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.

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

"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.

.::. Buy this photo .::.
Abby Behrens dribbles the ball against IVC
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)


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


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



.::. Buy this photo .::.
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)


.::. Buy this photo .::.
Ella Armstrong goes up for a shot against IVC
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)



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.

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.

If you like reading SJO sports stories on The Sentinel, click the coffee cup below to buy us a coffee. Every cup gives us the energy to bring you great coverage of Spartan athletics!

Buy us a coffee!
Support The Sentinel!
Buy us coffee

"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.

Hamilton, Behrens lead SJO's girls hoops in bounce back

After dropping Saturday's home game to visiting Morton on Saturday, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls team got back on track posting a 58-47 win over visiting Paxton-Buckley-Loda last night.

Dropping six points in the third quarter, Atleigh Hamilton shared team-high scoring honors with Abby Behrens with 12 points each against the Panthers.

The Spartans also received another strong performance from a pair of sophomores. Ella Armstrong and three-sport athlete Ashley Lannert also finished with double figures with 11 points apiece.

Armstrong and Behrens, also a sophomore, capitalized on each and every trip the free throw line. Combined, the sophomores duet finished 5-for-5.

The Spartans took an early advantage in their final home contest for 2019 going up 14-5 after the first quarter. SJO kept their foot on the gas scoring double digits the last three periods to win the non-conference contest.

Mackenzie Bruns led the Paxton-Buckley-Loda scoring effort with a game-high 15 points, all tallied in the first three quarters of the game. Teammate Kirra Lantz added another 10 points to the losing cause while junior Baylee Cosgrove booked another eight points.

The Spartans are on the road tonight picking on yet another big school program. SJO take on the Urbana, now under of the leadership of former St. Thomas More head coach Chris Mennig. The Tigers were 4-4 heading into their game against Peoria Notre Dame on Saturday.

Led by seniors Chian Scott and Raevyn Russell, both major scoring machines, Urbana is 1-1 against Illini Prairie Conference Teams. Unity rolled to a 59-49 win and the Tigers knocked off the Sages in Monticello 62-45 last week.


Box Score
St. Joseph-Ogden 14 11 18 15 - 58
Paxton-Buckley-Loda 5 14 14 14 - 47


Scoring
St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 11, Payton Jacob 6, Atleigh Hamilton 12, Abby Behrens 12, Taylor Barnes 4, Payton Vallee 2 and Ella Armstrong 11.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda: E. Adwell 6, Walder 4, Casgrove 8, Schwarz 2, Bruns 15, Lantz 10 and Ecker 2.

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.

SJO celebrates regional title
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)

"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.

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.



Prep Sports Notebook: Urbana falls in Thursday tennis, SJO wins


Madigan, Poungingal pick up victories
Eisla Madigan and Matika Pounginjai were the only two Urbana players to post wins in the singles competition in the Tigers dual match against Danville. After five singles and a pair of doubles matches, UHS fell 5-2 to the Vikings at the Danville Tennis Center on Thursday.

Madigan defeated Vikings' Lexi Foley 8-2 at #4 singles and Pounginjai won by default on the #5 court.

The Tigers return to competition next Thursday, September 30, to host Mahomet-Seymour at Blair Park.

Match Results:

Singles:
No. 1 - Lexi Ellis, DANVILLE def. Myra Stevens, URBANA, 8-0
No. 2 - Ava Towne, DANVILLE def. Hannah Null, URBANA, 8-0
No. 3 - Hannah Schroeder, DANVILLE def. Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA, 4-8
No. 4 - Eisla Madigan, URBANA def. Lexi Foley, DANVILLE, 8-2
No. 5 - Matika Pounginjai, URBANA def. N/A, 2-0

Doubles:
No. 1 - Lexi Ellis/Lexi Foley, DANVILLE def. Hannah Null/Eisla Madigan, URBANA, 6-3 , 6-4
No. 2 - Ava Towne/Hannah Schroeder, DANVILLE def. Matika Pounginjai/Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA, 6-0 , 6-0



Spartan win road match at GCMS

Abbey Dow and Claire Huffman won their matches on the singles courts to give St. Joseph-Ogden a 2-0 lead to start the team's final road match of the season. Double duos Abby Behrens & Hope Rajlich and Katie McDermott & Emma Rydell brought home wins to give the Spartans a 4-1 victory on Thursday.

