under coach Josh McKown. 


Adam Duvall, who does as good a job covering girls basketball as near any preps reporter in Illinois does, wrote this about Brimfield  recently. 

Rock Falls Bloomington Central Catholic (Tuesday) 

BCC made good decisions offensively and kept Rock Falls off balance with a zone press. Big senior forward Elyssa Stenger impressed in her time, and sophomore wing Lauren Emm (instant offense with steals) made big plays on both ends of the floor in the second quarter to help BCC go up. 

Rock Falls responded and between senior forward Emily Lego and junior forward Emily Bickett, Rock Falls was hard to slow down low. 


Senior guard Brooke Howard kept finding ways to make timely plays and hit a huge 3-pointer in the 4th for a Rock Falls lead, and the Rockets won 47-44. 

On another note, Daniel Herrera is probably the most vocal and animated coach I’ve seen in Illinois in a while. 

Kankakee vs. Normal West (Wednesday)

In a short stretch in the second quarter, Nikkel Johnson made some nice plays at the rim, scoring through contact and dishing off an assist to the other block.

Kankakee sited a young lineup between sophomores Taleah Turner, Benkwasha Stroud and some juniors. Freshman Morgan Baptist showcased flashes of knowing how to use her 6-0 frame. 

Normal West senior guard Emily Kobel maintained control with then ball in her hands. She utilized the ball screens of  teammate Olivia Patton and Annika Wertheim sto get downhill and to the rim, finishing well. 

Normal West took a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter and won. 

Paris vs. Rockford Lutheran 

Paris is a team that knows how to move the ball against a zone defense. They don’t catch and wait, they anticipate rotating defenders and find the open player. One example that comes to mind was in the second quarter, as Lutheran continued to try and trap the Tigers, but they just kept making good passes before the second defender in the double team could come. Sophomore Taylor Clark cut opposite to the near right block and took a pass and laid it in fora 20-14 Paris advantage. I saw Kendra Young make a similarly intelligent cut soon after for another Tigers layup. 

Senior Tigers forward Deming Hawkins’ wisdom shows up on the court by how she moves away from the ball, and it leads to productive plays own the offensive end. 

Paris used a huge second quarter to take to a 33-17 halftime advantage after what was a hotly-contested first quarter. 

Notable Week 6 & 7 Team Performances

Geneva 

At the Morton College Christmas Tournament, gave Fremd its first, loss, avenging an earlier loss, as well as avenging a loss in the championship game of the same tournament last year. 

Mahomet-Seymour 

Claimed the Mattoon tourney title with a win over Galesburg, with Savannah Orgeron taking MVP honors. 

Tuscola

In a neutral court game at Monticello, came back to defeated previously-undefeated Neoga, a team that had beaten Tuscola twice last season, including ending their run in the postseason. Moved to 15-0, beating Clinton for the Monticello tourney title. 

Lincoln-Way East

Now 14-3, defeated Sandburg 53-52 to win Sandburg’s tourney. Hayven Smith was tourney MVP.

Boylan Catholic 

Maggie Schmidt averaged 13.5 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4.75 steals, had a 17-point, 11-rebound, 10-steal, 7-assist game and teammate Lily Esparza won tourney MVP honors at the Reindeer Games as BC went 4-0. 

Maine South 

Won the Komromy tournament, besting Barrington in the finals, led by Meegan Fahy’s 19 points 6 rebounds and 5 steals per game. 


Saint Ignatius 

Won four games to take Saint Viator’s Blenner Classic as Ada Taute led the tournament in scoring with 79 points over 4 games, including 28 in the semis and 25 in the final.

Central/Southeastern

Won the small school girls title at the State Farm Classic, besting previously-undefeated Paris, 36-32. Also defeated defending state champion Brimfield, Sacred Heart-Griffin and Bishop McNamara. 

Alton 

Still undefeated, beat Okawville and O’Fallon to win Mascoutah’s tournament. 

Brown County 

Winners of 10 straight and led by the Flynn sisters (Kate and Klare) the Hornets won the Beardstown tourney, giving Havana only its second loss in winning the title.

Marian Catholic 

Wins over Butler College Prep, Orr, TF South and Thornton last week. Won the Hillcrest Holiday Classic. Madison Davis had 27 in the finals and was MVP. 

Lena-Winslow

Earned the Erie Christmas Tournament crown by beating Monmouth-Roseville, Wethersfield, Morrison and Orion. 

Nazareth 

Won the Montini tourney, led by a balanced act, as Grace Carstensen, Danielle Scully, Amalia Dray and Stella Skalds each averaged 10+ points per game. 

Normal

Undefeated. Beat Washington a second tome this season, this time 47-32, to win the large school bracket of the State Farm Holiday Classic. 

Peoria

Handed Peoria Notre Dame its first loss in winning the Peoria Manuel tourney.



Elmwood 

Improved to 14-3 by winning the Princeville Holiday Tournament. 

Willows Academy 

A 1A team, won its home tournament after beating 4A squads Hoffman Estates and Wheeling. 

Notable Week 6 & 7 Individual Performances

Zara Engledow, Marshall, So.

22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists in a win over Dietrich. 

Taylor Smith, Belleville East, So. 

Scored 30 in a loss to East St. Louis.

Annalise Pietrzyk, Providence Catholic, Sr. 

Scored a career-high 37  in win over Downers Grove South. 

Emory Klatt, Stevenson, Jr. 

Scored a career-high 33 points and plucked 17 rebounds from the air in a win over Naperville Central. 

Lenee Beaumont, Benet, Sr. 

Beaumont scored 20 with 14 rebounds and 7 assists in heeling her team hold off York. 

Taylor Keirs, North MacArthur, So. 


Scored 24 in win over TCSV. 

Audrey Sabol, Nokomis, Sr. 

