Urbana falls to Normal U-High in season opener despite Harper’s 16 points

Urbana opened its season with a 59-28 home loss to Normal University High. Lai’yonna Harper led the Tigers with 16 points, including 10 in the second half.

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URBANA - Urbana opened its girls basketball season Tuesday night with a tough home loss, falling 59-28 to a sharp-shooting Normal University High squad that controlled the tempo from the opening tip. Despite the final margin, the Tigers found a bright spot in the play of junior Lai'yonna Harper, whose strong second half helped steady her team against one of the area’s more disciplined lineups.

The Pioneers set the tone early, jumping out to a 15-5 lead after the first quarter and stretching their advantage to 31-11 by halftime. Their offense relied on consistent ball movement and balanced scoring, with three players finishing in double figures.

Kenzie Matejka led all scorers with 14 points, including 12 in the first half as U-High built its cushion. Mya Bennett added 13 points, scoring in every quarter, while Kendyl Schroeder contributed 12, including nine after the break. All three made 50% of their free throws, and the Pioneers went 10-for-22 overall at the line.

Urbana countered behind Harper, who finished with 16 points and sparked the Tigers after halftime. Ten of her points came in the second half, and went 3-for-6 at the line. Her energy helped Urbana settle in offensively after a cold start.

Madison Shade chipped in six points, scoring three in each half. Lizzy Lange, Marleo Mondebele and Kaya Hill each added a basket as the Tigers worked to generate rhythm against a tight Pioneer defense. Urbana finished 5-for-10 from the free throw line.

Though the Tigers were unable to slow U-High’s scoring runs, the second-half effort showed signs of growth and composure—building blocks that will matter as the young season unfolds. Harper’s breakout performance offers a promising moving forward for Urbana.

This year's varsity roster includes seniors Lange, Shade, Schroeder, Mondebele, Hill, Sarai Smith and Jade White. The junior class is represented by Dazia Davis, Zaiyah Ward and Harper. With no sophomores on the roster, freshmen Nylah McReynolds and Sharrea Smith round out the 2025-26 squad this season.

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TAGS: Urbana Tigers girls basketball season opener loss to U-High, Lai’yonna Harper scoring performance vs Normal University High, Normal U-High girls basketball balanced scoring attack recap, Illinois high school basketball early-season matchup analysis, Urbana vs U-High girls basketball game summary and stats, Kenzie Matejka Mya Bennett Kendyl Schroeder leading U-High win

Urbana girls' basketball squad falls at home to Mahomet-Seymour

Urbana's Zion Reid tries to dribble past Mahomet-Seymour's Kara Carney and Reese Gallier during second half action of their non-conference game. The Tigers' first-half offensive struggles led to a 45-15 loss on Monday. UHS returns to action looking for their first win of the season starting next Monday with a road game at Monticello and are back at home on November 30 against Charleston.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Prep Sport Notebook | Hall big on the boards for Urbana, Unity loses first game

Janae Hall hauled in nine of her team's 28 rebounds in Urbana's 51-10 loss to visiting MacArthur on Thursday.

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Prep Sport Notebook | Hall big on the boards for Urbana, Unity loses first game

URBANA - Janae Hall hauled in nine of her team's 28 rebounds in Urbana's 51-10 loss to visiting MacArthur on Thursday.

"Urbana was shorthanded tonight but worked hard," said head coach Bobby Boykin.

Hall and newcomer Zion Reid finished with just four points apiece on offense. Freshman Lai'yonna Harper rounded out the Tigers' scoring effort with a field goal.

Urbana hosts Mahomet-Seymour in a non-conference contest on Monday.

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Rockets suffer first loss

GIBSON CITY - Raegen Stringer exploded in the second half of Unity's Lady Falcon/Bunnie Tip Off game against Tri-Valley scoring 12 of her 18 points. Her effort was not enough to overcome the 13-point halftime deficit against the Vikings on Thursday night, which resulted in the Rockets' first loss of the season, 42-28.

Addison Ray finished with six points and six rebounds, while Reagan Little, credited with six boards and four steals, was held to a third quarter field goal for two points. Stringer added four rebounds, three steal, and two assists to her season stats.

Claire Meharry and Lauren Haas each sank a free throw to detail UHS' scoring effort. Haas' defensive effort produced five rebounds and two steals. She also dished out five assists.

Tri-Valley (3-0) had three players in double figures. Sophomore Addy Friehaut led her team's effort with 13 points, Kelsey Bartels added 11 points, and Cadence Geiser scored eight fourth quarter points to finish with ten total.

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Attention Coaches: Help us keep area fans informed! Email us your team's game and match results for the Prep Sports Notebook. Please send us a clear photo of the scorebook and other stats or information to us at sports@oursentinel.com.

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Prep Sports Notebook | Urbana drops home opener

URBANA - The Urbana girls' basketball team opened their 2023-24 campaign with a loss at home on Tuesday. While playing a defensively solid game, the Tigers' offensive effort fell short in the 35-14 loss.

Aziyaha Davis led UHS' scoring effort with six points, four produced in the final quarter of the game. Zion Reid and Janae Hall came off the bench to hit a field goal and sink one free throw to finish with three points apiece.

The Tiger varsity squad is back in action tonight, hosting McArthur at 7pm.

