Central Illinois players recap historic girls hoops year
By Ryne Turke
With a second place finish at the IHSA 1A State Finals recently, the Carrollton Hawks Girls Basketball team and the rest of the Western Illinois Valley Conference are paving the wave for a future generation of Central Illinois hoopers.
It was a special weekend of basketball at CEFCU Arena, as a sea of green filled the stands during the Hawks’ state tournament run. Of the 16 teams competing over the final three days of the season, no team had the spirit and passion that was behind Carrollton.
After securing a 55-39 win over Cissna Park in the semifinals, Carrollton fell in the championship to Pecatonica, 63-45.
This marked the Hawks’ fourth trip to the state tournament since 2000. During their memorable run, the Hawks racked up 30 wins and senior Lauren Flowers broke the school scoring record.
“Breaking my mom’s record was so special, because it’s something I talked about wanting to do since junior high,” says Flowers.
Flowers says Carrollton’s state runner-up season gave her teammates a taste of postseason success.
“A lot of little girls want to experience that. Coach Madson has brought positivity and vision, allowing each player the freedom to be ourselves and play for the same goal. We have a great group of eighth graders that were at all of our games. It feels like we’re moving in the right direction.”
Around the Central Illinois scene, a number of other teams are ready to make the jump from contenders to champions.
West Central guard Ali Little, averaging 19 points and seven rebounds a game, is ready to show what the Cougars can do next year.
“My teammates have had a big impact on each other. We’ve always played as a team, but when we found out that Braylee Littig had cancer, we became a family. She taught us we can do anything we put our minds to. We pray she’ll be back on the court with us soon, because next season, we’ll have experienced players and the incoming freshman have a lot to offer us.”
Triopia forward Gabby Myers says the Trojans can improve on their 15 win season, thanks to a talented core returning to the hardcourt.
“Lucie Dion and Mylee Tracy are special players. The three of us have been playing on the same teams since junior high. It’s helped us build chemistry and hopefully we can do something special in our senior seasons.”
All State selection Kenzie Kassing, who broke 1,000 career points and holds the school single season scoring record, will be one of the top players in the state to watch heading into next year.
Kassing says she’s proud of what her Brown County Hornets accomplished this year, going 24-8.
“We’ve got a lot of talent coming back, like Maggie Henry and Hope Ingram, plus tons of competition in our community. The sky’s the limit for this team. We’ve got a bright future ahead of us.”
Fresh off a 1A volleyball state title, Calhoun made a run to the Sweet 16. Led by second team all-stater Kate Zipprich and honorable mention selection Audrey Gilman, a new crop of superstars will look to emerge for the Warriors.
Pleasant Hill senior Ava Womlbes, the Wolves’ leading scorer, says Central Illinois has some of the best talent in the state.
Almost every team is competitive and it makes conference battles a challenge. Our seniors were leaders, but our two freshmen were put in big spots and stepped up when we needed them. I hope more girls in our community will want to go out for basketball, because Coach Shireman is one of the best to play for.”
South County sophomore Callie Wagner, who averaged a team best 10 points a night, says the advances in technology are allowing more people to watch games.
“We’re getting tons of exposure from NFHS Network, HUDL, YouTube and so much more. People want to see our conference rivalries because there’s so much competition and emotion. Jace Alexander, selected to the Senior All Star Game, was a huge contributor for our team, along with the spark of our team, Savana Howell.”
Illinois College senior center Ashlyn Wightman, who owns the Lady Blues single season block record, says the college game has exploded in talent since she arrived in Jacksonville.
“The rise of Caitlyn Clark has brought the best athletes in the word to our game. This season, the MWC was unlike any other, as we saw so much incredible competition. I’m excited to watch our experienced group compete next season and believe they have the tool to take home a conference championship.”
A new season of girls high school basketball tips off in November, but the road to building a championship team starts now.
