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

Prep Sports Notebook | Area basketball scores & leaders

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After impressive first half Tigers fall to Trojans

Urbana - Kaya Hill turned a season-best performance on Thursday in Urbana's home basketball game against Charleston. The sophomore opened the non-conference contest with a pair of treys and shot 50% from the free throw line in the Tigers' 57-38 loss. Freshmen Lai'yonna Harper and Zion Reid added seven points each in the loss.

The Lady Trojans were led by Ally Langston's game-high 24 points. After scoring just one field goal in the first half, Langston exploded in the third quarter with 16 of Charleston's 24 points in the frame.

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Addy-ing it up

DANVILLE - St. Joseph-Ogden forward Addisyn Martinie scored ten points in the first quarter on her way to a game-high 18 points on Thursday in the Spartans' road game in Danville. Addison Frick nearly matched her performance with 17 points in SJO's 57-32 victory over the Vikings. Sophomore Addison Brooks, who drained three treys, rounded out the top scores for the team with nine points.

The Spartans improve to 2-2 on the season, enjoying a two-game win streak. St. Joseph-Ogden are back in action on the road Monday evening against Maroa-Forsyth.

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Unity knocks off ALAH by 14

ARTHUR - After a quiet first quarter, senior Raegen Stringer lit up the scoreboard with 24 points in Unity's 49-35 road win against Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond. In addition to leading all scorers, Stringer grabbed five steals for the 5-3 Rockets.

Addison Ray and Claire Meharry collected four rebounds apiece, and Reagen Little, who finished eight points, snatched three. Ray connected three times from beyond the arc to finish the night with 11 points, and Meharry chipped in a field goal.

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SJO basketball team improves 2-0

ST. JOSEPH - Tanner Jacob paced St. Joseph-Ogden (2-0) with a dazzling 20-point display on his home court against Watseka at the Toyota of Danville Classic. He was one of three that help put away the Warriors early on Thursday night in SJO's 74-38 win.

Tanner Siems notched his first double-double of the season with 13 points and ten rebounds. Sporting a new aerodynamic haircut, Coy Taylor finished the game with ten points to round out the top three scorers. Luke Landrus was credit eight boards. Meanwhile, senior Logan Smith collected 1/3 of the team's 15 steals.

Tonight, the Spartans face Charleston in the final pool play game of the tournament. Tipoff this evening is scheduled for 8pm.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Prep Sports Notebook |Spartans girls win again, Heritage beats U-High

Our roundup of area basketball scores from Monday.

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Girls Basketball

Spartans still undefeated after homestand against Warriors

ST. JOSEPH - The St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team kept its unbeaten start intact Monday night, turning a tight halftime margin into a commanding 65-42 home win over Tuscola.

Holding a five-point lead at the break, the Spartans found another gear as the game wore on. Their surge peaked in the fourth quarter, where they outscored the Warriors 23-9 and closed the night with four players in double figures.

Senior guard Kayla Osterbur set the tone with a career-best 18 points, all coming in the final three quarters as SJO steadily pushed the lead out of reach. Fellow senior Timera Blackburn-Kelley delivered a strong two-way effort with 17 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, marking her first double-double of the season. Katie Ericksen and Dahl each added 11 points to round out a balanced scoring effort.

The win moves SJO to 4-0, marking one of the program’s best starts since the 2020-21 season. The schedule stiffens as the Spartans head out for back-to-back road games, beginning with a trip to Danville on Thursday before a matchup at Maroa-Forsyth next Monday.

Tuscola stayed within striking distance early behind the efforts of junior Sicily Moss and senior Reese Davis, who scored 18 and 17 points. Moss went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, while Davis knocked down six of her 10 attempts. Their production kept the Warriors close through three quarters before SJO’s decisive late run sealed the outcome.

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Harper leads Urbana in loss to Sages

URBANA - Lai’yonna Harper led the way for Urbana with 12 of her team’s 17 points in a 62-17 home loss to Monticello on Tuesday night. Despite her efforts, the Tigers struggled to generate offense, scoring just five points in the first half before making small adjustments to put up 12 in the second.

Kaya Hill and Zaniyah Ward each grabbed five rebounds, providing some support on the boards in the non-conference matchup. Harper and the Tigers now sit at 0-3 on the season and will look to bounce back Thursday at Urbana University.

Monticello improved to 3-2 behind balanced scoring, with three players in double figures. Sarah Cresap led the Sages with 12 points, while Mandy Melton and Ali Weidner added 10 each. Melton and Lexi Leatherwood dominated the glass with seven rebounds apiece in the road win.

Area Scoreboard

Heritage 34, Urbana University 23

Centennial vs Watseka - CANCELED

Unity vs Clinton - POSTPONED

Oakwood vs ALAH - NO SCORE REPORTED

Salt Fork 53, Rantoul 25

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TAGS: SJO girls basketball fourth quarter surge recap, St. Joseph-Ogden vs Tuscola game analysis, Illini Prairie Conference girls basketball results, Kayla Osterbur career-high scoring game, Spartans 4-0 season start highlights