SJO girls fall in opener at State Farm Holiday Classic, Erickson leads scoring effort

NORMAL - Two minutes and 41 seconds into the first quarter of the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' first game at the State Farm Holiday Classic, the Spartans took a one-point lead over Bishop-McNamara (9-4). For the next 46 seconds, the Spartans enjoyed their only advantage in the 41-29 loss to the Lady Irish in their tournament opener at Normal Community High School.

Katie Erickson looks for an open teammate during SJO's Country Financial Shootout game. The senior led the Spartan scoring effort in their first game at the State Farm basketball tournament.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Katie Erickson led the hardwood effort with three treys for nine points. Kayla Osterbur finished with seven points, Timera Blackburn-Kelley contributed four points, and Addison Brooks was held to just three points for SJO.

Down 24-12 at the half, the Spartans pulled it together, matching McNamara point for point with 17 second-half points. Despite a much improved defensive effort, the first-half drought proved too much.

Moving to the consolation bracket, Erickson & Company have a day to regroup. The Spartans return to tournament action tomorrow at Bloomington High School to face the loser between Eureka and Normal U-High at 2 PM. The Lady Irish advance to face the winner from that game at 9 PM at BHS.

Bishop McNamara duo Jaide Burse and Trinity Davis combined for 16 points, scoring eight each. Leigha Brown rounded out the top three contributors with six points to advance to the quarterfinals.

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Erickson and Brooks duo lead SJO in loss at home to GCMS

ST. JOSEPH - Looking for the program's first victory of the new year, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team will have to wait a few days after their 58-33 loss to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley at home on Saturday.

Drilling three treys each, Katie Erickson and Addison Brooks led the Spartan effort with nine points. The duo were responsible for all of SJO's six first quarter points. Kaitlyn Beyers came off the bench in the second half to chip in six points, both made outside the arc.

GCMS (13-2) took control early in the contest, going up 35-14 at the break behind a 15-point first-half rampage from the Falcon's Lilyan Sizemore. The sophomore shooting star finished with 32 points. Teammates Lizzie Giroux and Sophia Ray also reached double figures with 12 points.

Hopefully the rough, 6-9 start behind them, the Spartan ladies open their Illini Prairie Conference season this Thursday at home against Pontiac (7-9). Four days later, SJO heads to Prairie Central to take on the Hawks, who have won just four out of the 15 games they played so far.

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Prep Sport Notebook | Catching up on area scores and performances

Undefeated St. Joseph-0gden basketball top seed at State Farm tournament

BLOOMINGTON - The SJO boys basketball team is seeded #3 in this year's edition of the State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament. Last year's small school champs was one of six schools that received #1 seed votes. The Spartans (5-0) open tournament play on December 27 against East Dubuque at Normal West.

The top seed went to Aurora Christian with four first-place votes. Normal University High secured one vote and is the #2 seed. El Paso-Gridley, the #4 seed, received one vote. St. Joseph-Ogden received three first-place votes from a poll of head coaches, the media, and committee members.

Spartan girls draw tough first round seed

BLOOMINGTON - The St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team is back in the field of competition at the State Farm Holiday Classic. Senior Addison Frick and the Spartans (2-3) play their first game 20 days from today against #4 seed Bishop McNamara (7-1) at Normal Community.

This year's top small-school girls seeds are Camp Point Central/Augusta Southeastern in the #1 position and Paris at #2. The Panthers beat the Tigers in last year's championship game, 36-32. Galena earned the #3 spot, and Bishop McNamara was voted #4 in the poll given to coaches, media around the state, and committee members.

SJO is scheduled to play at 10:30 am on the Wednesday after Christmas.

Cornjerkers post second win of the season

Hoopeston Area 52 - Armstrong Potomac 45
GIBSON CITY - Owen Root scored 14 points in Bismarck-Henning's win over Armstrong-Potomac. Mason Rush and Kendrick Sigerill scored 11 points each. Root and Sigerill led the team on the boards with six rebounds apiece. Wyatt Eisenman chipped in eight points and tallied three of the team seven steals at the GCMS Thanksgiving Tournament.

