VGH girls’ basketball celebrates 25-win season
BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
The regional drought continues for Villa Grove/Heritage.
The Blue Devils dropped a 50-34 decision to St. Joseph-Ogden in Thursday’s Class 2A girls’ basketball regional finals on the Spartans’ court.
The last regional crown for a Villa Grove girls’ basketball team came in 1999. For Heritage, the most-recent regional title was claimed in 2004.
Kyleigh Block scored a team-high 14 points for the Blue Devils. Aliya Holloman had nine points and Samantha Campbell totaled six points.
“We didn’t finish plays that we normally did all year,” VG/H coach Dan Sappenfield said. “We couldn’t find that offensive rhythm.”
VG/H trailed 24-18 at halftime, but rallied and took a 27-26 third-quarter lead.
Sappenfield prefers to look at the positives of the season as he reflects. The 25 wins are the most ever for a girls’ basketball team from Villa Grove.
“Twenty-two was the most before,” Sappenfield said. “It was an awesome season with a cohesive group that was connected all year.”
VG/H finished 8 of 15 from the free-throw line against the Spartans and was held to six second-half field goals.
Holloman and Jordyn Ray are the lone graduating seniors.
“Those two left it better than they found it, and that’s all you can ask,” Sappenfield said. “We have a nice nucleus back, but we will miss them a ton.”
VG/H (25-6) had its second seven-game winning streak ended in the regional finals by SJ-O (21-10).
In the pre-game individual three-point shooting contest, Block drained 11 of 15 attempts and was one of four athletes to advance to next week’s Paris Sectional. The other three qualifiers were from Clinton.
