Mustangs reach sectional and regional championship games before losing

By Fred Kroner

The seventh-grade girls’ basketball team from Prairieview Ogden reached the IESA Class 1A state quarterfinals by topping  St. Malachy, 20-12, in Rantoul in the sectional championship game on Wednesday (Nov. 30).

Atleigh Miller set the pace with 10 points. Kellyn Irwin and Korinne Travis each recorded four points.

At state on Saturday (Dec. 3), PVO was matched with an unbeaten opponent (Ottawa Warren, 26-0) and dropped a 28-24 decision in a game it led, 9-2, after one quarter.

Miller and Travis each tallied six points. Netting four points apiece were Greta Goldenstein and Makayla Hesterberg. Irwin and Isabella Frerichs each scored two points.

Other Mustangs on the state roster were Grace Bressner, Leigha Larson, Alyssa Osterbur and Leah Pruitt.

The seventh-graders finish with an 18-3 record after having a five-game winning streak snapped in the state quarterfinals. St. Malachy ends with a 12-7 season record.

For the season, Miller led (or shared) the team lead in scoring 13 times. Irwin was the leader or co-leader seven times. Frerichs and Travis were each tops twice while Goldenstein and Hesterberg led one time each.

Miller posted the team’s top individual scoring performance with a 21-point outing against Bismarck-Henning.

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The unheralded Prairieview Ogden eighth-grade girls’ basketball team used consecutive upsets to reach the championship game of the IESA Class 1A regional tournament at Champaign Holy Cross.

After upsetting No. 3 seed Philo St. Thomas in the quarterfinals, 27-23, on Monday (Nov. 28), PVO handed No. 2 seed DeLand-Weldon a 28-23 loss in the semifinals on Tuesday (Nov. 29).

PVO was the regional’s No. 6 seed.

Atleigh Miller led the team in scoring in both games, hitting eight points against St. Thomas and tallying 12 points against D-W. Korrine Travis added four points in the semifinal victory.

The postseason streak came to an end on Thursday (Dec. 1) with a 19-16 loss to fourth-seeded Heritage in the regional title game at Holy Cross.

The eighth-graders finish 6-14 with five wins in their last 11 games.

Miller led (or shared) the team lead in scoring in 12 games. Irwin set the pace in four games, Olivia Berlatsky was the co-leader in three games and Emerson Williams was the top scorer twice.

Miller had the top individual scoring performance with 13 points against Georgetown Mary Miller.

PVO had just four eighth-graders in the program: Berlatsky, Anna Hammond, Hannah Nirider and Williams.