SJO will play their final three regular-season contests at home starting next Wednesday when they host St. Teresa. The team will then close out the year with back to matches with Maroa-Forsyth on October 11 and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley in the finale on Tuesday, October 12.

Match Results:

Singles:
No. 1 - Abbey Dow, SJO def. Katie Steidinger, Gibson-City Melvin Sibley High School (GCMS), 8-7
No. 2 - Claire Huffman, SJO def. Audrey Iverson, Gibson-City Melvin Sibley High School (GCMS), 8-0

Doubles:
No. 1 - London Hixson/Lexi Darbutt, GCMS def. Jacey Lewis/Kelsey Martlage, SJO, 8-7
No. 2 - Abby Behrens/Hope Rajlich, SJO def. Syda Schlickman/McKenna Crowley, GCMS, 8-0
No. 3 - Katie McDermott/Emma Rydell, SJO def. Emily Hood/Kadence Crowley, GCMS, 8-3

Dismal fourth quarter sinks Spartans

It was a really bad fourth quarter.

Spartan Ashlyn Lannert's two baskets was best the offense could produce against visiting Teutopolis (8-1) in the final quarter of their non-conference 41-38 loss on Thursday.

SJO trailed 34-27 heading into the final quarter where they were subsequently outscored 13-4 by the Lady Shoes.

Ella Armstrong and Atleigh Hamilton teamed up for 15 of SJO's 31 points. Armstrong's team-high nine points and Hamilton's six was supplemented by a full house of three Spartan players with four points - Lannert, Payton Jacob and Abby Behrens - and a pair of deuces courtesy of Payton Vallee and Taylor Wells.

St. Joseph-Ogden moves to 8-2 with another tough home game Saturday night when they host the undefeated Potters from Morton at 7:15p.

Box Score
St. Joseph-Ogden 8 10 9 4 - 31
Teutopolis 12 11 11 14 - 48


Scoring
St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 4, Payton Jacob 4, Taylor Wells 2, Atleigh Hamilton 6, Abby Behrens 4, Payton Vallee 2 and Ella Armstrong 9.

Teutopolis: Tegeler 3, L. Niebrugge 10, Roepke 13, Schumacher 2, NIemerg 6, Mette 12 and Hardiek 2.

The Spartans girls once again prevail in OT

Popping in four three-pointers tonight, Katie Cramer matched her season-high total of 14 points to help St. Joseph-Ogden survive their second overtime thriller this season with a non-conference win over visiting Tuscola.

Taylor Barnes also contributed a pair of treys in the second quarter and Payton Jacob dialed in a long distance field goal in the extra period to lift the Spartans to a 5-1 record.

SJO trailed by one point at the half 20-19 and stormed ahead in the third quarter nearly outscoring the Warriors 2-1 to go up, 35-29.

Warriors' Ella Boyer, who was quiet the first three quarters, lit up the score board with eight points for the night to help tie the score at 42-all.

Under pressure, Jacob and Cramer, one of just four seniors on the state runner-up team from the previous season, both drilled one shot each from beyond the arc in the OT session. Barnes and junior Atleigh Hamilton knocked down two free throws between the two of them to end the contest with Tuscola looking at a four-point deficit.

The Warriors were paced by junior Marissa Russo, who matched Cramer's 14-point performance. Brynn Tabeling also finished with double figures for Tuscola with 12 points.

In addition to Cramer's 14, Barnes finished with nine points for the Spartans. Abby Behrens, a talented sophomore, came off the bench to contribute eight points. Jacob, another sophomore and starter, chipped in seven points.

SJO's next three games are on the road starting Thursday at Danville, then to Oakwood on Saturday and concluding on Monday at Mahomet-Seymour for another non-conference matchup.


Box Score
St. Joseph-Ogden 7 12 16 7 8 - 50
Tuscola 11 9 9 13 4 - 46


Scoring
St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 2, Payton Jacob 7, Atleigh Hamilton 6, Katie Cramer 14, Abby Behrens 8, Taylor Barnes 9 and Payton Vallee 4.

