St. Joseph-Ogden used balanced scoring and composure on the road to beat Watseka 65-54. Brooks, Ericksen and Hayden Dahl combined for 45 points for the Spartans.
by Clark Brooks The Sentinel WATSEKA - St. Joseph-Ogden arrived at Watseka High School on Monday facing a Warriors team that had built its reputation on defense, but the Spartans left with a statement road win and a familiar formula: balance, patience and perimeter shooting.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Addie Brooks follows through on a shot during the Spartans home game against LeRoy. The senior scored 18 points in last Monday's game against Watseka.
Senior Addie Brooks made the outcome feel inevitable. Brooks earned Player of the Game honors after drilling five three-pointers over the first three quarters, finishing with a game-high 18 points to lift St. Joseph-Ogden to a 65-54 victory in the rescheduled Country Financial Shootout. The win pushed the Spartans’ record to 8-1 and reinforced their ability to execute away from home.
Watseka entered the matchup having held Centennial and Oakwood under 20 points, but the Warriors were unable to slow St. Joseph-Ogden’s long-range efficiency. The Spartans averaged three three-pointers per quarter and finished the night with 13 from beyond the arc, repeatedly stretching the defense and opening lanes for ball movement.
St. Joseph-Ogden set the tone early, knocking down five three-pointers in the opening quarter. Brooks accounted for three of them, while Hayden Dahl added a pair. Timera Blackburn-Kelley capped the run by sinking two free throws, giving the Spartans a 17-13 lead after one quarter. From there, St. Joseph-Ogden kept steady pressure on the scoreboard, carrying a lead through the first three quarters that Watseka could not erase.
Katie Ericksen delivered a strong second-half surge, finishing with 14 points behind four three-pointers after halftime and perfect shooting from the free-throw line. Dahl added 13 points, providing a consistent scoring presence, while Blackburn-Kelley narrowly missed double figures with nine points and key contributions on both ends of the floor.
Watseka countered with balanced scoring of its own. Senior Christa Holohan led the Warriors with 14 points and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Junior Rennah Barrett chipped in 11 points, and Leigha Covarrubias added 10 as three Warriors reached double figures.
Despite Watseka’s depth, St. Joseph-Ogden controlled the tempo and answered each push with timely shooting and composure.
Next up, St. Joseph-Ogden opens tournament play against El Paso-Gridley at Bloomington High School on Friday at 10:30 a.m.
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TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball Watseka game, Country Financial Shootout SJO Watseka, Addie Brooks Player of the Game SJO, St. Joseph-Ogden road win girls basketball, Watseka Warriors vs Spartans basketball
Spartans' Addie Roesch and Ashley Eldridge enjoy a light moment during the team's home match against Prairie Central. After their road loss to Tri-Valley, St. Joseph-Ogden extended their win streak to three matches with the 2-0 conference win over the Hawks.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
The ball flies toward the back wall after Prairie Central's Kerigan Fehr tried to pass a St. Joseph-Ogden serve during the first set.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Addie Roesch tips the ball over the net while playing on the front row during the first set for the Spartans.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Hannah Fox and the Spartan bench celebrate a point for SJO on ten-point scoring run during the first set.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Spartan junior varsity players dance to YMCA during a timeout during set one of the varsity game. St. Joseph-0gden picked up another conference win after defeating visiting Prairie Central in straight sets, 25-15, 25-4.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden outside hitter Kennedi Burnett hammers the ball for a kill against Prairie Central. The senior finished the varsity match with two aces, four kills, and 16 digs.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Prairie Central's Gracie Edelman passes the ball during the second set while SJO's Rachel Divan and Kennedi Burnett prepare in the background to counter the Hawks' attack.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Called up to fill the junior varsity roster, Spartan freshman Reese Wheatley tries to block a tip by Hawks' Callie Eisenmann.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
With Hawks' Adeline Kilgus opposing her, Spartan hitter Josey Frerichs pounds the ball over the net during the second set of the JV match. SJO earned the match victory, 2-0.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Addison Ross attempts to block the ball during SJO's junior varsity match.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Before the varsity contest, Peyton Williams puts the ball down on a big swing around Gyllian Davies during second set action in St. Joseph-Ogden's JV match.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Spartans Madison Atwood and Taylor Wells attempt to block a hit from Prairie Central outside hitter Alyssa Stein.
PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Hawks' Alexandria Hari sets the ball during set of the match against SJO.
Looking for photos of a specific player from either team or from this season? Email us at photos@oursentinel.com with the athlete's name and jersey number for details.
After a nearly two-week layoff, St. Joseph-Ogden found its rhythm in the second half Friday night. Kayla Osterbur led the surge with strong post play. SJO pulled away for a 59-40 win.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Kayla Osterbur flashes a big smile as she heads to the locker room after dropping a game-high 19-point night in SJO's home win Friday night over LeRoy.
by Clark Brooks The Sentinel ST. JOSEPH - The rust showed early, but once it shook loose, St. Joseph-Ogden looked every bit like a team that had been waiting to play.
After nearly two weeks away from game action because of weather-related cancellations, the Spartans needed time to find their footing Friday night at LeRoy. Trailing by two at halftime, St. Joseph-Ogden flipped the switch in the third quarter, clamping down defensively and rolling to a 59-40 victory on their home court over the Panthers.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Timera Blackburn-Kelley takes a shot during the second half. The senior contributed 10 points in SJO's win.
LeRoy managed just four points in the third quarter as the Spartans seized control with back-to-back scoring runs, first a nine-point surge, then another eight-point burst that broke the game open.
“It was a good response,” SJO head coach Brian Brooks said. “We hadn’t played in a couple of weeks, and it probably showed in the first half. Our energy and effort just wasn’t very good, and we were fortunate to be only down two.”
Brooks made adjustments at halftime, leaning into opportunities inside with senior Kayla Osterbur. With the guards delivering the ball, Osterbur went to work in the paint, scoring eight points in the third quarter and closing the frame with a pair of free throws.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Hayden Dahl makes a second-half pass. The junior delivered four of SJO's 11 three-pointers.
Osterbur finished with a game-high 19 points, 17 coming in the second half.
While the post game opened the door, the perimeter slammed it shut. St. Joseph-Ogden buried 11 3-pointers, hitting three each in the first, second and fourth quarters. Hayden Dahl happily knocked down four from long range, and Katie Ericksen added three as both finished with 12 points.
Osterbur, Ashlyn Miller and Addie Brooks each connected from beyond the arc, while Timera Blackburn-Kelley chipped in a 3-pointer and finished with 10 points.
“I thought Katie was great tonight at the point, especially in the second half,” Brooks said. “She made some really good reads.”
Ericksen expected the slow start.
“I knew it was going to be a mind game for us being off for two weeks,” she said. “We knew we were going to have to put in a lot of effort to get back to where we were.”
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Spartans' Katie Ericksen looks for an open teammate to pass the ball during first quarter action against the Panthers.
The Spartans (6-1) face a quick turnaround, traveling to Charleston for a 12:30 p.m. nonconference game before hosting Watseka on Monday ahead of the State Farm Classic.
LeRoy was led by Parker Mann with 15 points and Annie Coon with 11. The Panthers fell to 8-3 and play Saturday at El Paso-Gridley.
