Real Talk:Six questions with Taylor Wells

Spartan Taylor Wells go up for a shot against an Illinois Valley Central player in their home game in January. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Last week, The Sentinel caught up with St. Joseph-Ogden sophomore Taylor Wells for a little one-on-one. No, not the kind on the hardwood where this reporter would be schooled like a kindergartner, but about student school, sports and life in the new, and hopefully temporary, Covid world. Observing social distancing guidelines, I asked six questions to the student-athlete via Twitter.

Sentinel: What was your reaction and those of your fellow students when you first learned that schools would be closed due to the COVID-19 virus?

Wells: I was sad that I would be missing out on playing softball, competing in my AAU travel basketball tournaments, and seeing my friends.

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Sentinel: How is e-learning going? What really sucks about it?

Wells: It’s going okay. It’s not optimal. I would prefer to be in the classroom with my classmates.

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Sentinel: What do you think teachers can do to make it better?

Wells: I think the teachers are doing the best they can for us. I’m sure it’s very stressful being thrown into a situation like this.

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Sentinel: Besides shooting baskets at home, what else are you doing to pass the time?

Wells: I’ve walked a few trails at Homer Lake with my family and my dog, working out to stay in shape, and doing basketball drills.

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Sentinel: When we are done sheltering in place, and hopefully soon, name three things you are going to do the first week.

Wells: I am definitely going to hangout with my friends, go to SJO softball practice, and go to Heart of Illinois basketball practice.

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Sentinel: Looking into the future, what do you think will be the new normal as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Wells: I think people will wash their hands more often, and I think people will no longer take friends, family, and sports for granted.

"You just have to have fun with it", SJO basketball fall at home

The undefeated Morton girls basketball team had plenty of hype preceding their visit to St. Joseph-Ogden back on December 14.

The Potters, starting four juniors and a sophomore from last season's state title team, entered the game with an impressive 8-0 record and it was clear after the first four and half minutes of their game against the Spartans why.

Ella Armstrong looks for a step toward the paint in SJO's home game against Morton. The Potters held the sophomore guard scoreless for 32 minutes. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)     .:: Buy this photo ::.

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Morton jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and held it until SJO's Ashlyn Lannert found net giving her team the narrowest margin all night in the scoring gap between the #1 Class 3A team in the state with a little more than three minutes left in the first quarter. The Potters then used the next two quarters to steamroll their way to a 62-27 non-conference win.

"Games like this; going into it, you know, you just have to have fun with it," said Lannert, who led her team's scoring effort with 10 points. "They're 3A state champs. You just have to have a good attitude going into it and have a good time playing with everyone."

By the end of the first quarter the Spartans trailed by 22-9 thanks largely to shooting from Morton's aggressive defense in the form of anticipating passing lanes and swooping in to create turnovers on SJO possessions. Perimeter shooting and making 14 of their 15 first half free throw attempts stretched the Potters' lead to 25 at the half.

"That's definitely what we strive to be as a team," said Lannert, who was impressed by how tight Morton played as a team. "We'll get there some day. We're all really young and we all just need to keep working hard."

Sophomore Taylor Wells goes up for a shot in the first half against the Potters. She finished the loss with six points for the SJO. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)     .:: Buy this photo ::.

In Morton's two games leading up to the clash in The Joe, the Potters iced the previous three opponents by 35 or more points. The Potters beat Canton 65-30 on the road at the beginning of December and crushed Pontiac at home by way of a 40-point advantage four days later, 75-35. After a three-day break, they pummeled nearby Pekin on their home court, 62-20.

You can't be the best if you don't play the best and that's why the Spartans schedule games against a program like Morton who has won the four out of the last five Class 3A state titles.

"We want to get that level at some point, too," said SJO head coach Kevin Taylor. "They have very few weaknesses if any at all. We competed the best we could and gave it our best shot."

He added: "We want to play them because that how we want to be down the road.

In addition to Lannert's team-high score, Taylor Wells came off the bench to contribute six points and Alyssa Hamilton added another four round out SJO's top three scorers.

Thanks to extremely well-discipline play, the Potters allowed just SJO just three free throw attempts. Wells missed on her only trip to the line and sophomore Abby Behrens went 1-and-1 in the fourth quarter.

The Potters had three players in double figures. Courtney Jones led all scorers with 16 points in three quarters. The senior drilled all three of her free throw attempts. Fellow senior Lindsey Dullard finished with 13 points and was 4-for-4 from the line, all in the first half against the Spartans.

Morton junior Raquel Frakes chipped in 11 points and also enjoyed a perfect night from the charity stripe hitting all three of her free throws.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	9	6	2	10	- 27
Morton	22	20	18	2	- 62

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 10, Taylor Wells 6, Abby Behrens 4, Alyssa Hamilton 5 and Anna Wentzloff 2.

Morton: Griffin 2, Becker 3, Jones 16, Frakes 11, Dearing 9, McCartney 2, Dullard, Krupa 4 and Baughman 2.

3rd quarter adjustment saves SJO from Unity upset

For a little more than 19 minutes of clock time, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team's undefeated record was in jeapordy. Entering the game with a three-game win streak to start the season, the Spartans were, by all accounts, the pre-game favorite against the 1 win - 3 loss visiting Unity Rockets.

Taylor Wells takes aim during a free throw attempt in SJO's post-season game against Villa Grove-Heritage in 2020. Wells posted her first double-double of the year against the Rockets.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

With nearly half of the third quarter gone and a 19-17 score in the Rockets favor on the main scoreboard mounted on the gym's north wall, a three-point shot from Ella Armstrong gave SJO their first lead of the contest. The Spartans relenquished it briefly after Unity's Alysson England answered with field goal but regained the advantage with yet another trey from Armstrong on the way to a 47-29 Illini Prairie Conference win last Thursday.

For nearly two quarters Unity out-hustled and out-muscled their host. The three guards, Maddie Reed, Chloee Reed and Lauren Miller were busy bees forcing turnovers and ball control issues for SJO. Miller and Chloee Reed paired up, were credited with five steals.

"The girls came to play tonight," said Rockets' head coach Dave Ellars. "We had a couple days off due to the weather and I believe it helped our legs."

Unity played a solid first half preventing St. Joseph-Ogden from getting any offensive traction. Except for a 6-6 tie midway into the first quarter, the Rockets had the favored Spartans on the rope and kept them there until halftime.

