April 28, 2024
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Basketball notebook: Princeton girls have new holiday hoops home

Tigresses will join the host Pirates, L-P, Streator, Morris at Ottawa

By Kevin Hieronymus
Princeton's Keighley Davis runs in the lane to score on a layup over Hall's Charlie Pellegrini on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023 at Hall High School.

Keighley Davis and the Princeton Tigresses are leaving the Lady Bruin Christmas Classic at St. Bede after four decades in favor of the Ottawa tournament, which starts Saturday. (Scott Anderson)

The Princeton girls basketball team will have a new home for its holiday hoops.

After a nearly 40-year run, in the St. Bede Christmas Tournament, the Tigresses have opted out in favor of the Ottawa Lady Pirate Holiday Tournament, which runs through Saturday, Dec. 16 thru Friday, Dec. 22.

Princeton has been paired with Morris, which it just lost to on Saturday 46-41, and Newark. The Tigresses (9-2) will open at 3 p.m. Saturday against Newark and play a rematch with Morris (10-1) at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20.

Morris and Newark will meet at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Ottawa, the defending champ, is in Pool A with IVC and Streator. Saturday’s games will match the Bulldogs and IVC at noon and the Pirates and IVC at 4:30 p.m. Ottawa and Streator will wrap up pool play at 4 p.m. on Dec. 20.

LaSalle-Peru is paired with Pontiac and Canton in Pool B, facing the Indians at 9 a.m. and the Little Giants at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Pool D consists of Metamora, Joliet Catholic and Prairie Central.

Bracket play will start Thursday, Dec. 21 with the finals set for Friday, Dec. 22 capped by the 7:30 p.m. championship game.

Ottawa beat Metamora in overtime for the championship last year.

At Erie: The Bureau Valley girls return to the Cliff Warkins Memorial Classic on Wednesday, Dec. 27 through Saturday, Dec. 30 with all games at Prophetstown.

The Storm will play pool games with Stark County at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 27 and Monmouth-Roseville at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 30.

Bracket games will be played on Friday, Dec. 29 with the championship round slated for Dec. 30 starting at 3 p.m.

Other teams include Lena-Winslow, Morrison and Orion in Pool A, Wethersffield, Rockridge and Stockton in Pool B and Mercer County, host Erie-Prophetstown and Fulton in Pool D.

At Amboy: The Hall and Mendota girls are back in the Amboy Holiday Tournament.

Hall will play Somonauk/Leland at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 26, Amboy at 6 p.m. on Dec. 27 and Hiawatha at 3 p.m. on Dec. 28.

Mendota has games with Amboy at 6 p.m. on Dec. 26, Hiawatha at 3 p.m. Dec. 27 and Newman at 4:30 p.m., Dec. 28.

The finals are slated for Dec. 29 starting at 3 p.m.

At St. Bede: The Lady Bruins Christmas Classic will run Dec. 26-29 at the Academy.

Hall 1,000-point club

Hall senior McKenna Christiansen become the sixth member of the 1,000-point club for the Hall girls and 17th in school history, including the boys.

She scored 16 points in Monday’s loss to L-P to run her career total to 1,009.

Hall's Mckenna Christiansen scores her 1000th point on this drive to the hoop past L-P's Addison Duttlinger on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023 at Hall High School.

Hall's Mckenna Christiansen scores her 1,000th point on this drive to the hoop past L-P's Addison Duttlinger on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023 at Hall High School. (Scott Anderson)

All-Stater Kailey Klein tops the Hall girls’ scoring charts with 2,486 points.

The top five for the Hall girls is rounded out by:

Hanah Hart (2016-20) 1,434

Hunter Galassi (2013-17) 1,330

Jen Andes (2004-2008) 1,265

Jacyln Kain (2009-12) 1,173

LaSalle-Peru’s Josh Seneca became the 19th player in program history to score 1,000 points earlier this season.