PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL: Top-seeded Salt Fork reaches title tilt

Jan. 18—DANVILLE — Playing for school pride is definitely important, but then there is playing for family bragging rights.

Salt Fork senior Macie Russell acknowledged that she gets extra hyped for games against Georgetown-Ridge Farm and her uncle Brad Russell.

"I never want to lose to him," she said. "That definitely played a factor."

And on Wednesday night, Macie Russell did her part as the top-seeded Storm advanced into the championship game of the Vermilion County Tournament with a 50-25 win over the Buffaloes at the Mary Miller Gymnasium.

"It's special, any time you can get to the championship game. And it's especially special being able to defend our title," said Salt Ford coach Brian Russell, whose team is going for its third straight County Title. "With some of the things that we have been going through this year, it makes it that much more special."

Just like the regular season contest between these two teams, the Buffaloes (9-9 overall) went with a special diamond-and-one defense against the Storm and junior standout Alexa Jamison.

"We practiced to get ready for anything that they would throw at us, and the girls executed," said Brian Russell. "Every single girls executed out there. We were able to use our speed to get some easy buckets to get us loose and ready to go.

"That was the difference early."

It also didn't hurt that Salt Fork (19-5) had 12 second-chance points in the first quarter in building a 17-3 advantage.

"That did helps us out a lot," Macie Russell acknowledged.

And after building that double-digit lead, the Storm started to dissect the Buffaloes defense for some easy looks.

"I think that was because we were prepared," said Macie Russell. "In practice, we stressed about what options team can do against us, because they are obviously focusing a lot on Alexa. So if they are going to take something away, Juthan we need to look what we can get out of it.

"Alexa does a great job of passing it to open people, so screening, stepping back to the ball and finding the open areas in the defense really helped us."

Macie Russell was the only player from either team in double figures.

Brycie Hird had 9 and Jamsion had 8 in the winning effort.

Georgetown-Ridge Farm was led by Madi Spesard with nine points.

Salt Fork will play either Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin in Friday's championship game at 8 p.m., while Georgetown-Ridge Farm will play Hoopeston Area for third place at 6:30 p.m.

Bis-Henn/Ross-Al 38, Hoopeston Area 31

After starting the season with seven wins in eight games, the Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin Blue Devils saw things go exactly opposite direction around the Christmas break.

Bis-Henn/Ross-Al lost all five games at the Blue Devil Classic, which was part of seven losses in eight games, which actually turned into nine losses in 11 games heading into the County Tournament.

Coach Hannah Cronk had a serious talk with her team during the stretch.

"I told them that our season could go one of two ways at this point," she said. "They all looked at me like I was crazy and they decided they were going up."

The Blue Devils have now rattled off three straight wins in the County Tournament culminating with a 38-31 upset of the second-seeded Hoopeston Area Cornjerkers on Wednesday night to win Pool B and advance to Friday's championship game.

"We are definitely a different team," Cronk said. "We are meshing really well, right now."

But even the first upset of the 2024 County Tournament — higher seeded teams had won the first 14 games — had a little bit of trepidation.

Bis-Henn/Ross-Al (12-10) had a double-digit lead for most of third quarter, but Hoopeston Area (11-11) battled back within 4 points late in the fourth quarter as the Cornjerkers made 7-of-12 free throws in the final period.

"I think we got complacent there, lost some of our intensity and made some unforced errors. It ended up letting them back into the game," Cronk said. "Luckily, we were able to bounce back and get the victory."

Junior Beth McMahon hit four 3-pointers as she scored all 17 of her game-high points in the second and third quarters for the Blue Devils. Claire Dixon had a team-high 9 points for the Cornjerkers.

Up next for Bis-Henn/Ross-Al is a matchup with Salt Fork, the tournament's top seed and defending champions, in Friday's title game.

The Storm defeated the Blue Devils 43-24 earlier this season at the Blue Devil Classic.

Oakwood 44, Westville 24

Senior Nikita Taylor scored a game-high 21 points as the Comets advanced to Friday's fifth-place contest with a victory over the Tigers on Wednesday night.

Taylor, who had previous scored 11 points in two County Tournament games, had 11 in the first half as Oakwood built a 22-12 halftime advantage.

