ALTON - Kiyoko Proctor, a junior point guard and a key player for the girls basketball team at Alton High, had a big game on Dec. 7, 2023, scoring 19 points and hitting a pair of clutch threes in the final quarter to help the Redbirds take a 55-50 win over O'Fallon at the OTHS Panther Dome.
Her performance helped Alton stay undefeated on the season, with the Redbirds now 8-0. More importantly, it's a win in the very tough Southwestern Conference in a key early-season matchup against the defending IHSA Class 4A state champions.
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Kiyoko is an Auto Butler Female Athlete of the Month for the Redbirds.
For the season so far, Proctor is averaging 14.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, along with having 14 assists and 12 steals. She had enjoyed success since seventh grade, playing on back-to-back Alton Middle School teams that won the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 4A championship. She's been a main catalyst for the Redbirds since her freshman year and is also a very hard worker who's always willing to do what it takes to win.
In her postgame interview after the win over the Panthers, Proctor was happy to get the win but also knows there's plenty of room for improvement as well.
"I feel great," Proctor said, "but I still feel like we could work on some more stuff and play better defense. We did a couple of things good on offense, a couple of good things on defense, but we can do better and come back stronger the next time we play them."
The Redbirds started by hitting three threes, including one by Proctor, in the game-opening 90 seconds, pitting Alton to a big early lead, and the defense did a great job in holding the Panthers' top player, D'Myjah Bolds, in check for the first half. Bolds and the Panthers came back to within one on a 15-0 run late in the third quarter and very early in the fourth, but the Redbirds made the plays they needed to come away with the win.
Proctor feels she's been playing well so far this year, and again, also knows there's room for improvement.
"I think I've been playing well," Proctor said, "I think I've been playing aggressive and hard. Hustling and not trying to slap all the time."
The Redbirds are now 8-0, and Proctor knows there's much more ahead for herself and her teammates.
"It feels great," Proctor said, "but like I said, we still need to work on a couple of things. We're better than we were last year, so we've got to keep that in mind."
Of course, Proctor has some goals and aspirations for herself and the Redbirds the rest of the way.
"I think we can just still play as a team," Proctor said, "and hold each other accountable. The captains can still be leaders and keep our team held high."
Proctor is indeed quite confident about how things have gone along for the Redbirds and thinks there are still some big things ahead for the team.
"Yeah, it feels great," Proctor said with a smile. "Just keep going and keep getting better."
Again, congrats to Proctor on her selection as an Auto Butler Female Athlete Of The Month.
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