Peoria Richwoods 56, Freeport 19: No one knew what to say. Parents silently hugged their crying daughters. And parents weren’t the only ones to struggle for words after Freeport crashed in the Class 3A girls state basketball title game.
“One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was trying to figure out what to say to the girls during our timeouts,” coach Ryan Pierce said after Saturday’s 56-19 loss to Peoria Richwoods. “When the game was over, our worst nightmare had come true.”
The countdown began three years ago, after Freeport finished a close second in the conference.
“We knew at that point how lucky we were,” girls basketball coach Ryan Pierce said, “to have three more years with this group.”
The Pretzels’ luck finally ran out. It’s now over. An unprecedented era that saw Katie Norman, Suporia Dickens, Courtney Shiffer and Kelsey Hoefer all score 1,000 career points and the Pretzels go 61-3 in the NIC-10 and 110-22 overall ended Saturday with a second consecutive Class 3A state runner-up trophy.
NORMAL — Defending state runner-up Freeport will return to the Class 3A girls basketball state finals Saturday after a dominating 64-43 victory over Springfield this afternoon.
Freeport never led by fewer than 10 points after breaking away from an 8-all tie with a 10-0 run to close the first quarter.
The Senators closed to within 49-39 early in the final quarter after Freeport turned the ball over on five of its first seven possessions. But Suporia Dickens (five) and Courtney Shiffer (four) then sparked an 11-0 run that put the Pretzels ahead comfortably 60-39.
Freeport 53, Johnsburg 52: The searing pressure that seemed to rattle four All-Staters made Kelsey Hoefer smile.
“I love these games,” Hoefer said. “I love the atmosphere. I love all the people that come out to support their teams. I love playing in big games. It’s when I’m the most calm.”
Hoefer backed up her words by scoring a season-high 22 points and leading Freeport back to state with a 53-52 comeback win over Johnsburg in the Elgin Class 3A girls basketball supersectionals Monday night.
Wheeling 64, Boylan 49: Boylan, with six of its best eight players underclassmen, wasn’t supposed to reach the Class 4A girls basketball supersectionals.
“We proved everybody wrong,” sophomore Brea Edwards said.
Except for the first seven minutes Monday. Boylan showed its youth early and the Titans never had a chance as Wheeling rolled to state with a 64-49 victory Monday.
The No. 8-ranked Titans (31-2) missed their first eight shots and had 10 turnovers as No. 6 Wheeling jumped to a 17-0 lead.
Freeport 55, Oswego 47: Thursday’s sectional championship game was bizarre, to say the least.
The scoreboard went blank just before tipoff, Marengo’s gym lights went out within the first three minutes of the game — and Freeport point guard Katie Norman was sick.
But none of that could stop the Pretzels from clinching their second-straight sectional championship, 55-47 against Oswego.
Norman said she was sick immediately after school and was worse on her way to Marengo.
What happens when the NIC-10’s leading scorer can’t shoot?
She falls three steals shy of a triple-double with her team’s season hanging on the line.
Brea Edwards had game highs of 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals to lead Boylan to a 56-47 victory over Crystal Lake South in the Algonquin Jacobs Sectional finals Thursday.
Yet the 5-foot-8 sophomore guard was 0-for-8 shooting until the final two minutes of the third quarter.
Freeport 54, Hampshire 47: Ryan Pierce was fed up.
And the usually mild-mannered Freeport girls basketball coach let his team — a few players directly — know about it in the third quarter.
The fire-and-brimstone speech inspired the Pretzels after an uninspired first half and helped Freeport beat Hampshire 54-47 Monday.
“I’m not the kind of coach that likes to point directly at people and call people out for things,” Pierce said. “I like to address the group. ... But I felt I needed to change that strategy for a minute there. I got on people for specific things.”
Hinckley-Big Rock 53, Dakota 44: The Dakota girls basketball team just couldn’t quite get over the hump in the fourth quarter Monday.
It entered the quarter trailing Hinckley-Big Rock by one in the Elgin Supersectional but could never take the lead back, losing 53-44.
The Indians trailed by two with 2:02 to play but missed the front ends of two one-and-ones and their final three shots of the game.
Boylan 65, Huntley 42: Brea Edwards scored the points Monday, but Kierra Valentine was the one who knocked out Huntley.
Valentine had five steals — which led to five layups — in a four-minute spurt in the second quarter of Boylan’s 65-42 rout of Huntley in the semifinals of the Class 4A Algonquin Jacobs girls basketball sectional.
“She anticipated really well,” Huntley guard Megan Martinez said. “I don’t know if she runs track or what, but I would see her over here, and all of a sudden she’s down there with the ball and going in for a layup.”
Huntley 40, Hononegah 34: Huntley cheered so loudly the Red Raiders could be heard in the adjacent locker room. The Red Raiders had just snapped out of a 5-for-29 shooting slump with three consecutive 3-pointers in the final minute of the half to open up a 16-point lead.
“We heard them cheering already,” Hononegah junior Erin Ryczek (nine points) said. “That’s what drove us. We kept telling ourselves it’s not over. We weren’t satisfied how we played the first half and we were going to fix it.”
Boylan 69, Auburn 42: Boylan used a 20-9 second-quarter run to beat Auburn 69-42 and win its own regional Friday.
The Titans (29-1) held Auburn to single digits in scoring in each of the first three quarters. Boylan led 15-9 after the first quarter then took a 35-18 halftime lead after going 10 for 13 at the free-throw line in the second quarter.
Brea Edwards led Boylan with 22 points, while Maria Ludeke chipped in 13. Anita Amisi had 24 points for Auburn (20-7) — 21 of which came in the second half.
Freeport 48, Sterling 34: The thought of a “Sterling curse” can finally be to put to rest.
Even though for the first half, it almost seemed like the Freeport girls basketball team started to shoot like it from the free-throw line.
But Courtney Shiffer (game-high 21 points, four blocks, three steals), Kelsey Hoefer (nine points, 2-of-2 FTs), Katie Norman (nine points, 2-of-2 FTs) and Suporia Dickens (nine points, 3-of-6 FTs) each made them in the second half when needed most as the Pretzels (27-3) beat Sterling, 48-34.
Dakota 46, Stockton 38: The Dakota girls basketball team’s offense was struggling.
The Indians had scored just 11 points in the second and third quarter combined and trailed Stockton by one heading into the fourth quarter of the Class 1A River Ridge Sectional final Thursday.
But No. 4 Dakota came alive in the final quarter, outscoring the Blackhawks 22-13 in the fourth quarter to win 46-38 and advance to the Elgin Supersectional against No. 5 Hinckley Big Rock on Monday.
Crystal Lake Central 43, Belvidere 31: Crystal Lake Central’s Sam Johnson almost didn’t finish her senior season.
Two weeks ago, Johnson broke two fingers in her right hand during a rebounding drill in practice. The injury was bad enough that she could have opted for surgery, thus ending her final season.
“She had the choice,” Central coach Matt LePage said. “We had a five-game losing streak at the time. She could have shut it down. She said, ‘no, we are going to play for a potential regional crown.’”
Freeport 59, Dixon 35:Freeport (26-3) went on a 15-0 run that lasted just over two minutes to wipe out a 3-0 lead by Dixon (9-18).
Suporia Dickens led Freeport with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Katie Norman had 14 points and Courtney Shiffer 12. Freeport outrebounded Dixon 37-15.
- Matt Trowbridge, rrstar.com
Sterling 58, Rochelle 47: Rochelle finally stopped Sterling’s center, but the subs got the Hubs.
Sophomore backup guard Lauren Hernandez had eight assists and Kayla Romano scored 10 points in 11 minutes on perfect 4-for-4 shooting to lead No. 2 seed Sterling to a 58-47 victory Wednesday in a Class 3A girls basketball regional semifinal.
“We have a lot of different starters; we believe we are eight or nine deep and on any given night it can be any one of these kids,” coach Julie Schroeder said.
Hononegah 76, Woodstock 62: Hononegah won its semifinal at the Class 4A Woodstock Regional to advance to the championship game. The Indians will play Huntley on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Freeport 59, Dixon 35: Dixon, outgunned and outmanned, played confidently and aggressively against No. 7 Freeport in the semifinals of the Class 3A Sterling Regional.
“It’s a night to be loose and free,” coach Bob Venier said. “When you know the cards are against you, just go out and play hard and do the things you were coached to do and prove to yourself that it works. And it did.”
Boylan 78, Jefferson 43: The Titans ran to a 22-5 first-period lead as they rolled to their first-round regional victory.