Had 31 points in a 52-27 victory vs. Lincolnwood. 

Shelby Veltrop, Morrison, Sr.

24 points on 8 of 11 shooting, 17 rebounds, 14 blocks, 3 assists in a win over Kewanee-Wethersfield. 

Nora Leadstrom, DePaul College Prep, Sr. 

23 points, 16 rebounds vs. Latin. 

Kam Porter, De La Salle, Jr.

Had 28 points as De La Salle defeated Latin. 

Roya Smith, Latin, So. 

23 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steal and 4 assists in loss to De La Salle. 

Gwen Adler, Barrington, Jr. 

 

22 points, 20 rebounds as her squad defeated Hononegah. 

Olivia Kerndt, Deerfield, Sr.

Tallied 26 points in a win over Joliet West. 

Apple Guerrero, Argo, Sr. 

32 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists in win  vs. Richards. 

Josie Canellis, Sandburg, Sr. 

Scored 22 and reached 1,000 points for her career as the Eagles thumped Oswego East.

Bella Austin, Vandalia, So. 

Scored 28 in a game and 75 at the Winterfest Holiday tourney. 

Grace Cord, Lake Park, Sr.

29 points, 18 rebounds as her team beat South Elgin

Peyton Gerdes, Grayslake North, Sr.

How about a triple-double of 37 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks vs. Amundsen. 

Denali Craig-Edwards, Peoria, Sr. 

25 points, 15 rebound in a win for the future Western Michigan Bronco. 

Kylee Norkus, Neuqua Valley, Jr.

Posted 28 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 blocks and 2 assists in a game. 

Rachel Zacks, New Trier, Sr. 

Scored 24 in a win vs. Maine West. 

Madi Dolecki, Schaumburg, Jr.

Totaled 20 points, 9 rebounds in victory over Waubonsie Valley. 

Morton College Christmas Tournament Notebook: Geneva Gets MVP Performance From Arni

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Morton College Christmas Tournament Notebook: Geneva Gets MVP Performance From Arni

The second consecutive year of the Morton College Christmas Tournament did not disappoint me in my expectation of seeing competitive basketball played at a high level.

For the second consecutive season I saw big games that went down to the wire and have plenty to write about after the fact. 


In a first, I covered  high school games with a shot clock. 

Hersey 56, Batavia 52

No Meghan Mrowicki (2023) for Hersey caused some problems for the Huskies, which dropped two games in the competitive tournament after the Huskies had won 14 straight. 

That said, Katy Eidle (2023) dropped a big 32 points in a win over the Bulldogs, who came with a lot of bite to the tournament.

I caught the fourth quarter of this one and boy am I glad I got there for the end.

The Huskies entered the fourth ahead 48-39. Batavia responded with a 7-0 run keyed by energy from emerging guard Addie Prewitt (2025), who did have some turnover issues Friday. Batavia and Hersey combined for 40 turnovers on what was each team’s fourth game in as many days. Alexa Schorr sank a corner 3 to pull the Bulldogs within 2. 

Prewitt put the Bulldogs up 51-50 on a tough bucket through contact and made the free throw.
A dagger of a corner 3-pointer from Katy Eidle with 1:05 left put Hersey back on top ad Annika Manthy slammed the door shut with an and-1 layup with 16 seconds to go. 

Brooke Carlson(2024) scored 27, had 6 rebounds, 6 steals, 3 assists and 2 blocks. The Bulldogs are succeeding in a year of transition as a much smaller team than years past considering Tessa Towers isn’t manning the front court for Batavia. 

Kelsey Neary, one of the state’s top assists leaders, assisted on 10 Hersey buckets.

Evanston 64, Sycamore 46

Since moving to Illinois, this is the fifth season of basketball I’ve covered, and only in the covid-shortened 2020 season that was played entirely in Feb/March 2021, did I not see Sycamore play. 

I used to cover the Spartans for the DeKalb Daily Chronicle and have seen them play a lot of good basketball. A handful of Division I caliber players have competed for the Spartans in recent years.

Evanston got going right away, erasing any early questions about inconsistent offensive play they’ve exhibited from time to time this season.

Zuri Ransom (2023) showed off the type of off-the-dribble pull-up game that should have more college coaches come calling. Unless I’m missing something, she’s not getting the attention her game should command.

The Wldkits’ 6-4 forward Ciara Gentile (2023) has been impacting games all season with her length, and caused a few problems, blocking 5 shots vs. a smaller Sycamore team that does boast Western Michigan commit Evyn Carrier. Carrier went on to sustain an ankle injury in the third quarter that ket her out the rest of the game. 

Monroe McGee (2024) and Lexi Carlsen (2024) showcased Sycamore’s capable backcourt, combining for 22 points, but were outmatched by strong games from Ransom and Evanston’s much-improved Kailey Starks (2024) and Arianna Milam-Pryor (2024)

Starks, who has been doing a bit of everything statically as of late for the Wildkits, tied Ransom with a game-high 17 points, and had 8 rebounds and 5 steaks.

Lake Zurich 46, Deerfield 41

Any time I take a look at stats for Lake Zurich, I see someone else stepping up. The Bears are winning simple, relatively low-scoring basketball games, just the way coach Chris Bennett likes it. 

Seemingly always under control and making strong decisions is Baylie Parks (2023)

“We have a lot of balanced scorers,” Parks said. We play team basketball. We do a really good job. It’s almost a different high-scorer every game.”

Nikki Kerstein (2025) scored 8 first-quarter points, and Aubrey Galvan heated up in the second quarter, scoring 11 points by half as Deerfield led 21-20. Deerfield even led 27-20 in the third. 

But the Bears’ defense, as it tends to do, locked in. Parks hit a 3-pointer that gave LZ a 32-30 lead. Different players continued to make plays. A Layne Nordstrom (2026) shot-fake and floater. A Molly Friesen (2025) jumper. Anna Gilbertson (2024) pushed through contact for a make. 

