fred@mahometnews.com

Addi Seggebruch proved herself once.

Then, she did it again.

Now, the St. Joseph-Ogden senior hopes the third time is equally as successful as the previous two times.

When Seggebruch started high school, it was at the tiny Iroquois County school of Cissna Park, where the enrollment is less than 100 students.

She stepped in as a freshman and made an immediate impact with the girls’ basketball team, earning All-Area honorable mention accolades from The News-Gazette both of her first two years in high school.

“Right after my sophomore year of high school my mom, sisters, and I were planning on moving to the St. Joseph-Ogden school district,” Seggebruch said. “With moving to a bigger school district (approximately 430 students) than what I was used to and knowing how successful the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball program has always been, I wasn’t sure if I would be good enough to be on the team.”

She was encouraged to give it her best shot and soon she was a prominent player for the Spartans.

“After gaining confidence from my step-father (Josh Frerichs) to go out for the team, I began my basketball career at St. Joe,” Seggebruch said.

The 5-foot-7 Seggebruch averaged 6.5 points per game for SJ-O as a junior and was off to a stellar start to her senior year, leading the team in scoring in two of the first eight games, including a 20-point outburst at home against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.

“Halfway through this basketball season I tore my ACL, cutting my season short,” Seggebruch said. “I had worked super hard this past summer putting in a lot of extra off-season time to work on areas I needed to improve, in order to pursue basketball at the next level.”

She feared it was for naught.

“No college coaches had reached out to me during the first half of the season, so without the second half I didn’t even think it was a possibility for me anymore,” Seggebruch said. “Torn at whether or not I should still try and pursue basketball, I decided to just give it to God and let Him be in control.

“I hadn’t exactly thought that any school would even be interested in me anymore after my injury and that my chances of continuing my basketball career were over.”

And yet, she couldn’t totally leave her future to fate.

“Basketball has always helped keep me grounded in so many areas of my life and without it going into the next chapter, I truly thought I would lose a piece of myself,” Seggebruch said. “I decided to reach out to a close family friend who was an assistant coach at Parkland.

“I went to a few games and thought this was the path God was taking me down. I hadn’t heard back from the Parkland coach. Feeling a little discouraged and unsure what was ahead of me, unexpectedly my high school coach told me the DACC coach was wondering if I was interested in pursuing basketball at the next level.”

Seggebruch didn’t need to be asked twice.

“I immediately reached out and told him yes,” she said. “I then just felt that this was the opportunity God had in store for me and I just knew in my heart I could not pass it up.”

Seggebruch believes it was a match meant to be.

“After asking God to lead me in the right direction, He showed me that my basketball career wasn’t over quite yet,” she said. “I was able to know in my heart that DACC was the right choice because of the morals he (DACC head coach Kyle Bent) prioritized for building up his future team, which aligned with mine and the ways I had been coached in the past. I just felt that God wouldn’t have opened the door to the opportunity if He didn’t want me to take it.

“I also was excited to know that DACC has a very special trainer (Casey Hug) that is a legend throughout St. Joe and has helped me a ton.”

She has committed to the Jaguars but faces a challenge unlike any from her past.

Seggebruch not only has to play at a higher level, but she also needs to overcome the layoff from her injury. She is about three months into her recovery.

“I have been gaining a lot of strength back through my physical therapy,” Seggebruch said. “The whole recovery is about nine to 12 months.

“I still have a ways to go, but have been doing really well. I am limited to what I can currently work on due to my injury, but I am doing exercises and strength training to help with my recovery. Staying positive and trusting God that I will be back to 100 percent at the right time.”

Regardless of the injury, Bent said Seggebruch checked all the boxes that were important as he went out on the recruiting trail for DACC.

“I need kids who are willing to battle on the glass and defend,” said Bent, who is about to enter his second year as the Jaguars’ head coach. “She is a bigger guard who is a feisty scrapper and willing to defend.

“She’s a good teammate with good body language and effort. You could tell she is intrinsically motivated. Outside of the athletic tangibles, she is a high-character kid who seems willing to be coached.”

She is ready to start the transition.

“I believe that each player will hold a special role in making our team special and successful,” Seggebruch said. “I haven’t met any of my future teammates yet, but I can’t wait to create so many new friendships.