“It’s a great way to start out in the tournament,” said sophomore Boylan guard Kelsey Cooling, who had 11 points with two 3s, three assists and two steals. “If we can keep going like that, we’ll go to state.”
Boylan’s Brea Edwards scored a game-high 27. The sophomore guard had 18 in the first half. Center Maria Ludeke added 16 for the Titans.
Alexandra Curry and Jalesa Watkins paced Jefferson with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
- Doug Goodman, rrstar.com
Auburn 58, Harlem 50: Auburn’s pressure defense and fast-paced offense carried the Knights to a 19-point lead after three quarters against Harlem in the first round of the girls regional tournament Tuesday at Boylan High School.
Poor free throw shooting and turnovers in the final quarter, however, almost derailed Auburn, which held on for a 58-50 victory.
“I’m happy with the win, but we can do better than what we did today,” Auburn coach Zay Hoover said. “We have to eliminate our turnovers, and we have to fix our free throws. We are not executing like I want it to be.”
Sterling Newman 46, Rockford Christian 29: Junior guard Amy Hicks scored 20 points, but Rockford Christian (23-5) committed 27 turnovers and allowed 27 offensive rebounds and No. 3-ranked Sterling Newman pulled away in the second half. The Royals shot only 21 percent (10-for-48).
“We couldn’t seem to get many open shots, but we tried our best,” Hicks said.
The Royals, who won their first regional and posted their first 20-win season, trailed 26-21 midway through the third quarter before five straight turnovers began a 9-0 Newman run.
Peru St. Bede 54, Lutheran 39: First, Laura Rushing started scoring. Then Dawn Martin, rallying Lutheran to an eight-point second-half lead.
And then the Crusaders stopped. Just stopped.
“It’s heartbreaking for these seniors to have the season they had and come this far and kind of crumble when it came down to it,” coach Joni Carlson said Tuesday after Lutheran’s 54-39 loss to 10th-ranked Peru St. Bede in a Class 2A girls basketball sectional semifinal.
Belvidere 57, Belvidere North 45:Lauren Hyser and Kayla Harris have played basketball together since sixth grade.
And it showed Tuesday night in Belvidere’s 57-45 win over Belvidere North in Class 3A regional action. The senior guards combined to score 47 points as the Bucs (9-18) advanced and will play Crystal Lake Central on Thursday for the championship.
Hyser finished with a game-high 26 points, including 16-of-22 from the free throw line. Harris added 21 points, including four 3s.
Jefferson 48, Guilford 47: Te’Airia Mathis made a free throw with one second left for a J-Hawk victory. Jefferson will face Boylan Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Dixon 56, East 31: East only shot 13-of-54 from the field in the loss. Sherrell Woods led East with 12 points.
Dixon was led by 12 points each from Jenny Christ and Hannah Schnake. Dixon moves on to face Freeport Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Stockton 49, Prophetstown 40: Dennis Young didn’t know how Prophetstown would react if the Stockton girls basketball team threw a press at them.
So the Stockton coach gave it a shot, and the Blackhawks came out with a tough, full-court press that flustered the Prophets into 16 first-half turnovers as Stockton built a lead that ballooned to as much as 20 and withstood a late Prophetstown rally to win, 49-40, and advance to the River Ridge Sectional final on Thursday night.
Forward Haley Magee scored 11 of her 17 points in the first half to lead Stockton.
Freeport 57, Jefferson 35: The Pretzels wrapped up their NIC-10 schedule with a 16-0 record. Suporia Dickens’ 16 was high for Freeport.
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Sterling Newman 53, Rock Falls 31: Amanda Trancoso and Michele Savatori scored 11 points and Megan Salvatori 10 to lead No. 3-ranked Sterling Newman to its fourth regional title in five years. Newman trailed 10-9 after one period, but outscored Rock Falls 14-4 in the second quarter and never trailed again. The Comets (25-1) now play Rockford Christian (23-4) on Tuesday.
Lindy Holcomb scored 10 points to lead Rock Falls and Ashlen Folkers added nine.
Freeport 61, Harlem 38: Freeport used a 22-point third quarter to overcome a 22-19 halftime deficit. Suporia Dickens led Freeport with 17 points. Kristin Numbers topped Harlem with 11.
Boylan 70, Auburn 40: Brea Edwards scored 18 points, Devin Mack 14 and Kierra Valentine 10 for Boylan in the blowout win. Tierry Austin had 20 for Auburn.
Belvidere North 37, Belvidere 29: Bobbie Johns scored 10 points for North. Lauren Hyser had 10 for the Bucs.
Hononegah 69, Guilford 60: Lindsay Carroll scored 24 points, hitting all 10 of her free throws, to lead Hononegah. Lauren Paulson’s 22 points led Guilford.
Stockton 51, River Ridge/Scales Mound 40: Stockton jumped out to a quick lead and held off a River Ridge/Scales Mound comeback attempt to win their own Class 1A girls basketball regional 51-40 Friday.
Stockton had all five of its starters in the scorebook against a lone free throw from Whitney Kieffer and an early 9-1 lead.
“We came out ready to play and got off to a great start,” Stockton coach Dennis Young said. “We were so nervous Wednesday night, I told the girls there was no pressure on us tonight. If we play defense as hard as we could, our shots will fall.”
Dakota 34, Pearl City 24: Pearl City’s defense did everything it was supposed to against Erika Lawson, not letting her get off a shot until 5:43 remained in the third quarter.
But No. 4-ranked Dakota had other scorers step in and played smothering defense to beat Pearl City 34-24 in a matchup of NUIC division winners to win a Class 1A girls basketball regional title.
Lawson had five points, but Alexys Cleaver had a team-high nine, Mikaela Schroeder had another strong game with seven and Brianne Boals had six for the Indians.
Durand 50, Keith 31: Keith School showed Durand what the Bulldogs could do.
The Bulldogs returned the favor Friday.
Durand upset No. 1 seed Keith 50-31 to win a Class 1A regional girls basketball title. Durand hadn’t won a regional in any sport in 16 years, or ever in girls basketball, but began believing after tiny Keith won the state volleyball title in 2007. “I said why not us?” coach John Guth recalled.
Rockford Christian 52, Genoa-Kingston 40: Rockford Christian gained respect and its first ever girls regional finals berth Wednesday.
The Royals, seeded fifth despite its 20-4 record entering the postseason, knocked off top-seed Genoa-Kingston 52-40 in the semifinal.
“We knew we were better than a (No. 5) seed,” said Royals junior Amy Hicks, who scored a game-high 29 points. “So it was really cool to beat the top seed to show everyone.”
With the score tied at 9-all starting the second quarter, Rockford Christian quickly moved ahead 16-9.
Oregon 46, Winnebago 40: It was now or never for the Oregon girls basketball team to get past rival Winnebago in Monday’s Class 2A Byron Regional.
After two straight seasons of losing to Winnebago, including a 42-36 loss Tuesday, Oregon finally avenged it with a 46-40 victory.
“We played smart,” Oregon’s Carissa Oelke said. “We were more focused this time.”
Oelke’s 3-point conversion with 1:48 left gave the Hawks the lead for good at 41-39.
Before that, the teams hadn’t allow too much of a separation during the second half. Oregon led 32-30 at the end of the third quarter.
After being swept in the regular season by Stillman Valley and trailing 25-14 in the third quarter of the 2A regional championship, it was beginning to look like that Rockford Lutheran’s Big Northern West title may have been a fluke.
That’s when sophomore Callie Rezin started a rally that Laura Rushing and Dawn Martin continued and Heather Baier capped off for a 46-42 Crusader win.
“This is important,” Lutheran coach Joni Carlson said. “It validates our conference championship.”
Stockton 43, Warren 41: The Stockton girls basketball team was just one minute away from going into overtime with Warren, a team known for last season’s Cinderella story in the playoffs.
But with clutch free-throw shooting from Haley Magee (11 points, seven rebounds, four steals) and the Blackhawks’ tough defense in the closing seconds, Stockton put an end to Warren’s season in a 43-41 win Wednesday.
River Ridge/SM 60, East Dubuque 25: After a 60-25 win for the River Ridge/Scales Mound girls basketball team to advance for a regional championship game, Wildcats coach Brian Wurster was tight-lipped.
“They came ready to play,” Wurster said after he was asked about the team’s defense.
Whitney Kieffer finished with a near triple-double with game-highs in points (22), rebounds (10) and steals (seven).
Dakota 33, Lena-Winslow 25: The Dakota girls basketball team didn’t flinch.
