By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometdaily.com
Girls’ basketball teams from Oakwood, St. Joseph-Ogden and Villa Grove/Heritage have all reached the 20-win mark for the season.
All schools have another week to add to their totals before postseason play starts across the state on Feb. 4.
Oakwood is 22-5 with an eight-game winning streak.
During the past three seasons, the Comets are 74-14.
St. Joseph-Ogden is 21-4 and a member of the 20-win club for the second year in a row.
SJ-O and Oakwood received the top two seeds for the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Class 2A sectional. They are assigned to different regionals next week (SJ-O travels to Unity and Oakwood heads to Bismarck-Henning) and could face one another in the sectional finals if they each win their first three postseason games.
Villa Grove/Heritage, which won four games in four days last week, is 20-6.
It’s the first 20-win season since the schools started their co-op agreement five years ago.
VG/Heritage is the fourth seed in the Tuscola Class 2A Sectional and was assigned to the Warrensburg-Latham Regional, where it will face Maroa-Forsyth in a regional semifinal.
St. Joseph-Ogden
The Spartans, ranked seventh in the state, overpowered Chillicothe IVC 58-32 on Saturday in an Illini Prairie Conference game.
SJ-O led 17-8 after one quarter and raised its winning streak to eight games.
Maclayne Taylor scored a season-high 20 points, including 16 in the second half.
Also scoring in double figures for SJ-O was Bree Trimble with 17 points. Hannah Dukeman had nine points and Peyton Crowe finished with eight.
SJ-O returns to action on Thursday at home against Bloomington Central Catholic.
Oakwood
The Comets remained unbeaten in Vermilion Valley Conference play (11-0), topping visiting Westville 45-27 on Thursday.
Oakwood held the Tigers (13-13) to three first-half field goals.
Katelyn Young produced her 15th 20-point game of the season, hitting a game-high 22 points.
She had 10 points in the first quarter as the Comets sprinted into a 16-6 lead.
Kylie Neuman had six of her nine points in the second stanza.
Oakwood plays at Georgetown-Ridge Farm tonight. With a win, it sets up a home game on Thursday with state-ranked Schlarman for the VVC championship. Schlarman is also unbeaten in league play.
Villa Grove/Heritage
Kyleigh Block scored in double figures for the 11th consecutive game, racking a game-high 19 points on Thursday as the Blue Devils handed visiting Oblong a 57-33 loss.
Block nailed four three-pointers.
Aliya Holloman, who amassed 97 points in four games last week, added 14 points. Madie Burwell contributed seven points.
The Blue Devils led 18-10 after one quarter and 34-16 at halftime.
VG/Heritage returns to action tonight at home against Tri-County (22-4), in a showdown between two 20-win squads.
Boys’ basketball
St. Joseph-Ogden
The Spartans (13-8) received a double-double from Payton Cain (11 points, 10 rebounds) in Friday’s 64-47 win at Prairie Central.
SJ-O’s top scorers were Jack Cook (19 points) and Joel Orcutt (18 points).
Orcutt grabbed six rebounds and Chance Izard had four assists.
The Spartans return to action on Tuesday at Monticello.
Oakwood
The Comets (13-9) fell behind by 21 points at halftime on Friday at Milford and couldn’t complete the comeback, dropping a 51-40 decision.
Milford led, 16-2, after one quarter and 37-16, at intermission.
Trevan Garrett hit a team-high 19 points for the Comets. Zane Priest had the team’s lone first-period basket.
Oakwood returns to action on Friday at home against Salt Fork.
Villa Grove/Heritage
The Hawks (17-6) bounced back from a Friday night loss in the third-place game of the Little Okaw Valley Conference Southeast Division Tournament to win the third-place crossover game on Saturday at Arcola.
On Friday, VG/Heritage lost to Tri-County 72-66 in a game it led, 20-8, after one quarter.
Jared Stevens scored 17 points, Evan Wilson had 14 points, Will Wilson had 14 points and Jake Eversole had 12 points.
On Saturday, VG/H broke away from a 12-12 first-quarter tie to build a 36-22 halftime lead over Cerro Gordo/Bement in a game it won, 59-34.
Stevens led with 13 points. Kane Davison hit 11 points and Eversole chipped in with 10 points. Logan Nohren totaled eight points.
The Hawks return to action on Friday at Oblong. The program is seeking its first 20-win season since Villa Grove and Heritage formed a coop six years ago.
Wrestling
Oakwood
The Comets (21-8) won the Vermilion Valley Conference crown on Thursday, defeating Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, 72-12. Oakwood also decisioned Monticello 39-36.
On Saturday, Oakwood had 11 of its wrestlers place among the top four in the Eastern Illinois Invitational, at Robinson.
The Comets placed second in the 21-team event.
Meet champion Olney had 186 points. Oakwood had 171 points, edging third-place Champaign Central, which had 166 points.
At 120 pounds, freshman Joe Lashuay lost a 6-2 decision in the championship match. He was the lone Comet to advance to a title bout and is one of eight squad members with at least 20 wins. Lashuay is 26-9.
The team’s other top placers on Saturday:
At 113 pounds, Gage Reed (26-7) won his third-place bout by pin.
At 126 pounds, Brian Reagan (18-13) placed fourth.
At 132 pounds, Connor Hutson (23-9) posted a 17-7 win in the third-place match.
At 145 pounds, Caleb Lashuay (22-5) registered a pin in the third-place match.
At 152 pounds, Tate Johnson (18-14) placed fourth.
At 160 pounds, Mason Ajster (25-5) finished fourth.
At 182 pounds, Colby Smiley (24-10) was fourth.
At 195 pounds, Max Branigin (23-11) won his third-place match by pin.
At 220 pounds, Caide Borden (19-6) won his third-place match by pin.
At 285 pounds, Brennen Lehmkuhl (21-6) placed fourth.
St. Joseph-Ogden
The Spartans had just one top-four finisher in the Eastern Illinois Invitational.
SJ-O totaled 33 1/2 points and placed 15th overall. A total of 21 teams scored points.
At 138, Peyton Holt placed second. Holt has a 28-10 season record.
Another Spartan, 126-pound Nat Nosler, ended fifth, winning his last bout by decision.
Competitive dance
Villa Grove made the state finals on Saturday at Bloomington’s Grossinger Motors Arena and placed 12th overall.
St. Joseph-Ogden was eliminated after Friday’s first-round session and finished 21st in the 30-team event.
Competitive cheerleading
Five of 16 small schools that participated in Saturday’s Mahomet-Seymour Sectional advanced to state.
Both Oakwood and St. Joseph-Ogden continued their seasons.
Oakwood ended as the sectional runner-up.
Farmington was first with 85.96 points. Oakwood had 82.97 points.
Illini Bluffs was third, Monticello was fourth and SJ-O was fifth with 63.96 points and secured the final qualifying berth.
The two-day state finals start on Friday at Bloomington’s Grossiniger Motors Arena.
A total of 25 teams have qualified for state in the small-team division, which includes Oakwood and SJ-O.
