PIASA – There's no doubt about it; Maddy Greeling has made a huge mark on Piasa Southwestern's athletic history, a mark that will still be felt many years from now when the discussion comes up of some of the great girls basketball players in Metro East basketball history.
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Since Greeling first donned the Kelly green and gold of the Piasa Birds her freshman year, her accomplishments will live on well after her graduation later this year from Southwestern; Greeling has scored more than 2,000 points for her career, a mark that ranks among the best high school girls players who have taken to the court over the nearly 40 years since the first IHSA girls basketball tournament in 1977 and dating back to the first modern-day girls basketball games in Illinois in 1973.
“There's not many kids like Maddy that I've had the opportunity to work with,” said Southwestern coach Steve Woolsey. “I started working with her in seventh grade and you don't get the opportunity to work with someone like Maddy; she's a great kid. Not only does is she a great player, she makes everyone else around her a better player.
“Not only is she going to be missed, we're really going to miss all the seniors we have this year. They've had a lot of success not only on the court, but in the classroom as well. They've not only learned a lot from me, I've learned as much from them as they've learned from me. They're all a strong group and it's been a pleasure to work with them for as long as they've been here.”
When Greeling first took to the court so many years ago, no one could have forseen just what she's meant to Southwestern's program and the role she's played in the program's success. “When I started to play basketball, I had no idea the game would be so good to me,” Greeling said. “Coming in as a freshman, I knew I had to step it up to try be on the same level as the older girls. From there, working hard every day in practice and putting extra time in started to pay off for me and I'm extremely thankful to have my career turn out as it did.
“I never thought I would score 2,000 points in my career; it's a memorable accomplishment and I'm glad I got to experience it.”
Any high school student nearing the end of a four-year cycle of high school accumulates and look back on many memorable moments that helped make the high school experience what it is. Needless to say, Greeling and her accomplishments and the teammates she's played with have created a good number of memories that will last her the rest of her life, no matter what she goes on to do.
“What I will remember most about playing at Southwestern is the teammates I got to play with in my career,” Greeling said. “When things go wrong, your teammates are always there for you, and even better, they're there when things go right and you can celebrate it with them.
“We've all put in a lot of time for the sport and they help make the game fun for me.”
Like any high school, especially the smaller high schools, fan and student support form the school and community are always a big thing, and Greeling has been grateful for the support for her and the program from her fellow students and from the Piasa community. “The support from everybody has meant so much,” Greeling said. “Girls basketball hasn't really been known to have huge student sections, but for my career, Southwestern has done such a great job in having a pep club and traveling with us to games.
“The support that means the most, though, is from my family. I can't thank them enough for going to every game and supporting me. My family are the people who have to deal with me after a bad game (which isn't probably pleasant); they have to see me at my worst and still put up with me. I can't thank them enough for everything they have done with me.”
Greeling's Piasa Birds are two games away from a possible berth in the IHSA Class 2A Jacksonville Supersectional, set for Feb. 22 at Illinois College; the Piasa Birds meet Havana's Ducks at 6 p.m. Monday and take on the Camp Point Central-Hillsboro winner (should they advance) in the sectional final Thursday in Beardstown.
The Class 2A state semifinals and finals are set for Feb. 26-27 at Illinois State's Redbird Arena in Normal.
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