Oakwood opened the season with a 43-15 road win over Arcola, a sharp reversal from last year’s loss. Senior Caydence Vermillion led the way with 14 points, six steals and six rebounds. Emma Koontz contributed a double-double.
Vermillion’s defense leads Oakwood to convincing win at Arcola
Hanner leads Oakwood with 11 points in loss to North Vermillion
BISMARCK - Gracie Hanner scored a team-high 12 points for Oakwood in the third-place game at the 2024 Blue Devil Classic Basketball Tournament. Her effort with 11 points from teammate Caydence Vermillion, fell short against North Vermillion, resulting in a 41-36 holiday tournament loss on Saturday, December 28.
The Comets (6-14) were within striking range at the end of the third quarter, 34-31, but could not sustain enough momentum to push past the Falcons in the final quarter.
North Vermillion was paced by Nora Thomann's game-high 13 points. The freshman starter, named to the All-Tournament team, also recorded 14 rebounds and two blocks. Juniors Kera Dunham and Cadence Dunham (5 rebounds, 7 assists) rounded out the team's top three scorers with nine and eight points, respectively. Kera Dunham was also named All-Tournament.
Oakwood received strong defensive efforts from seniors Rylee Wright and Bella Bradford. The duo grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists each.
The Comets look to correct their three-game losing streak on Thursday in a conference road game at Chrisman (2-12) and play their next home contest on January 16 against Georgetown-Ridge Farm (8-5).
First inning rally pushes Unity past Oakwood
TOLONO - Good things come in threes, especially for Jenna Adkins on Monday during the Rockets' home game against Oakwood.
Leading off for Unity (3-1) in the bottom of the first inning, Atkins crushed the third pitch, sending it over the right field fence. If it wasn't for the 25 m.p.h.-plus cross wind out of the southeast, the ball could have sailed another 10 yards past the vehicles parked on the other side of the fence.
"It's always a windy day at the Unity HS Softball field! However, last night was so odd," exclaimed Unity head coach Aimee Davis. "When I was hitting ground balls to the infield, the wind even had an influence on those and the direction they went after contact."
She pointed out that "fly balls were hard to read" due to the steady, unrelenting wind. It was amazing there weren't more errors than the one recorded by the Comets in the four-inning affair that ended 14-0 in favor of the Rockets.
"I do not think I have played or coached in a windier game than last night. It was wild," Davis said.
Adkins' homer was just the start. Unity tallied six more runs, the last courtesy of Atkins, whose single put Taylor Drennan across the plate for the final run of the inning.
"When you can start the game with a leadoff homerun, that sets the tone for the rest of the game," Davis said.
Adkins finished the non-conference game with three hits in her three at-bats and booked three RBIs.
"Jenna had another great at-bat and hit the ball square. We need that from her, and she wants to have good outcomes up to bat," Davis said. "She's followed by solid hitters that get their jobs done."
The Rockets scattered a hit from nine different batters in the lineup. Grace Bickers, Sophia Beckett, and Reese Frye had two RBIs each.
"Our offensive lineup is a good one, and we are starting to see more consistency up and down, which is positive to see as a coach," Davis added. "Defensively, we have a solid pitching staff and an infield and outfield that play great supporting roles."
The Comets (1-3) mustered just three hits courtesy of Karleigh Nelson, Gracie Hanner, and Caydence Vermillion. Oakwood's only opportunity to score came in the top of the third inning, loading the bases with Olivia Fegett on third, Nelson on second, and Gracie Hanner on first.
With two outs already on the board, Gracie Enos popped out to Rockets' Ruby Tarr at shortstop, erasing the threat.
Lindy Bates earned the pitching win. The senior struck out five batters. Meanwhile, Vermillion took the loss for the Comets.
"This team is fun to watch and hungry to see success," Davis said. "They have worked long and hard to reach this point. They are ready to see what this season has to offer."