"We did not play well in the first half," said SJO head coach Kevin Taylor concerning how his team started the game. "We were standing around too much against their zone and not moving the ball."

Taylor said he made a simple adjustment in his game plan for the second half.

"We switched up our offense to get more movement and we made an effort to get the ball inside where we had a big advantage in size," he said. "Our post play made really good decisions in the second half. Several times when we went to the post, they kicked it back out for an open shot."

We learned we can compete. I believe we will learn from this game.

The midgame tweak worked and allowed Armstrong score on three baskets for eight points pushing a four point deficit on the Rockets. Ashlyn Lannert extended the lead to nine points on a bucket and trey.

"SJO made a couple of adjustments and they made a few shots," Ellars said, explaining the shift in the game's momentum. "Due to SJO's size we wanted to try to help (our players) inside. She (Armstrong) made some shots in the second half."

Ellars was trying to keep the ball out of the hands of Taylor Wells. Wells finished the game with 12 rebounds and four assists.

"Taylor did a good job tonight using her size. She controlled the lane tonight with her defense and rebounding," Taylor said. "She also had several plays on offense where she found an open teammate when she was doubled-team in the post."

While she contributed just four points, Payton Jacob's presence on the court was crucial for the Spartans.

"Jacob always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. She had several key plays when we needed it tonight," he said about the junior starter. "There were a couple of key offensive rebounds and put backs that stood out to me."

St. Joseph-Ogden's top three scorers were Lannert and Wells with ten points apiece and Armstrong, whose four treys produced a game-high 16 points.

The Rockets offense was compiled by four players. Chloee Reed led the team with 10 points, England added in eight, Miller five and Maddie Reed chipped in three points. Miller led the team in rebounding with four. Miller and Chloee Reed had three apiece.

The loss withstanding, Ellars was happy with the way the team played.

"We learned we can compete," he said about his team. "I believe we will learn from this game. I was extremely pleased with our effort."

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It takes a gritty team to gut check and turnaround a game in the last 11 minutes, especially when you trailed the first two-thirds of it. On the floor, on the bench or in practice, it also takes a group of dedicated fourth-year players willing to do the little things.

"If this team has any mental toughness it is because of the seniors," Taylor said. "Whether they played a lot of mins or just a few, they all are doing a great job trying to lead this team and are doing all the little things that go unnoticed by most.

I can't thank them enough for what they are doing. They were a big part of why we were able to comeback and have that big swing in the score."

Box Score

Unity	16	3	3	7	- 29
St. Joseph-Ogden	9	6	15	14	- 44

Unity
C. Reed 2 (2) 0-3 -- 10, England 4 (0) 0-0 -- 8, Renfrow 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Miller 2 (0) 1-2 -- 5, Stringer 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Steinman 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, B. Henry 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, M. Reed 0 (1) 0-0 -- 3, Moore 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Alagna 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, T. Henry 0 (0) 0-4 -- 0, Flesch 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

St. Joseph-Ogden
Lannert 2 (2) 0-0 -- 10, Walden 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Campbell 1 (0) 0-2 -- 2, Jacob 2 (0) 0-2 -- 4, Wells 5 (0) 0-0 -- 10, Hamilton 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Hug 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Behrens 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Smith 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Jones 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Hamilton 0 (0) 0-2 -- 0, Vallee 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Armstrong 2 (4) 0-0 -- 16.

3 earn all-conference girls basketball honors

SJO's Taylor Wells shoots a jumper against IVC in 2020. A year later, after doing her best to stay competitive during the pandemic, she reaps the fruits of her effort by making All-IPC First Team in 2021.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Three area players garnered all-conference basketball recognition last week from the Illini Prairie Conference last week.

St. Joseph-Ogden's Taylor Wells was named to the conference's First Team list. Known for her strong defensive play, the junior finished the last three games of the pandemic shortened season averaging eight points per game.

Joining Wells on the the list was teammate Ella Armstrong, also a junior. Armstrong led St. Joseph-Ogden's offense averaging 10 ppg in her last three outings this season.

A well-deserved nod also went to Unity's lone senior Chloee Reed. Reed, who was a strong contributor for Rockets, scored 23 points in her team's 57-20 rout against Rantoul.

Below is the complete list of players who made an impression on coaches throughout the conference.

FIRST TEAM

Katie Steinman, SR
CENTRAL CATHOLIC
(unanimous selection)

Abbey Davis, SR
CENTRAL CATHOLIC

Taylor Nowaskie, JR
OLYMPIA

Chloe Sisco, SO
PRAIRIE CENTRAL

Taylor Wells, JR
ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN

Addie Masching, SR
PONTIAC

SECOND TEAM

Kennedy Ramshaw, SO
SAINT THOMAS MORE

Ella Armstrong, JR
ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN

Madison Kinkade, SR
PRAIRIE CENTRAL

Renni Fultz, JR
MONTICELLO

Abbi Bode, SR
OLYMPIA

Abby Cox, SR
CENTRAL CATHOLIC

Honorable
Mention:

Ella Larson, SR
CENTRAL CATHOLIC

Marley Williamson, JR
ILLINOIS VALLEY CENTRAL

Tristina Einhouse, SR
PONTIAC

Kianna Berlatsky, SR
RANTOUL

Chloee Reed, SR
UNITY

Wells delivers buckets of points

Taylor Wells came off the bench Monday to lead all scorers in the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team's second home game of the year. The sophomore led all scorers with 12 points to help SJO roll past St. Thomas More, 42-25.

After a dismal first quarter, the Sabers showed a brief spark of scoring brilliance, dropping 15 second quarter points building a modest lead three-point lead at the half, up 19-16.

The Spartans returned to the floor to match STM's first half scoring output under the leadership of Wells and her six points along with the combined efforts of four other SJO players in the third quarter.

Sabers' Maddie Swisher tapped a solo field goal in the same period making it all her team could muster against the 15-4 Spartans, who also picked up their second conference win of the season. Held to just six points in the second half, St. Thomas More dropped to 0-2 in the conference and 3-9 overall.

After Wells' contribution, St. Joseph-Ogden's top three scorers were sophomores Ashlyn Lannert with eight points, Payton Jacob with six and Ella Armstrong added another five to the mix. The Spartans received 33 of their scoring total from five of the six sophomores on this season's varsity roster.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	7	9	19	7	- 42
St. Thomas More	4	15	2	4	- 25

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 8, Payton Jacob 6, Taylor Wells 12, Atleigh Hamilton 2, Katie Cramer 3, Abby Behrens 2, Taylor Barnes 4 and Ella Armstrong 5.