Spartan girls suffer home loss

Paris 44 - St. Joseph-Ogden 38
ST. JOSEPH - Three SJO players tallied double figures in the scorebook, but it was enough to surpass their extended meeting with the visiting Tigers on November 11.

Junior Katie Erickson led the Spartan effort with 12 points in the overtime effort. Addison Frick connected drained three treys and a jumper for ll points and Addisyn Martinie contributed ten points in the loss.

Tigers' season starts with road loss

OLYMPIA FIELDS - The Urbana boys' varsity basketball team lost their road opener to Manley at Rich Central, 76-72.

Seggebruch leads Spartans in first win of the season

St. Joseph-Ogden 61 - Tuscola 47
ST. JOSEPH - SJO's A-Team came together rolling over the visiting Warriors for their first win of the season. Addison Seggebruch scored a team-high 14 points on her home court on November 11. Addisyn Martinie finished with 12 points, and Addison Frick rounded out the top three scorers with 10 points. The Spartans made nearly half their total points from outside the arc, hitting nine three-pointers in the non-conference game.

Sicily Moss led Tuscola's effort with 16 points across all four frames. The loss broke a four-game win streak for the Warriors and remains their only loss as of today.

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Prep Hoops |
Thursday Basketball Scores

Girls' Basketball

Attica 39
Oakwood 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 Erickson scored three treys to lead SJO's scoring effort with nine points.

Boys' Basketball

Oakwood 37
Tuscola 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.


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St. Joseph-Ogden outlast Unity in three-set battle to secure regional title berth

Emma McKinney (left) and Reese Wheatley celebrate a point for the St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team in their home match against Maroa-Forsyth. McKinney was credit with 23 assists and led the team in digs in SJO's regional semifinal against Unity on Tuesday.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
OAKWOOD - In a high-stakes, do or stay home, semifinal showdown, St. Joseph-Ogden eked out a three-set win over Unity on Tuesday at the Oakwood Regional, outscoring the Rockets 25-17, 19-25, 25-16 to secure their spot in Thursday’s regional title game against St. Thomas More. Despite Unity's strong season-ending push, the Spartans’ balanced attack and relentless defense proved decisive.

St. Joseph-Ogden (18-18), who came into the match with momentum from a two-game win streak, saw strong play from outside hitter Tinley Ideus leading the offense, forcing Unity’s defense to work overtime. Ideus, a standout for SJO, amassed 10 kills and added 10 digs, demonstrating her versatility and impact on both sides of the ball. Senior Ava Seggebruch complemented Ideus with seven kills and 10 digs.

Unity, however, did not go down easily. After falling in the first set, the Rockets adjusted their defensive strategy. Their efforts paid off in the second set, where they clawed back, winning, 25-19. Capitalizing on their defensive stands and taking advantage of Spartan errors, Unity found its footing to force a third set.

But the Spartans regrouped for the final frame, tightening up defensively and refocusing on their attack. Junior Emma McKinney played a critical role as a setter, tallying 23 assists for the evening and orchestrated an offense that saw contributions from multiple hitters. Ally Schmitz added four kills and nine digs, while Addi Childers and Reese Wheatley, who led in team blocks with two, each chipped in two kills, ensuring that SJO’s attack remained dynamic and unpredictable.

Ava Seggebruch
Ava Seggebruch pass the ball during SJO's home match against Maroa-Forsyth. The Spartans face a formidable St. Thomas More squad in their regional title match.
Defensively, Katie Erickson anchored the back row for the Spartans, tallying nine digs and serving two aces to keep the Rockets off balance. Ultimately SJO sealed their advance, winning the set with a 25-16 win.