“I have talked to the DACC coach about my role for this upcoming season and I will be playing as an all-around guard. I am very excited to be able to step in right as I am needed. I love challenges and am willing to step into any role for my team to be successful.”

Depending on her comeback timetable, she could get a chance to prove herself at DACC quickly.

“We only return three players, and they all are posts,” Bent said. “She has an opportunity to get immediate (playing) time.”

Her willingness to work was only one of the factors leading to her success.

“Without the most amazing coaches, who believed in me and helped me put in the work outside the required time, I wouldn’t be half the player I am today,” Seggebruch said. “They truly helped me grow in areas that I needed work to improve in.

“They ultimately helped me pursue my long-term goal of competing at the next level and gave me the confidence to do so.”

Seggebruch is the definition of a self-made player.

“I have actually never been a part of a travel ball team because I didn’t always have the resources to join a team,” she said. “Without being able to be on a travel ball team, I knew I had to put in the extra work on my own time in order to progress my skills as a player.

“Also, playing summer ball during high school was very beneficial as well. I was very fortunate to have such amazing coaches to invest so much of their time in me and my teammates.”

SJ-O head coach Drew Arteaga said there was never a question about whether Seggebruch could help the Spartans. She moved into the starting lineup as a junior.

“When Addi moved here, she was a strong and physical guard that could attack and finish around the rim,” Arteaga said. “Addi’s biggest strength is her ability to rebound the ball on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor.

“She is a relentless and physical rebounder that does a nice job timing her jump to get the ball at its highest point. She is a player that has a natural instinct on where the ball is going to go when a shot goes up.

“Addi had a great junior year and was a huge piece in us winning the regional championship her junior year.”

As a senior, she wound up playing in 14 games for a 17-12 squad.

Arteaga said Seggebruch was primed for much more success than she experienced the previous season.

“Between her junior and senior year, Addi and I sat down for our 1-on-1 meeting and talked about the future and what that looked like for her,” Arteaga said. “We talked about her senior year and the role she needed to play and things she needed to improve on.

“We also talked about the things she had to get a lot better at if she wanted to play basketball at the next level. Addi took all of that feedback and absolutely ran with it.

“She committed herself to the weight room throughout the off-season and spent a ton of time in the gym improving her ball handling and perimeter shooting. She spent hours and hours in the off-season improving on the little details that we asked her to improve on and became a real perimeter threat by the start of her senior year.”

Beyond her skills, Seggebruch impressed her prep coach with her attitude.

“Addi was so awesome to coach because she was so coachable and wanted the feedback, good or bad,” Arteaga said. “She wanted to improve and wanted to get better. She is a coach’s dream and I am so happy that she is being given the opportunity to play at the next level.

“Addi is the most unselfish and genuine kid I have been around in 11 years of coaching and teaching. She has a heart of gold and has worked so hard to get where she is today.

“While I am so proud of Addi and the player she is on the floor, I am way more proud of her as a young woman. She is kind, compassionate, hardworking, giving, loving, and full of spunk. She is a kid that our staff truly enjoys being around and coaching. Addi is a kid that has worked hard for everything she has both on and off the floor.”

Arteaga is not concerned with how she will bounce back from the ACL injury.

“She understands that everything worth having takes time and you have to trust the process,” Arteaga said. “She understands failing doesn’t mean you should give up, but rather get back up and keep working at it.

“She understands that believing you can do it is the first step and it may take several thousand more before you are successful.”

Seggebruch started playing basketball competitively as a fifth-grader.

She developed a fondness for the game even before she was on a team.

“When I first picked up a basketball, I remember I used to chuck it up at the hoop ‘granny style,’” Seggebruch said. “I had grown up around basketball and just grew a love for it ever since I was little because of how competitive I am. I love that there is always something different about every game and the physicality of it as well.

“When I was younger there was so much I needed to work on. It just was something that in a sense came easy to me because of my mindset and determination. It all depends on how much work you want to put in to better yourself as a player.”

Seggebruch wasn’t always certain that collegiate basketball was the right path.

“Although I wasn’t sure throughout my beginning years of high school if that is what I wanted to pursue, after moving schools and gaining more confidence in my skills and myself, I knew I couldn’t give up on my dream,” she said.

Seggebruch plans on majoring in interior design with a minor in business.

“I see myself in 10 years gaining experience in the field of interior design, working for a design firm, to then potentially owning my own interior design company,” she said.