Lena-Winslow had just taken a one-point lead with 6:33 to go, and the top-seeded, one-loss Indians were in danger of getting upset at home and having their hopes of a deep postseason run end.
But the Indians took the lead right back on the next possession on a Brianne Boals basket and ended the game on an 11-2 run to beat fourth-seeded Lena-Winslow 33-25 on Wednesday.
Pearl City 44, Aquin 27: Pearl City had been a good defensive team all season running out of a 2-3 pressure defense. But the Wolves changed things up against Aquin and took their defense to a higher level, beating the Bulldogs 44-27 in the Dakota Regional semifinals.
Kelsie Kluck had a game-high 19 points to lead the Wolves.
Erie 41, Milledgeville 38: Erie overcame a 30-18 halftime deficit by holding the Missiles to eight points in the second half.
Brianna Herin led Milledgeville with 13 points.
Prophetstown 52, Polo 37: Julie Haye had 17 points for the Marcos. Prophetstown and Erie meet for the title on Friday.
Sterling Newman 63, Riverdale 44: Katie Kipping poured in 13 points in the first quarter and finished with 16 to lead Newman, which will play Rock Falls for the regional title at 7:30 p.m., Friday.
Rock Falls 55, Morrison 49: Ashley Folkens led Rock Falls with 16 points.
Keith 62, South Beloit 40: The No. 1 seeds opened up a 26-point lead through three quarters, mainly because of a 27-6 edge in turnovers.
South Beloit finished with 31 turnovers, including nine in a 17-2 run to close the first half when Keith broke away from a 21-16 lead.
“Once our defense gets going, our offense gets going,” said Trinesha Cornell, who scored 17 points, including four 3-pointers. “I try to come out and start with the defense to get us going.”
Durand 48, Pecatonica 29: Shooters shoot. Even when they start out 3-for-19.
“Oh, boy,” Beth Michaels said. “I wanted it so bad that I was going too fast and couldn’t control myself.”
Michaels calmed down at halftime Wednesday, and then shot Durand into the Class 1A regional finals with a 48-29 girls basketball victory over Pecatonica.
Morgan Castle, who led No. 2 seed Durand (12-10) in the first half, said she knew all along that Michaels would start hitting.
“Once she hits one, the rest of the day is good,” Castle said.
“Thank you, Morgan,” Michaels said softly.
Sycamore 69, Dixon 38: Kate Binder (18 points) led four Spartans in double figures. Montia Johnson added 16, Jamie Wilson 14 and Jessica Pluhm 10. Lyndsey Brevitt had 10 points for Dixon.
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Boylan 83, Jefferson 33: Boylan had its entire roster score at least one point in its rout of Jefferson. Brea Edwards led the charge with 23 points, and Britta McMahon added 14. Alexandra Curry had 10 points for Jefferson.
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Auburn 52, Belvidere 46: Kayla Harris and her Belvidere teammates had the Bucs looking good early against Auburn.
But the Knights rallied in the second half for the victory.
Led by Tierry Austin (15 points) and Atiya Roby (10), the Knights outscored the Bucs 28-18 in the second half.
Harris finished with 17 points.
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Freeport 69, Guilford 35: Kelsey Hoefer is back.
And with the postseason one week away, it’s not a moment too soon for Freeport.
Hoefer, a 5-foot-10 senior forward, scored 10 points Tuesday to help lead the Pretzels to a 69-35 win at Guilford. It was the second straight day of scoring in double figures for Hoefer, which is a first for her this season.
“She’s looking good again,” Freeport coach Ryan Pierce said. “She always scored at least 10 points every game the last three years, but this is the first time she’s done it in back-to-back games this season.”
Rockford Lutheran 46, Oregon 34: Lutheran jumped to a 9-0 lead in the first 67 seconds of Tuesday’s 46-34 Class 2A girls basketball regional semifinal victory over Oregon.
“It could have been a totally different ballgame without that,” Lutheran’s Dawn Martin (11 points) said. “They play great defense. It’s hard to get good shots off against their 2-3 zone.”
Lutheran (21-6) rediscovered that quickly, shooting 1-for-19 the next 12 minutes.
“We knew our defense had to get a lot stronger if we wanted to win,” Oregon guard Carissa Oelke said.
Stillman Valley 71, Forreston 56: Just when it looked like Forreston had taken control with a 25-10 second-quarter run, Val McKnight (22 points) and Cassie Glendenning (18) wrenched it back for Stillman. The No. 2 seeds opened the second half with a 35-9 run as McKnight and Glendenning repeatedly drove to the basket.
“We tried to get (the left-handed) Glendenning to go right, but we couldn’t,” said Stephanie Conkey, who led Forreston (20-10) with 18 points. “She was so quick. And McKnight is lightning fast.”
East Dubuque 59, Galena 43: Sara Selle and Sam Belken scored 15 points apiece for No. 4 East Dubuque, which plays No. 1 River Ridge on Wednesday. Simina Lewis scored 18 for Galena.
Erie 56, Ashton-Franklin Center 46: Audrey Lundquist and Grace Kennay scored 16 and 14 points for the sixth-seeded Raiders. Sydney Stewart’s 12 points was the team-high for No. 3 Erie, which plays No. 2 Milledgeville Wednesday.
Polo 46, Fulton 38:Polo jumped out to a 13-5 first-quarter lead. Brandi Tyne and Julie Haye led the Marcos with 15 and 12 points, respectively. No. 4 Polo plays top-seeded Prophetstown in Wednesday’s semifinals.
Mendota 49, Rockford Christian Life 31: No. 3 Mendota ended the Eagles’ season and will play No. 2 Harvard on Wednesday.
Riverdale 65, West Carroll 61: Katie Wiersema had five 3-pointers and scored 23 points for West Carroll.
Freeport 53, Hononegah 33: Freeport pulled ahead in the first quarter and held on for a 53-33 win against Hononegah Monday.
The Pretzels led 15-5 heading into the second quarter, and despite going 6 for 20 in free throws, remained unbeaten in the NIC-10.
Kelsey Hoefer and Katie Norman scored 15 and 12 points for Freeport (22-3, 13-0 NIC-10).
Lindsay Carroll led Hononegah in scoring with nine points.
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Lena-Winslow 31, Eastland 22: The shots weren’t falling for Lena-Winslow.
But the fourth-seeded Panthers were able to play tight defense and controlled much of their regional quarterfinal game against fifth-seeded Eastland.
The Panthers have excelled in low-scoring games this season, upsetting Pearl City 25-21 earlier this season.
South Beloit 54, Kirkland Hiawatha 41: Kristen Saari (23 points) and Stephanie Peterson (21) combined for 44 points and freshman Abigail Stevens scored six in a row to break a tie and give South Beloit (5-14) the lead for good, 40-34, late in the third quarter.
“That’s amazing, considering she doesn’t play varsity that much,” said Peterson, who also blocked four shots. “She did a really good job.”
Bronwyn Burgweger had five 3-pointers and 23 points for Kirkland, but didn’t make a 3 after Saari switched to defend her midway through the third quarter.
Pecatonica 57, Alden-Hebron 32: Pecatonica’s route to the regional semifinals: From 1-21 on the season to 32-4 on the scoreboard in 13 minutes.
The Indians, down three points early in the second half, outscored Alden-Hebron by 28 points the rest of the game to double their season win total with a 57-32 victory in their Class 1A girls basketball playoff opener Monday.
“I’m amazed and shocked,” said Chelsea Anderson, who led Pec (now 2-21) with 12 points.
Freeport Aquin 51, Orangeville 33: The Freeport Aquin girls basketball team found itself playing Orangeville’s type of game in the first quarter as the Broncos did their best to slow the game down and play in the halfcourt.
But the Bulldogs sped things up in the second quarter and blew open what had been a tie game, going on to win, 51-33 in the quarterfinals of the Dakota Regional.
The third-seeded Bulldogs and sixth-seeded Broncos were tied at 12 after Megan Leverton beat the buzzer to end the first quarter.
Forreston 42, Byron 37: Holly Kortemeier and the rest of the Cardinals wouldn’t have any of Byron’s late charge.
Kortemeier scored 17 points and Stephanie Conkey had 10 to lead the Cardinals (20-9) past the Tigers (8-18) for a second time this season.
The win sets up a matchup against Stillman Valley at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
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Lena 44, Pec 23: Katie Keefer’s 13 points led Lena.
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Hononegah 60, Belvidere North 44: A 17-point effort by Erin Ryczek powered the Indians to victory.
Andie Behling paced North with 10 points.