Tuesday’s victory was particularly sweet for St. Joseph-Ogden, as Unity had previously bested them in straight sets, 25-23, 25-18, on September 24. This time, with a title game on the line, the Spartans showed marked improvement in their attack and defensive consistency, areas that had hampered them in the previous encounter. The win sends St. Joseph-Ogden to Thursday's regional final against a formidable opponent in St. Thomas More, who triumphed over Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin in their own semifinal matchup.

The Sabers will present a stiff challenge for SJO, having defeated the Spartans convincingly, 25-10, 25-12, earlier in the season. However, with renewed confidence and a balanced lineup, the Spartans look ready to give St. Thomas More a tougher contest this time around. Thursday’s title game, set for 6 p.m., will likely be an intense matchup as the Spartans seek their first regional title since their 2022 three-set win over BHRA.

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Editor's correction: In our original story, we wrote that SJO had not won a regional title since "their 2019 trip to the Class 2A Final Four". That was incorrect. The article has been updated to reflect the Spartans won their most recent title in 2022 at the Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin regional.
Keywords: St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball, Unity Rockets, Oakwood Regional volleyball, Tinley Ideus, Ava Seggebruch, St. Thomas More volleyball, Illinois high school volleyball playoffs
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Area prep sports live streams today

St. Joseph-Ogden's Katie Erickson looks for an open teammate to pass the ball during last season's home game against Pleasant Plains. The Spartans dropped the home opener to the Cardinals, 48-41. Tonight, the SJO freshman team host ALAH at 6 PM in the Main Gym. Here's a list of Sentinel area schools whose games are available for view tonight on the NFHS Network.


Schedule for November 21, 2024 .::.
 
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Kearney leads Spartans in conference loss at Monticello

MONTICELLO - Coming off an 18-point decision over St. Thomas More earlier in the week, the St. Joseph-Ogden girls' basketball team lost 34-24 on the road at Monticello on Thursday.

Going 3-for-4 from the free-throw line, Sara Kearney led St. Joseph-Ogden with 10 points. Katie Ericksen finished with eight points. Kayla Osterbur collected four points in the second quarter, and Timera Blackburn-Kelley was held to just a third-quarter field goal.

The Spartans held a one-point lead after the first quarter, but the Sages found their stride in the second quarter, outscoring their visitors 21-13 over the next two frames. Each team made just one field goal in the fourth quarter, with the remainder of the scoring coming from free-throw conversions.

Monticello enjoyed scoring from seven players. Megan Allen led all scorers with 13 points. Sophomore Sara Cresap finished with 10 points, contributing in all four quarters for the Sages. Ali Weidmer, another sophomore, contributed five points, and Annie Robinson, who scored the only bucket in the final quarter, drained a trey to round out Monticello's top scorers.

St. Joseph-Ogden drops to 2-3 in the Illini Prairie Conference and 8-12 overall.

Monticello improves to 2-2 in the conference and 12-8 overall. The conference is currently led by Bloomington Central Catholic at 4-0, followed by Illinois Valley Central. The Unity Rockets round out the top three spots in the IPC.

Next week, St. Joseph-Ogden hosts St. Teresa on Monday at the high school. On Thursday, the Spartans travel to Bloomington to take on the undefeated Saints.

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65 players earn 2A IBCA All-State recognition

Unity senior Raegen Stringer dribbles the ball around a Clinton player during their non-conference game in December. Stringer, earned all-state recognition along with 64 other players from the IBCA on Friday.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

BEDFORD PARK - The Illlinois Basketball Coaches Association released this year's Class 2A all-state team selections today. Only one local player, Unity standoutRaegen Stringer, received a nod from the prep coaches' association.

Stringer, who will continue her basketball career at Illinois College, averaged 15.5 points, four steals, and four assists per game. The Rocket was named to the third team.

See the complete list of honorees from around the state below.