Vermont commit Lexi Kerstein (2023) was uncharacteristically quiet before sinking a go-ahead triple with 1:27 left for a 41-40 Warriors lead.

But 6-2, athletic forward forward Avery Cooper (2025) owned the boards and combined with Parks to sink 6 free throws over the final stretch to clinch the dub. Parks and Cooper each scored 11 apiece. 

“She’s a real good player now,” Parks said of Cooper. “I know she’s going to be a beast. She’s only a sophomore. I really like playing with her.”

The Warriors executed several offensive play calls down the stretch to get looks they wanted, but couldn’t get them to go. 

Galvan scored 17 and Nikki Kerstein contributed 12 points. 

The Bears have the type of experience in Brooke Wahlund and Parks to feel confident about making a postseason run, but the type of underclassmen talent they have makes them truly a team to be excited about. 

Naperville North 47, Benet Academy 43

Naperville North came into Cicero and made a bold statement: Watch us. 

That’s my perspective of the matter at least. The Huskies, were led on this day from a big effort on both ends of the floor from Abby Homan (2023, had 13 points) and scoring outputs of 15 apiece from Abby Drendel (2023) and Peyton Fender (2023). 


With fellow senior Layla Henderson making plays and contributing, the experienced squad overcame a halftime deficit with a big third quarter and early 4th quarter run.

When all was said and done, Naperville North had held  Indiana-bound Lenee Beaumont (2023) to 11 points. North came out of the tourney with a 4-point loss to champs Geneva, and wins over Mother McAuley, Hersey and Benet, three teams that have spent lots of time this season in the Illinois-Basketball.com rankings. 

Geneva 50, Fremd 42

Fo large swaths of the game, both teams struggled to convert shooting, but Geneva repeatedly got to the charity stripe. 

There, they put on a clinical free throw shooting display (28 of 36) in a win avenging a loss in the same event’s championship game a season ago. Considering Fremd had also beaten Geneva by 10 earlier this season, it was a huge victory for Geneva. 

“They’re a good, strong, big, physical team,” Arni said. “We knew came in here and knew it was going to be aggressive. We just had to be be prepared and I think all of our players knew that.

Tournament MVP Cassidy Arni (2023, a Wisconsin-Parkside commit) scored 17, pulled down rebounds and blocked shots. Arni and Lauren Slagle (a 6-2, 2023 forward committed to Grand Valley State) had to have blocked at least 10 shots 

“They played hard, they pounded us on the boards and they got to the free throw line,” Fremd coach Dave Yates said. 

Arni hit big free throws, a huge 3-pointer that banked off the glass to end the third quarter, and defense plays throughout he game, which did not slow in the fourth quarter. 

“She (Arni) had the big task of guarding Todd and she did a nice job on her and she had 29 against us the first time we played and we knew we had to limit her,” Geneva coach Sarah Meadows said. “She’s going to score, but we didn’t want to give up 29.”

Rilee Hasegawa (2023) also had a stretch in which she sank an important 3-pointer, grabbed a defensive rebound on the other end, with lead to her feeding Arni for an open layup and a 7-point Geneva lead in the fourth. 

“Those were huge, she reads me so well,” Arni said. I’ve played with her since we were little. She feeds me, she sees all the little cracks that are open.”

Ellie Thompson (2025),  Maddy Fay, (2023 NIU commit)) Kace Urlacher (2023, IUPUI commit)) and Todd all made their contributions on the offensive end, but Geneva kept all of them from getting into a sustained groove. Thompson did get into a hot streak in the second quarter, but was shut out after that. 

Having seen Fremd twice this year, I am of the opinion that the team is a bonafide 4A title favorite.

But I’m of the mind that Geneva also stands a good shot of making a run to Redbird Arena. I wasn’t sure where I stood on the mater before, but I do now. Geneva found a way to win in a high-pressure environment while it did not shoot the ball well from the floor. That spells a serious contender. 

Girls 2022-2023 High School Basketball Week 7 Rankings

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Girls 2022-2023 High School Basketball Week 7 Rankings

Happy New Year all! This week’s edition of the girls basketball rankings, the first of 2023 mean were through 7 weeks of games this season on the girls side. 

Where do teams across Illinois stand?

Previous rankings: 

Week 2

Week 4

Week 5

(Week 5 rankings in orange parentheses)

1. Nazareth (1)

Won Montini’s tournament, grabbed a notable win over Whitney Young in the final. Grace Carstensen and Danielle Scully excel in win over WY and Olivia Austin hits the winner. 

2. Fremd (2)

It didn’t make much sense to me to move Fremd down without moving Geneva up past Bolingbrook and Kenwood.  And seeing as how Fremd and Geneva have split their two games this season, and I’ve seen both of them play, I’m confident Fremd has the better all-around team. However, this is a good reminder that the 4A field is not a shoe-in title run for anyone. I would be ecstatic to see them play Geneva in the postseason. 

3. Kenwood (5). 

Lost to a good West Bloomfield team from Michigan by 3. The more time passes, the more I’d like to see a Kenwood-Bolingbrook matchup. 

4. Bolingbrook (6)

I’ve actually been struggling a bit to find info on Bolingbrook this season. I’m a bit too reliant on social media, but that’s sort of how it is when trying to keep tabs on so many teams. Bolingbrook is playing out of state a lot too, and playing good competition. As they begin to take on some better Illinis teams, I’ll have a better grasp of where they’re at (hopefully!) Bolingbrook was supposed to play in Tampa for a holiday tourney, but had their flight canceled.

5. Geneva 

Given the circumstances, it might be fair to describe Geneva’s Morton College Christmas Tournament title game win over Fremd as the best victory for any team in the state this season.  Cassidy Arni is tough as nails and makes winning plays. 