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Monroe 52, Freeport 41: Monroe grabbed an 18-8 first-quarter lead.
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Harlem 55, Guilford 31: A 16-6 edge in the third quarter helped the Huskies to the victory.
Harlem’s Kortney Busekros had a game-high 24, including three 3-pointers.
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Boylan 77, Belvidere 49: Brea Edwards had 14 points in the first half as Boylan went up 46-27 at intermission.
Alexa Yerk was Belvidere’s lone player in double figures with 10 points.
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The last stopped Stillman Valley from being first.
And also showed why the last is first.
Genoa-Kingston proved its No. 1 seed in its own Class 2A regional isn’t a fluke when it denied the Cardinals a share of the Big Northern West title with a 53-51 upset Friday.
“This means a lot. This is one of the best feelings we’ve had in a long time,” said Molly Meier, who scored 19 points to lead the Cogs (12-13, but last in the BNC West at 2-8). “We know we’re a good team; we just have a tough conference. This shows that we deserve that No. 1 spot.”
By Jeremy Anders
GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
Dakota 44, Forreston 28: Dakota’s defense couldn’t stop Holly Kortemeier late in the first quarter.
The Cardinals guard drained three open shots in a row to briefly jump-start Forreston, but the Indians did the one thing they have been able to do well all season: make a crucial adjustment.
The Indians held Forreston to just nine points combined in the second and third quarters to beat the Cardinals 44-28, clinching the NUIC East championship.
Freeport 59, Auburn 42: It might have been Kelsey Hoefer’s hardest shot and one of the more painful ones she’s taken this year. But the senior forward banked in her 1,000th career point and became the 10th player in Freeport girls history and the fourth active player to reach the plateau.
The Pretzels found a way to win a very physical contest against Auburn Friday, 59-42, despite Hoefer’s injured back after scoring her fourth point of the night and Katie Norman nearly missing the second half with an injury to her nose.
Sycamore 49, Rochelle 37: Sycamore pulled away from Rochelle with a 16-7 fourth-quarter run to secure the win. Montia Johnson (18) and Kate Binder (10) led Sycamore. Shanna Metzger led the Hubs with eight points.
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Rockford Christian 61, Christian Life 16: The Royals got the best of this private school battle led by Amy Hicks’ 14 points. Rachel Kloster added 11 points for the Royals, who led 44-16 after three quarters.
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Belvidere 66, East 43: Lauren Hyser scored 23 and Kayla Harris added 17 in Belvidere’s win.
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Hononegah 67, Harlem 55: Hononegah had five players score in double figures led by Lindsay Carroll, who had 14 points. The Indians led 49-30 at halftime and kept the pace in the second half.
Kortney Busekros led Harlem with 14 points and Morgan Kolkmeyer added 11.
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Boylan 79, Belvidere North 41: A 25-8 first-quarter outburst led to Boylan’s rout of Belvidere North. Brea Edwards scored 23 points for Boylan and Maria Ludeke added 10. Jillian Leutscher scored eight points to lead North.
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Lena-Winslow 52, West Carroll 40: Katie Jensen led the Panthers with 15 points, while teammates, Carlee Yeager and Mary Beth Lyvers added 10 points each. Sarah Lucas had 10 points in West Carroll’s loss.
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Ashton-Franklin Center 48, Pecatonica 44: AFC used a 16-3 fourth-quarter run for the victory. Pecatonica had led 41-32 at the end of three quarters. Audra Lundquist, who had 10 points, converted six free throws in the fourth for AFC. Grace Kennay led AFC with 19 points. Amanda Poggioli scored 11 points to lead Pecatonica, while Taylor O’Brien added 10.
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Sterling 43, Streator 29: Kaitlin Loos and Lauren Hernandez each scored 13 to propel Sterling to the victory.
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Indian Creek 55, Rockford Christian 38: Brianna Hellyer and Amy Hicks each had nine points in the losing effort.
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Hampshire 45, Byron 30: Hampshire jumped to an 18-4 first-quarter lead and rolled to the win. Hampshire’s Christine Heine and Byron’s Meghan Fitts each scored 12 to lead their teams.
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Christian Life 54, Luther North 42: Lydia Box scored a game-high 29 for Christian Life, which overcame a 14-6 deficit after the first quarter.
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Oregon 50, Rockford Lutheran 40: This was supposed to be a showdown for the Big Northern West title. But then Lutheran destroyed Oregon by 33 points, starting a five-game Oregon losing streak, three without injured star Carissa Oelke.
But just when Oregon looked dead, the Hawks rebounded in stunning fashion to shock Lutheran 50-40 Thursday and prevent the Crusaders from clinching a share of their first BNC title.
Lutheran (19-6, 6-3) is now tied with Stillman Valley (13-8, 6-3) with one game left. Lutheran plays at Byron (4-5) today while Stillman hosts Genoa-Kingston (1-8).
Winnebago 81, Oregon 58: Winnebago clinched at least a tie for the Big Northern West boys championship Thursday with a victory over Oregon.
The Indians (22-0, 7-0) led 27-11 after the opening period and 49-30 at the half.
Chas Cross scored 16 of his team-high 20 in the first half. Oregon’s Ryan Rosenbalm had a game-high 22.
Winnebago can claim the title outright with a win Saturday against Lutheran.
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River Ridge 53, Warren 27: Whitney Kieffer (19) and Brooke Wheelwright (17) led River Ridge.
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Lena-Winslow 49, Eastland 27: Lena-Winslow outscored Eastland 25-8 in the second-half en route to win.
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Durand 48, Milledgeville 35: Beth Michaelis scored 18 for Durand to pace a strong second-half effort by the Bulldogs.
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Genoa-Kingston 41, Elgin Academy 22: GK used a 22-6 second-quarter outburst to get past Elgin.
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Winnebago 41, West Carroll 22: Despite no player scoring in double figures, Winnebago’s balanced offense nearly doubled up West Carroll. Hayley Thomas led Winnebago with eight points. Kate Wiersema had 11 points for West Carroll.
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Forreston 65, South Beloit 14: Forreston’s Holly Kortemeier scored 20 points in a rout of South Beloit.
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Keith 56, Christian Liberty 27: Nishawnda Smith and Lamise Al-Basha each scored 13 points to lead Keith.
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Polo 35, Pecatonica 31: Polo held on beat Pecatonica on Wednesday in Northwest Upstate Illini basketball action.
Julie Haye scored 21 of Polo’s 35 points. Vona Valenti and Taylor O’Brien each scored nine for Pecatonica.
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Pearl City 35, Stockton 34 Once again, a matchup between Pearl City and Stockton came down to the final seconds.
And once again, the Wolves came out on top by the thinnest of margins.
Kelsie Kluck hit a jumper with 21 seconds to go, and Stockton couldn’t convert any of its three looks at the basket in the final seconds as the Wolves won, 35-34.
The win keeps Pearl City in command of the NUIC-West. If the Wolves beat Eastland on Friday, they win the conference.
Genoa-Kingston 67, Earlville 42: Lauren Strohmaier scored 16 points for Genoa-Kingston, which stormed out to a 21-3 first-quarter lead.
Mariah Sartorius added 12 points for the winners.
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River Ridge Scales Mound 52, Warren 38: Warren fell behind by nine at halftime and could not regroup in time to catch River Ridge Scales Mound. Warren’s Danica Balbach led her team with 12 points.
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A-FC 42, Mooseheart 39: Grace Kennay scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and nabbed four steals to lead A-FC to a win over Mooseheart. Audra Lundquist added nine, and Aubrey Kennay scored eight for A-FC.
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Winnebago 42, Oregon 36: Winnebago pulled out to a 12-3 first-quarter lead and clung to the lead from there, holding the Hawks to 36 total points.
’Bago’s Emily Myers led the way with 13 points while Oregon got 16 points from Erin Pederson, and 20 more from the rest of the team.
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Rockford Christian 50, Keith 48: Amy Hicks’ game-winning jump-shot with 1.2 seconds remaining handed Rockford Christian a 50-48 overtime win over Keith on Tuesday.
It also handed the Royals their first Indian Trails Conference title.
“The girls just went crazy when we finally won it. This is such a great group, and they deserved it,” Christian head coach Terry Gulley said. “This was one of those games where whoever got the ball last was going to win.”
Stockton 65, Galena 35: Keeley Schulz (16 points), Haley Magee (11) and Emily Korth (10) scored in double figures for Stockton.
Simina Lewis led the Pirates with 12 points.
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Milledgeville 58, Morrison 45: Melissa Schleuning scored a team-high 17 points, and Andrea Herin added 11 Monday to lead the Missiles.
