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.

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.

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

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

Area high school basketball scores for Thursday, January 15

Here is a quick roundup of basketball scores and performances for area teams on Thursday, January 15.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Timera Blackburn-Kelley looks for an open teammate in the Spartans' home game against LeRoy in December. The senior led all scorers with ten points in SJO's 38-20 road win over Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Thursday.

Girls Basketball

Scoring struggle sinks Tigers

Lai'yonna Harper led the Tigers with nine points and seven rebounds in the team's conference game at home against Bloomington. Kaya Hill finished with five points and eight boards in the 54-25 loss.

The Raiders had four players finish with double figures. Maddie Embry led all scorers with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Senior Bianca Ellis added 13 points, Tina Lenard chipped in 11, and junior Josie Skeate finished with 10 after her 22 minutes.

Urbana (1-11) travels to Decatur to take on the Panthers on Tuesday while Bloomington (6-13) hosts East Peoria at 9 a.m. for an early MLK day contest.

Spartans prevails in low scoring affair

St. Joseph-Ogden held Paxton-Buckley-Loda to an average of just five points a quarter in their conference win on Thursday. Timera Blackburn-Kelley finished the road game with a game-high ten points. Fellow seniors Katie Ericksen added eight and Kayla Osterbur chipped in six more. The Spartans (11-6) travel to Williamsville on Monday for a non-conference matchup against the Bullets.

On the other side of the court, Emmy Bagwell scored a quarter of the Panthers (4-13) scoring effort with a field goal and three free throws for five points. PBL faces Bloomington Central Catholic at home on Tuesday.

Strong rebounding effort helps Heritage roll Blue Ridge

Hawks' Addison Harper made 50% of her shot from beyond the arc to finish with 16 points in Heritage's 55-8 home win. Freshman Ryann McComas was fierce in the paint, grabbing 13 rebounds while adding four points in her 27 minute varsity appearance. Sophomore's Kalyn Miller and Violet Chesnut got in on the rebounding fun with seven and five, respectively against the Knights (2-3).

Girls' Area Scoreboard

St. Joseph-Ogden 38, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 20
Georgetown-Ridge Farm 46, Oakwood 22
Bloomington 54, Urbana 25
Calvary Christian 36, Urbana University 26
Heritage 55, Blue Ridge 8
Mahomet-Seymour 74, Sacred Heart-Griffin 46

Boys Basketball

Urbana holds first-half lead to squeak past Bloomington

Nursing a three-point advantage at the half, the Tigers (6-8) engineered an explosive 30-point third quarter outburst to an eight-point win over the visiting Purple Raiders (8-8). The Urbana seniors stood tall, leading the way to extend the team's win streak to two games. Jessie MfWamba posted a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Landyn Hannah delivered 18 points and Kyree Hillsman contributed 13.

Boys' Area Scoreboard

Unity 67, St. Thomas More 53
Urbana 79, Bloomington 71
Monticello 48, Rantoul 38

TAGS: Jessie MfWamba scores 26 points, Ryann McCommas grabs 13 rebounds, SJO boys basketball team beats PBL on the road, Urbana girls basketball loses to Bloomington, Mahomet beats Sacred Heart-Griffin

Prep Sports Notebook | Area basketball scores & leaders

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.

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.

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.

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.

SJO's Katie Ericksen in the Spartans' home game against Salt Fork

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Urbana falls to Normal U-High in season opener despite Harper’s 16 points

Area prep basketball scores for Tuesday

Boys Basketball