Seggebruch is pleased to be able to start college at a location less than 25 miles from her home.

“I was open to moving away from home, but it worked out for me being able to stay at home and pursue this next chapter in my life,” she said. “I feel like it will make the transition from high school to college a lot smoother and less overwhelming for me to jump right into.

“I am very close to my mom (Jennifer Olson), sisters (Alexis Seggebruch and Ava Seggebruch), and grandparents (Beverly Knight and Dennis Olson), so being close to them will make a huge difference in this next, big step in my life.”

—

The DACC roster will include two other former area athletes for the 2024-25 season.

Former Oakwood forward Addy Wright is transferring after a year at Quincy College.

“I found her in the portal,” Bent said. “I like her strength and size. She knows what to do on the floor.

“She is hungry and has something to prove. She is supremely motivated.”

Wright had limited playing time as a freshman at Quincy, but Bent expects that to change at DACC.

“I thought she could make an immediate impact,” he said. “She is somebody who can create from 15 feet in, and her footwork is pretty good.”

Also set to join the Jaguars is current Oakwood senior Jaydah Arrowsmith. The guard averaged a team-high 14.4 points per game last winter and connected for a team-leading 49 three-pointers.

Bent was an assistant at DACC from 2010-14, and had a 16-14 record last year in his first season as the women’s basketball head coach.

Arrowsmith, Seggebruch and Wright are among the six signees thus far for DACC. Bent hopes to add another four or five players.

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Seniors Addison Frick and Addy Martinie, who combined to score 733 points this season, were both chosen to the Illini Prairie Conference’s girls’ basketball all-league first team.

Six players were chosen for the first team.

Frick and Martinie combined to lead the 17-12 Spartans in scoring in 22 games. Martinie averaged a team-best 13.8 points per game. Frick was the second leading scorer (11.4 average).

The two combined to make 144 of their 260 field goals from three-point range. Martinie made at least one three-pointer in 27 of her games and amassed a team-high 85 for the season.

Frick and Martinie were the only two SJ-O players to earn all-conference recognition.

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Fred@mahometnews.com

Boys’ basketball coaches in the Illini Prairie Conference selected six players to the all-conference first team, another six for the second team and a third set of six to the honorable mention list.

St. Joseph-Ogden had one representative on each of the three units.

Every player chosen for the first and second teams were seniors.

SJ-O scoring leader Tanner Jacob was one of four unanimous first-team choices. Point guard Logan Smith was a second-team pick.

The third group included SJ-O’s Tanner Siems, one of two juniors recognized on the honorable mention list.

Jacob hit the 500-point mark for the season, averaging 14.7 points per game for the 27-7 Spartans. He also led the team in three-pointers (78) and free throw accuracy (76.5 percent).

Smith averaged 10.1 points per game and was the team-leader in assists. Siems averaged 11.3 points per game and also led SJ-O in rebounding with 195 (5.7 per-game average).

All three had games where they eclipsed the 20-point mark. Collectively, they led the team in scoring in 28 games.

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Fred@mahometnews.com

St. Joseph-Ogden’s boys’ basketball team finished one win short of reaching the 2024 Elite Eight in Class 2A.

The Spartans, ranked 11^th in the final state poll, suffered a 61-55 overtime loss to Teutopolis on Friday (March 1) in the championship game of the Shelbyville Sectional.

The teams were tied, 50-50, after regulation.

Tanner Siems hit a team-high 14 points. Luke Landrus scored 13 points and Coy Taylor added 11 points.

Other point-makers for SJ-O were Logan Smith (nine points) and Tanner Jacob (eight points).

Siems hauled in 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Jacob and Landrus both grabbed four rebounds. Landrus handed out four assists and Smith finished with three assists.

Taylor connected on three three-point shots. Jacob hit two long distance shots. Landrus and Smith both nailed one three-pointer.

The Spartans finished with a 27-7 overall record. Teutopolis has a 24-10 record which includes two wins over SJ-O.

Jacob led the team in scoring in 19 games. Siems was the leader in eight games, Landrus led in six games, Taylor led in two games and Smith led in one game.

The team’s top scorers for the season were Jacob (14.7 average), Siems (11.3 average), Smith (10.1 average), Landrus (9.4 average) and Taylor (9.2 average).