Joining her in double figures was Jaydah Arrowsmith, who after back-to-back 21-point games, finished with 13 to give her 55 points in three tournament games for the Comets, who improved to 8-17 overall.

Westville, which falls to 3-18, was led by Lani Gondzur with 18 points — 10 of those coming in the fourth quarter.

Girls Game 7

Oakwood 44, Westville 24

Westville (24) — Lani Gondzur 7 3-6 18, McKynze Carico 0 0-0 0, Hadley Jones 1 0-0 2, Gwen Bennett 0 0-2 0, Aubrie Jenkins 1 0-2 2, Emma Hubbard 0 0-0 0, Jazmyn Bennett 0 0-0 0, Madison Duke 1 0-0 2, Daylin Zaayer 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 3-10 24.

Oakwood (44) — Riley Wright 1 1-1 3, Jaydah Arrowsmith 4 5-7 13, Nikita Taylor 10 1-9 21, Bella Bradford 0 0-0 0, Gracie Hanner 2 1-3 5, Mayci Martin 0 0-0 0, Taylor Smoot 1 0-0 2, Luci Morris 0 0-0 0, Hannah Glass 0 0-0 0, Emma Koontz 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 8-20 44.

Westville 4 8 0 12 — 24

Oakwood 12 10 15 7 — 44

3-pointers — Westville 1 (Gondzur 1). Total fouls — Westville 14, Oakwood 9. Fouled out — G.Bennett.

Records — Westville 3-18 overall, Oakwood 8-17 overall.

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Girls Game 8

Salt Fork 50, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 25

Geo-RF (25) — Kendall Roberts 1 2-3 4, Savanna Cunningham 1 1-2 3, Sydney Spesard 2 0-0 4, Madi Spesard 3 2-2 9, Addi Spesard 0 0-0 0, Milee Ellis 1 0-0 2, Peyton McComas 0 1-2 1, Sierra Cunningham 1 0-0 2, Taylor Foster 0 0-0 0, Jaiden Stelzer 0 0-0 0, Madalyn Willis 0 0-0 0. Totals: 9 6-9 25.

Salt Fork (50) — Macie Russell 8 7-8 23, Brycie Hird 4 1-2 9, Bracie Hird 0 0-0 0, Alexa Jamison 3 2-2 8, Sailor Pacot 2 1-2 5, Ella Cary 0 1-2 1, Taylor Remole 1 0-0 2, Raina Conner 0 0-0 0, Miley Pierce 0 0-0 0, Anna McCollum 0 0-0 0, Brianna Filicsky 0 0-0 0, Morgan Russell 0 0-0 0, Brylee Filicksy 1 0-0 2, Rhaelyn Fiak 0 0-0 0, Hailey Walraven 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 12-16 50.

Geo-RF 3 5 9 8 — 25

Salt Fork 17 10 14 9 — 50

3-pointers — Georgetown-Ridge Farm 1 (Madi Spesard 1). Total fouls — Georgetown-Ridge Farm 15, Salt Fork 11. Fouled out — none.

Records — Georgetown-Ridge Farm 9-9 overall. Salt Fork 19-5 overall.

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Girls Game 9

Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 38, Hoopeston Area 31

Bis-Henn/Ross-Al (38) — Ava Acton 1 2-4 4, Ella Myers 1 1-2 3, Gentry Elson 2 0-0 4, Marleigh Schmit 2 4-4 8, Beth McMahon 5 3-4 17, Mayzee Myers 0 0-0 0, Ella Acton 0 0-0 0, Sophia Stines 1 0-0 2. Totals: 12 10-14 38.

Hoopeston Area (31) — Shay Layden 0 0-0 0, Brylie Cox 2 4-6 8, Claire Dixon 2 4-6 9, Maddie Barnes 3 2-3 8, Addyson Kelnhofer 1 4-8 6, Auri Sigerill 0 0-0 0, Kaedyn Goodrum 0 0-0 0. Totals: 8 14-23 31.

Bis-Henn/Ross-Al 10 8 13 7 — 38

Hoopeston Area 5 4 11 11 — 31

3-pointers — Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 4 (McMahon 4). Hoopeston Area 1 (Dixon 1). Total fouls — Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 16, Hoopeston Area 13. Fouled out — none.

Records — Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 12-10 overall, Hoopeston Area 11-11 overall.