FIRST TEAM
(FIRST NAME LAST NAME, SCHOOL, YEAR)

Madison Schroeder, Peotone, 12;
Taylor Davidson, Stillman Valley, 11;
Clair Hulke, (Rock Island) Alleman, 12;
Camryn Veltrop, Morrison, 11;
Mya Wardle, (Peoria) Notre Dame, 12;
Lexi Baer, (Peoria) Notre Dame, 10;
Marissa Zane, Robinson, 12;
Lauren Miller, Camp Point Central/Southeastern, 11;
Emma Behrmann, Nashville, 10;
Amayah Doyle, Carterville, 12


SECOND TEAM
(FIRST NAME LAST NAME, SCHOOL, YEAR)

Alyssa Koerkenmeier, Breese Mater Dei, 11;
Kaydence Schroeder, Breese Central, 12;
Sophia Hoffman, Carlyle, 11;
Audrey Erickson, (Rock Island) Alleman, 12;
Dalia Dejesus, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, 10;
Anna Weber, Pleasant Plains, 10;
Allie Geiger, (Elmhurst) IC Catholic Prep, 12;
Madison Kenyon, (Woodstock) Marian Central Catholic, 12;
Trinity Davis, (Kankakee) Bishop McNamara, 11;
Liz Shea, Robinson, 12


THIRD TEAM
(FIRST NAME LAST NAME, SCHOOL, YEAR)

Taylor Trame, Breese Central, 10;
Maris Zurliene, Breese Mater Dei, 11;
Macy Groharing, Byron, 10;
Emma Meyer, Carlyle, 12;
Riley Edwards, Fairfield, 12;
Kaitlyn White, (Minonk) Fieldcrest, 12;
Reagan Reed, (Carthage) Illini West, 11;
Brooklyn Burnett, (Metropolis) Massac County, 12;
Samantha Brinkmann, Nashville, 9;
Summer Brinkmann, Nashville, 9;
Julia Mingus, (Peoria) Notre Dame, 11;
Jayce Privia, PORTA A/C, 12;
Jillian DeFranza, (Wilmette)Regina Dominican, 10;
Mya Janssen, Stillman Valley, 12;
Raegen Stringer, Tolono Unity, 12


HONORABLE MENTION
(FIRST NAME LAST NAME, SCHOOL, YEAR)

Adalyn Voss, (Rock Island) Alleman, 10; Riley Ciwinski, (Aurora) Central Catholic, 11; Sofia Corral, (Aurora) Central Catholic, 11; Emilee Travnicek, (Belleville) Althoff Catholic, 12; Cate Uhren, (Bloomington) Central Catholic, 12; CeCe Toennies, Breese Central, 11; Karly Peters, Camp Point Central/Southeastern, 11; Brilyn Lantz, Camp Point Central/Southeastern, 12; Allison Wheeler, Canton, 11; Mara Serafini, Carmi-White Co, 12; Sam Schmuke, Columbia, 11; Kallie Oestreicher, DuQuoin, 12; Katie Campbell, Greenville, 12; Lillie Woodworth, Hamilton, 12; Mary Kate Hilgart, (Elmhurst) IC Catholic Prep, 10; Reese Benford, (Chicago) Latin School, 12; Crystal McHugh, Lisle, 12; Maddie Gesky, Manteno, 9; Avery Braden, Maroa-Forsyth, 10; Adalyn Gower, (Metropolis) Massac County, 12; Maycee Randall, Mt. Carmel (IL), 10; Camryn Martin, Newton, 11; Karlie Hoke, PORTA A/C, 12; Carson Arthalony, PORTA A/C, 11; Olivia Fraterrigo, (Wilmette) Regina Dominican, 10; Maggie Fleischli, (Springfield) Sacred Heart-Griffin, 12; Chloe Probst, Teutopolis, 12; Addy Freihaut, (Downs) Tri-Valley, 10; Ayva Rush, Vienna, 11; and LaKeeyah Barnes, (Chicago) Wendell Phillips, 12.


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