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Christian Life 40, Faith Christian 28: Lydia Box poured in 23 points Monday for the Eagles.
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River Ridge 55, Lena-Winslow 45: River Ridge used a 13-2 second-quarter run for the win Monday. Whitney Kieffer and Brooke Wheelright led the Wildcats with 18 and 13 points, respectively. Katie Jensen was Lena-Winslow’s leading scorer with nine points.
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Freeport Aquin 49, Pearl City 37: Aquin’s offense got into a flow early, and its defense more than held its own against a Pearl City offense that could barely get the ball in the basket in the first half.
Aquin led by 12 early in the second quarter and never led by less than seven the rest of the way in a 49-37 win over Pearl City.
The Wolves’ offense seemed to carry over their struggles from their last game, a loss to Lena-Winslow where they scored only 21 points.
STILLMAN VALLEY — Scoring, at first, came painfully hard for Stillman Valley. Then the Cardinals cranked up their defense.
“The offense, it will come. It will come with the defense,” said guard Val McKnight, who scored 13 points Thursday to lead Stillman Valley to a 39-35 Big Northern Conference girls basketball victory over Oregon.
“That’s our philosophy. Pressure ‘D’ is our specialty.”
Stockton outlasts Forreston in nonconference play: Stockton pulled out to a 12-2 lead and kept its distance to outlast visiting Forreston 53-36 Thursday.
Stockton’s Haley Magee scored 16 points and Jessica Brunner added nine, and they each grabbed nine rebounds in the nonconference showdown. Forreston was led by Stephanie Conkey and Morgann McCoy, each with 10 points, while Hannah Collman finished with 12 boards.
Harlem 49, Jefferson 47: Led by Kortney Busekros, Harlem exploded in the third quarter to escape Jefferson.
Busekros scored eight of her team-leading 14 points in the third quarter as the Huskies held a 39-37 lead. Jefferson led the game 27-15 at halftime.
Klara Walden had 12 points and Morgan Kolkmeyer added 10 for the Huskies.
Jalesa Watkins had 19 points for Jefferson and Alexandra Curry chipped in 13.
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Hononegah 69, Jefferson 58: Sophomore guard Lindsay Carroll made four of Hononegah’s eight 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lift the Indians to a 69-58 win over Jefferson in NIC-10 girls basketball.
Elizabeth Jordan and Erin Ryczek made two 3-pointers apiece for Hononegah (11-12, 8-2), which remained in third place in the NIC-10. Nicole Smith (14 points), a 6-foot-3 freshman, and 6-foot senior Lindsay Lengjak (12) also gave Hononegah a strong inside presence.
Jalesa Watkins scored 18 points and Te’Airia Mathis 17 for Jefferson (7-10, 3-6).
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Boylan 84, East 20: Maria Ludeke and Brea Edwards scored 14 points each to lead Boylan (22-1, 10-1) over the winless E-Rabs (0-20, 0-13). Suzie Broski added 10 points. Seven different Titans scored in the first period, including two 3-pointers by Whitney Jones (eight points), as Boylan took an early 21-8 lead.
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Freeport 52, Belvidere North 28: Katie Norman scored 18 points, while Suporia Dickens and Courtney Shiffer added 10 each to lead Freeport, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A. The Pretzels (20-2, 11-0) outscored North 16-0 in the third quarter.
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Rockford Christian 74, Berean Baptist 9: Rebecca Johnson scored 15 points, Amy Hicks 12 and Rachel Kloster 11 as Rockford Christian (18-3, 7-1) broke the school record for wins in emphatic fashion. The Royals led 64-2 after three quarters.
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Dakota 45, Ashton-Franklin Center 23: Erika Lawson scored 14 points and Brianne Boals eight to keep Dakota (22-0, 11-0) unbeaten. The Indians, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, led 23-9 at the half. Aubrey Kennay led Ashton-Franklin Center with 11 points.
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Freeport Aquin 43, Dakota 36: The Land of the Undefeateds just grew a tad smaller.
In the past four years, Dakota has won undefeated state titles in football (twice) and wrestling and also had undefeated regular seasons in boys basketball and football. The Indians girls basketball team, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, lost its chance to make it six perfect records when Freeport Aquin pulled off a 43-36 upset Saturday in Dakota’s final home game before a packed gym on Senior Night.
Auburn 63, Guilford 36: Tierny Austin scored 16 of her 19 points in the first half to lead Auburn past Guilford.
Anita Amisi scored 12 points for the Knights, who held a 39-19 halftime lead.
Lauren Paulson (12) and Tasia Hughes (11) led Guilford.
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Boylan 72, Hononegah 59: Boylan’s Maria Ludeke went 10 of 12 from the free-throw line to finish with 22 points. Brea Edwards had 17 points, while Devin Mack added 11 for Boylan.
Erin Ryczek led Hononegah with 19 points.
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Lutheran 65, Genoa-Kingston 39: Lutheran ran away from Genoa-Kingston with a 27-14 halftime lead and never trailed.
Laura Rushing scored 17 and Heather Baier had 16 to lead the Crusaders, while Molly Meier had 15 points for Genoa-Kingston.
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Byron 49, Oregon 29: Byron recovered from a slow start to double up Oregon led by Emily Lehne’s 16 points.
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Stockton 45, Lena-Winslow 38: Stockton converted 10 of 11 free throws in the fourth quarter to get past the Panthers.
Jessica Brunner scored 13 points and Keely Schulz had 11 for Stockton (18-6). Haley McGee had eight points and 16 rebounds. Katie Jensen led Lena-Winslow (13-11) with 16 points.
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Forreston 49, Pecatonica 31: Holly Kortemeier scored 17 and Morgan McCoy added 13 for Forreston. Amanda Poggioli had eight points for Pecatonica.
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Warren 53, Galena 31: Megan Rogers scored 15 points and Danielle Balbach had 10 in Warren’s win. Courtney Schultz led Galena with eight points.
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Ashton-Franklin Center 46: Durand 39: Led by Sarah Smith’s 12 points, Ashton-Franklin Center turned back Durand for the win. Grace Kennay and Audra Lundquist each had 11 points for Ashton-Franklin Center. Beth Michaelis scored 19 points to lead Durand.
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Winnebago 50, Stillman Valley 44: Austyn Ford (15) and Emily Myers (10) led Winnebago’s scoring effort against Stillman Valley.
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Burlington Central 53, North Boone 31: Lauren St. John scored 13 points in North Boone’s loss to BNE rival Burlington Central.
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West Carroll 42, Eastland 41: Katie Wiersema led West Carroll with 13 points. Annabella Borota scored 13 points to lead Eastland.
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Polo 56, Orangeville 53: Megan Leverton led Orangeville with 20 points in a loss.
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Lena-Winslow 25, Pearl City 21: Katie Jensen’s eight points led the Panthers to a victory against Pearl City in a low-scoring game.
Nicole Lawler led Pearl City, which scored no points in the second quarter, with 10 points.
Durand 36, Orangeville 31: Orangeville got off to a quick start with a 16-8 first quarter lead, but a one-point third quarter would help setup Durand’s comeback win.
Durand outscored Orangeville 18-7 in the second half led by Emily Vormezeele’s 12 points.
Carley Rote scored 11 points for Orangeville.
Stockton 51, West Carroll 27: Led by Kelley Schulz (14) and Haley McGee (12), Stockton routed West Carroll in Northwest Upstate Illini action.
McGee pulled down 12 rebounds for Stockton (16-6). Kate Wiersema led West Carroll (4-17) with eight points.
Milledgeville 53, Polo 41: Polo took a 16-14 lead at the end of one, but couldn’t keep it resulting in a loss to Milledgeville.
Melissa Schleuning scored 13 points and Keali Engelkens had 11, while Andrea Herin chipped in 10 to lead Milldegeville past Polo.
Katelyn Grobee led Polo with 13 points.
Warren 53, Eastland 44: Megan Rogers scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half to lead Warren’s win.
With a 24-24 halftime score, Warren outscored Eastland 29-20 in the second half. Danielle Balbach added 11 points for Warren.
Annabelle Borota scored 14 points for Eastland.
Dakota 66, Pecatonica 29: Dakota (21-0) took a 21-8 first quarter lead as Erika Lawson finished with 18 points in Northwest Upstate Illini action.
Dakota outscored Pecatonica 33-12 in the second half and finished 8 of 12 from the free-throw line.
Vona Valenti scored nine points and Amanda Poggioli had seven to lead Pecatonica.
