Two juniors were recognized on the postseason Lincoln Prairie Conference all-league team.

Jake Eversole was a member of the six-player first team and Logan Nohren was chosen for the six-player second team.

Of the 12 total players selected to the first or second teams, five were juniors.

Eversole led the 21-11 Blue Devils with a 17.0 scoring average. He was second on the team with 75 assists.

Nohren averaged 13.7 points per game and led VG/H with a 9.8 rebounding average. Nohren ended with 24 assists.

Both Eversole and Nohren had two games where they eclipsed the 30-point mark in a game.

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The Blue Devils’ Kyleigh Block finished in a tie for 10th in the Class 2A three-point shooting contest on Thursday at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena.

A total of 32 finalists participated at state.

Block, a junior, hit 8 of her 15 attempts at Redbird.

During the regular season, Block led the Blue Devils with 54 three-pointers. In her varsity career, Block has amassed 1,217 career points.

Also on Thursday, VG/H teammate Aliya Holloman was chosen for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state special mention team.

Holloman was the top scorer this season on a 25-6 team, averaging 20.0 points per game. She completed her prep career with 1,853 points, 599 of those coming this season.

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The Villa Grove/Heritage boys’ basketball season ended in Wednesday’s semifinal round with a 56-40 loss to the host Spartans.

After three lead changes in the early minutes, SJ-O shot ahead 5-4 as part of a 16-0 run. The Hawks were unable to recapture the lead although they pulled within six points (42-36) in the game’s final seven minutes before SJ-O went on a 14-4 run to end the game.

Jake Eversole nailed a team-high 16 points. Logan Nohren added 11 points.

On Tuesday, the Hawks picked a great time to earn their first overtime win of the season.

VG/H used the extra four minutes to power past Tolono Unity 67-63 and secure a spot in the Class 2A regional semifinals.

Eversole led the way for the Hawks, hitting the 30-point mark for the second game in a row. His 30 points included four three-point baskets.

Nohren added 16 points to the VG/H cause and Blake Smith contributed 12 points.

Unity led 15-6 after one quarter and 27-22 at halftime. VG/H took a 40-36 lead into the final period. The teams ended in a 55-55 deadlock after regulation.

Until Tuesday, VG/H was 0-2 for the season in overtime games.

VG/H ends the season with a 21-11 overall record. SJ-O snapped the team’s season-best five-game winning streak in the regionals.

For the season, Eversole was the team’s top scorer in 17 of the 23 games in which he played, including the final nine.

Nohren led – or shared – the team lead in scoring in nine games. Both Eversole and Nohren hit the 30-point mark in two games.

Blake Smith was the scoring leader in five games, Issac Mahoe in two games and Ierik Sorenson in one game.

Eversole (40), Smith (22), Mahoe (17) and Sam Reno (16) were the team’s top three-point marksmen.

Coach Corey White didn’t know what to expect coming into a season where four starters from the previous year’s 20-win team had to be replaced and one of those candidates – Ezra Ely – never played basketball this season following a football injury that sidelined him throughout most of the winter.

“For the first month, we were trying to see the best combination,” White said. “By mid-January we figured it out and took off from there (winning nine of 11 games before Wednesday).”

For the majority of the season, four juniors and senior Sorenson were in the starting lineup.

“We’ll have a nice nucleus back,” White said. “It’s great to have back-to-back 20-win seasons and we hope to make it three in a row next year.

“We’ll keep building and try to get to the point where we can play for a regional championship and win one.”

In addition to the underclassmen who played prominent roles this season, Ely is expected to return next year along with junior Nick Coffin, who suffered a season-ending injury in December.

In addition to Sorenson, Reno and Anthony Arbuckle were the other seniors who were a part of the Hawks’ regular rotation this season.

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The Hawks completed the regular season with a season-best four-game winning streak following Friday’s 56-34 triumph on the road against Sangamon Valley.

Jake Eversole hit a season’s high for points (32) and three-pointers (seven) to lead VG/H. Blake Smith contributed nine points and Logan Nohren added eight points.

The Hawks led 21-9 after one quarter and 36-13 at halftime.

The Hawks (20-10) are part of the seven-team Class 2A regional at St. Joseph. VG/H will play in the 7:30 p.m. game on Tuesday against Tolono Unity.