6. Alton (13)

I finally got to see Alton play (via NFHS stream) and all it took to reach 15-0 was a victory over undefeated Okawville and a second win this season over O’Fallon. It was a frantic finish for O’Fallon and Alton barely held on, but it feels necessary to recognize Altons ascendence and reward them with their top spot they’ve achieved in these rankings. 

7. Benet (4)

Even the state’s best players have down games. Naperville North was able to slow Lenee Beaumont and Benet dropped two games at the Mortoon tourney, one of them to Fremd. 

8. Lake Zurich (9)

All three of the Bears’ losses are to teams ranked higher than them, and Lake Zurich looks completely capable of beating ANYONE in the state.

9. Hersey (3)

Now 15-3 even after losing two games at Morton College. Beat Sycamore and Batavia at the tourney.

10. O’Fallon (14)

Defeated a very good Vashon (MO.) squad to reach title game of Mascoutah tourney, 

 

11. Whitney Young (15)

Made a run to the championship game of Montini’s tourney, came back from 19 down to tie the state’s top-ranked team, but fell in the end. Great wins over York and Lyons. 

12. Libertyville (17)

Winners of 13 straight. They’re scorching! 

13. Quincy Notre Dame (16)

Still winning. Beat Cardinal Ritter College Prep (MO.) and has a game with Okawville coming up Saturday. 

14. Normal 

Defeated Washington a second time this season to win the large school girls bracket of the State Farm Holiday Classic. Beat Carmel Catholic. Un-de-fea-ted.

15. Maine South (UR)

This young team is on the rise in a big way. 

Held off Barrington to win Dundee-Crown’s Komromy Tournament. Also smashed Huntley, a borderline top 25 team, by 34. Between Meegan Fahy, Ava Blagojevich, Katie Barker, Ally Pape and crew, this Hawks bunch has the potential to do something special. 

16. Barrington (11)

Fell to Maine South in the Komromy tournament. Had to come back from big deficits vs. Stevenson and Maine South, did so for the former, came up just short vs. the latter. 

17. Carmel (10)

Took third at the State Farm Holiday Classic.

18. Loyola (18)

The defensive, low-scoring style continues to lend itself to wins, we’ll see how upcoming conference and invitational games work out. 

19. Peoria Notre Dame (12)

Fell to Peoria in overtime to lose the Manuel tourney championship, but also holds a win over Peoria this season.

20. Lincoln (24)

Who has beaten the Railers? No one. Beat undefeated 2A Dixon this past week. It’s still a few weeks out, but a game with Peoria on Jan. 21 stands out as a must-see.

 

 

21. Peoria (23)

Knocked off Peoria Notre Dame, though not without some controversy. Aaliyah Guyton and Denali Craig Edwards are a truly special duo. 

22. Montini (19)

A 14-point win over Lyons Township is no small thing. Broncos have won 5 of last 6. 

23. Lyons Township 

Their 3 losses are to 2 teams (Benet and Whitney Young) that have been ranked all season, and to Montini, which has been surging as of late. 

24. Deerfield (21)

Talk about a team that will be battle-tested come the postseason. Notched a big win over Hersey at Morton College. 

25. York

Their 4 losses are to teams that have been ranked in the top 25 all season, none by more than 10 points. Played Whitney Young close at Montini, then bested Neuqua Valley and St. Charles East. 

Teams on the fringe

Naperville North 

LWW

Lake Forest 

Hononegah

Huntley 

Stevenson

Glenbrook South 

Marian Catholic

Butler College Prep

St. Ignatius 

Lincoln-Way East

Okawville

Illinois Boys Hoops: Weeks 3 & 4 Top Performers

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Illinois Boys Hoops: Weeks 3 & 4 Top Performers

By Kaleb Carter

We’ll be highlighting individual performances from around the state that stood out. We’ve been mostly doing it in girls basketball so far, but wanted to get some boys players recognized. It could be a record, an amazing highlight or anything in between. We’ll be focusing on individual game performances. This will hopefully help us recognize more players and spend less time searching for statistics. 

Stats are critical to highlight these players and teams. Get in touch to submit player at any point during the 2022-2023 season. You can submit stats to our Twitter, @ILL_HS_Hoops and @ill_hoop_scores. You can reach the writer on Twitter, @Kaleb_M_Carter. Site editor and publisher Jakub Rudnik is on Twitter at @jakubrudnik. 

Editor’s note: Not every submission is included in the top performers. Choices made at our discretion. Games eligible to be considered for top performers were played Dec. 5-18. 

Morez Johnson, St. Rita, Jr.

Scored 25 in a win over St. Laurence.

Josh Pickett, West Aurora, Jr. 

Had 29 points and drilled 6 3-pointers in a 77-67 victory over Plainfield North. 

Ian Brown, New Trier, Jr. 

Hit 12 3-pointers in a win over Rolling Meadows for all 36 of his points.

Brayden Sailing, Williamsville, So. 

Scored all 21 of his points from beyond the 3-point arc and grabbed 6 rebounds vs. Tai-City. 

JaiQuan Holman, Lanphier, So.

31 point, 4 3-pointers and 7 rebounds vs. Springfield Southeast. 

Seth Doss, Springfield Southeast, Sr.

Had 31 points, 16 rebounds and 3 steals against Lanphier. 

Yaris Irby, Niles North, So.

Netted 38 points in win over rival Niles West. 

Eman Hodzic, MCC College Prep, Jr. 

26 points, 20 rebounds, 5 blocks against Hinsdale Adventist. 

Korbin Gann, Pecatonica, Sr. 

Had 18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in a Pecatonica win over Scales Mound, only the second victory for an Illinois team over Scales Mound in the last two seasons. 

Ikee Brooks, Hansberry College Prep, So. 