Keith 68, Alden-Hebron 28:The Keith girls basketball team wasted little time in roughing up Alden-Hebron in Indian Trails Conference action Wednesday.
The Cougars jumped ahead 26-4 in the first quarter en route to a 68-28 win.
Trinesha Cornell converted four 3-pointers to finish with 15 points. Keith’s Nisreen Al-Basha and Nishawnda Smith also had 15 points. Lamise Al-Basha added 14 points for the Cougars.
Keith held a 41-10 halftime lead and Alden-Hebron didn’t reach double digits until the fourth quarter.
The Forreston girls basketball team is making a habit of building big leads early.
The Cardinals (17-7, 7-3 NUIC-East) built a 16-point lead after the first quarter and held on for a 60-45 win Wednesday.
Forreston’s defense harassed the Bulldogs (14-5, 7-2 NUIC-East) into four early turnovers, helping Forreston score 22 points and lead, 22-6, after the first quarter.
It was the second straight game that Forreston came out on fire in the first quarter. The Cardinals led 19-3 after one quarter in their 49-41 win over Milledgeville on Friday.
Harvard 34, North Boone 27: Kelsey Grover led North Boone with eight points.
Guilford 75, East 39: Lauren Paulson led the Vikings with 21 points, while Tiffany Martinez and Chan’tey Mack added 16 and 14.
Boylan 61, Harlem 49: Suzie Broski led Boylan with nine points, and Kortney Busekros had 14 for the Huskies.
Byron 41, Genoa-Kingston 38: The Tigers led 37-19 heading into the third quarter before G-K outscored them 19-4 in the fourth to make it a close finish. Meghan Fitts and Mariah McMullen scored 13 and 11 points for Byron. Molly Meier’s 11 points led G-K.
Freeport 64, Belvidere 30: Katie Norman and Suporia Dickens led the charge for Freeport with 18 and 11 points. Sylvia Slaughter had seven points for Belvidere.
DeKalb 41, Jefferson 36: Alexandria Curry had 23 points for the J-Hawks.
Stillman Valley equalized the Big Northern West girls basketball race.
Lutheran has been playing the un-equalizer ever since.
The Crusaders jumped to a huge early lead Tuesday in a 55-45 victory at Winnebago that tied them with Stillman for the BNC West lead.
Since losing their second close game to Stillman Valley two weeks ago, Lutheran (18-5, 5-2) has won three games by a combined 71 points.
That includes jumping to a 27-4 lead against Oregon (14-8, 4-2) and 32-9 against Winnebago (14-8, 4-4) their last two games.
Galena 37, Pecatonica 28: A 16-9 halftime lead helped Galena grab a close win over Pecatonica.
Miranda Muchow and Simina Lewis each scored 9 points for Galena. Vona Valenti had 8 points for Pecatonica.
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Freeport Aquin 55, Durand 41: Nicole Plum (14) and Robyn Hauser (11) led a balanced scoring effort in Aquin’s win.
Beth Michaelis scored 14 for Durand.
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Stockton 48, Warren 38: Despite Warren outscoring Stockton 8-1 in the fourth quarter, the Blackhawks escaped with the win.
Haley Magee had 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Stockton (13-6).
Brittni VanRaalte scored 18 and Megan Rogers had 11 points and nine rebounds for Warren.
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Polo 59, West Carroll 53: Polo held off West Carroll’s second-half charge to earn the victory.
With the score tied at 30 at halftime, Polo outscored West Carroll 29-23 in the second half.
Becca Fritz led West Carroll with 13 points, while Katie Wiersema added 12.
Pearl City 42, River Ridge 40: Pearl City converted 14-of-22 free throws to put the game away.
Kelsie Kluck went 6-of-9 from the free-throw line and scored 14 points.
Nicole Lawler went 6-of-8 from the free-throw line for eight points.
Whitney Kieffer had 12 points and Carlene Decoster added 10 for River Ridge.
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The Dakota girls extended their record to 20-0 with a 48-34 win against Eastland.
Dakota got off to a fast start, taking a 28-12 halftime lead, but the Indians struggled to hold onto the lead in the second half.
Eastland charged back in the second half with a run, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Dakota.
Erika Lawson scored 20 points and Alexys Cleaver had 12 for Dakota, which went 15-of-20 from the free-throw line.
Kirby Kniss had 11 points for Eastland.
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Even though he’s been to almost every Durand home game for 11 years, Jake Stockdale never cheers for the Bulldogs.
He has a more important job. Stockdale runs the clock.
“It’s kind of a fun job,” Stockdale said. “I like being around the kids. I know a lot of the parents. It’s just something that I do.”
The job seems fairly simple. Clock keepers sit at the scorer’s table and start and stop time at the officials’ command. They count baskets and fouls. They flip switches and push buttons. Easy stuff.
East Dubuque 55, Galena 45: Tricia Mulgrew’s 13 points was the team-high for East Dubuque, while Miranda Muchow led Galena with 16.
Keith 65, Woodlands Academy 39: Trinesha Cornell and Lamish Al-Basha scored 22 points apiece.
Keith 51, Elgin Westminster 43: The win gave Keith the title at Westminster’s MLK Shootout. Nishawanda Smith and Lamise Al-Basha made the all-tournament team, while Trinesha Cornell was co-MVP.
Cornell scored 16 points in the title game.
Smith followed with 11, and Al-Basha and Sam Stephenson chipped in 10 each.
Eastland 53, West Carroll 51: August Cassens scored five points in the deciding fourth quarter for Eastland.
Annie Borota (13) and Holly Koser (10) finished in double figures for the Cougars.
Paige Schneider and Sarah Lucas scored 13 points apiece for West Carroll.
Walther Lutheran 48, Byron 33: After trailing by three (14-11) at halftime, Byron was outscored 17-10 in the third quarter.
Meghan Fitts led the Tigers with 15 points.
ROCKTON — Hononegah’s 3-point bombers have been turned inside out. The Indians’ first eight baskets in Friday’s 65-52 NIC-10 girls basketball victory over Belvidere came on layups.
“It’s shocked people a little bit,” 6-foot senior center Lindsay Lengjak (16 points) said. “Hononegah is known for 3s and people are surprised when we get in the paint. My word is saucing it up.”
Saucing it up?
“The girls laugh at me,” Lengjak said, “but I say saucing it up all the time. Getting in the middle is different, so saucing it up. Keeping it spicy.”
Auburn 51, Belvidere North 47: Anita Amisi scored 14 points and drained two late 3-pointers and led Auburn — which trailed by eight at halftime — to a comeback win.
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Harlem 44, East 22: No East player scored more than six points while Harlem’s Morgan Kolkmeyer and Breanna Neubauer each scored 12 to lead the Huskies to a big win.
East scored just 10 points in the first half.
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Boylan 72, Jefferson 41: Boylan’s Brea Edwards went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line and scored 29 points as the Titans rolled to a win over Jefferson.
Jalesa Watkins nailed a pair of 3-pointers and scored 18 for Jefferson.
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Rockford Christian 57, Alden-Hebron 40: Amy Hicks scored 14 for Rockford Christian (14-2, 6-0 Indian Trails), and Liz Davis added 11. Rachel Kloster hit three 3-pointers to finish with nine points.
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Belvidere North 48, East 13: Brooke Berkenpas scored 12 points for North, which had 18 team steals.
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Durand 51, Elgin Westminster Christian 26: Durand led 29-12 at halftime. Beth Michaelis scored 14 points for the Bulldogs.
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Hampshire 66, North Boone 18: Kelsey Edwards scored five points for North Boone.
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ROCKFORD — Call it Costco basketball; Lutheran wins in bulk.
The Crusaders came at Byron in waves, throwing up 25 shots in the first quarter alone, in Tuesday’s 61-30 Big Northern West girls basketball victory over Byron.
Lutheran led 37-22 at halftime, with the Crusaders attempting 42 shots to Byron’s 17.
“If we have anything less than 70 shots a game, that’s a failure to us,” Lutheran coach Joni Carlson said. “We try to get as many shots up at the basket as we can. That’s one thing the girls will never get yelled at for doing is shooting the basketball.
BELVIDERE — Mike Bradford could only shake his head in disbelief as he looked up at the scoreboard on his way to the locker room at halftime against Belvidere.
The Belvidere North coach had just watched the Bucs drain six straight shots to end the first half to put his Blue Thunder squad down by 33 points.
“You feel helpless,” Bradford said. “You switch defenses, you switch players, and nothing works. They made some off balance stuff, some deep shots. But those things are going to happen in basketball. It’s no fun when it’s against you.”
