SJO Dance Team advances to state championship round for first time

The fourth time proved to be the charm for St. Joseph-Ogden's dance team, which advanced to the state championship round for the first time in program history Friday. The Spartans will compete against Class 1A's elite at 11:16 a.m. on Saturday.

BLOOMINGTON - The St. Joseph-Ogden Dance Team broke through a three-year barrier Friday, earning its first trip to the championship round at the Illinois High School Association Competitive Dance State Finals.

The Spartans placed tenth overall with a score of 83.92 in preliminary competition at Grossinger Motors Arena, securing one of 12 coveted spots in Saturday's championship round. The achievement marks a milestone for the program in its fourth consecutive state appearance.

SJO SPORTS SJO is scheduled to perform at 11:16 a.m. Saturday, facing off against perennial Class 1A powerhouses including Clinton, Highland, Jacksonville and Morris. Jacksonville's Jettes currently lead the competition, followed by Joliet Academy and Morris.

The Spartans were the only area squad to advance from Friday's preliminaries. Unity's Rockettes finished 20th in Class 1A with a score of 78.51, while Champaign Central placed 27th in Class 2A with an 80.12. The Maroons were the lone Big Twelve Conference representative at this year's state finals.

Spectators planning to attend Saturday's championship round are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to avoid lines. Doors open at 10 a.m., with tickets priced at $12. Both card and cash will be accepted at the venue, though exact change is preferred.

The championship round will be broadcasted on the NFHS Network here.

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Osterbur, Dahl lead St. Joseph-Ogden to 54-47 win over Williamsville

St. Joseph-Ogden put three players in double figures and drained nine three-pointers to defeat Williamsville 54-47 on the road.

WILLIAMSVILLE - St. Joseph-Ogden secured a 54-47 road victory over Williamsville on Jan. 19, marking the first meeting between the two programs since the Bullets claimed a win in 2010. The Spartans entered the non-conference matchup holding a 4-3 advantage in the past eight meetings, and extended that edge behind balanced scoring that saw three players reach double figures.

Kayla Osterbur and Hayden Dahl shared game-high honors with 12 points apiece, attacking from different areas of the floor to fuel the Spartans' offense. Osterbur did most of her damage inside, scoring 10 points in the paint and converting both of her free throw attempts, while Dahl worked from the perimeter, draining four three-pointers to keep Williamsville's defense stretched. Timera Blackburn-Kelley added 11 points to round out the double-digit scorers for St. Joseph-Ogden.

The long-range game proved pivotal for the Spartans, who received additional contributions from Addy Brooks and Katie Ericksen, who scored nine points each. Brooks, Ericksen and Dahl combined to hit nine three-pointers, providing the offensive firepower that allowed St. Joseph-Ogden to build and maintain their advantage throughout the second half.

The opening quarter saw both teams firing on all cylinders, with the score knotted at 16-all after eight minutes of play. St. Joseph-Ogden pulled ahead by three points at halftime and stretched the margin to seven by the end of the third quarter, a cushion they maintained through the final buzzer despite Williamsville's efforts to close the gap.

Juniors Cora Senelik and Reese Larson paced Williamsville's scoring effort with 11 points apiece, though both did their heaviest lifting in the first half, where Senelik posted nine points and Larson added seven. Ava Allen contributed seven points for the Bullets, who dropped to 9-11 with the loss.

The victory sparked momentum for St. Joseph-Ogden, who followed with back-to-back conference wins by nearly identical margins—defeating Prairie Central 53-47 on the road and Monticello 54-47 at home. The Spartans, now 15-7 overall, will host Rantoul on Friday looking to improve their conference record to 5-2.

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Area prep basketball scores for Tuesday

Here are recaps and scores from area girls and boys basketball games yesterday.

Boys Basketball

Maroons fall in conference tilt to the Generals

Cayden Love had 14 points and nine rebounds in Central's loss at home to Decatur MacArthur (21-1). Sophomore Elijah Young stepped up as the team's second leading scorer with 12 points. Love and the Maroons (7-12) drop to 2-4 in conference play and play Manual on the road in Peoria on Friday.

Heritage misses victory in thriller

In their second meeting on the hardwood, hands down, Heritage played a better game against Tri-County, closing out regulation time tied at 67-all. In their game two weeks earlier, the Titans dominated the Hawks, 71-58. This time Heritage fell short by two, 72-74.

Senior Rylan White dropped a team-high 27 points with James Dillon (13 points) and Clark Roland (11 points) contributing heavily in the effort. White finished with 11 rebounds and Dillon snagged 10 of his own.

Unity beats Central Catholic on the road

KeShaun Manney's 29-point romp, the Rockets held the Saints to 17 points in the second half for another Illini Praire Conference victory, improving to 20-2 on the season.

Dane Eisenmenger scored 11 points in the second quarter, giving the Rockets a one-point deficit at the half. He finished the road game with 19 points and Coleton Langendorf was good for 18. Tre Hoggard finished with 11 much needed points, nine in the second half to help the team stay undefeated in conference play.