Box Score
SJO 12 15 19 13 - 59
LeRoy 9 20 4 7 - 40
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St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball win over LeRoy, SJO Spartans second-half comeback basketball, Kayla Osterbur scoring performance SJO, Illinois high school girls basketball road win, LeRoy vs St. Joseph-Ogden basketball recap
With the hectic 2022-23 season behind us, we want to use the summer to catch up publishing some of the great moments we captured this season but didn't have the time or resources to publish. Here is The Sentinel's first installment of our summer feature called Looking Back. Visit our website weekly for more photo features starting next week.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden's Addison Frick puts the ball up for a first half shot during the Spartans' home basketball game against Pontiac. Frick finished the game with a team-high 17 points powering SJO to a 57-47 victory. See more photos from this game here.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
SJO senior Taylor Hug fires a jumper from outside the arc for one of her four treys against the visiting Pontiac Indians.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Driving past Pontiac's Makyah Hartfield, SJO's Addie Seggebruch attacks the paint in January 5 home game at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Freshman point guard Katie Ericksen moves the ball around during the second half against Pontiac.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Surrounded by Pontiac players, Spartans' Kaytlyn Baker protects the ball during second half action. Baker, a senior, contributed a field goal and one free throw in the Illini Prairie Conference win for the St. Joseph-Ogden program on Saturday.
SJO's Addison Brooks earned a spot on the IPC Second Team her junior year.URBANA - The Illini Prairie Conference presented its girls' basketball all-conference team this week. Teams members are selected by coaches from each of the ten teams. This year's IPC First Team is comprised of two outstanding freshman players. Two players from Central Catholic and two from IVC were named to the top team this season.
Bloomington Central Catholic won the league title, finishing with a perfect 9-0 record.
See the complete list below of this year's all-conference players.
Illini Prairie Conference Final Standings
1. Bloomington Central Catholic 9-0 / Overall: 24-9
2. Illinois Valley Central 8-1 / Overall: 20-11
3. Pontiac 6-3 / Overall: 15-17
4. Monticello 6-3 / Overall: 20-11
5. St. Joseph-Ogden 5-4 / Overall: 12-17
6. Tolono Unity 5-4 / Overall: 14-17
7. Prairie Central 3-6 / Overall: 12-21
8. Paxton-Buckley-Loda 2-7 / Overall: 4-27
9. Rantoul 1-8 / Overall: 4-26
10. St. Thomas More 0-9 / Overall: 5-24
First Team
Karissa Cook, Central Catholic, 9
Emme Hurie, Central Catholic, 11
Anna Foster, IVC, 10
Alayah Nelton, IVC, 9
Megan Allen, Monticello, 12
Trinity Miller, Pontiac, 11
Pleasant Plains - Hoping to extend their 1-game winning streak to two, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team came up short after this afternoon's road game at Pleasant Plains. Addisyn Martinie led the Spartans' in scoring with 10 points in the 55-26 loss to the host Cardinals.
Addisyn Martinie looks for an open teammate to pass the ball during the Spartans' Turkey Tournament game against Mahomet-Seymour. The junior led all SJO scorers on Saturday in the team's away game at Pleasant Plains. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
SJO struggled on offense, scoring just five points in each of the first two quarters. Martinie knocked down a pair of field goals, and Taylor Hug kicked in five points with one shot inside and one outside the arc. Junior Addison Seggebruch hit one of her two free throw attempts in the team's first half scoring effort. Seggebruch's first quarter trip to the line was the Spartans' only opportunity for free points.
Freshman Addie Brooks came off the bench in the fourth quarter to hit two treys for six points to finish as the second-leading scorer for SJO. Addison Frick chipped-in four points in the third quarter to sum up Saturday's offense.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Plains (8-3) was paced by Jaycee Smith's 15 points and frosh Anna Weber's seven points.
St. Joseph-Ogden is back in action on Monday with a home contest against Cissna Park and travels to Oakwood to face the Comets on Thursday this week.