ROCKFORD — Auburn did what Auburn does best: create havoc with a quick and relentless defense.
But that was no match for what Boylan does best: shoot. The Titans easily overcame 23 turnovers with a hot-shooting night in a 69-33 girls basketball romp that lifted Boylan into second in the NIC-10.
The Knights (12-2, 4-1) turned it over 27 times themselves and shot only 27 percent (14 of 51). A 3-pointer by Kapree McGowan and a six-footer in the lane by Atiya Roby were the Knights’ only non-layups until the final two minutes.
FREEPORT — Morgann McCoy and the Forreston Cardinals came roaring back from a late fourth-quarter deficit, only to see their rally stopped short by Emily Mohr and Freeport Aquin on Friday.
After McCoy tied the game, Aquin forward Robyn Hauser dribbled down the court and found Mohr between two defenders.
The junior got a shot off that rattled around the rim as the buzzer sounded then fell in to give Aquin (12-3, 4-0 NUIC East) a 51-49 win over Forreston (12-7, 3-3) at Aquin.
BELVIDERE — Elizabeth Jordan is just a freshman, but her game is quickly maturing in her first year of varsity basketball.
Jordan hit five 3-pointers — and scored all of her game-high 16 points in the first half — to lead Rockton Hononegah to a convincing 66-42 win over Belvidere North Friday night.
“I guess I was feeling it,” Jordan said. “I’ve been shooting a lot of threes, but my coach is trying to get me to drive more.”
OREGON — “Backdoor!” came a cry from the Oregon bench in the final minute, but the Hawks could have yelled that all game as Byron forward Meaghan Fitts repeatedly got open under the basket.
“Fitts was killing us,” Oregon coach Pat Donahue said.
“That play has been good to me,” Byron coach Wade Heisler said. “You get the zone going one way and you can do some things to really hurt it the other way. It works because my kids execute it like crazy.”
Sterling Newman 55, Amboy 44: Gretta Hermes scored 15 points for Newman.
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Orangeville 52, Pecatonica 23: Carley Rote scored 12 points for the Broncos, while Angelique Hines-Bauch led Pecatonica with nine.
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Dakota 68, South Beloit 39: Erika Lawson scored 20 points to lead Dakota. Nicole Saari led South Beloit with 22 points.
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Sterling 83, LaSalle-Peru 53: Kaitlin Loos had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Sterling.
Rockford Christian 57, Alden-Hebron 28: Amy Hicks poured in 28 points for the Royals.
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Warren 44, Milledgeville 34: Megan Rogers and Kayla Briggs led a late charge to lead Warren past Milledgeville. Rogers led all scorers with 17 points while Briggs added 11.
Katie Boals scored six points in each half to lead Orangeville.
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Rochelle 47, Sycamore 39: Katie Schwartz scored 14 points and Jordan Miller added eight as Rochelle pulled away from Sycamore.
The Spartans cut the Hubs’ lead to 32-27 headed into the fourth quarter, but Schwartz went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line and six Rochelle players scored in the fourth quarter alone to hold onto the win.
Dakota 40, Durand 27: Dakota’s Erika Lawson was the only player to reach double figures, nailing three 3-pointers and scoring 17 in the Indians comfortable victory.
Durand scored just three points in the first half.
Byron 32, Winnebago 29: BYRON — Meghan Fitts scored eight of her team-high 14 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Tigers. Emily Lehne added 12 points for Byron. Emily Myers scored 13 to lead Winnebago.
Marengo 48, North Boone 33: POPLAR GROVE — Marengo outscored North Boone 13-2 in the first quarter and led 27-10 at halftime. Caitlyn Adams and Kelsey Edwards led North Boone with nine and eight points, respectively.
ROCKFORD — Cassie Glendenning couldn’t do it by herself. But once Val McKnight and Stillman Valley’s press kicked into gear, Lutheran’s undefeated days were over.
Glendenning scored a career-high 30 points and McKnight added 17, all in the final 20 minutes, to help the Cardinals rally from 10 points down in the second half and knock off the Crusaders 63-52 Friday.
The loss by Lutheran (8-1, 0-1 Big Northern West) leaves Dakota and Oregon as the area’s only unbeaten girls basketball teams.
Keith 53, Christian Life 29: Nashawnda Smith (23 points) and Trinesha Cornell (14) combined to score 37 points for Keith. Smith went 10-for-17 from the field and Cornell hit four 3-pointers. Elissa Yi and Lydia Box each had a team-high seven points for Christian Life.
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FREEPORT — Suporia Dickens scored 15 points to lead Freeport to a 70-49 home win against Guilford Wednesday. Katie Norman and Courtney Shiffer added 12 points apiece, while Kelsey Hoefer chipped in 11. Tiffany Martinez (10) and Stephanie House (10) led the Vikings.
Auburn 51, Belvidere North 47: Led by Atiya Roby (14), Anita Amisi (12) and Tierny Austin (12), Auburn held off Belvidere North. Jillian Leutscher led North with 9 points.
In a 42-41 win over Kaneland, Katie Schwartz and Shanna Metzger played like seasoned veterans for Rochelle, not like the sophomores they are.
Schwartz took charge of the fourth quarter by scoring the first eight points for Rochelle (7-2, 1-2) and Metzger put a cap on the game by calmly swishing two free throws with 3.4 seconds left for the final margin of victory.
“I was so scared, but felt like I could make it,” Metzger said. “We work on free throws a lot in practice.”
“Shanna plays with confidence and Katie’s our leader,” Rochelle coach Kay Dobbs said.
FREEPORT — This time, Lombard Montini shot well.
It still might not have been enough if Freeport had remained calmer in its frenetic rally in the final two minutes. Montini, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A girls basketball, upset No. 1 Freeport 51-47 Saturday night when Caitlin Greene’s 3-pointer to tie bounced off the front rim with three seconds to play.
Montini shot 48 percent (21 of 44) and made six 3-pointers after shooting only 20 percent in last year’s state semifinal loss to the Pretzels.
“We can shoot,” Montini coach Jason Nichols said. “We’re streaky, but we can shoot.”
Winnebago 70, Genoa-Kingston 43: Junior forward Emily Myers drained five 3-pointers and scored 29 points to lift the Indians of Winnebago to a big win over Genoa-Kingston.
Myers hit two 3s in each of the first two quarters as the Indians built a double-digit lead by halftime. Jennifer Wakeley scored seven of her 11 points in the second half to help keep Winnebago out front.
Hampshire 46, Oregon 39: Hampshire got 19 points from Alex Dumoulin and held off Oregon down the stretch.
POLO — Forreston won the Polo Holiday Tournament with a 52-31 win Saturday against Prophetstown.
Holly Kortemeier had four 3-pointers and 19 points for the Cardinals in Forreston’s final game of the round-robin tournament. Forreston and Oregon both went 3-1 in the tournament, but Forreston won the head-to-head meeting earlier in the week, which served as the tie breaker.
Milledgeville 45, Morrison 27: Milledgeville held Morrison to single digits in scoring in every quarter. Brianna Herin scored a team-high 12 points for the Missiles.
Mundelein Tournament
MUNDELEIN — Rolling Meadows beat Belvidere 45-34 at the Mundelein Holiday Tournament. Lauren Hyser led the Bucs with 12 points.
MACHESNEY PARK — At first, Boylan couldn’t shoot. Then the Titans couldn’t hold onto the ball. But always, always, they played defense.
“Our defense is incredible. It’s been this whole season,” Brea Edwards said after scoring 18 points to lead Boylan to a 52-42 girls basketball victory Saturday over Algonquin Jacobs in the title game of the 31st Harlem Holiday Classic.
MACHESNEY PARK — As host of the Harlem Tournament, the Huskies had little trouble against Rock Falls, taking a 58-37 win.
Kortney Buskeros scored 18 points, while Kristin Numbers added 14 to lead Harlem.
Boylan 81, Christian Life 17: The Titans led 37-7 at halftime against Christian Life.
Sycamore 53, Guilford 21: Sycamore pulled away from Guilford with a 22-4 run in the second quarter en route to a win.
Auburn 58, Belvidere North 40: Led by Atiya Roby, who scored 23 points, Auburn bested Belvidere North.
Genoa-Kingston Tournament
GENOA — Molly Meier (24 points) and Lauren Strohmaier (17 points) combined to score 41 of G-K’s points in the Cogs’ 68-44 win against South Beloit. Kristen Saari poured in 28 points for the Sobos.