Scored 12 points, had 15 assists, 7 rebounds and 7 steals in a win over Holder. 

Dylan Murphy, Columbia, Sr. 

A St. Leo (Florida) commit, scored 31 points 12 of 21 shooting and hit 7 3-pointers in a win over Salem. 

Luke Kincade, Neuqua Valley, Jr. 

44 points, 11 rebounds in a win over Yorkville Christian.

David Douglas Jr, Yorkville Christian, Sr. 

In the same game Kincade scored 44, Douglas had 41. 

Isaiah Cortez, Chicago Academy, Jr. 

Had 46 points as Chicago Academy beat Intrinsic 64-40. 

Camden Cerese, Lake Park, Jr. 

Scored 40 points on 15 of 24 shooting and 6 steals vs. Wheaton North.

Roderic Gatewood, Merdian, Sr. 

Totaled a new school-record 48 points in a 94-78 win over Goreville. 

Grady Thompson, Princeton, Sr. 

Scored 23 on the same night he reached 1,000 points in a dominant win over Rochelle. He also scored 36 in a win over Hall. 

Jelani Crawford, Alcott/Devry, Jr. 

Scored 44 vs. Roosevelt. 

Gianni Cobb, Perspectives, Jr. 

Had 23 points, 11 assists in a win over Butler.

Jackson Provost, Bishop McNamara, Sr. 

26 points,4 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks in a 69-68 win over Timothy Christian. 

Macaleab Rich, East St. Louis, Sr. 

The had 29 points, 18 rebounds and 4 steals in a close win over Hillcrest.

Hasan Hasan, Lombard College Prep, Jr. 

Totaled 26 points, 9 rebounds in victory vs. Yeshiva.

Dylan Bazzell,  Prairie Central, Sr. 

Career-high 33 points in thrilling 96-87 win over Bloomington. That was o Dec. 5. The Hawks were 10-0 as of Sunday. 

Quovadis Temples, Manley, Sr. 

21 points, 11 assists, 9 steals in an 81-40 win over Juarez. 

Thomas Hereau, Scales Mound, Jr. 

Hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer and scored 21 wins in a victory over East Dubuque. 

Andrew Scharnowski, Burlington Central, Sr. 

Belmont commit had 24 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in a victory over  Hinsdale South. Be on the lookout for sophomore Jason Johnson in the future. 

Bennett Briles, Nashville, Sr.

Hit 6 3-pointers and scored 26 points to beat Chester. 

Bryce Tillery, Hillcrest, Sr.

25 points, 5 assists, 5 steals in a win over Bloomington.

Daniel Sveiteris, Downers Grove South, So. 

21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists as DGS beat Morton. 

Nick Rogers, Raby, So. 

Posted 36 points, 7 steals and 5 assists in a win over Legal Prep. 

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Illinois Girls Hoops Week 5 Top Performers And Exam Jamm Notes 

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Illinois Girls Hoops Week 5 Top Performers And Exam Jamm Notes

Each week, I’ll be highlighting the best team and individual performances from around the state that stood out in girls basketball. It could be a state record, an amazing highlight or anything in between. Last season, I tended to base the top performers on stats from several games over the course of a week. For this season’s individual honorees I’ll be focusing on individual game performances. This will hopefully help me recognize more players and spend less time searching for statistics. 

As far as teams go, I want to highlight squads that upset highly-respected foes, put up absurd statistical performances or set new program records, things of that nature, over the course of the week, which will be focused on results over a week and not just in one game. 

Stats are critical to highlight these players and teams. Get in touch to submit a girls team or player at any point during the 2022-2023 season. You can submit stats to our Twitter, @ILL_HS_Hoops and @ill_hoop_scoops. I can also be reached at KalebCarter4256@gmail.com or on Twitter @Kaleb_M_Carter. 

Editor’s note: Not every submission is included in the top performers. Choices made at KC’s discretion. Games eligible to be considered for top performers were played Dec. 12-18.

Exam Jamm Notes: 

Scores 

Fremd 53, Kenwood 47

Lake Zurich 38, York 33

Libertyville 58, Glenbrook South 35

Hersey 69, St. Charles North 39

Carmel Catholic 43, Lincoln-Way Central 36

Barrington 50, Evanston 48

Butler College Prep 54, Rolling Meadows 53

Montini 55, Deerfield 49

Vernon Hills 51, Lake Park 46

Kace and Coco Close Out 

Kenwood was up 15 at half when I arrived in the main gymnasium at Lake Zurich. I know that Missouri State commit Tasha Barnes (2023) had hit three 3’s and I was told that Kenwood was owning the glass. 

I was also told by a coach essentially, “Dave Yates is going to get the Vikings right back in this one, just watch and see.”

That’s exactly what happened. 

Kace Urlacher, an IUPUI women’s hoops signee, said that rebounding and mental toughness were keys in the halftime break. 

Maddy Fay (a 2023 NIU recruit) picked up the slack on the boards on her way to 15 rebounds. Ella Todd(2025) and Ellie Thompson (2025) got the Vikings into good sets and made plays with the ball in their hands. 

After Fremd cut its deficit to 4, Ariella Henigan scored a high-level shot off the glass to make it 39-33 going to the fourth. 

Kace Urlacher (2023) helped take charge late in the third and into the fourth and younger sister Coco (2025) helped energize the Vikings with several big plays too. 

“Overall, she’s probably going to be better than me,” Kace said of her. “So I’ve owned up to it, I’m okay with that. I want to push her…(not) tear her down. I feel like mentally she has to get over a hump sometimes and that’s what I try to help her out with.  


Kenwood’s superstar freshman Danielle Brooks — the Class of 2026 guard was scoring a team-high 16.5 points per game while shooting 39% from 3-point land — hit two huge triples for a 47-45 Kenwood lead.

