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Basketball players learn at a young age, your shooting percentage for the game shouldn’t cross your mind when it comes time to attempt a potential last-second game-winner.

Whether you are 10-for-10 or 1-for-20, the outcome of the game could be determined by the final shot. Those with confidence want the ball.

The philosophy is one that Villa Grove senior Jake Eversole understands well. He applied it to a different facet of basketball: recruitment.

With a senior season that got started late due to COVID-19, didn’t include a postseason, also due to COVID-19, and featured almost as many games missed as ones played, also due to COVID-19, Eversole was behind the eight-ball in his pursuit of playing the game at the collegiate level.

“Since summer, trying to get my name out there, I emailed close to 50 (college coaches),” Eversole said. “Not many responded.”

But, he didn’t need a response rate pushing 100 percent. After all, ultimately Eversole could only accept one scholarship offer.

“Five schools emailed me back,” Eversole said.

He wasn’t surprised.

“I understand it,” he said. “There’s only so much you can see in a highlight film.”

One of the five that contacted Eversole was actually high on his priority list, Mattoon’s Lake Land College.

“I was interested in Lake Land from the start,” Eversole said. “It’s close, and I love that area.”

By the end of the recruiting process, the interest was mutual. Lake Land coach Julian Larry made a scholarship offer on Monday (April 19) after Eversole made a campus visit that day and worked out with some of the Lake Land players.

On Wednesday (April 21), Eversole signed a letter of intent at Villa Grove High School.

“I love his passing,” Larry said. “I like how he adapted his game to our players.”

The first-year Lake Land head coach appreciates the effort that Eversole – and his family – took in order to enhance his recruitability.

“You never want to give up on your dreams and goals,” Larry said. “Jake has that drive and work ethic.”

What helped Eversole’s cause – in addition to his showing in the workout at Lake Land – was that it wasn’t a solo venture.

“Jake has tremendous community support,” Larry said. “I was getting calls on him and kept checking to see what he was doing.”

Lake Land’s roster this season included players from Canada and Brazil as well as from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Florida. Larry doesn’t mind landing a player a short distance away.

“It’s good to have kids who will bring community members to the games,” Larry said. “We’re excited to have Jake as part of our family and to see him grow.”

Eversole is joining a program that had a 6-14 record in the recently completed season.

Contact tracing caused the 6-foot-3 Eversole to miss five of Villa Grove/Heritage’s 13 games as a senior, including four in a row leading up to the last game.

He came off of a quarantine in time for the March 12 season finale at Chrisman, and scored 31 points in a 68-46 VG/Heritage win.

“I was focused on going out on a good note,” Eversole said. “That’s what I wanted to do in every game.”

He made sure he wasn’t rusty following the two-week, late-season layoff.

“I worked out with my trainer during the quarantine,” Eversole said. “This season had a lot of ups and downs.

“After the season, I was disappointed in myself.  I didn’t feel that I showed myself enough to get as many offers as I would like.”

Though he hadn’t played in an actual game for more than a month, Eversole felt prepared when asked to join in at Lake Land.

“I hadn’t played in a while, but I was still training,” he said. “I was confident in myself that I could impress them.”

He recognized quickly that the junior college game surpasses what he saw during his high school career.

“It took a while to get adjusted to the speed of the game,” Eversole said, “but I did all right. I was content with how I did.”

Eversole transferred to Villa Grove from Charleston after his freshman year and became a three-year starter.

As a senior, he averaged 15.1 points per game, but he didn’t need to score to impact the team.

Eversole had eight assists in a win over Tri-County and also had an eight-assist performance in a three-point win over Oakwood.

Since arriving in Villa Grove, Eversole bypassed football and baseball, he said, to be, “100 percent basketball. My main goal was to get this opportunity to play somewhere.

“I am more than grateful they offered (a scholarship).”

During his three years at Villa Grove, the team won more than two-thirds of its games (52 of 76).

The scholarship to Lake Land is not the end game, but the start of the journey.

By selecting a junior college, Eversole is hopeful that it can be a steppingstone to continuing his collegiate career in basketball.

“People are seeing the talent in the junior colleges,” he said. “I hope in two years I will be prepared to go somewhere else.”

To find himself in that position, there’s more work to be done.

“I know I need to work on my defense,” Eversole said. “I have something more to work for.”

For the moment, Eversole is going to take time to reflect on his accomplishment.

“It feels good to get recognized for the work I’ve put in,” he said. “This (signing) is a stress-reliever.

“I would have signed then and there.”

The post Jake Eversole commits to play basketball at Lake Land College appeared first on .

Senior Jake Eversole made the most of his final high school basketball game.

Eversole scored a season-high 31 points on Friday (March 12) as the Hawks posted a 68-46 non-conference win at Chrisman.

Eversole nailed three three-point shots, matching his best total of the year, which had been reached in three other contests.

Eversole was the lone VG/Heritage player to score in double figures.