Box Score
Final: Pleasant Plains 55 - St. Joseph-Ogden 26
St. Joseph-Ogden 5 - 5 - 10 - 6 - -26
Pleasant Plains 13 - 15 - 12 - 15 - -55 St. Joseph-Ogden:
Uden 0(0)-0-0--0,
Seggebruch 1(0)-0-0--2,
Baltzell 0(0)-0-0--0,
Ericksen 0(0)-0-0--0,
Frick 2(0)-0-0--4,
Baker 0(0)-0-0--0,
Brooks 0(2)-0-0--6,
Blackburn 0(0)-0-0--0,
Kearney 0(0)-0-0--0,
Martinie 5(0)-0-0--10,
Osterbur 0(0)-0-0--0,
Ward 0(0)-0-0--0.
Pleasant Plains:
Frasse 2(0)-2-0--4,
Morley 0(0)-0-0--0,
Taft 0(0)-0-0--0,
Cameron 0(0)-0-0--0,
Derrick 3(0)-0-0--6,
Leach 3(0)-0-0--6,
Hiltabrand 0(0)-3-3--3,
Lynch 0(0)-0-0--0,
Smith 5(1)-2-2--15,
Burke 1(0)-0-0--2,
Hadley 3(0)-0-0--6,
Weber 1(1)-2-2--7,
Long 0(0)-0-0--0,
Redmon 1(0)-2-2--4,
Sebatka 1(0)-0-0--2.
St. Joseph-Ogden's Peyton Jones takes a shot during last November's first installment of SJO's first girls holiday basketball tournament. The Spartans will host the tournament once again with a new team this season. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
ST. JOSEPH -- The girls' basketball season officially starts on Monday with SJO hosting the Second Annual Toyota of Danville Turkey Tournament. Mahomet-Seymour joins the four-team, round-robin style tournament replacing Urbana High School.
Spartans fans can catch the varsity program on the hardwood this week on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings at approximately 7:30p as the team will battle to defend their 2021 title against Tri-County, Centennial and the Bulldogs from Mahomet-Seymour. The SJO JV team will play in the school's practice gym at 6 pm on all three nights.
This year's St. Joseph-Ogden varsity squad includes Sammy Uden, Addi Seggebruch, Olivia Baltzell, Katie Ericksen, Addison Frick, Taylor Hug, Kaytlyn Baker, Addie Brooks, Sara Kearney, Addy Martinie, Kayla Osterbur, and Ellie Ward.
2nd Annual TOYOTA OF DANVILLE TURKEY TOURNAMENT
Monday, November 14th
JV: SJO JV vs. Tri-County JV 6:00 PM (Practice Gym)
JV: Centennial JV vs. Mahomet-Seymour JV 7:30 PM (Practice Gym)
VARSITY: Centennial vs. Mahomet-Seymour 6:00 PM (Main Gym)
VARSITY: SJO vs. Tri-County 7:30 PM (Main Gym) Tuesday, November 15th
JV: SJO JV vs. Centennial JV 6:00 PM (Practice Gym)
JV: Tri-County JV vs. Mahomet-Seymour JV 7:30 PM (Practice Gym)
VARSITY: Tri-County vs. Mahomet-Seymour 6:00 PM (Main Gym)
VARSITY: SJO vs. Centennial 7:30 PM (Main Gym) Thursday, November 17th
JV: SJO JV vs. Mahomet-Seymour JV 6:00 PM (Practice Gym)
JV: Tri-County JV vs. Centennial JV 7:30 PM (Practice Gym)
VARSITY: Tri-County vs. Centennial 6:00 PM (Main Gym)
VARSITY: SJO vs. Mahomet-Seymour 7:30 PM (Main Gym)
Slideshow
Photo gallery from the Spartans' 2021 Turkey Tournament game against the Urbana Tigers.
Urbana 20, Normal Community 57: The Tigers didn't hit a shot from the field in the second quarter of their road game against the Lady Ironmen on Saturday. Junior Aziyaha Davis led all Urbana scorers with six points. Jasmine McCullough and Destiny Barber rounded out the top three scorers with five and four points, respectively.