Jacob was the team’s most accurate free throw shooter (76.5 percent). He was followed by Taylor (65.9 percent) and Landrus (64.7 percent).

Jacob had the most three-pointers (78), followed by Taylor (30), Siems (21), Landrus (20) and Logan Lackey (13).

The Spartans’ top individual scoring performances were Taylor (31 points), Smith (29 points), Jacob (27 points), Landrus (22 points) and Siems (20 points). Also scoring in double figures were Ryker Lockhart (12 points) and Collin Thomey (12 points).

The leading rebounders were Siems (5.7 average), Landrus (4.1 average), Smith (3.8 average) and Taylor (3.1 average).

The seniors on coach Kiel Duval’s team were Jacob, Landrus and Smith. Six of the team’s 15 roster members were sophomores, including Lockhart.

SJ-O had a nine-game winning streak snapped by Teutopolis. Four of the Spartans’ final 14 games required overtime.

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Fred@mahometnews.com

Luke Landrus scored a season-high 22 points on Tuesday (Feb. 27) as the St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ basketball team topped Floria, 50-40, in a semifinal game of the Shelbyville Class 2A Sectional Tournament.

Landrus connected on 10 of 14 shots from the field.

Logan Smith tallied 16 points and hit the lone SJ-O three-point shot. Smith also doled out four assists.

Tanner Jacob and Coy Taylor each ended with four points. Taylor had team-high totals of six assists and five rebounds.

Tanner Siems and Collin Thomey hit the Spartans’ other two points. Siems recorded three assists.

The Spartans are 27-6 overall and will play in Friday’s 7 p.m. sectional championship game against Teutopolis at Shelbyville. The winner will be one of the state’s final eight Class 2A teams in contention for a state title.

SJ-O, ranked 11^th in Class 2A, played at unranked Teutopolis (23-10) in January and suffered a 53-40 loss. The Spartans will carry a nine-game winning streak into the sectional finals.

Flora finishes the season with a 19-14 record.

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Fred@mahometnews.com

St. Joseph-Ogden’s boys’ basketball team earned its third consecutive Class 2A regional championship on Friday (Feb. 23) with a 58-41 win at home over Shelbyville. In the last 12 years, SJ-O has won nine regional crowns in boys’ basketball.

Tanner Jacob led the way with 20 points and also bagged four three-point shots. Teammates joining him in double figures were Logan Smith (15 points) and Tanner Siems (10 points).

Smith dished out eight assists for the second straight postseason game. Siems grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

Coy Taylor posted eight points and five rebounds. Ryker Lockhart scored all of his points on a three-pointer. Collin Thomey contributed two points.

Smith and Taylor also knocked down one three-pointer. Thomey hauled down four rebounds.

SJ-O (26-6) will put its eight-game winning streak on the line on Tuesday (Feb. 27) in the 7 p.m. semifinal game of the Shelbyville Sectional against Flora (19-13).

That winner will take on the survivor of the other semifinal game (on Wednesday, Feb. 28) between Tolono Unity (26-4) and Teutopolis (22-10).

In the final Class 2A state rankings, Unity was ranked ninth and SJ-O was ranked 11^th. Neither Flora nor Teutopolis received any votes.

Since St. Joseph and Ogden consolidated in time for the 1963-64 school year, the district has annexed three sectional titles in boys’ basketball: 2007, 2013 and 2016.

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Oakwood’s bid for a Class 2A regional championship in boys’ basketball was ended by Shelbyville on Wednesday (Feb. 21) with a semifinal loss at St. Joseph-Ogden to Shelbyville, 57-56.

Shelbyville led, 18-16, after one period and 29-26 at intermission. The Rams sunk two late-game free throws to rally for the victory.

Jackson Dudley popped in five three-pointers and totaled a team-high 19 points for the Comets. Alec Harrison added 18 points. Cort Vermillion scored eight points. Finishing with three points apiece were Carsen Dudley, Brandt Hobick and Bryson McDaniel. Brody Taflinger netted two points.

On Monday (Feb. 19), the Comets used a 20-9 second-period run to take control in the quarterfinals against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, a game Oakwood won at home, 65-43,

Harrison totaled a game-high 20 points. Carsen Dudley hit 16 points and Taflinger added nine points.

