Girls basketball notebook: St. Bede is first Bureau County team to place at state

The St. Bede girls basketball team not only made school history by becoming the first Academy basketball team, girls or boys, to qualify and place at state, but also etched its name in the Bureau County record books.

The Bruins are the first girls basketball team from Bureau County to place at state and just the second from Bureau County to qualify. Hall made state in 2006 in Class A in the two-class system, falling in quarterfinal play, and did not place.

St. Bede is the fifth Illinois Valley school to appear at state, the eighth girls team to place.

Seneca has made eight state appearances, placing four times, highlighted by a state championship in 1987 and a runner-up finish in 1991.

Mendota made back-to-back appearances in 1998 and 1999, placing fourth in its second trip.

The Illinois Valley honor roll of state teams includes Fieldcrest (2A) and Serena (1A), who both placed fourth in 2022.

Around the area, Annawan had first-place finishes in 2014 and 2017 with a third-place showing in 2013. Newman had third-place finishes in 1997 and 1998 with a fourth in 2005. Now defunct schools Atkinson (1984) and Bradford (1985) brought fourth-place finishes back to the area in Class A.

Sterling won the very first IHSA girls state championship in 1977, the first of four state appearances/three place-finishes in a seven-year stretch.

Ali Bosnich named TCC Player of the Year

St. Bede senior Ali Bosnich led the Bruins to a fourth-place finish in the Class 1A state tournament and a 29-7 record.

The postseason honors continue to come her way.

Bosnich was voted as the Tri-County Conference Player of the Year as an unanimous all-conference selection.

She was also voted Illinois Media Class 1A All-State honorable mention and named Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 1A Second-Team All State.

St. Bede senior Ella Hermes and junior Ashlyn Ehm were named to the Tri-County All-Conference second team.

Record-breaking tournament

The teams that won the Class 2A Bureau Valley (Peoria Notre Dame) and Class 3A LaSalle-Peru (Lincoln) supersectionals went on to capture IHSA State championships Saturday in Normal.

Kloe Froebe and the Lincoln Railsplitters had a memorable 3A girls state championship run. After losing 63-52 in last year’s title game to LaGrange Park Nazareth, which placed second in 4A this year, Lincoln ran the table for an undefeated 38-0 state championship with a 60-44 win over Central State Eight Conference rival Chatham Glenwood.

Froebe, the prohibitive favorite to be named this year’s Ms. Illinois Basketball (she was runner-up last year), set eight state tournament records, including most points, tournament career (127) and title game (36), most field goals, title game (11), most free throws made, title game (14), and most assists, tournament career (11).

She scored a state tournament semifinal game record of 45 points last year.

Notre Dame freshman Emy Wardle delivered the championship-winning shot with 1.9 seconds left to lift the Irish to a 48-46 win over Nashville. It was a play normally designed for her sister, senior Mya, who deferred to her younger sister.

The Wardles, the daughters of Bradley University coach Brian Wardle, combined for 28 points with Emy netting 18.

They’ll be back

Don’t count on Nashville going away any time soon. Though the Hornettes lost on that last-second shot to Notre Dame, there’s a strong chance they’ll be back, if not often, to chase that state title.

Nashville will return all five starters - sophomore Emma Behrman, their top scorer (13.4 ppg), 5-11 freshmen twin guards, Summer (11.4) and Samantha Brinkman (9.2), junior Avery Reeder (6.6) and freshman Makayla Gajewski (7.4), who accounted for 48 points per game.

The Hornettes had just two seniors, only one of which was a regular contributor.

Lavorato grand daughter makes state

Amelia Lavorato made it down to the Class 3A State Tournament with Hinsdale South, just like her grandfather, Tony Lavorato Sr., the former Princeton basketball coach said she would. She relayed a memory to reporters how her grandfather told her at last year’s IBCA Hall of Fame ceremony for her father, Tony, Jr. at CEFCU Arena, that she would make it down to the floor for her senior season.

“This moment is incredible for my family,” she told Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun Times. “My grandfather was a basketball coach at Hinsdale South. My dad was a basketball coach at Maine South. It’s always been our dream to go down to state as a little kid. I wanted my dad to go downstate. He wanted his father to go downstate. It’s incredible being here with these girls.”

Hinsdale South finished fourth.

Neally to be named A.D. at Heyworth

Former Fieldcrest coach Mitch Neally has accepted the position as athletic director at Heyworth High School. Heyworth announced Monday that it will be recommending Neally for hire at the March 20 school board meeting.

Neally is in his first year teaching at Heyworth where he served as defensive coordinator for the Hornets football team and has been instrumental in restarting Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

As the head coach of the Fieldcrest girls basketball team, Neally posted an 183-55 record, including a 2A fourth-place finish in 2022, an Elite 8 finish in 2023 and four regional championships.