Two other seniors, Logan Nohren and Carson Howard, contributed nine and eight points, respectively.

Nohren cleared a game-high 16 rebounds, his best total of the season. He ended with 46 rebounds in his final three games and for the year averaged a double-double with 17.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.

The Hawks built a 22-8 lead after one quarter and outscored the Cardinals in each subsequent period to pull away.

Hitting three-pointers besides Eversole were Devin Ellis and Dylan Ploense.

VG/Heritage completes the season with an 8-5 record. One of the wins was coach Corey White’s 100^th career triumph.

Eversole finished second on the team in scoring (15.1 average) and made a team-best 15 three-point shots.

Howard was also a steady scorer for the year, averaging 10.2 points per game. Nick Coffin was second on the team in three-pointers made, with nine.

Nohren led the team in scoring in nine games, Eversole was tops three times and Howard led, or shared the lead, twice.

Nohren and Eversole each eclipsed the 30-point scoring mark once.

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Two days after being held scoreless in the final road game of her high school basketball career, Villa Grove/Heritage senior Kyleigh Block erupted for a career-high 47 points in her final home game on Wednesday.

Block’s performance featured nine three-point shots. She tallied 20 first-quarter points, leading the Blue Devils past Warrensburg-Latham, 62-26. Block didn’t play in the game’s final six minutes.

“A game for the ages for one of the best kids I have ever coached,” VG/Heritage coach Dan Sappenfield said. “An amazing performance.”

The game was not just memorable for Block. It is one Sappenfield will carry with him.

“I will always remember my last girls’ basketball game,” the coach said.

After 15 years coaching girls’ basketball, Sappenfield will switch to the boys’ program for the 2021-22 school year.

Villa Grove/Heritage led 24-8 after one quarter and 40-12 at halftime.

Vanessa Wright scored five points in the season finale. Madie Burwell had four points. Kaylee Arbuckle had all of her points on one three-point shot. Hailey Stutz contributed two points, from the free throw line, and Malani Smithenry converted one free throw.

On Monday (March 8), VG/Heritage played its fifth road game in a row and its ninth contest (out of the first 11) away from home.

The road-weary team suffered a 67-10 loss at Clinton. Burwell led the Blue Devils with four points, including a three-point basket.

Scoring two points apiece for a team which made just 3 of 24 shots from the field were Arbuckle, Clodfelder and Stutz.

Clinton (12-3) led, 16-4, after the first quarter. VG/Heritage managed just three second-half points.

VG/Heritage ends the season with a 7-5 overall record. Block was the team’s top scorer in 11 games. Burwell was the leader in one game.

Block’s final-game outburst raised her scoring average to 21.3 points per game. She knocked down a team-best 42 three-point shots for the season.

Three teammates had games where they scored in double figures this season: Arbuckle, Burwell and Wright.

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Short-handed due to COVID-19 protocol, the Hawks were beaten in back-to-back road games to end the week.

On Friday (March 5), VG/Heritage lost at Toledo Cumberland, 66-37. On Saturday (March 6), the Hawks were decisioned at Sullivan, 59-37.

Senior Logan Nohren posted double-doubles in each game. He ended with 15 points and 10 rebounds at Cumberland before totaling 23 points and 15 rebounds against Sullivan.

Against Cumberland, Carson Howard chipped in with 12 points, Layne Rund had six points and Brady Clodfelder ended with four points.

Against Sullivan, the same four players again accounted for all of the team’s points. Following Nohren were Howard (eight points), Rund (five points) and Clodfelder (one point). Rund hit the Hawks’ lone three-pointer.

Howard pulled down 10 rebounds against the Redskins.

Cumberland turned an 18-12 first-quarter lead into a 32-18 halftime edge. Sullivan’s lead was 12-7 after one quarter and 30-20 at halftime.

Villa Grove/Heritage (6-5) returns to action on Tuesday (March 9) against Armstrong-Potomac.

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Kyleigh Block netted 17 points and Madie Burwell scored a season-high 12 points as Villa Grove/Heritage posted a 41-23 win on the road Monday (March 1) at Toledo Cumberland, 41-23.

Block hit three three-point shots and hasn’t made fewer than two three-pointers in any of the team’s first eight games.

Vanessa Wright scored five points and was 3-for-3 from the free throw line.  She was the only Blue Devil to attempt a free throw.

The Blue Devils allowed just two second-half field goals.

On Tuesday (March 2), VG/Heritage captured a road win at Decatur Lutheran, 45-21.

Block tallied a game-high 21 points and hit 4-of-5 shots from the free throw line. Burwell tossed in 10 points. Kaylee Arbuckle made a team-high two three-point shots.

The Blue Devils’ defense limited Lutheran to four field goals during the final three quarters.

VG/Heritage expanded a 13-9 first-quarter lead into a 23-14 halftime bulge. The advantage grew to 39-17 after three quarters.

On Wednesday (March 3), the Blue Devils made their third road trip in as many nights and returned home with their third win in that span.