St. Thomas More: Kennedy Ramshaw 6, Alaina Bowie 1, Tatum De Vries 5, Ava Dickerson 4, Bridget Delorenzo 2, Maddie Swisher 2 and Sarah Gibas 5.

Off-season work pays off; St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells heads to state wrestling

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells (left) wrestles Urbana's Rickasia Ivy in dual meet in December. Wells and Ivy, who took second place, qualified for the IHSA Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals in Bloomington Feb. 28 - Mar. 1.

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HIGHLAND - At the beginning of the season in December, when asked what she wanted to accomplish this season, St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells said, "I'm really hoping to qualify for girls' state for the first time." Mission accomplished.

Wells, a junior who started wrestling three years ago, is a warrior. Yesterday, she became the first St. Joseph-Ogden female athlete to qualify for the IHSA's Girls Wrestling State Finals. Finishing third in the 140-pound division, the junior's grueling path through the bracket to punch her ticket to the state tournament in Bloomington was sealed after six matches at the Highland Sectional.

"I was kind of in disbelief and I was happy for all my friends that I’ve made along the way that also qualified," Wells said after her third-place finish. "I was most excited to eat Chipotle, though."

Except for her quarterfinal loss to Collinsville's Taylor Dawson, who won the sectional title in their division, Wells won four matches by fall and recorded a techfall in her consolation semifinal win over Mt. Vernon's Daniya Musgrave.

Mentally and emotionally, she said her first match of sectionals was the most stressful.

"My qualification match was my toughest," she admitted. "My previous two years I had been knocked out in this round so I was the most nervous."

Wells won her sectional opener, pinning Salem's Alan Finney at 1:44. Her quarterfinal loss to Dawson lasted 42 seconds. She bounced back from the defeat to win her next four bouts.

All the work Wells put in during the off-season paid dividends. She heads to the state tournament at Grossinger Motors Arena with an 18-6 record.

"I do a lot of open gyms," she said. She also attended camps at the University of Illinois during the summer to sharpen her technical skills. "And, I did some off-season girls tournaments."

Now a trailblazer for the Spartan girls' program and one of two girls on this year's squad, she hopes that her success will influence other female athletes to join the sport.

"I feel privileged to be able to pave the path but I feel excited to see the girls that follow," she said. "I hope I inspired girls younger than me to not be afraid of trying new things despite their gender and being able to follow their dreams."

Maddie Wells sectional match results:

• Champ. Round 1 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Alana Finney, Salem - Fall 1:44
• Quarterfinal - Taylor Dawson, Collinsville 32-3 won by fall over Maddie Wells - Fall 0:42
• Cons. Round 2 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Kaisley Shotkoski, Mahomet-Seymour - Fall 1:15
• Cons. Round 3 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Jacee Mardirosian, Carterville - Fall 3:34
• Cons. Semi - Maddie Wells won by tech fall over Daniya Musgrave, Mt. Vernon - TF-1.5 2:18 18-0
• 3rd Place Match - Maddie Wells won by fall over Lillien Roughton, Unity Christian - Fall 3:09

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Prep Hoops | Not holding back, SJO keeps perfect record intact

The St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team put their collective feet on the gas and didn't let up for four quarters in last week's home game against Rantoul. Rallying behind Peyton Jacob, Ella Armstrong and with double digit scoring all four quarters, SJO posted a 64-32 rout over the visiting Eagles.

Jacob notched the first two buckets for the Spartans sandwiched around a pair of free throws from Armstrong in the first four minutes for a 6-2 lead. Despite points after a SJO turnover and subsequent score by Eagles' Tanaya Young, SJO never had look over their shoulder to pick up their third victory and second conference win of the season.

Armstrong then widened the scoring gap to 11-4 with a jumper and trey. From here on, point production became a team effort for St. Joseph-Ogden. Payton Jones started bucketfest after putting a shot through the rim for a nine point advantage with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.

Rantoul's Young, determined not to let the game get away from her team, hit a three making it a 13-7 game.

SJO responded with basket from 6-foot-3 junior Taylor Wells to close out the first quarter.

Rantoul, thanks to a strong defensive effort by the Spartans, was held scoreless during the first 4 minutes and 49 seconds of the second half. By the time Kianna Berlasky's sank a free throw for her Eagles for their first point of the quarter, the Spartans had built a 17-point advantage.

Berlasky went on to finish the loss with 12 points for RTHS behind Young's team-high 14.

Once again, the Spartan offensive effort was a team collaboration. Armstrong led nine other scorers from her team with 16 points and she was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.

When Rantoul's defensive effort transitioned to clamping down on Armstrong and Payton Vallee, Jacob doubled her first half output with eight points in the third quarter point to secure the conference win with 12 points. Wells rounded out SJO's top three scorers with seven points.

Wells and the Spartans travel to Bloomington tomorrow night to face Central Catholic. Fans can catch the Illini Prairie Conference game on the NFHS Network starting with the junior varsity game at 5:30pm.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	15	15	18	16	- 64
Rantoul	7	3	13	9	- 32

St. Joseph-Ogden
Ashlyn Lannert 2 (0) 0-0 -- 4, Taylor Campbell 2 (0) 0-0 -- 4, Payton Jacob 6 (0) 0-0 -- 12, Taylor Wells 3 (0) 1-2 -- 7, Atleigh Hamilton 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Taylor Hug 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Abby Behrens 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Isabell Smith 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Peyton Jones 3 (0) 0-0 -- 6, Alyssa Hamilton 1 (1) 0-0 -- 5, Payton Vallee 3 (0) 0-3 -- 6, Ella Armstrong 2 (2) 6-6 -- 16.

Rantoul
McClyde 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Walton 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Berlatsky 3 (0) 4-8 -- 10, Emery 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Jackson-Romper 2 (0) 0-0 -- 4, Sutherland 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Dixon 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Young 4 (2) 0-1 -- 14, Vermillon 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

Taylor Wells leads Spartans past Sabers

After trailing by three points at the half, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team rallied back to notch another conference win at home. In a noteworthy second half defensive effort, the Spartans held St. Thomas More to just six points in the final two quarters of their Illini Prairie Conference shindig to win, 42-25.