ALAH turn one-point lead to 11 at conference tourney

Seven players contributed to the Knights win over Villa Grove in Lincoln Prairie Conference tournament action on Tuesday. Will Hilligoss led the way for ALAH with 10 points. Marcus Otto and Cruz Hale finished with eight points each.

Hoopeston Area takes down Cissna Park

Junior Nick Cardenas led the Cornjerkers with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. JJ Martinez chipped in eight points and two steals. Senior Cole Miller five points and six boards in the home conference game. Improving to 10-11 on the season, Hoopeston goes on the road Friday to take on Bismarck-Henning.

Boys' Area Scoreboard

Illinois Valley Central 64, St. Joseph-Ogden 49
Unity 66, Bloomington Central Catholic 52
Bismarck-Henning 72, Watseka 22
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 45, Villa Grove 34
St. Thomas More vs Prairie Central - not reported
Centennial vs Lanphier - not reported
MacArthur 65, Champaign Central 51
Tri-County 74, Heritage 72 (OT)
Oakwood 67, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 57
Pontiac 45, Rantoul 36
Mahomet-Seymour 65, Bloomington 55
Hoopeston Area 41, Cissna Park 38

Girls Basketball

Rantoul falls in lopsided affair to Pontiac

Josie Roseman scored 12 points and Erykah Baltimore added ten more in the Eagles loss to Pontiac. Rantou falls to 12-13 overall and 2-4 in Illini Prairie Conference.

Urbana suffers 8 consecutive loss

Lai'yonna Harper put 12 points on the scoreboard and collected five steals but it wasn't enough to help lift the Tigers over the visiting Trojans on Tuesday. After a nine-all first half, Charleston outscored Urbana 30-17 for a non-conference win.

Kaya Hill was credited with eight steals and finished with seven points in the Tigers' 12th consecutive loss this season.

Scoring drought sinks Spartans at IVC

A huge third-quarter rally by the Grey Ghosts dug a hole too deep for the Spartans climb out, resulting in a 64-43 loss.

Timera Blackburn-Kelley finished with nine points for SJO, while Atleigh Miller added another eight points in the conference loss. Seniors Katie Ericksen and Kayla Osterbur were held to just seven points each.

Rockets stunned by Saints

Bloomington Central Catholic held Unity scoreless in the fourth quarter of their conference game Tuesday on the way to a 64-18 win. Allison Emm led all scorers with 18 points. Emme Hurie finished with 16 points and pulled in 10 of the Saints 35 rebounds.

Girls' Area Scoreboard

Illinois Valley Central 64, St. Joseph-Ogden 43
Bloomington Central Catholic 64, Unity 18
Pontiac 67, Rantoul 39
Charleston 39, Urbana 26
Prairie Central 62, St. Thomas More 21

SJO Dance Team earns fourth straight trip to IHSA state finals

A roster of 10 dancers helped St. Joseph-Ogden secure another trip to the state finals. As the Spartans prepare for their next shot at a state title, here is a look back at last year's performance.

2024-25 SJO Dance Team performs at State

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Members of the SJO Dance Team perform their routine during the preliminary round at the state championships in 2025.

ST. JOSEPH - For the fourth consecutive season, the St. Joseph-Ogden competitive dance team will take the state stage.

The Spartans secured a return trip to the Illinois High School Association Competitive Dance State Finals after finishing fourth Saturday at the Champaign Central Sectional. St. Joseph-Ogden posted a score of 81.20, earning one of the Class 1A qualifying spots and advancing to Friday’s preliminary round at Grossinger MotorsArena in Bloomington.

This year’s SJO squad is made up of 10 dancers, blending underclass talent with experienced upperclass leaders. Freshmen Ava Buhr, Jillian Davis, Darby Manion and Leah Stephenson make up nearly half of the roster, joined by sophomore Ava Gallo. Juniors Lilly Sollars, Hadley McDonald and Alivia Learned bring prior state-level experience, while seniors Gracyn Sjoken and Abby Getty round out the lineup.

The Spartans’ qualification continues a steady presence at the state level. Last season, St. Joseph-Ogden advanced out of the St. Anthony Sectional with a fourth-place finish before placing 16th out of 30 teams in the state preliminary round, falling four spots short of qualifying for the championship round. Under IHSA format, the top 12 teams in each division advance to Saturday’s finals.

Also advancing from the Champaign Sectional in Class 1A were the Unity Rockettes, who finished third with a score of 83.93. Morton claimed the sectional title with an 89.30, while Clinton placed second at 88.57. Eureka and Fieldcrest completed the top six qualifiers.

In Class 2A competition, sectional host Champaign Central earned the final state berth by finishing sixth with an 80.83, edging Mascoutah for the last qualifying position. Washington won the Class 2A title, followed by Bradley-Bourbonnais, Triad, Dunlap and Ottawa Township.

Preliminary competition for the IHSA Competitive Dance State Finals begins at 10:15 a.m. Friday in Bloomington. Admission is $17, with tickets available online through Ticketmaster. Live coverage of the event will also be available on the NFHS Network.

Below is a look back at the SJO's performance at state dance in 2025.

SJO Dance team at 2025 state