Byron 41, Stillman Valley 39
PEARL CITY — The Dakota girls basketball team pulled out a 37-27 win against Pearl City on Friday.
Dakota defender Alexys Cleaver held Pearl City’s leading scorer, Nicole Lawler, to four points on a 1-of-6 night.
“That’s all she scored? Then we played even better than I thought,” Dakota coach Kevin Cline said. “I didn’t realize that, but when you play a stud like her, you try to contain her and not let her go off for 24 points.
Keith tops R. Christian in semi-finals
Lamish Al-Basha scored a game-high 21 points to lead Keith past Rockford Christian 54-49 in the semifinals of the Rockford Christian Tournament.
Keith will play Indian Creek in today’s 8 p.m. championship game.
Trinesha Cornell added 14 points for Keith.
Rockford Christian, led by Amy Hicks’ 18 points, outscored Keith 26-25 in the second half, but was held to six points in the third quarter. Brianna Hellyer also had 10 points for the Royals.
Winnebago 72, C. Life 27
The rivalry that should just be starting ended Tuesday night when Freeport outlasted Boylan 54-50 in overtime.
The Pretzels, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A after returning their top four players from last year’s state runner-up team, passed their biggest hurdle to winning the NIC-10 in their first conference game. Boylan (5-1, 0-1) and Freeport (6-0, 1-0) won’t play again.
“It does kind of stink,” said forward Courtney Shiffer, who led Freeport with 22 points. “I’m glad we won. Otherwise, we would have really wanted to play them again.”
Dakota Tournament
DAKOTA — Dakota captured a 40-35 win against Byron in the semifinals of the Dakota Tournament.
Byron went up eight points in the second quarter at 15-7, but Dakota responded with a run at halftime to lead 20-15. Dakota went up 28-17 in the third.
Byron retook the lead with three minutes left to lead 35-34. Taylor Borgmann’s basket put Dakota back up at 36-35.
The Indians closed the game with four free-throws to secure the win.
Erika Lawson led the Dakota with 18 points. Meghan Fitts had 10 points for Byron.
Fourth-quarter rally lifts Freeport to victory
GALESBURG — With Katie Norman scoring half of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, Freeport stormed past Metamora en route to a 45-41 win in Friday’s Galesburg Girls Thanksgiving Tournament.
Suporia Dickens scored 11 of her 14 in the first half, but Freeport trailed 29-24 at the break and 33-31 heading into the final period of play.
Schaumburg Tournament
SCHAUMBURG — Boylan turned a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit into a 61-55 win over St. Charles East.
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BURLINGTON CENTRAL — Sycamore won a close battle at the Burlington Central Tournament with a 38-36 win against Belvidere North. Jacobi Banks led the Blue Thunder with eight points.
Also at Burlington Central on Monday, Harlem beat Lisle 34-29, and Woodstock beat Auburn 53-48.
Warren Tournament
WARREN — Kelsey Blumer had 15 points to lead Orangeville to a 52-42 win against Galena. Brittany Leverton and Katie Boals added 11 apiece. Rachel Busker and Simina Lewis led Galena with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
BURLINGTON CENTRAL — Sycamore won a close battle at the Burlington Central Tournament with a 38-36 win against Belvidere North. Jacobi Banks led the Blue Thunder with eight points.
Also at Burlington Central on Monday, Harlem beat Lisle 34-29, and Woodstock beat Auburn 53-48.
Warren Tournament
WARREN — Kelsey Blumer had 15 points to lead Orangeville to a 52-42 win against Galena. Brittany Leverton and Katie Boals added 11 apiece. Rachel Busker and Simina Lewis led Galena with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
GALESBURG — Freeport used solid defense to beat Rock Island Alleman 43-28 in one of two games it played at the Galesburg Tournament Saturday.
Freeport (3-0) held the Pioneers (1-1) to 8-39 from the field and 1-16 on three-point attempts in the win.
“One thing we’ve been good on the past two or three years is our team defense,” Freeport’s Katie Norman said. “Our one-on-one is getting better overall, but we’re a hard team to play five-on-five.”
The star that always was and the star that’s never yet been lead a pair of NUIC girls basketball teams that harbor state tournament hopes.
NUIC East favorite Dakota, ranked No. 3 in the preseason Class 1A poll, sports a different look with more height but less experience surrounding senior point guard Erika Lawson.
ROCKFORD — The Mighty Mites aren’t quite so mite-y anymore.
Jefferson posted its first winning conference record in girls basketball in 17 years despite a starting lineup that averaged 5-foot-2 1/2. This year’s J-Hawks average just over 5-foot-5.
“We don’t have any height,” first-year coach Hosea Harris said. “But we have everything else.”
The J-Hawks graduated 1,000-point scorer Virginia Trotter, but return four starters “and everyone else who were huge contributors to the team,” Harris said.
They also return new-found excitement.
ROCKTON — The coach is back. Everyone else is gone.
Randy Weibel (217-68) won five conference, seven regional and three sectional titles in nine years as Hononegah’s coach before taking a year off and working as an assistant boys coach last year. He’s now back to lead the Indians, who graduated all five starters including conference MVP Courtney Shelton, from last year’s 26-7 team.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Weibel said. “But the transition has been smooth. We have very coachable kids.”
MACHESNEY PARK — The past few years, Harlem was one of the NIC-10’s three tallest teams. Not this year. Only three Huskies are taller than 5-foot-6, and none taller than 5-9. That means a change in strategy.
“We’re looking at zones,” head coach Luanna Kish said. “In the past, with our height and versatility and speed, we played a lot of man-to-man full-court. They could do a lot of trapping. Now we’re adding new things.
ROCKFORD — Bianca Clendening, an assistant coach at Jefferson last year when the J-Hawks posted their first winning conference record in 17 years, begins another rebuilding project as Guilford’s first-year coach.
She has some material to work with trying to turn around a team that has gone 12-59 the past three years. Lauren Paulson, Amanda Keaney, Tiffany Martinez and Brittany Williams give the Vikings four returning starters, and Stephanie House, at 5-foot-10, is an intriguing sophomore.
“Her basketball knowledge is very, very good,” Clendening said of House.
ROCKFORD — The worst is over.
East returns three starters from a team that went winless in the conference and added three transfers, including one from Texas and one from Chicago. One of those returning starters, 5-foot-10 junior Kayla Glovier, combines with sophomores Patrice Grayned (6-1) and Jerrica Graham (5-9) to give the E-Rabs far more height than they are used to.
ROCKFORD — Boylan returns four starters, including its top two scorers and rebounders in junior forward Devin Mack and senior center Maria Ludeke, who at 6-foot-1 is the NIC-10’s tallest returning starter.
That’s not enough to catch defending champion Freeport, which returns its top four starters from last year’s Class 3A state runners-up. But maybe this is: The Titans add their best-ever sophomore class to their returning nucleus of Ludeke, Mack, Kierra Valentine and Deborah Hilby.
BELVIDERE — North returns not just all five starters, but it’s entire team.
And one.
Senior guard Leah Schwendeau missed last year with an ACL injury. Now she is back, as are starters Jessica Gamble, Bobbi Johns, Jacobi Banks, Jillian Leutscher and Andie Behling for second-year Belvidere North.
BELVIDERE — The Bucs wish first-year coach Darcee Baney could go back in time.
“The girls always ask me, ‘Why don’t you put on a uniform?’ ” said Baney, a former Harlem star who was a first-team Division II All-American forward at Lewis University in 2007.
Baney, Belvidere’s sixth coach in eight years, uses her experience to teach the Bucs.
“I get in there and play with them and show them. They get how to do it and then they can actually see it,” Baney said. “I can push them around a little and teach them to get stronger inside.”
ROCKFORD — A pair of Auburn surprises will be asked to keep the Knights on their upward curve.
Auburn is coming off its best season in 15 years and returns senior guard Anita Amisi and sophomore forward Tierny Austin. But the Knights must replace forward Cynthia Moore and two-time all-conference guard Audrianna Blake.
Amisi passed Blake to become the Knights’ top scorer last year (12.6 points). She led the NIC-10 in 3-pointers with 66 and scored a game-high 22 points in the regional final, when Auburn just missed winning its first regional title in 21 years.
FREEPORT — They wanted to win conference. They just missed as freshmen, and then beat out three-time defending champ Hononegah as sophomores.
Then they wanted to be undefeated NIC-10 champs. They achieved that as juniors.
Four-year starters Katie Norman, Kelsey Hoefer and Courtney Shiffer, plus second-team all-state guard Suporia Dickens, have only one real goal left at Freeport: Win state.