Taylor Wells, who went 2-for-2 from the free throw line, led the SJO charge with 12 points. The sophomore starter was the only player to reach double digits and the only player to score more than four points in the last half of the contest on January 6.

Ashlyn Lannert came off the bench to finish the night with eight points. Payton Jacob rounded out the top three scorers for the Spartans contributing six points.

Meanwhile, freshman Kennedy Ramshaw led visiting St. Thomas More with six points. Teammates Tatum DeVriese and Sarah Gibas scored five points apiece in the Sabers' loss.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	7	9	19	17	- 42
St. Thomas More	4	15	2	4	- 25

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 8, Payton Jacob 6, Taylor Wells 12, Atleigh Hamilton 2, Katie Cramer 3, Abby Behrens 2, Taylor Barnes 4 and Ella Armstrong 5.

St. Thomas More: Sarah Gibas 5, Maddie Swisher 2, Bridget Delorenzo 2, Ava Dickerson 4, Tatum DeVriese 5, Alaina Bowie 1 and Kennedy Ramshaw 6.

Spartans advance after downing Villa Grove-Heritage in regional title game

Up by one with four seconds left in the first quarter after Villa Grove-Heritage's Vanessa Wright scored at the other end of the court, senior Katie Cramer took the ball into the north corner and lined up a shot three feet from in front of the Maroon Platoon's headquarters. She pulled the trigger just as the buzzer sounded hitting nothing but net to extend St. Joseph-Ogden's fragile, early game lead to four at 11-7.

Fragile indeed.

Despite building a seven-point advantage, the largest lead by either team in the first half of the game, the Spartans toiled on repeating a nearly identical third quarter encore of Tuesday night's semifinal against Tuscola to win 50-34.

Seniors Katie Cramer, Hannah Dukeman, Anna Wentzloff and Taylor Barnes take possession of the team's IHSA plaque. The win over Villa Grove-Heritage marked the third consecutive regional championship title for the Spartans. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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"This time of the year no one is going to give up. No one is going to stop playing hard," said St. Joseph-Ogden head coach Kevin Taylor in regards to yet another underwhelming third quarter that allowed the Blue Devils to tie up the score at 25-all. "I knew they would come back at us. I knew the game was not over."

VGH head coach Dan Sappenfield called a time out with 3:52 left in the third. After play resumed Aliya Holloman found herself at the free throw line where she sank two shots to tie the score up at 25-all.

Shortly thereafter, Taylor Wells drew a foul call and drilled the first shot before missing her second to give the Spartans a one point lead that would not last for long.

The Blue Devils immediately responded with a lay up from Samantha Campbell after inbound pass to go up 27-26. It would be the last time VGH would see numbers on their side of the scoreboard great of the two.

Right after Atleigh Hamilton hit the second of her two free throws, Taylor called a time out with fans from both sides looking a pair of 27's on the scoreboard.

"That seems to be a pattern for us," said Katie Cramer. The senior, who now has three regional titles to her credit, led the SJO's offensive effort with 12 points. "We like to come out after halftime kind of flat. But, we picked it up and I wasn't worried once we picked up our energy."

After the 30 second break, an energized, highly physical Spartan squad took command of the floor out scoring VGH 18-7. Abby Behrens led final quarter effort to help the Spartans put the game out of reach with six points, four from her six attempts from the charity stripe.

Behrens along with Ella Armstrong tallied nine points each in the championship victory and SJO 20th win of the season.

"In the third quarter, sometimes, we kind of collapse in on ourselves and we have to dig ourselves out of a hole," said Behrens, who was happy to secure the win on her home court. "I thought we did well recovering."

Peaking at what seems to be the right time, Taylor was happy to see his team play an aggressive, more tenacious brand of basketball.

"They played smart. They played tough tonight," Taylor said without hesitation about the team effort. "They played strong. As a coach I love to see that."

Except for practice, the girls team is done at home for the season.

Taylor & Co. will travel to Paris on Monday to face the winner of the Sullivan regional, a contest between sectional host Paris (#1 seed) and Sullivan (#4 seed). The sectional semifinal will tipoff at 7:30 pm.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	11	13	8	18	- 50
Villa Grove-Heritage	7	11	9	7	- 34

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Payton Jacob 8, Taylor Wells 1, Atleigh Hamilton 5, Katie Cramer 12, Abby Behrens 9, Taylor Barnes 6 and Payton Vallee 9.

Villa Grove-Heritage: Jordan Ray 2, Maci Clodfelder 1, Kyleigh Block 14, Aliya Holloman 9, Vanessa Wright 2 and Samantha Campbell 6.

Opening loss will strenghten the Spartans, SJO falls 64-44 at home to Paris

Senior Katie Cramer brings the ball down the court during first half action in her team's home opener against Paris. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

After grinding out four consecutive wins to start the season and bring home the GCMS/Bunnies Tipoff title last week, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team suffered their first loss of the season. Outmatched, the Spartans fell 65-44 on their home court to the visiting Paris.

The Tigers came out feisty and visibly hungry for the win on Tuesday. The coaching staff had did their homework on the SJO squad. Paris head coach Dave Tingley had his team press the Spartans player from end to end on the floor forcing plethora of turnovers from the opening tip.

The defensive pressure was too much to handle for SJO. The Spartans mustered just five first quarter points and trailed midway into the second by 20 points until Taylor Wells found a basket after the relentless Tigers ran up the score with 11 unanswered points.

Payton Jacob drilled the next two shots to narrow St. Joseph-Ogden's deficit to 14 points. From that point forward, Kevin Taylor's team, though at a slight disadvantage without the veteran leadership of Hannah Dukeman on the floor, played competitive second half.

"We knew they would be after us the whole game and press us," said Taylor, now in his third season at the helm of the Lady Spartans. "There was never a time to let up against Paris."

While it wasn't enough to come out on top, the Spartans enjoyed scoring contributions from nine players.

Starter Taylor Barnes led the way with a team-high nine points. Sophomore starter Payton Jacob had six points. Alyssa Hamilton and Ashlyn Lannert came off the bench to score six apiece as well.

"We're young. We just didn't handle it the best way we could early on," Taylor said. "I hope the girls learn from it as we move on through the season."

Paris had four players finish with double figures against the Spartans.

