Area roundup: Sauk Valley volleyball finished fifth at NJCAA D-II National Championships

The Sauk Valley Community College volleyball team finished fifth at the NJCAA Division II National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, defeating Terra State 25-23, 22-25, 25-20, 28-26 in the fifth-place match on Saturday afternoon.

The Skyhawks (42-3) matched the highest-ever finish at the national tournament with the win over the school from Fremont, Ohio. Sauk also finished fifth last year.

Michal Willman had 30 kills, 12 digs, four blocks, three aces and two assists, and she finished the season with 865 kills, a new NJCAA Division II record in the rally-scoring era. She passed the old mark of 797 set by Parkland College’s Fia Willis in 2017.

Also for the Skyhawks, Kiley Sanders spiked 16 kills to go with nine digs, three assists and an ace, while Tiana Tichler added eight kills and a block. Jaelyn Fitzgerald finished with four kills, a block and an assist, Kierra Collins stuffed four blocks and spiked a kill, and Juliana Rotella had a kill, an assist and two digs.

Audra Goff finished with 22 assists, four digs and two kills, Gabby Jones had 26 assists, two aces, a kill and a dig, and Maddie Sands added 21 digs, three assists and two aces.

Girls basketball

Oregon Tip-Off Tournament

Dixon 37, Rockford Christian 32: The Duchesses won the Oregon tournament title, grabbing a 15-5 lead after the first quarter and a 24-15 lead by halftime, then fending off a second-half surge by the Royal Lions.

Sam Tourtillott finished with 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals, Harvest Day had nine points, and 10 rebounds, and Jessie Pitman added nine points, six rebounds and three blocks for Dixon (4-0). Tourtillott and Ella Govig were named to the all-tournament team; Govig didn’t play in the championship game and missed most of the semifinal after sustaining a cut on her chin in the first quarter of the semifinal game.

Courtney Park’s nine points paced Rockford Christian.

Dixon 35, Genoa-Kingston 26: The Duchesses pulled away from the Cogs in the semifinal with an 11-2 scoring edge in the final quarter to break a 24-24 tie through three periods.

Day had 11 points and seven rebounds for Dixon, and Tourtillott added seven points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals. Pitman, Rylee Pfoutz and Hannah Steinmeyer all scored four points, with Pitman adding 11 rebounds and eight blocks.

All-tournament selection Ally Poegel led G-K with 11 points.

Genoa-Kingston 45, Oregon 34: The Hawks finished fourth after a loss to the Cogs in the third-place game.

All-tournament pick Hadley Lutz and Kelsi Morris both scored nine points, and all-tournament selection Mariah Drake added eight points for Oregon, which trailed 25-15 at halftime and 33-21 after three quarters.

Poegel and Emily Gilbert each had 13 points to pace G-K.

Rockford Christian 48, Oregon 19: The Hawks were held scoreless in the first quarter of their semifinal game and never recovered.

Lutz’s six points and Drake’s four points led Oregon. Park scored 14 for the Royal Lions.

Pecatonica 38, Amboy 34: The Clippers fell in the fifth-place game in Oregon, as they couldn’t rally from a 30-21 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

Maeve Larson led Amboy with 12 points, while all-tournament team members Olivia Dinges scored seven and Elly Jones finished with six. Addison Pertell chipped in five points.

All-tournament pick Elaina Rager had 12 points for Pec.

Erie-Prophetstown 44, AFC 27: The Panthers topped the Raiders in the seventh-place game, taking a 17-4 lead after one quarter and never looking back.

Kennedy Buck’s 15 points paced E-P, and Hayley Wuebben scored 14.

All-tournament selection Taylor Jahn led AFC with a game-high 18 points.

Lena-Winslow 43, West Carroll 27: The Thunder lost the ninth-place game in Oregon, as the Panthers slowly pulled away before finishing the game with a 15-6 run in the fourth quarter.

Kylie Hill led West Carroll with 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals, and all-tournament pick Tori Moshure added seven points, five rebounds and three steals. Cora Collins chipped in six rebounds and six blocks.