Block and Arbuckle combined to score all 11 of the team’s first-half baskets as VG/Heritage sprinted past Argenta-Oreana, 50-27.

Block scored a game-high 23 points. Arbuckle hit a season-high 12 points. Burwell scored six points and Maci Clodfelder added five points.

The Blue Devils led, 12-9, after one quarter and 26-17 at halftime.

Villa Grove/Heritage (6-4) returns to action on Monday (March 8) at Clinton.

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Four squad members drained three-point shots on Tuesday (March 2) as Villa Grove/Heritage won at home, 73-48, in an Illini Prairie Conference game against Sangamon Valley.

Hitting from long distance were Jack Benschneider, Jake Eversole, Ashton Harrison and Issac Mahoe.

The balanced scoring attack included four double-digit scorers. Carson Howard led the way with 16 points. He was followed by Logan Nohren (14 points), Eversole (11 points and Mahoe (10 points).

Nohren hauled down a team-high nine rebounds.

The strong-starting Blue Devils held a 26-8 lead after the first eight minutes. The lead ballooned to 41-16 at halftime.

VG/Heritage (6-3) returns to action on Friday (March 5) at Toledo Cumberland.

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For the first time this season, the Villa Grove/Heritage girls’ basketball team had a two-game winning streak following a Thursday (Feb. 25) victory at home over Arcola, 43-32.

There’s a catch.

Due to the program being on a hiatus due to COVID-19 protocol, the games were played 17 days apart.

Even without all of its players available, the Blue Devils rode a game-high 29-point outburst by Kyleigh Block in the win against the Purple Riders.

Block nailed four of her eight baskets from beyond the three-point arc. She also had a double-double with a team-high 12 rebounds.

Kaylee Arbuckle scored six points for VG/Heritage. Maci Clodfelder added four points.

The Blue Devils led, 14-11, after one quarter and outscored Arcola (3-4) in each of the subsequent three quarters.

On Saturday (Feb. 27), the winning streak came to a halt against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, 62-24, in Arthur. A-L/A-H has a 9-1 season record.

Block again netted four three-pointers and swished a team-high 13 points. Clodfelder scored four points and Hailey Stutz added three points.

“Take two weeks off and the rim seems to get smaller and the ball a different shape,” VG/Heritage coach Dan Sappenfield said. “We shot under 20 percent from the field.”

Now that the VG/Heritage season has resumed, the squad faces a busy road – literally – trying to complete its schedule by the IHSA-imposed deadline.

The game with Arcola is the first of four on the road in a row during a five-day span for a team with a 3-4 season record. On Monday (March 1), VG/Heritage plays at Toledo Cumberland. That will be followed by games at Decatur Lutheran on Tuesday (March 2) and at Argenta-Oreana on Wednesday (March 3).

The post VGH girls’ basketball picks up win in first game back appeared first on .

The Hawks’ five-game winning streak was snapped on Thursday (Feb. 25) in a loss at home to Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, 64-41, in a Lincoln Prairie Conference contest.

Logan Nohren had team-high totals of 17 points and nine rebounds. Carson Howard contributed 12 points and Ashton Harrison made the team’s only three-point shot.

VG/Heritage (5-3) returns to action on Tuesday (March 2) at home against Sangamon Valley. A-L/A-H has a 5-1 season record.

The post Strong A-L/A-H snaps Hawk win streak appeared first on .

Senior Jake Eversole poured in a game-high 25 points on Friday (Feb. 19) to lead Villa Grove/Heritage to a win at home over Arcola, 53-41.

The Hawks blew into a 25-5 lead after one quarter.

Eversole nailed three three-point shots in the game.

Logan Nohren recorded nine points and 14 rebounds for VG/Heritage. Carson Howard and Issac Mahoe each ended with seven points.

On Saturday (Feb. 20), the Hawks again parlayed a strong start into a win. VG/H led Oakwood, 20-7, after one period and hung on for a 63-60 triumph.

The Hawks had three double-digit scorers: Nohren notched 16 points, Howard tallied 14 and Nick Coffin used his three-point prowess to contribute 12 points.

Coffin drained four three-point shots, accounting for all of his points. He hit two of his treys in the opening quarter and has drilled three-pointers in his past four games.

Ezra Ely added nine points and Eversole finished with eight points.

Nohren nailed 4 of 4 fourth-quarter free throws. He also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Howard cleared eight rebounds. Eversole handed out eight assists.

VG/Heritage led at halftime, 38-28, and 48-46 after three quarters.

The Hawks (4-2) return to action on Tuesday (Feb. 23) against Blue Ridge in Farmer City.

The post Hawks step-up in wins over Arcola and Oakwood appeared first on .

The Blue Devils (2-3) are on pause due to COVID-19 protocol. VG/Heritage hopes to return to action on Wednesday (Feb. 24) at home against Salt Fork. Five games are in jeopardy of not being played.

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