Sentinel area basketball scores for December 20

PHOTO: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Kenzie Atwood and Hayden Dahl fight for rebound under the basket with LeRoy's Sadee Owens. The Spartans defeated the Panthers (8-4) on Friday, December 19, by 19 points, 59-40. The Spartans are back in action at home on Monday, hosting Watseka (10-1). Beating Rantoul back on December 3, SJO will be the Warriors' second Illini Prairie foe this season.

---

Here are scores and recaps for our area prep basketball teams from Saturday, December 20.

---

Girls Basketball

Heritage girls win two at Walsh tournament

BEMENT -The Heritage Hawks won two games on Saturday, improving to a 12-3 record after beating Arthur-Okaw Christian and Unity Christian at the annual Mike Walsh Memorial Tournament

The Hawks jumped out to a 10-point first quarter lead against the Conquering Riders and never looked back, winning 52-43. Avery Herschberger drained 25 points for AOC in the loss.

Heritage picked up their second win after knocking off Unity Christian 48-43 in tournament play. The Hawks face Windsor-Stewardson-Straburg (5-4) on Monday at 7:30 p.m.

---

Eagles outlast Conquering Riders in tournament play

BEMENT - Rantoul held off a fourth-quarter rally from Arthur-Okaw Christian (7-5) for another win on Saturday, beating the Conquering Riders, 53-51. Josie Roseman and Erykah Baltimore led the Eagles with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Jayden Rosenberger went 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Enjoying a three-game win streak, he Eagles improved to 8-9 on the season.

Brileight Mast grabbed eight team-high rebounds for AOC, finishing with six points. Sophomore Avery Herschberger led all scorers with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists. Elsie Beever scored 12 points to keep the game with in reach at the Mike Walsh Memorial Tournament in Bement.

---

Rantoul 56, Unity Christian 51

BEMENT - The Rantoul girls basketball team defeated Unity Christian 56-51 in tournament play on Saturday thanks behind 23 points from senior Josie Roseman. Erykah Baltimore, who shot 67% from the free throw line, finished with 14 points. Laniece Johnson chipped in 11 points against the Lions.

---

Girls' Area Scoreboard

Mt. Zion 57, Unity 25
St. Joseph-Ogden 68, Charleston 37
Rantoul 56, Unity Christian 51
Rantoul, 53, Arthur-Okaw Christian 51
Paxton-Buckley-Loda 42, St. Thomas More 23
Watseka 56, Centennial 19
Heritage 52, Arthur-Okaw Christian 43
Heritage 48, Unity Christian 43

Boys Basketball

Boys' Area Scoreboard

Urbana 51, Romeoville 42
Oakwood 55, Watseka 54

---

More basketball stories

---

TAGS: SJO girls basketball beats Charleston, Heritage wins back-to-back tournament games, Rantoul wins at Mike Walsh Memorial Tournament, Oakwood Comets basketball team defeats Watseka Warriors

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 54

Other area game results

Springfield HS 53, Central 42

Girls 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

---

More basketball stories

---

TAGS: Central Illinois basketball scores, Watseka boys basketball team wins, Toyota of Danville Classic scores

Ten local players earn all-conference volleyball recognition in Illini Prairie Conference

The all-conference list reflects depth across local programs, with STM accounting for half of the area selections.

---

URBANA - The Illini Prairie Conference released its all-conference volleyball teams last week, and 10 players from St. Thomas More, Unity, and St. Joseph-Ogden earned postseason recognition for their performances throughout the fall.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Unity's Jillian Schlittler

St. Thomas More led the area with five selections after finishing 23-13 and second in the league at 7-2. Seniors Campbell Phillips and Cassidy Monahan were named to the First Team, helping the Sabers post wins over four of the five Champaign County opponents on their schedule. Their only local loss came in a narrow 2-1 setback against St. Joseph-Ogden. Senior Sophia Hill earned a Second Team spot, while senior Audrey Gooding and junior Juju Kerr collected Honorable Mention honors.

Unity had two players represented on this year’s list. Senior Jillian Schlittler, who guided the Rockets to a regional championship, earned First Team honors. Sophomore Olivia Williams added an Honorable Mention nod. The Rockets started hot with wins over Bismarck-Henning, LeRoy, and Mattoon before their season ended in the sectional semifinal against Class 2A runner-up Bloomington Central Catholic.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO's Emma McKinney

St. Joseph-Ogden placed three players on the all-conference lists. Senior Emma McKinney was named to the Second Team, while juniors Hadley McDonald and Emerson Williams received Honorable Mentions. The Spartans closed the season at 13-21 but earned notable wins over Danville, Kankakee, and Rock Island.

Below is the complete list of Illini Prairie Conference all-conference honorees for the 2024 volleyball season.