Taflinger and Carsen Dudley were catalysts in the second-quarter spree. Taflinger hit seven of his points in the quarter and Dudley made five of his in the stanza.

McDaniel also tallied nine points. Jackson Dudley fired in seven points and Vermillion notched four points.

Oakwood concludes the year with a 25-8 season record.

Harrison led the team in scoring in 14 games. Jackson Dudley was the leader in eight games and Carsen Dudley led in seven games. Taflinger and Vermillion each led twice. McDnaiel was the leader in one game.

Four squad members had games of 20, or more, points.

Carsen Dudley put up 25 points against Armstrong-Potomac. Harrison totaled 24 points against Cissna Park. Jackson Dudley made 22 points against Chrisman and Vermillion connected for 22 points against Hoopeston Area.

The team’s balanced scoring attack featured Harrison with a 12.0 per-game scoring average followed by Jackson Dudley (11.7), Carsen Dudley (11.4), Vermillion (8.0) and Taflinger (7.0).

The Dudey brothers were the leaders in three-pointers made. Jackson bagged 70 and Carsen totaled 66. Other three-point leaders were Vermillion (45), Taflinger (34) and McDaniel (13).

The team’s most accurate free throw shooters were Taflinger (82.4 percent), Vermillion (68.1 percent) and Jackson Dudley (62.3 percent).

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Peotone ended the season for the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team on Tuesday (Feb. 20) with a 35-21 victory over the Spartans in a Class 2A IHSA sectional semifinal game at Iroquois West.

SJ-O trailed, 21-15, at halftime, but managed just two second-half field goals and suffered the loss.

Addison Frick led the Spartans with nine points and Addy Martinie added eight points. Both players netted two three-point shots.

Finishing with two points apiece were Timera Blackburn-Kelley and Kayla Osterbur.

SJ-O ends the year with a 17-12 record.

Martinie led the team in scoring in 13 games. Frick led in nine games. Katie Ericksen led three times and Addison Brooks led twice as did Addison Seggebruch. Timera Blackburn-Kelley was the scoring leader in one game.

Martinie (13.8 scoring average) was the team’s top scorer followed by Frick (11.4) and Seggebruch (7.4).

Martinie led the team in three-pointers with 85, followed by Frick (59), Brooks (37) and Ericksen (27).

The Spartans’ leading free throw shooters – with a minimum of 10 attempts – were Frick (68.3 percent), Ericksen (62.5 percent) and Martinie (59.1 percent).

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Fred@mahometnews.com

St. Joseph-Ogden’s boys’ basketball team took a 10-point lead after one quarter on Wednesday (Feb. 21) and went on to a 59-25 conquest over visiting Sullivan in a semifinal game of the SJ-O IHSA Class 2A regional tournament.

The Spartans led, 17-7, after one quarter and 32-11 at halftime over a 20-win Sullivan squad.

Tanner Jacob poured in 18 points and Coy Taylor connected for 13 SJ-O points. The Spartans also received nine points apiece from Tanner Siems and Logan Smith. Logan Lackey tallied six points and Luke Landrus contributed four points.

SJ-O (25-6) takes a seven-game winning streak into the Friday (Feb. 23) championship game against Shelbyville (24-6). Sullivan ends the season with a 22-10 record.

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Addy Martinie and Addison Frick both scored six fourth-quarter points on Thursday (Feb. 15) as the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team held off Kankakee Bishop McNamara, 45-41, in the championship game of the IHSA Class 2A Clifton Central Regional.

Martinie knocked down five three-pointers en route to a team-high 21 points. Frick ended with 11 points.

SJ-O led 18-17, at halftime and 29-28 after three quarters.

Katie Ericksen tallied five points and Sara Kearney finished with four points. Timera Blackburn-Kelley collected three points and Addison Brooks notched a free throw.

SJ-O hit nine three-pointers. Others besides Martinie who made shots from beyond the arc were Frick (two), Blackburn-Kelley (one) and Ericksen (one).

The Spartans connected on 6 of 8 free throws, all in the final quarter. Martinie was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

SJ-O (17-11) has won five of its last six games and returns to action on Tuesday (Feb. 20) in the 7:30 p.m. semifinal game of the Iroquois West sectional in Gilman. The third-seeded Spartans will take on top-seeded Peotone.

The schools played on Feb. 6 with Peotone winning by 12 points.

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