Hoopeston Area 69, Horizon Science Academy Southwest 48:Trenton Montez and Anthony Zamora led the Cornjerkers with 16 points apiece in pool play against the Huskies. Montez snagged four steals, while Zamora collected four of his own out of the team's total of 11. Preston VandeVeer added another eight points while Owen Root provided seven at the Watseka Christmas Tournament.
Kendrick Sigerill, who finished with six points, led the team on the boards with six rebounds. Root and fellow junior Wyatt Eisenmann hauled in four rebounds apiece. The Hoopeston boys will face VVC foe Westville in the 5th-place game at the tournament on Tuesday.
St. Joseph-Ogden 26, Pleasant Plains 55:Addisyn Martinie scored a team-high 10 points in the Spartans' road loss against the Cardinals in non-conference girls action on Saturday. Addie Brooks came off the bench to post two third-quarter treys for six points. Senior Taylor Hug was held to just five points for SJO. The St. Joseph-Ogden (4-7) varsity squad hosts the one-loss Cissna Park Timberwolves (10-1) tomorrow at 6pm.
6-foot-3 senior Austin Langendorf gets a hand slap from a young Unity basketball fan after his team's tough 45-43 overtime loss to Pleasant Plains on Saturday.
Unity 43, Pleasant Plains 45: Unity snagged 21 rebounds and tallied eight assists in the 2-point overtime loss to Pleasant Plains. Head coach Matt Reed said his 5-3 team will learn from the loss and improve, especially with a tough conference schedule in front of them. "The effort [and] the desire, that was definitely there. It was just a great high school basketball game. A really good basketball game."
The Rockets will attempt to shake the loss off and prep for an upcoming non-conference game against Paris at the Rocket Center on Tuesday.
Unity 36, Mt. Zion 51:Addison Ray led the Rockets with a team-high 14 points and had five boards in the program's third loss this season. Senior Abbie Piecaynski knocked down six fourth-quarter points, but it wasn't enough to close the gap with the generous Lady Braves' lead. Frosh Claire Meharry also produced her offense contribution in the final quarter with four points and grabbed eight rebounds for the now 9-4 Rockets. Lauren Miller contributed three points, three rebounds and four steals during the home stand.
Pleasant Plains – St. Joseph-Ogden opened the season on the road with one of the toughest foes on their 2024-25 schedule, falling to the Pleasant Plains Cardinals 54-19 on Thursday night. The defeat marks a challenging start for the Spartans, who finished last season with a commendable 16-12 record and a second-place finish in the Illini Prairie Conference.
Timera Blackburn-Kelley led St. Joseph-Ogden with 10 points, demonstrating persistence despite the team's struggles. Blackburn-Kelley also went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. Addie Brooks finished with 5 points. Kara Osterbur and Atleight Moller each added 2 points to the Spartan tally.
On the opposing side, Pleasant Plains showcased a dominant performance, with Anna Webber leading all scorers with 23 points. Webber's scoring barrage included a remarkable stretch during the second and third quarters, where she scored all but five of her points. Bailey Leach also reached double figures, contributing 18 points and successfully converting 6 of 7 free-throw attempts.
Looking ahead, the Spartans have a challenging road ahead as they prepare for their next three games away from home. St. Joseph-Ogden will travel to Paris (1-0) next week, followed by matches at Tuscola on December 2 and Oakwood on December 4. The Spartans' first home game is scheduled for December 5, where they will host the Danville Vikings.
This season's Spartan team includes Katie Ericksen, Mia Jones, Sara Kearney, Timera Blackburn-Kelley, Abby Crider, Addison Brooks, Mackenzie Loschen, Hayden Dahl, Ashlyn Miller, Kenzie Atwood, Atleigh Miller, Kayla Osterburm, Lexi Lackey, and Kaitlyn Beyers.
Keywords: St. Joseph-Ogden basketball, Pleasant Plains basketball, girls basketball season opener, Spartans game recap, Anna Webber performance, high school basketball news.
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by Clark Brooks 