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The Hawks built a 46-12 halftime lead on Wednesday in a makeup home game at Heritage against Argenta-Oreana and went on to overpower the Bombers 63-28.

Senior Sam Reno and junior Jake Eversole shared the VG/H scoring lead with 14 points apiece.

Reno reached his season’s high for points and also drained a season-high four three-point shots. Eversole has scored in double figures in 16 of the 20 games he has played.

Logan Nohren scored 12 points, Tanner Clodfelder contributed six points and teammates who chipped in with five points apiece were Anthony Arbuckle and Carson Howard.

The Hawks (19-10) conclude the regular season on Friday with a road game against Sangamon Valley. VG/H is attempting to reach the 20-win mark for the second consecutive season, a feat that last occurred 17 years ago.

Next week, VG/H is part of the seven-team Class 2A regional at St. Joseph. The Hawks will play in the 7:30 p.m. game on Tuesday against Tolono Unity.

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Jake Eversole hit the 20-point mark for the fourth time in his last five games, tossing in 23 on Friday in the Hawks’ 55-38 verdict over Blue Ridge at Heritage.

Eversole canned 23 points and raised his team-high total of three-pointers to 26 by sinking two of those shots.

Logan Nohren netted a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Carson Howard chipped in with six points.

VG/H led 15-13 after one quarter, but expanded its lead to 28-20 at halftime.

Nohren has amassed 278 rebounds in 28 games this season.

The Hawks (18-10) return to action on Friday when they end the regular season at Sangamon Valley.

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Jake Eversole scored 16 points and Blake Smith had 10 Tuesday night as the Hawks overcame a slow start to defeat Decatur Lutheran 46-33 at Heritage High School.

VG/H trailed 13-8 after one quarter, but shot into a 21-20 lead at halftime.

Carson Howard contributed nine points.

The Hawks (17-10) return to action on Friday in their regular-season home finale at Heritage against Blue Ridge.

The VG/H seniors are Anthony Arbuckle, Gage Dunn, Sam Reno and Ierik Sorenson.

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The Blue Devils took down the 2019 Class 1A state champions in a semifinal regional game on Tuesday at St. Joseph.

VG/H ousted Schlarman Academy (17-7) in a Class 2A regional semifinal game 57-49.

Kyleigh Block nailed three first-quarter three-point shots, helping VG/H take a 17-14 lead after eight minutes.

Aliya Holloman tallied a game-high 27 points, leading the Blue Devils in scoring for the 12th time in the last 14 games.

Block ended with 19 points.

Madie Burwell and Samantha Campbell each netted five points.

The Blue Devils connected on 15 of 21 free throws.

VG/H (25-5) carries a seven-game winning streak into tonight’s 7 o’clock regional championship game against the host SJ-O Spartans, whom it lost to by three points in the season’s third game in November.

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BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

Senior Aliya Holloman scored 20 of her season-high 33 points in the opening quarter Thursday night as the Blue Devils blitzed Argenta-Oreana 80-34 on Senior Night at Villa Grove.

Villa Grove/Heritage led 37-0 after the opening eight minutes.

The team’s other senior, Jordyn Ray, scored nine points in her final home game.

Kyleigh Block tallied 16 points and Samantha Campbell added 10 for the Blue Devils, who enter the postseason with a six-game winning streak.

A-O was limited to three first-half field goals.

VG/H ended 8-1 in Lincoln Prairie Conference games, second only to Tri-County, which was 9-0.

The Blue Devils (23-5) return to action on Tuesday in the St.  Joseph-Ogden Class 2A regional. VG/H opens at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11 against the winner of a Monday game between Schlarman Academy and Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

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For the second time in seven days, the Hawks suffered an overtime loss.

The most recent setback came in Friday’s road game against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond.

The teams were tied 62-62 after regulation, but A-L/A-H scored all nine of the points in the extra session to capture the 71-62 triumph.

Jake Eversole registered his third 20-point game in a row, dropping in a team-high 22 points for the Hawks.

Logan Nohren scored 14 points, Carson Howard totaled 12 points and Blake Smith contributed 11 points.

VG/H (16-10) returns to action on Tuesday at Heritage against Decatur Lutheran.

Eight squad members have hit three-pointers this season, led by Eversole (24) and Smith (21).

Smith leads in assists (102) and steals (69). Nohren (258) and Howard (153) are the Hawks’ top rebounders.

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