Senior Karrington Krabel drained a game-high 16 points for the Tigers. Sarah Isaf and Jenna Gates, also senior members of the squad, scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Sophomore Katelyn Littleton was 2-for-2 from the free throw line and had a pair of threes in her 10 point finish.

While it was an ugly loss, Taylor is confident that his team will become stronger because of it.

"It's a learning process. We're not set up to win a regional title," Taylor said. "I'm not satisfied with this game."

Nor should he be. After major second half adjustments and the shell shock wore off, SJO played a respectable second half barely outscored by the Tigers, 34-28. Starting two seniors, two sophomores and a junior there is some chemistry that needs to come together and much work to be done before the postseason.

"I saw some things that they improved on (tonight) and we'll work on more in practice as we move forward," he added.

St. Joseph-Ogden, now at 4-1 for the season, hosts Tuscola for a non-conference game on Monday before embarking on a three-game road campaign starting next week. Playing a game every other day, SJO starts with a trip to Danville on December 7, then plays a little closer to home on December 9 against Oakwood and finishes up tour at Mahomet-Seymour on December 11.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	5	11	15	13	- 44
Paris	16	15	20	14	- 65

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 6, Payton Jacob 6, Taylor Wells 5, Katie Cramer 4, Abby Behrens 3, Taylor Barnes 9, Alyssa Hamilton 6 and Payton Vallee 2.

Paris: Karrington Krabel 16, Sarah Isaf 12, Jenna Gates 10, Katelyn Littleton 10, Kendra Young 6, Madyson Rigdon 6, Deming Hawkins 3, and Kelsie Crampton 2.

Payton Vallee's free throw beats Comets, Armstrong leads scoring effort

With the scored tied at 40-all and just four seconds left in regular time, Payton Vallee hit a game winning free throw to give the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team a one point victory over their host Oakwood on Saturday.

Trailing 13-6 after one quarter against the Comets, the Spartans roared back scoring 18 points in the second frame courtesy of 10 unanswered points.

Ella Armstrong's five points along with four from Taylor Wells and a total of nine from the combined efforts of Ashlyn Lannert, Katie Cramer, Taylor Barnes, Abby Behrens and Vallee, erased the early game deficit to put SJO up, 24-23.

Both teams produced an identical number of points in third and fourth quarters of their non-conference matchup.

In the last quarter, the Spartans never trailed on the scoreboard. The Comets tied the contest three times and did not allowed SJO more than a three point advantage in the final eight minutes.

Katelyn Young's final free throw opened the door wide for a possible overtime win for the Comets. Vallee, who finished with just two points, slammed that door shut when she hit the second of her two free throws - and the most important one of the night - with little time on the clock for Oakwood to respond.

Young, who hit eight of her 11 free throws, led the Comets with a game-high 22 points. Aaliyah Denius added another 11 in Oakwood's second loss of the season. The Comets are now 7-2 heading into their next game against Westville on Monday.

While Vallee's clutch shot won the game, the Spartans' win would not have been possible if wasn't for Armstrong's varsity career-high 13 points.

In her best outing playing for the maroon and Columbia blue, the sophomore was 2-for-2 from the free throw line and hit a trey in each of the last two quarters of the game.

Behrens finished with seven points for SJO and teammate Barnes, a senior, contributed six first half points to round out St. Joseph-Ogden's top three scorers on Saturday.

The Spartans, now at 7-1 for the season, are back on the bus Monday where they hope to pick up win number eight at Mahomet-Seymour in another early season non-conference game.

The Bulldogs, who are 4-3 heading into contest with the Spartans, already have one loss against a Illini Prairie team. Prairie Central, powered by senior Elly Haberkorn's 21 points, prevailed in the 48-40 opening loss for Mahomet-Seymour.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	6	18	6	11	- 41
Oakwood	13	10	6	11	- 40

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 2, Payton Jacob 4, Taylor Wells 5, Katie Cramer 2, Abby Behrens 7, Taylor Barnes 6, Payton Vallee 2 and Ella Armstrong 13.

Oakwood: Katelyn Young 22, Ashlynn Pinnick 2, Addie Wright 3, Aubrey Wells 2 and Aaliyah Denius 11.

SJO ladies play for regional title after defeating Tuscola

The competition was so close that coaches and fans were exhausted from a full quarter of breath-holding, heart-racing action on Tuesday at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. It wasn't the prettiest victory, but the Spartans got'r done beating Tuscola 34-32 in their regional semifinal game.

SJO players (left to right) Alyssa Hamilton, Payton Jacob, Taylor Wells, Ashlyn Lannert and Atleigh Hamilton celebrate the Spartans semifinal win over Tuscola after the buzzer. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Allowing their opponents nine unanswered points in the third quarter, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team, and through no lack of shooting opportunities, was unable to hit a shot from anywhere on the court. The nearly scoreless effort in the quarter was saved by way of a solo basket from senior Taylor Barnes.

The Warriors, led by junior Brynn Tabeling's nine points, took the lead on the scoreboard and posed a bona fide threat in booting SJO from the postseason entering into final period of play. Tabeling went on to finish her last game of the season with 11 points.

A three-pointer from Ella Armstrong plus six bench points from Hannah Dukeman and another field goal from Barnes (four points) was just enough work in the fourth quarter to advance the Spartans into tonight's regional title game.

"We lost our composure for a little bit," said head coach Kevin Taylor after leading this team to their 19th win of the season. "We were able to regain it. We had some lapses but overall our help defense was really good tonight."

The key defensive moment was a tip from Payton Vallee.

With less than a minute to play and down by two, Tuscola moved the ball down the floor and tried to lob a pass over her head to Marissa Russo (8 points). Vallee leapt as high as she could knocking the ball away.

Russo would have likely knotted the score had she got the needed touch.

"They were hitting her on lobs a lot," Vallee said. "When I saw the other player look like she was going to lob it, I knew I had to make the best effort to jump up and get it."

On offense, St. Joseph-Ogden was led by a game-high 15 points from Ella Armstrong.

"Ella hits the big shots at the right time. It was really good to see," Taylor said about the sophomore starter. "She did exactly what she was suppose to do tonight."

Armstrong, who also a part of SJO's aggressive defensive effort, was credited three treys and drilled both of her free throws to account for nearly half of her team's score.

"My teammates set me good screens," she said. "I relied on them to help me a lot. Tuscola definitely did play good defense on me."