With a smile on her face, Jenna Adkins heads to home plate after sending a bomb out to right field in the first inning to give the Rockets a 1-0 lead against visiting Oakwood.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Gracie Enos throws a pitch during the first innning. Despite throwing 25 strikes out of her 38 pitches, the senior suffered eight runs on eight hits against the Rockets.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Prep Hoops |Thursday Basketball Scores
Girls' Basketball
Attica 39Oakwood 47 Caydence Vermillion hit seven three-pointers on her way to a team-high 23 points and 15 rebounds against the Red Ramblers. Gracie Hanner hauled in 11 rebounds of her own, finishing nine points and five assists for the Comets.
Armstrong 27
Unity 36
Unity 53
North Vermillion 54 Kera Dunham tallied 15 points and Nora Thomann, a freshman, contributed another 13 in the non-conference win for the Falcons. Thomann led her team with eight rebounds and three assists. Dunham credited with six steals and four assists.
St. Joseph-Ogden 29
Bishop McNamara 41 The Spartans fall in State Farm Holiday Classic action at Normal West. Senior Katie Ericksen scored three treys to lead SJO's scoring effort with nine points.
Boys' Basketball
Oakwood 37Tuscola 94
Harding Academy 52
Champaign Central 60 Maroons' Cayden Love shot 75% from the free throw line on his way to a team-high 16 points. Chris Bush and Luke Swanson nudged Central in the non-conference win with 13 points each. Love, a sophomore, collected four steals in the win.
St. Joseph-Ogden 56
Winnebago 42 Coy Taylor led SJO's scoring effort with 19 points. Tanner Siems added another 14 points and Collin Thomey chipped in 10. The trio, frequent visitors to the free throw line, made 12 of their 17 attempts.
Attention Coaches: Help us keep area basketball, wrestling, and competitive dance 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 or link to game results at sports@oursentinel.com.
We are looking for great photosDid you take a great photograph at any of these games? We would love to share it with our readers.
Prep Sports Notebook |Cornjerkers loses at home, SJO girls win again
A quick look at scoring leaders and area winners this past week. Brayden Walder scores 23 for Hoopeson in loss. Oakwood and SJO girls' squads win games before Thanksgiving.
Boys Basketball
Hoopeston Area drops season opener to Spartans
Brayden Walder was the leading scorer with 23 points in the 67-54 loss at home on Monday. Nick Cardenas came off the bench to add 10 points, while Alandize Barnett chipped in eight points. Barnett also led the team with 10 rebounds. The Cornjerkers (0-1) return to action on Friday after Thanksgiving to face Armstrong (0-1) in an 2:30 p.m. matinee. The two teams met back in February with Trojans coming out on top with a decisive 83-61 victory. Hoopeston Area owns the series between the two programs with a 32-9 advantage since 2007.
Girls Basketball
St. Joseph-Ogden wins second game of the season
Katie Ericksen scored a game-high 12 points in SJO's 40-26 victory over Clifton Central on Monday. Addie Brooks connected on three treys for nine points, and Timera Blackburn-Kelley finished with seven points for the Spartans (2-0). The Comets were paced by junior Maddie Webb with seven points in the non-conference matchup. St. Joseph-Ogden hosts the Tuscola Warriors (2-2) on Monday in the Main Gym at 7:30 p.m.
Oakwood girls bounce back
After a two-point loss to Casey-Westfield on Saturday, the Comets (2-1) roll over Covington 56-29. Oakwood's Caydence Vermillion led all scorers with 16 points and six boards. Teammate Gracie Hanner nearly match Vermillion's output with 15 points, three steals and six assists in their Comet Classic tournament game. Lainee Smith was invaluable in the paint, grabbing a game-high nine rebounds and chipping in eight points. Covington freshman Lauren Hardy led the Trojans with 11 points and four rebounds.
Tuesday Basketball Scoreboard for December 16
Here are scores and recaps for Tuesday's basketball games in and around Champaign County.
