Aaron Stout is a new scout for Prep Girls Hoops Illinois, and is trying to bring more coverage to central and southern Illinois. He and the rest PGH Illinois staff seek to cover the entire state by keeping subscribers up to date with player evaluations, recruiting info, and statewide news. Our audience often supplies with some of our best information. If you have any information on players, teams, or statewide news in Illinois, please email Aaron Stout at prephoopsaaron@gmail.com or DM him through Twitter @Astoutprephoops.
Downstate Postseason Preview (3A)
The Illinois state tournament series is less than a week away. Let’s take a look at the top teams and players in downstate Illinois (any school south of I-80) as they prep to make a run to Redbird Arena on…
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Continue ReadingThe Illinois state tournament series is less than a week away. Let’s take a look at the top teams and players in downstate Illinois (any school south of I-80) as they prep to make a run to Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University to compete for the state’s biggest trophy.
The following rankings will be according to the Associated Press. The Associated Press updates the rankings each Wednesday.
Peoria Notre Dame (#2) 23-3
Quality Wins: Metamora (#9 3A), Normal Community (Honorable Mention 4A), Peoria (#3 3A), Winnebago (#2 2A), Brimfield (#2 1A)
Players to Watch:
Delaney Cook Delaney Cook 5'9" | SG Peoria Notre Dame | 2022 State IL – 2022
The talented guard gets in done on both ends of the court. She thrives off playing pressure defense and turning turnovers into points. Delaney is a strong finisher who isn’t afraid to take contact on her way to the basket. When Cook has the ball in her hands, defenders should lookout for the deep ball as well.
Mya Wardle Mya Wardle 5'7" | PG Peoria Notre Dame | 2024 State IL – 2024
Mya is one of the best guards in the state due to her craftiness. She is a excellent ball handler who looks to find her way through the lane to finish strong at the basket. Like Cook, she can finish through contact on her way there. The sophomore has a pretty stroke as well being a true threat from anywhere on the floor.
Road to Normal: The Irish head to the very tough Metamora Regional with the likes of Metamora (#9) and Washington. Notre Dame snuck past Metamora earlier this season by a score of 46-45. If they can get it done in the regional, they will travel north to the LaSalle-Peru Sectional with the possibility of meeting up with Geneseo (#1), Peoria (#3), and Morton (#6). The Irish have one of the toughest roads to Bloomington but hope to make their first finals appearance since 1994.
Peoria Central (#3) 23-3
Quality Wins: Peoria Notre Dame x2 (#2 3A), Morton (#6 3A), Lincoln (#8 3A), Normal Community (Honorable Mention 4A)
Players to Watch:
Denali Craig-Edwards Denali Craig-Edwards 6'0" | SG Peoria | 2023 State IL – 2023
Denali has a strong body that allows here to be an excellent rebounder on both ends of the floor. She handles the ball very well also making her a great passer with great court vision. The junior is a talented shooter as well who is not afraid to pull it up from deep. Edwards is a true scorer surpassing the 1,000 career point mark just last week.
Aaliyah Guyton Aaliyah Guyton 5'6" | PG Peoria | 2024 State IL – 2024
Aaliyah is a scary player for teams to try to defend. She slashes through the lane to finish strong with contact at a high percentage. Guyton has it all scoring with her deadly pull-up, floater, or pulling the trigger from beyond the three-point line. The sophomore is a excellent shot creator with the ability to create space off the bounce.
Road to Normal: Peoria hosts their own regional as the #1 seed. Their toughest task will be the Potters of Morton who they defeated by nine a few weeks ago. If the Lions can make it past the regional, they will move to that tough LaSalle-Peru Sectional with the possibility of meeting many top ranked teams. Peoria will look to bring home the schools first sectional title in over 20 years to get them one step closer to a championship.
Morton (#6) 21-6
Quality Wins: Brimfield (#2 1A), Washington x2, Lincoln (#8 3A)
Players to Watch:
Katie Krupa Katie Krupa 6'2" | SF Morton | 2022 State IL – 2022
Katie is a dangerous player on both sides of the ball. She has great size, length, and speed that allows her to be a great shot blocker with the ability to jump the passing lanes to start the break. Krupa isn’t afraid to put the ball on the deck and finish with contact around the rim. The Harvard commit has a very high basketball IQ making her teammates around her better.
Tatym Lamprecht Tatym Lamprecht 5'7" | PG Morton | 2023 State IL – 2023
Tatym is an excellent ball handler who is constantly looking for and finding open teammates. She has above average court vision and passing skills. Don’t give her any space from deep or she’ll make defenders pay. The Junior moves well to get open and can knock them down in bunches from long range.
Road to Normal: The Lady Potters head over to Peoria for their regional play as the #4 seed. If they can win their first game vs. Richwoods, they will likely meet Peoria for the regional final. They would then move north to LaSalle-Peru for sectional play. Morton hopes to make another deep run to bring home championship number five under head Coach Bob Becker.
Mattoon (#7) 25-2
Quality Wins: Lincoln (#9 3A) x2, Mahomet-Seymour (Honorable Mention 3A) x3, Teutopolis (#9 2A), Paris (#5 2A)
Player to Watch:
Mallory Ramage Mallory Ramage 5'11" | CG Mattoon | 2022 State IL – 2022
Mallory gets it done from all over the floor leading in all statistical categories at 24 PPG, 6 RBG, 3 APG, and 4 SPG. She has no issue scoring the ball as she became the schools all time leading scorer earlier this season. The Loyola commit is a triple-threat player, driving to the rim, pulling up from mid-range, and a lefty who isn’t afraid to let it play from deep. Ramage is a great floor general knowing when she needs to take the ball to the hoop or use her vision to help teammates score.
Road to Normal: Mattoon heads down to Herrin to begin postseason play as the #1 seed. If they can win their regional, they stay south at the Civic Memorial Sectional where their biggest challenge will be the host if they can advance to this point as well. The Green Wave look for their first sectional title in 31 years to advance to the Highland Super-Sectional where they could meet Apollo Conference foes Lincoln or Mahomet-Seymour for a chance to advance to the state finals.
Lincoln (#8) 21-7
Quality Wins: Pana (#4 2A), Mattoon (#7 3A), Peoria (#3 3A)
Player to Watch:
Kloe Froebe Kloe Froebe 5'8" | CG Lincoln | 2024 State ILKloe has been battling an injury, but there’s no doubt when she’s on the floor she makes everyone around her better players. The sophomore is an elite scorer who puts buckets up in a hurry. She was able to score 1,000 career points in just 39 games. Froebe is an electric player on both ends of the floor having the ability to pressure opponents turning defense into easy offensive baskets. She is a great shot creator who makes it look easy from anywhere on the floor. There are very little holes in her game.
Road to Normal: The Lady Railers will head east to start postseason play at the Champaign Central Regional as the #2 seed. If they can advance past regional play, they will come back home to host a sectional. Lincoln will be battle tested if they look to make it to the Super-Sectional with the likes of Mahomet-Seymour (Honorable Mention) and Springfield (Honorable Mention) feeding into their sectional.
Metamora (#9) 21-3
Quality Wins: Springfield (Honorable Mention 3A), Morton x2 (#6 3A)
Player to Watch:
Katy Ramage Katy Ramage 5'9" | CG Metamora | 2023 State IL – 2023
Katy is a hard nosed player who drives to the basket and puts the ball in the bucket regardless of contact. She rebounds the ball very well and uses her quickness to jump passing lanes to create offense off of steals. Ramage has great mid-range game but isn’t afraid to step back and hit a deep one form behind the arc.
Road to Normal: Metamora earned the #3 seed in their hosted regional. Metamora hopes to avenge an early season 46-45 loss to Peoria Notre Dame (#2) in the regional final. Then they hope to head north to that tough LaSalle-Peru sectional. Downstate is loaded with talented teams this season, many of which feed into this sectional. Winner will head to the Lewis University Super-Sectional with hopes of advancing to the state finals.
Civic Memorial (#10) 26-4
Quality Wins: Alton x2, Waterloo x2, Teutopolis (#9 2A), Okawville (#1 1A)
Player to Watch:
Kelbie Zupan Kelbie Zupan 5'5" | PG Civic Memorial | 2022 State IL – 2022
Kelbie is a quick guard that can move the ball down the court in a hurry. She uses that same quickness to crash the boards to grab just over four boards a game. The senior has great knowledge on the court to find the passing lanes to come away with a steal. Kelbie leads the team in scoring at nearly 14 points a game with the ability to hit a shot from anywhere on the floor.
Road to Normal: The Eagles who received a #1 seed have the chance to stay at home for both regionals and sectionals. If they can stay alive, they have a chance to meet up with a tough Mattoon team in the sectional final game. From there, they would take a short bus ride to the Highland Super-Sectional to play the winner of the Lincoln Sectional for a chance at the state finals.