Tuscola: Brynn Tabeling 12, Hope Dietrich 2, Ella Boyer 8, Abbey Jacob 5, Klemitzki 5 and Marissa Russo 14.

SJO girls advance to Lady Falcon/Bunnies Tipoff Classic title game

Tonight, St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team will play for their first tournament championship trophy of the season.

The shot at the Lady Falcon/Bunnies Tipoff Classic title comes on the heels of a fourth quarter surge by the Spartans. Clawing past Villa Grove/Heritage's offensive duo of Aliya Holloman (20 points) and Kyleigh Block (17 points), SJO secured their third win of the season, 46-43.

On the wrong end of a 19-15 score at the half, the Spartans dug in and drained five three-pointers in the third quarter. The Blue Devils countered with 16 points of their own, eight courtesy of Block, six from Holloman and a bucket from Samantha Campbell.

Holding VG-H to just eight points in final quarter, SJO matched that number and then added a few more.

Katie Cramer, still hot from three-point range, hit two more shots and drilled a pair of free throws. The senior finished the night with 14 points and was 2-for-2 from the line.

With the help of a clutch free throw from Payton Vallee, Taylor Barnes' third three-pointer of the game and a bucket from Payton Jacob, the Spartans prevailed improving to 3-0 on the season.

In all, St. Joseph-Ogden tallied a total of ten three-point shots from Jacob (1), Barnes (3), Cramer (4) and sophomore Abby Behrens with two.

You will want to saddle up early to help pack the gym tonight for what will surely be a barnburner at Fisher. The championship game, scheduled to start at 7pm, pits the Spartans against Paxton-Buckley-Loda, who knocked off tournament co-hosts GCMS 56-38 to reach the final.

A three-peat in the making, the Spartans have won the tournament the title past two seasons. The Panthers have the offense to keep that from happening tonight.

PBL had three players with double-digit scoring against the Lady Falcons. Mackenzie Bruns delivered 13 points, Hannah Schwarz added 12 and Baylee Cosgrove's hit 10 to lead the Panthers' offensive scoring.


Box Score
Team 1 5 10 15 16 - 46
Team 2 2 17 16 8 - 43


Scoring
St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 3, Payton Jacob 7, Katie Cramer 14, Abby Behrens 6, Taylor Barnes 13 and Payton Vallee 3.

Villa Grove-Heritage: Kyleigh Block 17, Samantha Campbell 2, Aliya Holloman 20 and Jordyn Ray 4.

Ladies post win in State Farm Classic opener

The St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team picked up another overtime win this season after a 46-42 decision over Bishop McNamara in their State Farm Holiday Classic opening game on Thursday.

Ashlyn Lannert dropped a season-high 16 points to lead the SJO to their 11th win of the season. Senior Taylor Barnes added another 10 in the team's 14th game this season.

During the extra session, Abby Behrens, who came off the bench to finish with five points, hit three of four free throws the help the Spartans advance in the tournament's championship bracket.

The Fightin' Irish were paced by Caris White with 16 points.


Box Score
St. Joseph-Ogden 5 16 9 12 4 - 46
Bishop McNamara 6 10 15 11 0 - 42


Scoring
St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 16, Payton Jacob 7, Atleigh Hamilton 2, Abby Behrens 5, Taylor Barnes 10, Alyssa Hamilton 4 and Ella Armstrong 2.

Bishop McNamara: Ty Hill 1, Amari Stevenson 11, Caris White 16, Olivia Lorence 5 and Claudia Dolliger 9.



"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.
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 ::.


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."

Spartan Taylor Wells takes a shot
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.

Spartans pick up second win at GCMS-Fisher Tipoff

Katie Cramer looks for an open teammate while playing in the Spartans' third-place game during the Class 2A state finals back in February. Then a junior, she contributed 5 points and had three rebounds in SJO's 68-53 win over Hillsboro. Last night, the senior scored a pair of three-point shots in the open quarter Tuesday against Iroquois West at the GCMS-Fisher Tipoff to help St. Joseph-Ogden improve to 2-0 on the season. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
St. Joseph-Ogden picked up their second win of the season after beating Iroquois West 49-16 in last night's pool play at the GCMS-Fisher Tipoff in Fisher.