“A great kid that has a great love and affinity forth game,” Kenwood coach Andre Lewis said of Brooks. “She’s not afraid of the moment because of the amount of work she puts into her game.”

Fremd respond with scores on consecutive possessions for the Urlachers (Kace then Coco). Fremd led 51-47 and closed out the comeback, 53-47.

“We’re playing pretty good games, putting up 70-plus points so to have a close game like that, I think that shows how good we’ll be down the stretch,” Kace Urlacher said. 

Kenwood later went on to beat Morgan Park, one of the City of Chicago’s better teams, 77-49.

Lewis was highly complementary of Fremd as a team. 

“We allowed them to dictate tempo in the second half which is something we don’t normally allow,” Lewis said. “It’s one to grow on and something to get better at. Something for me to gripe about the next week.”

 

Blacher, the Everything Player

Montini won a fun, back-and-forth affair 55-49 vs. Deerfield in which guards Shannon Blacher and Victoria Matulevicius showed what makes them a special combo.

The duo combined for 41 points and 8 3-pointers, as Blacher continually made plays all over the floor. Matuleivicus was named player of the game, while Blacher shined with her all-around playmaking.

“It’s super fun because I just want to make people know Montini is a good program and we can pull out a big win like this and I’m glad people could see us do it,” Blacher said.

A future Northern Illinois Huskie, Blacher went on to lead the Broncos to a huge conference victory over Mother McAuley, 54-36.

“Shannon’s that everything player,” Montini coach Shannon Blacher said. “She does everything for you. She gets rebounds, she runs the offense, she makes big shots, she drives to the basket. Her doing all those little things, it opens up opportunities for everyone else.”

Notable Week 4 Team Performances

Camp Point Central/Southeastern

Defeated previously-undefeated Monmouth-Roseville 43-39 and West Central to move to 7-1. 

Montini Catholic

Making its name known once more as Shannon Blacher and Victoria Matulevicius lead way to victories against Deerfield and Mother McAuley. 

Normal

Olivia Corson scored 19 in a 47-27 win against undefeated Washington.

Galena

It’s between Galena, Okawville and Neoga as to who is the state’s best 1A team. Beat Rockford Christian and Potosi/Cassville of Wisconsin. Now 12-0. 

Gracie Furlong had 16 points, 13 rebounds in a 51-43  win vs. Winnebago. 

Stillman Valley 

Sitting at 12-1 following wins over Rockford Christian and Pecatonica. 

Dixon

Now 12-0 and beat Richwoods, Moline and Knoxville last week. Could make a statement with a good performance against Naperville Central this week. 

Lincoln-Way East

Dominated this week with wins ver Andrew, Oak Forest and Providence Catholic and sit at 10-2. 

Lake Forest

Strong showings in a 25-point win against Prospect and a a 34-point victory against Saint Viator. Rachel Kaus (Cornell commit) and Bella Ranallo impressing.

T.F. South

Beat Lockport, Lemont, Romeoville and Riverside-Brookfield to improve to 12-3. 

Taylorville 

Knocked off 1-loss Rochester, also beat Pana and Mattoon. 

Herscher

Up to 14-3, wins vs. Coal City, Hoopeston and Iroquois West, 2 of 3 by single digits. 

Brownstown 

Beat Casey-Westfied 49-31 and has a 10-1 record. 

Englewood STEM

Victories against Julian, South Shore and Curie as the Panthers moved to 8-3. 

Hinsdale Adventist

9-0 after a win over Islamic Foundation. 

Rockford Jefferson

Beat Rockford Auburn and Belvedere, both by single digits, to improve to 8-3. 

Notable Week 4 Individual Performances

Marlena Miloucheva, Wheeling, So. 

Scored 48 points to help the Wildcats to their second win of the season, a victory against Streamwood. 

Cora DeSutter, Midwest Central, Sr. 

Reached 1,000 points in a 37-point scoring effort vs. South Fulton.

Hope Sebek, Downers Grove North, Jr.

Scored 30 to help her team defeat Downers Grove South 73-31.

Abby Compton, Goreville, Jr.

Posted 30 points in 3 quarters vs. Johnston City in a 66-50 win. 

Catey Carney, Glenbard East, Jr.

Stacked up 26 points, 11 rebounds in a win over Fenton.

Sanai Tyler, Kenwood, Sr.

Had 30 points, 16 rebounds in a 77-49 win over Morgan Park. 

Makenna Yeager, Glenwood, Jr. 

Scored 25 in a victory over Springfield Southeast. 

Mikayla Knake, Cissna Park, Sr. 

Knocked down 8 3-pointers and had 28 points in a win over Westville.

Kennedy Hartwig, Seneca, Sr.

Scored 29 in a 3-point win over Newark. 

Elise Ward, Marist, Sr. 

Scored 30 with 16 rebounds in a 5-point win over Plainfield East. 

Emilia Sularski, Benet, Jr. 

Hit 8 3-pointers, 24 points in a 64-54 win over Marist. Second time this season she has knocked down 8  triples. 

Lorena Awou, United Township, Jr. 

Totaled a stat line of 21/19/4/3. 

Jase Burkett, Woodlawn, Jr.

Had 27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists in a 67-51 win over Wesclin.

Rachel Kaus, Lake Forest, Sr.

The Cornell-bound forward scored 21 with 13 rebounds and 7 assists in a win over St. Viator. 

Lily Luczkowiak, Illini Bluffs, Jr.

Scored 24 in a Monmouth-United tourney win against West Central.

Ciara McMahon, Rolling Meadows, Jr.

Totaled 29 points 7 3-pointers in a loss to Butler College Prep.

Lauren Powell, West Prairie, Sr.

Put up 38 of her team’s 43 points in a loss to Ridgewood.


Destiny Jackson, Whitney Young, So. 