First Team All-Conference

Name - Grade - School
1 Kampbell Niepagen Jr. BCC
2 Kayt Miller Jr. IVC
3 Mady Melton Sr. MHS
4 Cassidy Monahan Sr. STM
5 Rosie Krenz Sr. BCC
6 Trinity Cheek Jr. PTHS
7 Jillian Schlittler Sr. UNITY
8 Aubrey Fair Sr. BCC
9 Paige Young Sr. PC
10 Campbell Phillips Sr. STM

Second Team All-Conference

Name - Grade - School
1 Jayce Taylor Jr. IVC
2 Ashley Stiverson Sr. MHS
3 Addison Hoeniges Sr. BCC
4 Ellie Dirks So. PBL
5 Morgan Dewald Sr. PTHS
6 Miranda Hari Jr. PC
7 Emma McKinney Sr. SJO
8 Kendall Fair Jr. BCC
9 Airiana Bell Sr. RHS
10 Sophia Hill Sr. STM

Honorable Mention

Name - Grade - School
1 Trinity Miller Sr. PTHS
2 Olivia Williams So. UNITY
3 Kyah Creek Sr. PC
4 Audrey Gooding Sr. STM
5 Juju Kerr Jr. STM
6 Regan Baker So. BCC
7 Josie Certa Sr. BCC
8 Addison Finet Sr. MHS
9 Josie Roseman Sr. RHS
10 Hadley McDonald Jr. SJO
11 Emerson Williams Jr. SJO

---

More Sports Stories

---

TAGS: illini prairie conference volleyball awards, st thomas more five all-conference players, unity rockets volleyball first team schlittler, st joseph-ogden volleyball all-conference honorees, central illinois high school volleyball postseason recognition

Thursday prep basketball recaps and scores for January 22

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

---

Girls Basketball

Strong effort in the paint notches Oakwood victory

The Lady Comets hauled in 28 rebounds with frosh Ashtyn Dailey and senior Caydence Vermillion's pulling eight each. Vermillion and sophomore Lainee Smith led the team's scoring effort with ten points in their 31 minutes on the hardwood.

---

Hurie post double-double in win over Pontiac

Bloomington Central Catholic's Emme Hurie led the Saints to a 56-50 conference win over Pontiac with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor Cook finishd the Illini Prairie Conference matchup with 13 points and led the team with five steals. Maddi Welch chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds and snagged three steals to help BCC improve to 11-9 overall and 4-1 in conference play.

Next up, Central Catholic hosts Quincy Notre Dame (16-4) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

---

Roseman steps up for Eagles in victory over STM

Josie Roseman dropped 15 points in Rantoul's Thursday night home game against St. Thomas More. Erykah Baltimore finished with 11 points while six other players contributed for the cause. The Eagles improved to 12-12 after picking up their second conference victory and play again on Monday, hosting East Peoria.

---

Cyclones fall to Illineks

Cornerstone Christian's Annika Risinger scored 13 points in the Cyclone's 39-28 loss to Urbana University High School. Sophomore Trinity Kalmes chipped in eight points as the team slips to 1-10 on the season.

---

Bickers finishes big for Rockets in conference win

Unity improved to 3-2 in Illini Prairie Conference action on Thursday with a 50-48 win over Prairie Central. Grace Bickers, who was 7-for-8 from the free throw line, led all scorers with 19 points. Kendal Zerrusen and Claire Meharry finished with nine point each. The Rockets host Bloomington Central Catholic on Tuesday and travel to Monticello on Friday to close out the first month of the year on the hardwood.

---

SJO picks up win 14th win

St. Joseph-Ogden rode a 13-point halftime into victory lane, beating visiting Monticello 54-47. Katie Ericksen finished with 18 points to lead all scorers in the victory to maintain SJO's second place standing in the Illini Prairie Conference. Fellow senior Kayla Osterbur finished with 14 points and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. Hayden Dahl made three treys to round out the top three Spartan scorers with nine points.

Girls' Area Scoreboard

St. Joseph-Ogden 54, Monticello 47
Oakwood 38, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 30
Central Catholic 56, Pontiac 50
Rantoul 50, St. Thomas more 35
Urbana University 39, Cornerstone Christian 28
Tri-County 51, Heritage 32
Unity 50, Prairie Central 48
Mahomet-Seymour 47, Normal University 43

Boys Basketball

Hoopeston beats GR-F

Brayden Walder scored 19 in the Cornjerkers' 50-36 win over the Buffaloes on Thursday. Nick Cardenas delivered 11 points and seven rebounds, while senior Cole Miller finished with six points and seven rebounds. On tap next, Hoopeston faces Salt Fork at home on Saturday.