Ashlyn Lannert came off the bench to score a game-high 15 points for the Spartans. She also made three of her four free throw attempts.

Senior Katie Cramer hit a pair of threes in the opening frame and Payton Vallee added two buckets to give SJO at 10-2 lead at the start of the second period.

SJO held the Raiders to just five points in the first half. Despite making three of their five shots from the charity stripe, the Raiders (0-2) did not hit a shot from the field in the second period. Their scoring struggled continued into the third period with only four points from junior Shelby Johnson.

Meanwhile, Taylor Barnes matched Cramer's effort and nailed two treys to help the Spartans stretched their halftime lead over the Raiders to 19 points.

Iroquois West's offensive effort was led by Johnson with 10 points. Three of her teammates Emma Lopez, McKinley Tilstra and Abby Kochker contributed two points apiece in the loss.

The Lady Spartans, who won last year's title, are one win away from once again reaching the tournament's championship game. Thursday at 5:30pm, SJO will square off against Villa Grove-Heritage in their final pool contest.


Box Score
St. Joseph-Ogden 10 16 12 11 - 49
Iroquois West 2 3 4 7 - 16


Scoring
St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 15, Nora Walden 2, Payton Jacob 2, Katie Cramer 6, Abby Behrens 2, Taylor Barnes 6, Alyssa Hamilton 9 and Payton Vallee 5.

Iroquois West: Emma Lopez 2, Shelby Johnson 10, McKinley Tilstra 2 and Abby Kochker 2.


Prep Sports Notebook: SJO soccer wins with buzzer beater


Spartan tennis earns first dual win
Head coach Kevin Martlage and the St. Joseph-Ogden girls tennis team pose for a photo after their dual match of the season on the road against Urbana on Tuesday. The two teams will square off again on August 31. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Urbana, IL - It was a hot time at Blair Park for the St. Joseph-Ogden and Urbana girls' tennis match on Tuesday. Despite a reported heat index of 106º, the two teams battled in the blazing heat with the upstart area program from SJO winning the dual match, 6-3.

Claire Huffman at #1, Abby Dow on the #2 singles court and Ashlyn Lannert on court 6 secured victories in their singles matches. Hope Rajlich and Kelsey Martlage paired up to win at #1 doubles. Meanwhile, Allison Kearney and Angie Chahine held off Urbana duo Eisla Madigan and Myra Stevens at #2 doubles. The Spartans also came out on top on the #3 doubles court with a victory by Katie McDermott and her partner Jacey Lewis.

The Tigers' won three single points with dominating performances from veteran Myra Stevens, Eisla Madigan and Alisa Tangmunarunkit.

Match results:
No. 1 - Claire Huffman, SJO def. Hannah Null, URBANA, 8-3
No. 2 - Abbey Dow, SJO def. Jacie Owens, URBANA, 8-6
No. 3 - Myra Stevens, URBANA def. Grace Schmitz, SJO, 8-1
No. 4 - Eisla Madigan, URBANA def. Ella Armstrong, SJO, 8-0
No. 4 - Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA def. Abby Behrens, SJO, 8-3
No. 6 - Ashlyn Lannert, SJO def. Matika Pounginjai, URBANA, 8-1

No. 1 Doubles:
Hope Rajlich/Kelsey Martlage, SJO def. Hannah Null/Jacie Owens, URBANA, 8-6

No. 2 Doubles:
Allison Kearney/Angie Chahine, SJO def. Myra Stevens/Eisla Madigan, URBANA, 8-4

No. 3 Doubles:
Katie McDermott/Jacey Lewis- SJO def. Matika Pounginjai/Alisa Tangmunarunkit, URBANA, 8-6



Wilson lifts Spartans with buzzer beater
St. Joseph, IL - With the score locked at two-all in the second half, sophomore Spencer Wilson scored his second goal of the contest with .2 seconds left on the clock to give the St. Joseph-Ogden soccer team a 3-2 advantage for win #2 of the season.