Had 23 points, 8 rebounds, 8 steals and 2 assists in a win over Amundsen. 

Alex Stewart, Yorkville, Sr. 

Had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists in a win over Kaneland. 

Ainsley Holthaus, Macomb, Sr. 

Hit 6 3-pointers, had 24 points vs. West Hancock. 

Jayce Privia, PORTA/A-C

Dropped 30 points in leading her team to victory vs. Midwest Central.

Apple Guerrero, Argo, Sr. 

28 points and 6 steals in a tight, 50-47 win over Hillcrest. 

Meegan Fahy, Maine South, Jr. 

Had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists against Wheaton-Warrenville South.

Jocelyn Trotter, Plainfield East, Sr. 

Scored 29 in a tight loss to Marist. 

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Girls 2022-2023 High School Basketball Week 5 Rankings

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Girls 2022-2023 High School Basketball Week 5 Rankings

Kaleb Carter returns with his girls hoops rankings. Not much movement at the top this week, but plenty down the list. 

Preseason 

Week 2

Week 4

Previous rankings in parentheses. 

 

 

1. Nazareth Academy (1) 

Beat Willowbrook and Joliet Catholic and are sitting at 11-1 (unbeaten in Illinois). Roadrunners have a rotating cast of top-notch plaers who can take the lead any given day. 

2. Fremd (2)

Overcame a 15-point halftime deficit to Kenwood to remain among the unbeaten. Also defeated Hoffman Estates and are 11-0 with an intriguing game coming up against Maine South. 

3. Hersey (3)

Handed heavy losses to St. Charles North and Wheeling, now 13-1. Unsung Kelsey Neary is averaging 6.0 assists and 3.1 steals per game. 

4. Benet (4)

Beat Marist and Saint Viator and are 8-2, unbeaten in conference play. Big showdowns with York and Naperville North this week. 

5. Kenwood (6)

Had a 15-point half-time lead against Fremd at Lake Zuric’s Exam Jamm. Coach Andre Lewis and the Broncos probably aren’t in the mood for moral victories, but to see someone do that to Fremd is eye-opening. 

6. Bolingbrook (5)

Hasn’t lost to an in-state foe, boasts a record of 14-1 after defeating Bradley-Bourbonnais, Andrew and losing to undefeated South Bend Washington (IN).

7. Lyons (7)

Victories over York (49-39) and Glenbard West. Sophomore forward Nora Ezike has impressed with her size, athleticism and improving skill. Lyons is now 11-1. 

8. Geneva (8)

The last team to beat Lake Zurich, now 8-2 after a convincing win over Batavia. 

9. Lake Zurich (9) 

First team to defeat York (38-35), doing so at the Bears’ home Exam Jamm. Also beat Warren. Now 10-2 with an upcoming test against an improved Lake Forest squad. 

10. Carmel Catholic (10)

Beat Lincoln-Way Central this past week, now 9-2. Should be challenged at the upcoming State Farm Holiday Classic.

11. Barrington (11)

Defeated Evanston and Schaumburg, now 11-4. 

12. Peoria Notre Dame (12)

Biz Daly and Kaitlin Cassidy really upping their game for the 12-0 Irish, who defeated Normal West, Bloomington and Manuel this past week, scoring 73+ in each contest. 

13. Alton (13)

Improved to 10-0. Three players, Kiyoko Proctor, Jarius Powers and Alyssa Lewis, all averaging 10+ points per game. Beat Civic Memorial and Belleville East. 

14. O’Fallon 

Beat Waterloo and Collinsville, now 10-2.

15. Whitney Young (15)

Skylar Jones leading her team in points, rebounds, steals assists and blocks. Averaged 88.5 ppg in victories against

Westinghouse and Amundsen to move to 7-3.

16. Quincy Notre Dame (16)

14-1 and handed losses to Palmyra (MO) and Mascoutah this past week. Exciting matchup against Cardinal Ritter College Prep lineup for this week. 

17. Libertyville (18)

About as hot a team as any in the state right now, have won 10 straight. 12-2 with a fun matchup coming against Loyola Academy. 

18. Loyola (19)

Wins over Evanston, Simeon and Cary-Grove by a margin of 31.3 points per game, 11-1. 

19. Montini (UR)

One of the best weeks in the state this past week, beatiing Mother McAuley and Deerfield. 

20.  York (20)

Took first two losses of the season to good teams in Lake Zurich and  Lyons. 

21. Deerfield (21)

Libertyville and Montini beat the Warriors before a Deerfield win over Highland Park. 

22. Mother McAuley (17)

Montini dealt the Mighty Macs an 18-point loss, and MM beat OPRF.

23. Peoria (24)

Defeated Normal West, now 9-2. 

24. Lincoln  (25)

Scored 69 vs. Mt. Zion, 81 vs. Effingham in a pair of wins, now 13-0. 

25. Normal 

Beat previously-ranked Washington by 20, also defeated Urbana and sit at 11-0. Excited to see how they perform at the State Farm Classic, which also features Carmel, Washington, among others. 

My eyes are also on:

Lake Forest

Maine South 

Butler College Prep 

Huntley 

Waubonsie Valley

Stevenson

LWW

Washington 

Illinois Girls Hoops Week 4 Top Performers

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Illinois Girls Hoops Week 4 Top Performers

Each week, I’ll be highlighting the best team and individual performances from around the state that stood out in girls basketball. It could be a state record, an amazing highlight or anything in between. Last season, I tended to base the top performers on stats from several games over the course of a week. For this season’s individual honorees I’ll be focusing on individual game performances. This will hopefully help me recognize more players and spend less time searching for statistics. 

As far as teams go, I want to highlight squads that upset highly-respected foes, put up absurd statistical performances or set new program records, things of that nature, over the course of the week, which will be focused on results over a week and not just in one game. 