Tonight will be the last time the St. Joseph-Ogden girls will play on their home court until next November. The Spartans look to beat Villa Grove, who canceled Schlarman Academy's season after a 57-49, a second time this season. The Blue Devils will come in ready to avenge their early season, three-point loss to SJO at the GCMS-Fisher Tipoff in November.

Game time is set for 7pm.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	9	12	2	11	- 34
Tuscola	10	6	11	5	- 32

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Hannah Dukeman 7, Payton Jacob 2, Taylor Wells 2, Atleigh Hamilton 4, Taylor Barnes 4 and Ella Armstron 15.

Tuscola: Brynn Tabeling 11, Hope Dietrich 3, Laney Cummings 2, Abbey Jacob 6, Sophie Kremitzki 2 and Marissa Russo 8.

Spartans knock off STM 67-33, Behrens and Vallee step up

On yet another frigid polar vortex evening in central Illinois, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team quickly caught fire outscoring host St. Thomas More 16-9 in the opening quarter of their Illini Prairie Conference game on Tuesday. The Spartan bench proved they can bring just as much heat as the team's five starters after defeating the Sabers on road, 67-33.

Junior Abby Behrens, who was not among the starting five, led all scorers with a game-high 14 points thanks to a three-pointer in the second quarter and two more after the break in the third. She, along with two other players, Peyton Jones and Alyssa Hamilton, combined for 24 bench points.

"Abby is sneaky," said head coach Kevin Taylor on Behrens' ability to deceive opposing players. "She has a laid back attitude but has been playing really good on the ball defense and knows how to score on the offensive side as well. She can drive or shoot the open shot."

Meanwhile, starter Payton Vallee scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half to help give SJO a nine-point lead at halftime. Taylor was happy to see the senior step up and take the opportunity to lead.

"Vallee helps this team with her experience and leadership. She has been very reliable over the years," he said. "But (she) is also a very smart competitor on the floor."

The Sabers were paced by Emma Dovocelle's 13 points. Kennedy Ramshaw added 10 point effort and Bridget Delorenza's five points rounded out the host's top three scorers.

Taylor pointed out improvement on his squad's defensive effort on Tuesday.

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"The girls played better overall defense last night," he said. The Sabers boasted several players with the speed and agility to pose a serious threat in the Illini Prairie Conference game. "We knew they would be quick and would look to drive the lane while still shooting some threes.

"I think we settled in after making some early fouls and kept them from driving or shooting over the top of us."

Two things that has impressed Taylor so far this season is how well players are fairing under the current pandemic protocols.

"I am impressed with how the girls are adapting to the new rules. Mainly wearing a mask while playing," Taylor said. "But, what impresses me the most so far is the depth of this team. (We have) several girls (that) are contributing."

The Spartans are back on the floor of the Main Gym at home Thursday night against the Rantoul Eagles with Behrens and Vallee hoping to extend the team's undefeated record on more game. The JV contest is slated to begin at 5:30pm, varsity tipoff is at 7pm. Both games can be watch via live stream on the NFHS Network.

Box Score

St. Joseph-Ogden	16	9	14	13	- 52
St. Thomas More	9	5	7	10	- 31

St. Joseph-Ogden
Taylor Campbell 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Payton Jacob 0 (1) 0-0 -- 3, Taylor Wells 2 (0) 0-0 -- 4, Atleigh Hamilton 2 (0) 1-1 -- 5, Taylor Hug 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Abby Behrens 2 (3) 1-2 -- 14, Isabell Smith 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Peyton Jones 2 (1) 1-2 -- 8, Alyssa Hamilton 1 (0) 0-1 -- 2, Payton Vallee 6 (0) 0-2 -- 12, Ella Armstrong 1 (0) 2-4 -- 4.

St. Joseph-Ogden
C. Leibach 0 (0) 0-1 -- 0, T. Devriese 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, A. Dickerson 0 (0) 1-2 -- 1, B. Delorenza 1 (1) 0-0 -- 5, E. Devocelle 2 (2) 3-4 -- 13, M. Swisher 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, S. Gileas 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, G. Kreps 0 (0) 0-2 -- 0, C. Monahan 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, K. Ramshaw 4 (0) 2-7 -- 10, E. Graham 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, C. Pembele 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0.

SJO girls set to open tonight, boys squad is equally excited

Home from school, Taylor Wells sat refreshing her Twitter feed non-stop. She was overcome with excitement and exuberance learning that Governor Pritzker would allow high schools around the state to play basketball. She read tweet after tweet with the news.

St. Joseph-Ogden Evan Ingram takes a shot in the Spartans' home game against Williamsville last January. The SJO boys open their season on February 12. Photo: PhotoNews/Clark Brooks

"I was over the moon and couldn’t have been happier," the St. Joseph-Ogden junior said. Wells and the Spartans' varsity girls team open their season tonight at home against Villa Grove. "I know my teammates are all just as excited as I am. We have all been waiting for answers on whether or not our season would happen since November."

While there won't be many fans, a Maroon Platoon to cheer them on or a postseason tournament, she is happy to be playing with her teammates.

"This school year has been full of ups and downs, from having hope in being able to play in November to being told to wait for answers to come," Wells said. "I’m grateful that we are finally being given the chance to play, even if it’s a shortened season.

Basketball is a huge part of my life and so I’m excited to get back on the court."

High school hoops is not only a huge part of Ty Pence's life, but intricate part of his future. Just a sophomore, Pence already has an offer from Western Illinois University and he is likely to have more as his stock rises with the more opportunities he has to showcase his skills in actual competition. He echoed Wells' sense of relief, excitement and the importance of the game in his life.

"We are all excited. This is what we have been praying and working for since October. We are all happy to have this (opportunity)," he said. "It is very important to us. Even though we aren’t able to have a post season, we are still going to work hard because we have had hope to play for a very long time."

Last week Pence said he could not wait to start working out and practicing with his teammates again.

"I want to develop as a player as much as I am able to," he said with earnest. "Whether that is being a better leader or working on my game as a whole."

Though the pair won't graduate this coming May, both Pence and Wells underscored the importance of the season, although not very long, to St. Joseph-Ogden seniors.

I’m glad that our seniors will have a chance to have their season and hopefully we can be the best we can be," Pence said about a season already shortened by a couple of games after Cissna Park had to cancel tomorrow night's trip to The Joe due to Covid quarantine protocols.

