SCC Preview
The South Central Conference was home of some of the best 2A teams in Southern Illinois. Hillsboro won the conference and went to state. Greenville lost two games all year, both to Hillsboro. Carlinville, Staunton, Pana and Southwestern (Piasa) all…
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Continue ReadingThe South Central Conference was home of some of the best 2A teams in Southern Illinois. Hillsboro won the conference and went to state. Greenville lost two games all year, both to Hillsboro. Carlinville, Staunton, Pana and Southwestern (Piasa) all won at least 20 games. Graduation has hurt many teams, but there is plenty of talent returning.
Here are the top returners that will fight for All Conference spots and will try to lead their team to a conference championship.
Greenville returns two senior starters in Megan Hallemann and Rylee Pickett. Megan is a 6’4 post that excels on defense by blocking and contesting shots in the lane. She will score and rebound for the Lady Comets, but how much she increases her contribution may have a lot to say in how far they go. She is capable of some big games but must provide stability and consistency that came from the seniors last year. Rylee is a sharp shooting guard that made it all the way to the final four in the 3-point shooting contest last year. With the loss of the 2019 class, Rylee will absorb some responsibility as a the primary ball handler. Juggling that task with also needing to increase her scoring some will be a large role for her. Natalie Iberg is a 2021 wing that should be primed to have a breakout year. Natalie is a top level athlete that has worked hard to improve her shooting and ball handling. She is capable of taking some of the load off the two seniors and could be a big key to the success this year for Coach Dothager.
Southwestern ( Piasa) returns both of the top players from last year in juniors Rylee Smith and Korrie Hopkins. Rylee is the point guard and an excellent shooter. She is very steady with the ball and is lights out from 12-18 feet. She has the ability to create her own shot off the dribble where she can stop and pop with the best of them. Korrie has excellent footwork in the lane and uses that skill to get her shots off consistently no matter the size of her opponent. At 5’11 Korrie sometimes faces bigger girls but that will not slow her down. Korrie is very strong and has developed a very reliable mid range game too.
Carlinville also returns excellent talent from a 20 win team last year. They will be led by senior Corinne Stewart. She is a 5’8 left handed guard that was all conference last year. She is a very good shooter and a very crafty player that finds was to score at all 3 levels. Gracie Reels is a junior guard that excels on the defensive end. According to Coach DeNeve she might be the best defender he has coached in his career. She is athletic and runs the floor very well in their up tempo game. Sophomore Jill Stayton has the potential to make a big impact this year. She is an excellent shooter and came up big at times as a freshman. Jill is improving all the time and will be looked to for consistent scoring in her sophomore campaign.
Other top players that should be top contenders for all conference spots are:
- Jillian Hamilton is a 5’9 2022 forward from Pana. Jillian began to make her mark in the last half of the year during her freshman campaign. She averaged 7 points and 4 rebounds per game. Jillian worked her way into the starting lineup after Christmas. She has shown the ability to score inside and out. Jillian hit 46% of her shots last year so she is very efficient. She will need to be a consistent scoring option this year.
- Madyson Hill is a 5’11 2021 guard from Vandalia. Madyson saw time off the bench last year and did a good job. This year she will step into a much more significant role. Madyson will be the primary ball handler and will look to take advantage of some mismatches on offense. She is capable of posting up the smaller guards and beating the bigger players off the dribble. Coach McNary will be looking for Madyson to play a big role in turning the program around from a tough season.
- Emily Reynolds is a 5’8 2020 wing from Hillsboro. Emily had an excellent summer for the Predators AAU team. She has proven to be an excellent defender, excellent shooter and a great leader. While this article usually highlights younger players Hillsboro loses all of their top players. Emily will need to step up and play a major part in the transition of the program.
- Sway Denton is a 5’8 2020 guard from Pana. Sway is an excellent scorer. She can hit shots from all over the floor. Sway will be counted on to step up this year. She will take over the scoring role for Coach Storm and be the go to option. Sway drives to the basket very well. This opens up the outside shot for her. Sway will score at all 3 levels. She shoots at a high percentage from all 3 levels.
- Shelby Taylor is a 5’5 2021 guard from Gillespie. Shelby has shown excellent speed with the basketball. She has the ability to get into the lane. Shelby is a left hander that finishes well in the lane and dishes well when the defense collapses. Coach Gray has used a deep bench which has limited Shelby’s minutes. Shelby shows signs of being a very good point guard if she keeps working.
- Keaton Link is a 5’10 2021 forward from Gillespie. Keaton is an excellent shooter that can score consistently in the mid range. She does a good job of posting up smaller players and pulling the bigger players away from the basket. Keaton has long arms that she uses very well to be a good defender.
With Hillsboro making a state tourney run last year the conference is certainly one that will garner attention this year. There are multiple 2020 players getting attention from small college coaches and the 2021 class will be loaded too.