Aziyaha Davis dribbles around senior Diamond Landfair during first half action of their Big 12 Conference game on December 8, 2022. The senior started the season as the Tigers' leading scorer. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Rockets open season with win over PBL

Back again at the Lady Falcon/Bunnie Tip Off, the Unity girls' basketball team notched tipped off the season with a 51-27 win over Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

Raegen Stringer led the Rockets with 18 points and six steals. Addison Ray contributed another 13 points in the rout. Ray and Meredith Reed had six rebounds apiece in Unity's total haul of 32.

UHS was up 24-9 at the half and kept the foot of the gas, adding another 27 points in the second half.

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Two area players earn All-State recognition

Brock Suding after the Unity's homecoming game against Rantoul in 2022.

St. Joseph-Ogden's Logan Smith and Unity's Brock Suding were named All-State players by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association earlier this week.

Suding, a 6-foot, 195-pound linebacker was key in Rockets' postseason run. Averaging 13 tackles per game, he led Unity to 9-3 and was the anchor on a defense that allowed opponents just 259 points in 12 games. The senior also saw playing time as a running back, carrying the ball 13 times for 72 yards.

Smith, the Illini Praire Conference's most explosive signal caller, threw the ball 269 time for 2,686 yards, topping his 2022-23 stat of 2,582 yards. In addition to the two-year starter's 5,268 total passing yards, he also amassed 796 rushing yards in his 22 varsity appearances. The senior ran in 20 touchdowns and passed for 29 this season.

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Attention Coaches: Help us keep area fans informed! Email us your team's game and match results for the Prep Sports Notebook. Please send us a clear photo of the scorebook and other stats or information to us at sports@oursentinel.com.

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Photo Gallery | Photos from Urbana's 40-24 win over Danville

Urbana's Jasmine McCullough dribbles the ball around Danville Diamond Landfair in the first half. Three-for-four from the free throw line, McCullough finished the game with seven points to help the Tigers log their first home win since February 8, 2020. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Aziyaha Davis dribbles around senior Diamond Landfair during first half action of their Big 12 Conference game on December 8, 2022. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Tigers' Jasmine McCullough plays defense on Vikings' Jyah Parker. Urbana held Parker scoreless the entire game. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Urbana's Gabreille Mboyo-Meta fights to keep the ball away from Danville's Ajia Johnson in the second quarter. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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McKenzie Sprague is fouled going up for a shot between Danville's Diamond Landfair and Dajahnae Taylor. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Gabreille Mboyo-Meta goes up for a shot around Danville's Laila Johnson. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Urbana's McKenzie Sprague fires a jumper from the corner during the second half. The senior chipped in two points and four rebounds for the Tigers. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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McKenzie Sprague slides across the floor while try to get the ball away from Danville's Ajia Johnson. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Tiger freshman Elizabeth Lange reaches for a loose ball. Lange chipped in 2 points and collected one board for Urbana. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Urbana's Gabreille Mboyo-Meta goes for a second-half shot. Meta-Mboyo shared team-high scoring with eight points, three steals, and one rebound. The senior leads the team in steals (3.3), assists (7), and scoring (9.8) per game. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Freshman Mia Schroeder sees minutes in the Tigers' first home win in nearly three years. She collected five points and tallied a pair of rebounds in the rout. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Urbana fans cheer for their team in the fourth quarter. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Urbana's Aziyaha Davis is fouled as she goes up for a shot in the second half of the game by Danville's Diamond Landfair. Davis contributed eight rebounds and three steals with her three field goals in the Tigers' home win. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Tigers' Destiny Barber shares a funny story with teammates as the game clock with Danville passes the one minute to play mark. The senior forward finished the game with eight points, three steals, and five boards. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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Sentinel 2021-22 All-Area girls basketball team

Welcome to the Sentinel's 2022 All-Area Girls' Basketball Team. Our list is a compilation of the best players from three of the four area high school programs we cover.

Among the top 15 players selected for the first and second teams, four are from the Class of 2023, and three are sophomores who we expect to rise to prominence this fall.

The performances of our first-team members were the cornerstones to each of their team's success this season. These player's leadership, commitment, and contributions on offensive or defensive was key to earning a spot on this year's Sentinel All-Area Girls Basketball Team.

Sentinel All-Area First Team

       

       

       

First Team

Ella Armstrong, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Taylor Henry, Senior
Unity

Payton Jacob, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta, Junior
Urbana

Lauren Miller, Junior
Unity

Maddie Reed, Senior
Unity

Taylor Wells, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Second Team

Destiny Barber, Junior
Urbana

Zineria Edwards, Senior
Urbana

Addison Frick, Sophomore
St. Joseph-Ogden

Peyton Jones, Junior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Ashlyn Lannert, Senior
St. Joseph-Ogden

Katey Moore, Sophomore
Unity

Raegan Stringer, Sophomore
Unity

Erika Steinman, Senior
Unity

Honorable Mention

St. Joseph-Ogden:
Alyssa Hamilton (Sr), Alison Kearney (Sr), Kaytlyn Baker (Jr)

Unity:
Hailey Flesch (Sr), Gracie Renfrow (Sr), Savannah Alagna (Sr), Calli Chandler (Sr), Bridget Henry (Sr), Addison Ray (So)

Urbana:
Amarah Howard (Sr), McKenzie Sprague (Jr), Teri Hall (So), Savannah Blanden (So)

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Editor's Note:

A Certificate of Recognition is available for each of the players listed above. Players, coaches, or parents/guardians can email us at sports@oursentinel.com to receive their 2021-22 certificate.