Next Tuesday night's home game against St. Thomas More was also postponed for the same reason possible cutting the season from 11 to nine games. No word if the games will be rescheduled at this time.

Wells pointed out the season is significant for players who won't be able to suit up as Spartans after May.

"This season is very important for our seniors. This will be the last time they get to play basketball as Spartans," she explained. "Some of my teammates, along with myself, are looking to be recruited to play at the next level. This is our opportunity for colleges to come out and be able to watch us play."

Tonight's game as well as all Spartan home basketball games will be available via live stream on NFHS at a subscription cost of $10.99 per month. Fans can save almost half of a year's monthly fee by purchasing an annual subscription at $69.99.

Jacob leads SJO in IVC rout

Payton Jacob and Katie Cramer teamed up to score 24 points, enough to have beat Illinois Valley Central on their own in the St. Joseph-Ogden girls first home game of 2020.

Jacob, a sophomore, led all scorers with a game-high 14-point performance. Cramer finished with 10 points.

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After a quick dive, Ella Armstrong scoops up the ball in SJO's home game against Illinois Valley Central. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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"We tried to make sure we stayed calm and not focus on their record," said Jacob about their Illini Prairie Conference foe. The Grey Ghost had only one win on the books heading into their bout against SJO. "If you just looked at their record it would have been easy to go out and assume we had the win."

Not wanting to take IVC lightly, the Spartans concentrated on their execution to dominate nearly every facet of the game.

"We made sure we were focus on our game and not on the way they were playing," said Jacob.

Taylor Wells came off the bench yet again this season for yet another solid output on both sides of the court. In addition to the sophomore's eight points, she battled under the rim snagging four defensive boards and a pair of offensive ones for a total of six.

Payton Vallee led the team in rebounds with 11 on the day.

Even with a 29-10 first half advantage fueled by Jacob's 11 points, the Spartans kept their foot on the gas adding another 18 points in the third quarter before coasting to the final buzzer.

Remarkably, IVC sent the Spartans to the free throw line just once in the 32-minute affair with Jacob capitalizing on both shots in the third-quarter.

"She's been really working on her shot and some other things," said head coach Kevin Taylor about Jacob. "Today, it paid off. It's nice to see was rewarded for the extra work she has been putting in."

In typical fashion this season, the rout was built on a balanced scoring effort. Abby Behrens and Ashlyn Lannert distributed five assists apiece allowing 10 different players to put points on the scoreboard.

"We're excited to get conference play going and wanted to start the right way," said Taylor after leading SJO to their 14th win of the season. "Overall it was a good effort by the girls to start conference."

Next up, Jaoob and Cramer face St. Thomas More at home on Monday. Varsity tip-off is slated for 7pm.

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Abby Behrens dribbles the ball down the court with pressure from Illinois Valley Central's Lilly Madl. Behrens was held to just one field goal in the victory and was credited with five assists. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Anna Wentzloff makes a pass during second half action against the Grey Ghost. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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"I've been off kind of lately. It is kind of nice to be back in the rhythm of things." ~ Senior Katie Cramer

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Payton Jacob keeps the ball away from Grey Ghosts' Marley Williamson. Jacob scored 11 of her game-high 14 points in the first quarter. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Ella Armstrong takes a shot over IVC's Aynna Johnson. Armstrong, who finished with six points, was one of 10 SJO players that put points on the scoreboard on Saturday. (PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Box Score

Team 1	17	12	18	8	- 55
Illinois Valley Central	6	4	8	1	- 19

Scoring

St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 4, Payton Jacob 14, Taylor Wells 8, Atleigh Hamilton 2, Katie Cramer 10, Abby Behrens 2, Taylor Barnes 3, Payton Vallee 2, Ella Armstrong 6 and Anna Wentzloff 4.

Illinois Valley Central: Johnson 2, Williamson 5, Madl 1, Wolf 5 and Palmer 6.

79 freshman earn honor roll status, strong finish by 2020 SJO seniors

Seventy-six St. Joseph-Ogden High School seniors earned honor roll recognition in the final quarter of the year. Of that number, 50 students were awarded earned High Honor Roll status.

Students who earn a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on the school's 4.0 scale are recognized as Honor Roll students. Those whose GPA soared above 3.74 are receive High Honor Roll recognition.

Click on individual names to discover more Sentinel articles about each Honor Roll student.

High Honor Roll Freshmen

Alyssa Acton, McGwire Atwood, Kaytlyn Baker, Olivia Baltzell, Tyler Burch, Maddux Carter, Yamilka Casanova, Ariana Chambers, Cale Coursey, Morgan Cramer, Aiden Cromwell, Zachary Dahman, Emily Elsbernd, Joselyn Frerichs, Alex Funk, Kennedy Greer, Andrew Guelfi, Mikyla Haley, Hallie Harms, Maya Hewkin, Taylor Hug, Peyton Jones, Cameran Kelley, Jacob Kern, Hunter Ketchum, Aaron Lane, Collin Livesay, Haleigh Maddock, Aidan McCorkle, Kyle Meccoli, Teagan Miller, Allegra Pearman, Ty Pence, Jack Robertson, Kirsten Schaefer, Johanna Schmitz, Jack Setterdahl, Isabel Sexton, Paige Siegmund, Trinity Tapia, Taylor Voorhees, Alayna Wagle, Mallory Wagner and Maggie Ward.

Freshmen Honor Roll

Madison Adams, Canyon Alwes, Sylvia Bills, Owen Birt, Ethan Blackburn, Kaylee Brown, Taylor Burch, Payton Carter, Gwen Chatterton, Bryce Collins, Madelynn Cook, Aleah Dial, Abigail Dow, Leah Finley, Spencer Fitch, Grace Flessner, Jessica Gadbury, Joseph Gherna, Kylie Greer, Connor Hale, Hayden Henkelman, Shayne Immke, Emily Jeffries, Eleni Krall, Carter Mabry, Katherine McDermott, Blake Morgan, Courtney Myren, Jacob Newman, Ava Northen, William Page, Emma Rydell, Katharine Short, Olivia Terven, Emma Ward, Rebekah Weinmann and Jackson Wetzel.