While goalkeeper Hunter Ketchum kept the visiting Argenta-Oreana shots out of the goal during the first half, SJO teammate Jackson Greer scored the first goal of the game on an assist from Will Page.

In the final half of SJO's home game, Greer fed Wilson the ball for the first of four second-half goals. The Bombers' Rylan Lawson and Landon Lawson added one goal apiece to later tie the score before Wilson spared both teams from a shootout.

Ketchum tallied eight saves for the Spartans.

Next up for Ketchum and Co., SJO will host Urbana University High on Thursday at 4:30p.



Missed opportunities sink Rockets
Tolono, IL - Fielding an inexperienced contingent this fall, the Unity soccer team opened their season with a 4-2 loss to visiting St. Teresa on Tuesday.

Nolan Remole, with the assistance of senior Grace Brock, nailed the Rockets' first goal of the season in the second half. Freshman Teaguen Williams added the team's second score after the Bulldogs clawed their way to a 3-1 lead.

"We gave up a PK and also did not score on a PK. Those slight differences can make a huge difference in the box score," said head coach Unity Michel Stringer. "As far as in the moment I thought that they played well."

Sophomore Mason Davis had eight saves while guarding the net for Unity.

"Our offensive is young, and for those who scored this was their first high school game so it is understandable that it took them a half to shake off the nerves and find the net," added Stringer.

The Rockets' next three matches are all at home on their new turf field. Unity starts the three-game homestand with Argenta-Oreana at 10a on Saturday. Two days later on Monday, the program hosts Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond at 4:30p. Unity fans' last chance to catch the team at home until September 11 will be on Thursday, September 2 in a match against Meridian, also starting at 4:30p.



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.

Prep Sports Notebook: Immke racks up points for Spartans


Spartan volleyball team improves to 2-0
Georgetown, IL - The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team posted their second victory of the season after a 2-0 win over host Georgetown-Ridge Farm on Wednesday. Coincidentally, the Spartans' dominant play also earned the varsity squad a 2-0 record.

Shayne Immke, a junior hitter, blasted the opposition tallying eight kills. Senior Kennedi Burnett added another six in SJO's 25-14, 25-3 finish.

Taylor Wells was credit with three blocks and chipped in another pair of kills for the Spartans. Junior setter Taylor Hug had 11 assists.

Next up, Immke and the Spartans travel to Bismarck-Henning High School on Thursday for the third of four road matches starting their 2021-22 campaign. After a few days to recoup, the volleyball team is back on the highway heading west for a showdown with St. Teresa in Decatur.



SJO tennis team steamrolls St. Teresa
Decatur, IL - Twenty-four hours after SJO's Angie Chahine and Allison Kearney won their doubles match against Urbana, the pair notched a second prep doubles win against the Bulldogs, this time each with a new partner. Chahine, along with partner Katie McDermott, bageled St. Teresa's Alexis Rayhill and Zia Boulier on the #2 court, 8-0. Meanwhile on court #3, Kearney, playing alongside Emma Rydell, also earned an 8-0 shutout besting Bulldogs' Alyssa Wicks and Emma Norton.

Thanks to the two victories in doubles along with the four from singles competition, St. Joseph-Ogden celebrated their second win of the season via a 6-3 decision over St. Teresa.

Abbey Dow, Hope Rajlich, Kelsey Martlage and Ashlyn Lannert delivered command performances on their individual courts on Wednesday. Together, the quad won 48 of the 51 games played.

Match results:
Singles:

No. 1 - Colleen Larry, St Teresa def. Claire Huffman, SJO, 6-0 , 6-0
No. 2 - Abbey Dow, SJO def. Katherine Combs, St Teresa, 6-0 , 6-0
No. 3 - Hope Rajlich, SJO def. Alexis Rayhill, St Teresa, 6-0 , 6-1
No. 4 - Kelsey Martlage, SJO def. Zia Boulier, St Teresa, 6-0 , 6-1
No. 5 - Joella Livingston, St Teresa def. Grace Schmitz, SJO, 2-6 , 6-3 , 11-9
No. 6 - Ashlyn Lannert, SJO def. Emma Norton, St Teresa, 6-1 , 6-0