Boys Basketball
Rockets roll cruise past Trojans
CHARLESTON - Tyler Henry used his time on the floor in the first three quarters to score 15 points in Unity's 81-42 win over Charleston on the road Tuesday. Three other Rockets reach double figures with Dane Eisenmenger dropping 14 points - 12 from four treys, and Coleton Langendorf padded the scorebook with 12 points. Brayden Henry finished with 11 points. Coming up short, nine players contributed to the Trojans' scoring effort led by Tyler Oakley's team-high seven points. Quinn Taylor, Braxton Hanner, and Alex Metheny scored six points each in the non-conference loss.
ALAH comes up short against Sages
MONTICELLO - Will Hilligoss scored 15 in Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond's road game at Monticello. Brennon Hutson also reach double figures with 12 points. Jayden Parsons lead the team's rebounding effort with five boards.
Boys' Area Scoreboard
Unity 81, Charleston 42
Tuscola 72, Heritage 36
St. Thomas More 62, Herscher 46
Monticello 59, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 41
Maroa-Forsyth 69, Rantoul 56
Girls Basketball
Oakwood drops home game
Oakwood - Madalynne Nicoson led the Comets with ten points in their loss to visiting Armstrong-Potomac on Tuesday. Caydence Vermillion, who was held to just a single free throw, led the team in the paint with six rebounds. Sophomore Avery Trimmell powered the team's defensive effort with three steals.
Girls' Area Scoreboard
Armstrong-Potomac 56, Oakwood 22
Prep Sports Notebook |Area basketball scores for December 3
Here are scores and recaps for Wednesday's basketball games in and around Champaign County.
Boys Basketball
Charleston pics up first win at Toyota of Danville Classic
ST. JOSEPH - Tyler Oakley went 2-for-2 from the free throw line on his way to an 18-point night at the St. Joe tournament on Wednesday. Braxton Honner and Quinn Taylor scored nine points each in the team's first win of the season. Despite a top-tier effort from Dierks Neukomm with 25 points and Seth Walder's 21, the Timberwolves fall to 0-3 on the season and still looking for a tournament win this week.
Fourth-quarter romp fuels Watseka comeback
ST. JOSEPH - Payton Schaumburg dropped 30 points in Watseka's Toyota of Danville Classic game against Oakwood. Tyler Waugh added 17 in the tournament win for the Warriors to post a 55-54 victory in Wednesday evening's game. Oakwood led most of the game behind double digit performances from Alex Wallace with 14 points and Carsen Dudley's 12. Read more ...
B-Mac rolls past PBL Panthers
ST. JOSEPH - Richie Darr talled 14 points in Bishop McNamara's 51-38 win over Paxton-Buckley-Loda. Balanced scoring from seven other players sealed the Fightin' Irish's fifth win of the season. Ethan Williams paced the Panthers with 16 points. Tyler Cole was kept quiet, scoring just eight points, and Carson Goss chipped in six points in the loss.
Boys' Area Scoreboard
Toyota of Danville Classic
Watseka 55, Oakwood 54Other area game results
Springfield HS 53, Central 42Girls Basketball
Comet girls fall to Illineks
Oakwood - A weak second quarter allowed U-High to take a five-point lead at the half in their road game at Oakwood on the way to a 37-36 win on Wednesday. Caydence Vermillion finished the game for the Comets with 11 points and 13 boards. Gracie Hanner turned nine points and four rebounds in the non-conference loss.
Josie Roseman leads Eagles in loss
Watseka - Rantoul's Josie Roseman scored 15 points and made 8 out of her 10 free throws in the Eagles road game against the Warriors. Junior Addyson Sherrick hit three treys for nine points and senior Joselyn Espinoza had two of her own on the way to an 8-point finish.
Girls' Area Scoreboard
Urbana University 37, Oakwood 36
Watseka 72, Rantoul 50
Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin 36, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 31
Glenwood 65, Centennial 29
Clinton 64, Unity 24
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