Grace Groezinger led Le-Win with 18 points.

Amboy 49, Erie-Prophetsown 19: The Clippers cruised past the Panthers in a fifth-place consolation semifinal, taking control with a 17-1 scoring edge in the second quarter.

Dinges finished with 15 points, Jones scored 12, and Larson added 10 for Amboy.

Sydney Schwartz hit a pair of 3-pointers for six points, and Buck added five points in a balanced effort by E-P.

Pecactonica 44, AFC 29: The Raiders couldn’t keep up with the Indians in a fifth-place consolation semifinal, trailing 14-7 after one quarter, 26-15 at halftime, and 33-23 after three periods.

Jahn poured in 19 points for AFC. Payton Thomas and Kelsey Magee each scored 11 for Pec.

West Carroll 42, Mendota 22: The Thunder picked up their first win of the season in a ninth-place consolation semifinal, grabbing an 18-2 lead after one quarter and pushing the margin to 29-3 by halftime.

Moshure’s 15 points led West Carroll, and she also had five steals and three rebounds. Hill had 11 points, eight steals and four rebounds, and Kendal Asay added five points, seven rebounds, five steals and four blocks.

Naitzy Garcia had eight points, and Emily Stewart scored seven for the Trojans.

Forreston Thanksgiving Tournament

Eastland 44, Forreston 24: The Cougars led 20-10 at halftime, then pulled away with a 15-5 scoring edge in the fourth quarter to beat the host Cardinals in Forreston.

Delana Erbsen and Addison Burkholder scored nine points apiece, and Annika Myre and Quinc Haverland added eight points each in a balanced effort for Eastland (1-2). Sarah Kempel chipped in seven points and four rebounds, while Burkholder had eight rebounds, four steals and four assists, and Erbsen grabbed four boards.

Rylee Broshous had 11 points, two assists and two steals, and Jenna Greenfield added eight points for Forreston.

Winnebago 71, Eastland 15: The Cougars couldn’t keep up with the Indians in their first game Saturday in Forreston, falling behind 29-2 by the end of the opening quarter.

Chloe Sweitzer finished with five points, and Kempel and Addison Burkholder both scored four, with Kempel grabbing six rebounds, and Burkholder adding three rebounds and two steals.

Five Winnebago players scored in double figures, led by Miyah Brown’s 18 points.

Rochelle 34, Forreston 21: The Cardinals trailed 8-2 after one quarter, 19-13 at halftime, and 24-16 through three periods in a loss at their own tournament.

Greenfield had eight points and five rebounds, Alaina Miller finished with five points, four rebounds and four steals, and Keeli Larson added four points and five rebounds for Forreston. Brooke Boettner added two points, eight rebounds, four blocks, three assists and three steals.

Josie Lundquist’s 11 points paced the Hubs.

Faith Christian takes title own tournament: The Falcons won all four games at the round-robin Zetterberg Memorial Tournament on Friday and Saturday to take the title in Grand Detour.

Faith defeated Morning Star 48-16 and Galesburg Christian 50-22 on Friday, then beat Fulton Unity 38-17 and Rockford Christian Life 25-24 in overtime on Saturday.

Rachel Barrett led the Falcons with 51 points and 45 rebounds in the four games, while Katelyn Fassler finished with 40 points and 14 rebounds. Gwenn Hodson had 36 points and 32 rebounds, Emma Royer added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Addison Freise chipped in 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Women’s college basketball

Aurora JV 65, Sauk Valley 60: The Skyhawks were outscored 21-15 in the fourth quarter after leading by one heading into the final period.

Hailey Walters poured in 22 points for Sauk, while Josie Rank added 12, and Skylar Savage and Jenna Johnson added eight points each. The Skyhawks led 16-13 after one quarter, 32-29 at halftime, and 45-44 through three quarters.

Amiya Robinson’s 19 points paced Aurora JV, while Tessa Prellburg and Rock Falls alum Karli Fischbach scored 12 points apiece.