Doubles:

No. 1 - Colleen Larry - Katherine Combs, St Teresa def. Jacey Lewis - Abby Behrens, SJO, 8-6
No. 2 - Angie Chahine - Katie McDermott, SJO def. Alexis Rayhill - Zia Boulier, St Teresa, 8-0
No. 3 - Emma Rydell - Allison Kearney, SJO def. Alyssa Wicks - Emma Norton, St Teresa, 8-0

Final score: SJO 6 - St. Teresa 3



Hamilton dashes by competition, SJO wins track sectional

Amassing 139 points, just five more than runner-up Salt Fork, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls track program earned their first post-pandemic sectional championship title last Wednesday.

It was a spectacular evening for two-time state Long Jump champion Atleigh Hamilton, who led the Spartans with three individual titles. The senior gave gold medal performances in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Later, she broke a long-standing school record of 59.2 in the 400-meter dash.

Hamilton also qualified for this week's state meet on Thursday in her signature event the long jump. The Illinois State University signee finished in second place behind Salt Fork's Gracie Jessup with her best attempt at 5.25 meters.

Meanwhile, Abby Behrens cleared 1.52 meters to win the High Jump competition. Teammate Macy Reed-Thompson finished third to help SJO rise to the top in the 14-team meet.

The Spartans also swept all three relay events.

Kailyn Ingram, Helene Jones, Malorie Sarnecki and Ashlyn Lannert combined for a time of 10:27.70 in the 4x800 Meter Relay besting squads from Urbana University High School (2nd), Clifton Central (3rd) and Milford.

The Spartans faced stiffer competition from Bismarck-Henning-Rossville and Uni High in the 4x200 Meter Relay. The SJO foursome of Payton Carter, Raegan Crippen, Grace Schmitz, and Hope Rajlich finished less than a second ahead of the Blue Devils with their time of 1:51.47. Uni High finished third at 1:55.59.

To close out the meet, Lannert, Ingram and Jones from the four-by-eight, along with Rajlich from the 200-Meter Relay squad punched their ticket to state with a 4:15.17 finishing ahead of Uni High and BHR.

Also turning in top-three finishes were Raegan Crippen, who finished third in the Triple Jump, Ava Knap clocked in at second place in the 1600 meter run

Grace Schmitz and Payton Carter finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively in the Pole Vault

Spartans Tipoff champs after OT win over PBL

They did it. For the third consecutive year, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team has brought home the Lady Falcon/Bunnies Tipoff Classic title.

They did it after defeating Paxton-Buckley-Loda 45-43 in their first overtime game of the season.

They did it with scoring contributions from eight different members of the team, not one reaching double-digits on Friday.

Senior Katie Cramer led the Spartans' offense with nine points. Alyssa Hamilton totaled two threes and a bucket in overtime to finish with eight points. Taylor Barnes, who sank six of her ten free throw attempts, and Ashlyn Lannert chipped in six points apiece.

Tied at the end of regulation time at 38-all, Lannert, Hamilton and Payton Vallee scored two points each in the final period. Barnes hit one of her two free throws during the OT session to help the Spartans outscore the Panthers seven to five.

Lannert, a sophomore, and Cramer also received all-tournament team recognition.

Mackenzie Bruns led the PBL (2-2) scoring effort with a game-high 17 points and was 7-for7 from the free throw line. Brooke Walder helped out with eight points.

Mirroring last year's state final run, SJO's record improved to 4-0 on the season. The Spartans will host their first home game of the season on Tuesday evening with a non-conference match against Paris.


Box Score
St. Joseph-Ogden 9 13 9 7 7 - 45
Paxton-Buckley-Loda 10 10 10 8 5 - 43


Scoring
St. Joseph-Ogden: Ashlyn Lannert 6, Payton Jacob 7, Taylor Wells 5, Katie Cramer 9, Abby Behrens 2, Taylor Barnes 6, Alyssa Hamilton 8 and Payton Vallee 2.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda: Brooke Walder 8, Baylee Cosgrove 3, Lorena Arnett 5, Mackenzie Bruns 17, Kirra Lantz 3 and Makenna Ecker 7.


