Two local girls basketball teams - Alton and Carrollton - play in the iHSA super-sectionals tonight - the state quarterfinals - with both sides looking to advance to the state finals this weekend in Bloomington-Normal.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The Redbirds, 32-2, will have a rematch against Aurora Waubonsie Valley in the Class 4A Elite Eight at Illinois Wesleyan University, while the Hawks, currently 28-7, meet Albion Edwards County in the Class 1A Okawville super-sectional, with both games tipping off tonight at 7 p.m.
Alton will face the Warriors, currently 31-1, in a rematch of last year's super-sectional game won by Waubonsie Valley 55-53, a game where the Redbirds lost star point guard Kiyoko Proctor to a serious knee injury early on, and fell just short in the end. Alton made it back to the super-sectional with a 63-36 win over Pekin in their own sectional final, while the Warriors took a 66-61 win over Lisle Benet Academy Catholic to win the Bolingbrook sectional.
Proctor has since returned to the lineup, and is averaging 14.5 points-per-game, and is the spark plug behind coach Deserea Howard's offense. The Redbirds will also count on big offensive production from forwards, Jarius Powers, averaging 13.7 points, and Talia Norman, who averages 16 points-per-game. Kaylea Lacey will also bring powerful scoring to the team, and Kyridas Orr provides a spark off the bench for the Redbirds, Justice Haynes is also an important part of the lineup for Alton.
Meanwhile, the Hawks went through to the super-sectional with a 57-39 win over arch-rival Hardin Calhoun to twin the Raymond Lincolnwood sectional, while Edwards County won the Campbell Hill Trico sectional over Marissa-Coulterville 40-37.
Carrollton's main weapon will be all-time scoring leader Lauren Flowers. The all-everything forward averages 24.3 points-per-game, and also has a solid supporting cast, led by Hayden Mcmurtree, who averages 7.6 points, Blake Driskill, who averages 6.9 points, and Harper Darr, who carries a 6.7 points-per-game average. The Hawks will be looking to go to state for the first time since 2014, where Carrollton lost in the championship game to Annawan.
The winners advance to the state semifinals Thursday and Friday at CEFCU Arena at Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal.
More like this:
