Cahokia Conference: Mississippi Division Preview
Last year Breese Central ran through the conference undefeated and took home the crown. Freeburg and Columbia both had good seasons with over 20 wins each. Wesclin won 11 games while Salem and Carlyle had tough seasons with 4 and…
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Continue ReadingLast year Breese Central ran through the conference undefeated and took home the crown. Freeburg and Columbia both had good seasons with over 20 wins each. Wesclin won 11 games while Salem and Carlyle had tough seasons with 4 and 6 wins respectively. While there are some very talented players that graduated, there is a ton of talent back. Here is a look at who we can expect to compete for All- Conference spots.
- Molly Diekemper is 6’0 2020 wing from Carlyle. Molly can score inside and out for the Indians. She will be forced to carry a large part of the load for a team that will likely struggle. She averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game last year and should see the points rise up near 20 per game.
- Mckenzie Hancock is a 5’10 2020 post from Wesclin. Mckenzie is the leading scorer returning for Wesclin at 9.3 per game. Despite being a bit undersized for a post she does an excellent job of finding her spots to score. Often times Mckenzie is able to get to the foul line where she can get some easy points on the board for her team.
- Aryn Henke is a 5’5 2020 guard from Columbia. Aryn is the lone player returning from the starting line up from last year for Coach Germain. She is a spark plug of a point guard that makes things go for the Lady Eagles. She is very fast and an excellent athlete. Aryn is at her best in the open floor where she does a great job of using her speed to get to the basket and finish.
- Ava Khoury is a 6’2 2021 post from Columbia. Ava did not get many varsity minutes as a sophomore due to the talented 2019 class. With the need to focus in a new direction this year, Ava should become a primary option in the post as the year progresses. She is very strong and does a good job of gaining position. Once she can get the defender buried deep in the paint she does a good job of finishing around the rim.
- Ellie Eichenlaub is 6’0 2020 post from Freeburg. Ellie is a long left hander that does a good job in the lane on both offense and defense. She uses her length to change shots in the lane and also to high point rebounds. She was just short of a double/double last year. Ellie has shown signs of being ready to take her game away from the basket and play more of a face up game. She will be counted on to help carry more of the load this year.
- Haley Kimes is a 5’5 2020 point guard from Freeburg. Haley is tough and quick as a point guard capable of stuffing the stat sheet. Last year she averaged 6.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4 assists. Haley handles the ball well and should provide some key senior leadership in the back court.
- Kylie Kisgen is a 2023 point guard from Freeburg. Kylie is the classic point guard with a good shooting stroke. Relentless on defense. She is a great leader for a freshman, pushes the ball very well in transition. She is off to a fast start this season and is showing off that shooting stroke.
Breese Central would have to be considered the favorite again to win the conference. They will once again be led by their three juniors: Chloe Book, Miah Weems and Cassidy Kretschmer. Chloe is a player that combines a good understanding of how to play the game with excellent athletic ability. Chloe is a plus defender that can shut anyone down on any given day. She understands the proper positioning and angles to keep an offensive player from any penetration. Chloe can score the ball too, especially when she can get some open floor to use her athletic ability. Miah is many things, but first and foremost she is a shooter. When she is left open Miah can knock it down and has the range to hit the 3-pointer consistently. Miah is leading returning scorer from last year. Cassidy is a strong post player that is completely comfortable to with the contact and toughness needed to play inside. She has a much improved outside shot and post moves coming into this year. Cassidy does a great job of running the floor to beat everyone down the floor and getting easy baskets in transition.
With Breese Central and Freeburg dropping down to 2A both schools come into this season not only looking for a conference title but also looking to make a run come tourney time. This conference has a large amount of talent for college scouts to look at. Those offers should start to come soon for our large list of capable players.