High Honor Roll Sophomores

Addison Allen, Tyler Altenbaumer, Kailyn Anderson, Ella Armstrong, Madison Atwood, Abigail Behrens, Ella Besson, Andrew Beyers, Brandie Bowln, Mara Burkhalter, Kennedi Burnett, Angela Chahine, Braden Clampitt, Anastasia Conerty, Deanna Cummins, Benjamin Cunningham, Sidney Davis, Zander Dressen, Ashley Eldridge, Jared Emmert, Hannah Fox, Zella Fuqua, Brennan Haake, Liam Hamer, Alyssa Hamilton, Lauren Harper, Claire Huffman, Payton Jacob, Alison Kearney, Ava Knap, Ashlyn Lannert, Wyatt Loghry, Kelsey Martlage, Sophia McDade, Coby Miller, Conrad Miller, Elijah Mock, Jett Morris, Jessica Palmer, Emma Parkinson, Jackson Place, Hope Rajlich, JoLeena Reynolds, Kendra Riddle, Taryn Sexton, Alyssa Shoviak, Luke Stegall, Rebecca Steinbach, Mackenzie Trame and Taylor Wells.

Sophomore Honor Roll

Nicolas Anzelmo, Alanna Bensyl, Allison Burnett, Matthew Falls, Mackenzie Fulk, Hailey Gaines, Avian Gerdes, Nolan Grindley, Kennedy Hudson, Kailyn Ingram, KayLeigh Kamphaus, Olivia Klotz, Jacey Lewis, Braden McElroy, Ava Meyer, Ava Miller, Keaton Nolan, Jonathan Poulter, Griffin Roesch, Malorie Sarnecki, Grace Schmitz, Anna Snyder, Regan Uden, Ethan Vanliew and Cole Weinmann.

High Honor Roll Juniors

Isabelle Brooks, Crayton Burnett, David Bytnar, Taylor Campbell, Raegan Crippen, Kylie Duckett, Makayla Duckwitz, Jacob Dywer, Hanna Eastin, Nadirah Edwards, Emily Fisher, Dakota Franzen, Emily Froman, Atleigh Hamilton, Emmy Houston, Lukas Hutcherson, Logan Ingram, Cailer Kellenberger, Shelby Kofoot, Spencer Lahners, Ethan Lane, Aiden Livesay, Alyssa Maddock, Tyson Madsen, Sophie Martlage, Flannery McCorkle, Garren Meeker, Abigail Moberg, Samantha Naylor, Alec Painter, Erin Patton, Aidan Roberts, Indira Robinson, Mazie Ronk, Evan Schmitz, Max Shonkwiler, Tessa Smith, Payton Vallee, Nora Walden, Brayden Wendt and Logan Wolfersberger.

Junior Honor Roll

Makenzie Barron, Dylan Batty, Hunter Brooks, Brady Buss, Rylee Clements, Britney Evans, Alexandra Frerichs, Isabella Getty, Izabellah Innes, Madigan Loman, Brandon Mattsey, Jackson Rydell, Mitchell Whitlock, Rachel Wilson and Jonathan Wooten.

High Honor Roll Seniors

Lindsey Aden, Jenna Albrecht, Mallory Ames, Kendall Ayers, Taylor Barnes, Katelyn Berry, Emily Bigger, Kaylee Blackburn, Ross Booker, Ginny Bytnar, Payton Cain, Austin Carnes, Trevon Carr, Payton Clements, Brendan Cooperider, Kristen Costa, Drew Coursey, Kathryn Cramer, Andrea Cunningham, Faith Dahman, Bailey Dowling, Hannah Dukeman, Clayton Frederick, Jaiden Freeman, Bode Gebbink, Payton Grimsley, Lucas Grindley, Erica Guelfi, Emily Hardimon, Cody Johnston, Lacey Kaiser, Danielle Kelso, Nathan Maier, Ava Mills, Carson Mills, Allison Monk, Nolan Peacock, Eric Poe, Hannah Rajlich, Jenna Schaefer, Joshua Sexton, Rylee Stahl, Kenly Taylor, Stephanie Trame, Anna Tranel, Isabelle Vliet, Brayden Weaver, Samuel Wesley, Karsyn Wetzel, Zoey Witruk and Jackson Wooten.

Senior Honor Roll

Joseph Acton, Michara Allen, Kolton Batty, Erin Bridgewater, Blake Dable, Caleb Evans, Asjah Fonner, Tristan Fuqua, Samantha Gonzales, Brayden Grimsey, Bradley Harrison, Ethan Hinrichs, Conner Hodge, Chance Izard, Aubrey Kern, Eliza Lewis, Keegan McCarty, Mason McLain, Alivia Norem, Taddy Pettit, Dyllan Price, Lexi Ribbe, Joshua Vice, Anna Wentzloff and Joel Wilson.

SJO basketball 2021: SJO gets road win at Pontiac

Using their signature balanced scoring attack as they have almost all season, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team defeated Pontiac on the road 60-45 on February 22.

Indians' three-sport star Addison Masching led all scorers with 20 points, but it wasn't enough to tilt the scales from ten scoring Spartan players.

Making all four of her free throw attempts, Ella Armstrong was the only SJO player in double figures with 11 points. Payton Jacobs and Peyton Jones, who hit three treys, added nine points apiece. Meanwhile Ashlyn Lannert and Taylor Wells chipped in another eight.

Box Score

Pontiac	10	10	13	12	- 45
St. Joseph-Ogden	12	15	20	13	- 60

St. Joseph-Ogden
Ashlyn Lannert 1 (2) 0-0 -- 8, Hope Rajlich 1 (0) 0-1 -- 2, Nora Walden 0 (0) 1-2 -- 1, Taylor Campbell 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Payton Jacob 3 (1) 0-0 -- 9, Taylor Wells 4 (0) 0-0 -- 8, Atleigh Hamilton 3 (0) 1-2 -- 7, Taylor Hug 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Abby Behrens 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Isabell Smith 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Peyton Jones 0 (3) 0-0 -- 9, Alyssa Hamilton 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Payton Vallee 1 (0) 1-2 -- 3, Ella Armstrong 2 (1) 4-4 -- 11.

Pontiac
T. Einhaus 2 (1) 0-0 -- 7, J. Einhaus 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Hartfield 0 (2) 1-2 -- 7, Fox 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, B. Masching 2 (0) 1-2 -- 5, Coates 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, A. Masching 3 (3) 5-10 -- 20, Fletcher 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Hilleary 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Foster 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Johns 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2.