---

Boys' Area Scoreboard

Bismarck-Henning 54, Armstrong 46
Westville 81, Oakwood 46
Rantoul 58, Charleston
Hoopeston Area 50, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 36

---

More basketball stories

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

---

More basketball stories

Zerrusen's 22 points lead Unity past Rantoul

Down four after one quarter, Unity flipped the script behind Kendal Zerrusen's 22-point performance to defeat Rantoul 55-48 in conference play.

---

RANTOUL – In one of her best performances of the season, Kendal Zerrusen poured in 22 points to lead Unity past Rantoul 55-48 in Illini Prairie Conference action on January 22, giving the Rockets their second consecutive victory.

The junior sparked a second-quarter turnaround in the road game after Unity trailed 14-10 following the opening frame. Zerrusen erupted for 10 points in the period as the Rockets surged ahead 29-24 by halftime, and she continued her balanced attack with four points in each of the final two quarters.

Grace Bickers contributed 15 points and Claire Meharry added 11 for Unity (8-12), which had defeated St. Thomas More 67-44 four days earlier.

Rantoul (11-11) received 12 points apiece from Khloee McMorris and Laniece Johnson, who came off the bench to match her season high. Senior Josie Roseman chipped in 11 points for the Eagles.

Both teams head into February with postseason preparations in mind. Unity has three regular-season games remaining, while Rantoul will play four more contests—two home and two away—before the playoffs begin.

---

More Unity Athletics Articles

---

TAGS: Unity Rockets beat Rantoul Eagles basketball, Kendal Zerrusen 22 points Unity basketball, Illini Prairie Conference girls basketball scores, Unity girls basketball win streak

Illini Prairie Conference list all-conference players

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden senior dribbles the ball down the court in the Spartans' home game against Sullivan. Ericksen and two other SJO seniors, Kayla Osterbur and Addy Brooks, were named to the Illini Prairie all-conference basketball teams. See the complete list of this year's first-team through honorable mention below.

---

First-team all-conference

School Name Year

Central Catholic, Emme Hurie SR
IVC Anna Foster, JR
IVC Alayah Nelton, SO
Monticello Ali Weidner, JR
Pontiac Trinity Miller, SR
SJO Katie Ericksen, SR

Second Team All-Conference

Central Catholic Allison Emm, JR
IVC Kayt Miller, JR
Pontiac Grace Lanning, SR
Prairie Central Addi Donley, FR
Rantoul Josie Roseman, SR
SJO Kayla Osterbur, SR
Unity Grace Bickers, JR

Honorable Mention All-Conference

Central Catholic Taylor Cook, JR
Monticello Sarah Cresap, JR
PBL Hallee Johnson, JR
Pontiac Bailee Branscum, SO
Pontiac Morgan Dewald, SR
Pontiac Araceli Serna, SO
Prairie Central Jayla Hammond, JR
SJO Addie Brooks, SR
STM Leighton Clark, JR

Illini Prairie announces girls' all-conference basketball team

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

Second Team

Logan Shanks, Central Catholic, 12
Kayt Miller, IVC, 10
Tanner Graham, PBL, 12
Jayla Hammond, Prairie Central, 10
Addie Brooks, SJO, 11
Emily Decker, Unity, 12

Honorable Mention

Kate Stolfa, Central Catholic, 10
Meg Uhren, Central Catholic, 12
Sarah Cresap, Monticello, 10
Ali Weidner, Monticello, 10
Grace Lanning, Pontiac, 11
Araceli Serna, Pontiac, 9
Josie Roseman, Rantoul, 11
Sara Kearney, SJO, 12
Ashley Wells, STM, 12
Claire Meharry, Unity, 11

---

---

Prep Sports Notebook |Katie Ericksen leads St. Joseph-Ogden, Urbana falls at Rantoul

La’yonna Harper led the Tigers with 14 points against Rantoul last Thursday. SJO wins opener at home over ALAH by 30.

---

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

SJO's Katie Eriksen in last season's shootout game against Salt Fork. She scored 20 points against ALAH in the Spartans' first game of the 2025-26 season.

---

Girls Basketball

Erikcson drains 20 in season opener
Katie Ericksen led the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team to a 63-33 win over Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond with a career-best 20-point night. The senior drained six 3-pointers in the team’s first home game of the season. Timera Blackburn-Kelley also reached double figures with 14 points, and Hayden Dahl came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers and finish with nine last Thursday.

---

Rantoul 48 - Urbana 39
The Urbana girls basketball team fell to 0-2 after a road loss to Rantoul last Thursday. La’yonna Harper led the Tigers with 14 points, and Lizzy Lange finished with six. Kaya Hill went 4-for-6 from the free-throw line. The Eagles had two players in double figures, as Josie Roseman and Erykah Baltimore powered Rantoul’s offense with 13 points each in the nonconference game last Thursday.

---

More basketball stories

---

TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball 2025 season opener, Katie Ericksen career high points game, Urbana girls basketball Rantoul nonconference loss, Illinois high school basketball scores 2025