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.

Taylor, Hamilton earn track MVP recognition

Next spring, without Maclayne Taylor sporting the maroon and Columbia Blue, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls track team has some pretty fast shoes to fill.

The senior who was named the program's Most-Valuable-Player earlier this month was instrumental in the program finishing in the top three of all Class 1A schools the past three season. Back in the middle of last month, Taylor added four more state medals to her collection of seven earned in three seasons.
Maclayne Taylor is SJO's MVP

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Maclayne Taylor runs to the finish line in the Class 1A 4x400-Meter Relay prelims at the Illinois High School Association's State track & field meet on Thursday, May 16. The senior was named the track team's MVP earlier this month. The SJO relay squad finished first in their heat with a time of 4:07.42 and went on to win the silver medal in Saturday's finals. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


During her three state appearances only once, and that was this past May competing in the four-by-one, did Taylor and her running mates cross the finish line lower than in second place in an IHSA state final event.

Like Taylor, Atleigh Hamilton is building quite a collection of her own. The sophomore received the team's nod as the Field Events MVP after winning her second IHSA state long jump title.

In addition to her gold medal in the long jump at last month's state meet in Charleston, Hamilton won a second in the 4x200 meter relay. She also picked up a medal for a 5th place finish in the four-by-one and a silver medal in the Class 1A 4x400 meter relay.

The track team bestowed Most-Improved-Player honors to junior Jillian Plotner. Senior Rylee Sjuts earned the Spartan Award.

This year's seniors earning varsity letters are Cassidy Bagby, Rylee Sjuts, Brianna Suits and Maclayne Taylor.

Junior letter winners are Lindsey Aden, Jenna Albrecht, Mimi Allen, Hailey Birt, Danie Kelso, Ally Monk, Jillian Plotner, Hannah Rajlich and Anna Wentzloff.

Ten underclassmen, two sophomores and eight freshman also awarded varsity letters.

Sophomores Atleigh Hamilton and Payton Vallee along with future SJO track stars Addie Allen, Abby Behrens, Angie Chahine, Kailyn Ingram, Ava Knap, Ashlyn Lannert, Hope Rajlich and Grace Schmitz won varsity letters this season.


Ladies win again! SJO knocks off Vikings, 52-45

It took the Danville girls basketball team two quarters to match the Spartans' first quarter scoring output in their non-conference game on Thursday. By the time the game reached the halftime intermission, St. Joseph-Ogden built an impressive 16 point lead and never looked back on their way to a 52-45 victory over the Vikings.

Payton Vallee in SJO's home game against Paris
Spartan forward Payton Vallee boxes out Paris' Kelsie Crampton in her team's first home game of the season. In SJO's road game at Danville on Thursday she tied for a team-high finish of ten points with teammate Payton Jacob. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
The Paytons, Jacob and Vallee, led another balanced SJO offensive attack with 10 points each. Vallee was 2-for-2 from the free throw line and Jacob nailed four of her six shots from charity stripe.

Ella Armstrong came off the bench to add seven points while Ashlyn Lannert and Taylor Wells contributed six apiece leading the 10 out of 13 players who lit up the Spartans' side of the scoreboard.

Making eight of her nine free throw attempts, junior Erin Houpt lead the Vikings' offense with a game-high 25 points. Senior Miracle Payne and Tharija Rose, a sophomore, both had six points to round out Danville's top three scorers.

Improving to 6-1 on the season, the Spartans move on to another non-conference game today at 4:30p at Oakwood High School. SJO has one more road game, Mahomet-Seymour on Monday, before enjoying four straight home games heading into the Christmas break.


Box Score
St. Joseph-Ogden 13 16 7 16 - 52
Danville 8 5 19 13 - 45


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

Danville: Erin Houpt 25, Tharija Rose 6, Nau'tika Conaway 1, Aanija Reed 1, Zytara Boyd 2, Miracle Payne 6 and Destiny Davis 4.


More Sentinel Stories



Photo Galleries


2025 Illinois Marathon Photo Gallery
A couple of runners found themselves in the wrong race at this year's Illinois Marathon. Over 60 photos from the race that you should see.

Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks