5 local players wrap high school basketball careers at IBCA All-Star games

Graduation may have been several weeks ago, but five local basketball players coming off stellar senior seasons got their final taste of high school basketball over the weekend.

The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-Star games took place Saturday in Pontiac, with the top seniors who earned All-State honors last season invited to take part. One of those seniors, Bishop McNamara’s Trinity Davis, added another accolade to her final season with her performance for the 1A/2A North team.

With 16 points, Davis was named the team MVP after helping lead the North to a 106-76 win over the South in the first game of the day. Coming off a senior season in which she scored an area-high 20.4 points per game, earned second-team IBCA Class 2A All-State honors and was named the Daily Journal Player of the Year, she said it felt nice to get that MVP recognition on a team with so many great players.

“I’m very proud and honored,” Davis said. “They helped me achieve that, but also I feel like I invest so much time in myself with all of the workouts I do with my dad, and just taking time out of my day to work out a few hours a day.”

She also was able to spend a little time in Pontiac with former travel ball teammate and four-year Kankakee star TaLeah Turner, who was there as a member of the 3A/4A South team.

“That was very cool,” Davis said. “She used to be on my team, so we have a lot of chemistry. I really like her, because she works really hard on her game, too.”

Turner wrapped her career for the Kays last season, averaging 13.5 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals per game, and was named Class 3A All-State special mention. Although the 3A/4A girls game did not start until 3 p.m., Turner made sure to be down in Pontiac by the 11 a.m. start time of the 1A/2A game to support Davis.

“I wanted to see her play because she’s really good,” Turner said. “I could go support her, some Kankakee-Kankakee support. We’re all Kankakee family.”

As for Turner’s game, the 3A/4A South team lost 111-71 to the North. Heading into the game, she said she was just looking forward to competing on the court again.

“It was last high school basketball game, so I was like, ‘I have to go get it, go out there and show what I’ve got,’” she said. “I’m good, but some of these players are real, real good too. I just go out there and do what I’ve got to do.”

On the boys side, Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Nick Allen, who earned second-team Class 4A All-State honors and was named Daily Journal Co-Player of the Year after averaging 22.5 points and 12 rebounds per game last season, took the court in the 3A/4A boys game.

Allen’s South team came up a bit short against the North in a 133-129 game that he said was surprisingly hard fought.

“It was pretty competitive for an All-Star game,” he said. “It was fast-paced, a lot of shooting, a lot of scoring, but it was competitive. The North team got up early, we came back and then ended up pulling away at the end, but it was a fun game.”

He said it was nice to be able to spend some more time with players he had crossed paths with during high school as they all head forward with their basketball careers.

“It was good seeing all the players I’ve seen throughout high school and travel games,” he said. “It was kind of the final game as a high schooler. All of us are college athletes now, so that’s a big difference.”

There was also local representation Saturday in the 1A/2A South girls team. After leading Cissna Park to a third-place finish at state in Class 1A, head coach Anthony Videka and assistants Bryce Leigh and Mike Duis helmed the South team.

On that team was Watseka forward Megan Martin, who averaged 13 points and nine rebounds per game while leading the Warriors to their fourth straight regional title. She earned third-team 2A All-State honors.

“I was really honored to be picked to play in that game, but I haven’t played basketball in probably three months, so I was extremely tired,” Martin said. “But just to see the talent on the court, it was really fun.”

Reed-Custer’s Jacob Reardon played on the 1A/2A North boys team that beat the South 112-98. The forward averaged 20.3 points and 13.5 rebounds for the Comets last season and was named third-team Class 2A All-State.

“I just took it like a normal high school game, went in there with confidence and played like I normally do,” he said. “It meant a lot to me. I never thought when I started basketball my freshman year I’d be playing in an IBCA All-State All-Star game, so it was quite the experience.