Stats are critical to highlight these players and teams. Get in touch to submit a girls team or player at any point during the 2022-2023 season. You can submit stats to our Twitter, @ILL_HS_Hoops and @ill_hoop_scoops. I can also be reached at KalebCarter4256@gmail.com or on Twitter @Kaleb_M_Carter. 

Editor’s note: Not every submission is included in the top performers. Choices made at KC’s discretion. Games eligible to be considered for top performers were played Dec.5-Dec.11

Notable Week 4 Team Performances

Libertyville 

First team to knock off Deerfield, an emphatic 55-27 win in whichKate Rule torched the nets from 3-point land (24 points in all). The Wildcats defeated Warren, Lake Forest and Stevenson too.

DePaul College Prep

Defeated city foes Amundsen, Resurrection and cross-the-parking lot rival Lane Tech.

Huntley

Wins against Cary-Grove, Hampshire and Stevenson, the latter at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates. 

Monmouth-Roseville 

Wins over East Peoria and Morrison kept them unbeaten. 

Kaneland 

Ended Sycamore’s conference winning streak that dated back to 2018 with a 61-53 victory. Kendra Brown scored 29 in the Knights’ win. Also beat Plano and Sandwich during the week. 

 

Maine South 

Handed Glenbrook South its first loss, defeated Lincoln-Way West and Niles West. Megan Fahy had 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the win over GBS. 

Downers Grove North

During the week knocked off Glenbard West 45-40 and OPRF 60-30.

Dunlap 

Moved to 8-1 after a 58-32 win over Waterloo, also beat Limestone during the week.

Normal

Smallest margin of victory over three games (Rock Island, Champaign Centra and Pekin) was 28. Big game coming up against Washington. 

Glenbard South

Wins against West Chicago (49-34) and Fenton (49-31) put the Raiders at 8-0.

Alton

They keep winning, edged out wins over East St. Louis and O’Fallon,as well as St. Peters Lutheran (MO.) Improved to 8-0 after the week and has since beaten Civic Memorial. 

Havana

Started 9-0, beat Elmwood and West Central last week (have since lost to defending 2A champ Quincy Notre Dame). 

Hononegah 

Grabbed W’s against Boylan and Rockford East. 

Father McGivney 

Victories against Metro East-Lutheran, Granite City and Maquette Catholic to follow up a week in which they defeated Carlyle. 

Parkview Christian Academy 

Defeated Christian Life, Somonauk-Leland and Chesterton Academy of the Holy Family. 

 

Butler College Prep

Nabbed two tight, out-of-state wins over Salem and Arbor Prep, both Michigan teams. Also defeated Comer and Pritzker. 

Basketball Fans: Your help is needed

Amboy 

A win over Forreston (35-31) and improved to 7-1. 

Gibault Catholic 

Victories vs. Red Bud, Maryville Christian and EAWR to move to 10-0. 

Notable Week 4 Individual Performances

Grace Nelson, Altamont, Jr.

Scored a state-high 56 points in a 76-73 loss to unbeaten St. Anthony and also broke the school record, boys or girls, for all-time points later in the week (up to 1,699).  

Amiah Hargrove, Christopher, Jr. 

Posted a school-record 55 points of her team’s 90 in a win vs. Cobden. 

Peyton Gerdes, Grayslake Central, Sr.

The High Point commit scored 35 in a win over Wauconda and passed Sidney Lovitsch’s girls program scoring record of 1,445. 

Clair Hulke, Alleman Catholic, Jr. 

Totaled 33 points in leading her team to a 60-52 victory over Rock Island. 

Blair Eftink,  Quincy Notre Dame, Sr.

Totaled 20 points, 15 in the first quarter of a 44-32 win over Breese Central and reached 1,000 points. 

 

 

 

 

Kylie Moeller, East Peoria, So. 

Racked up a stat line of 29 points, 6 steals, 4 rebounds, 3 assists in leading her team to a win over Manual. 

Aria Mazza, Conant, So.

22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals as the Cougars defeated Hoffman Estates.

Elise Ward, Marist, Sr. 

Had 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks in an overtime loss to Mother McAuley. 

Kiara Kilgore, Galesburg, Jr.

The Class of 2024 guard had 22 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Rock Island. 

Lauryn Jackson, TF North, Fr. 

Posted 23 points and 3 assists in a 54-50 win vs. Tinley Park. 

Katy Eidle, Hersey, Sr. 

A future Michigan Wolverine, the senior guard scored 36 and tossed in a Huskie record 9 three-pointers in a blowout of Rolling Meadows. 

Riley Cwinski, Aurora Central Catholic, So. 

26 points, 10 rebounds in a win vs. Elmwood Park.

Katy Ramage, Metamora, Sr. 

Put up 25 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Prairie Central. A future NIU softball player. 

Annalise Piętrzyk, Providence Catholic, Sr. 

Scored 27 as PC defeated St. Laurence 68-36.

Natalie Loy, LeRoy, So. 

Set a school record with 21 rebounds vs. Fisher. 

Bella Kedryna, Lemont, Sr. 

Had 31 points in a Lemont win over Richards. 

Rose Savaglio, Oak Lawn, Sr.

Had 20 points and 9 steals in a win over Bremen. 

Reagan Sipla, St. Charles North, Jr.

Had 31 points in a 60-25 win over Wheaton North. 

Skylar Jones, Whitney Young, Sr. 

Had 30 points, 10 steals, 9 rebounds,8 assists and 2 blocks in a 43-point win over Taft. 

Camryn Veltrop, Morrison, So. 

22 points on 11 of 11 shooting, 14 rebounds, 7 blocks, 4 assists vs. Warren. 

Ellie Thompson, Fremd, So. 

Scored 21 points with 4 rebounds, 3 assists in a win over Barrington.

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