Five Comets earned postseason recognition on either the Vermilion Valley all-conference team or the Vermilion all-county team.

Senior Katelyn Young was a member of the 10-player first team on both honor squads.

Senior Aubrey Wells and junior Aaliyah Denius were members of the seven-player special mention list on both squads.

Addie Wright, who was selected to the 10-player honorable mention all-conference team, was elevated to the seven-player special mention all-county squad.

The other Oakwood player to earn recognition was sophomore Ashlynn Pinnick, an honorable mention all-county pick.

Denius and Pinnick were team scoring leaders in at least one game. Denius, Pinnick, Wells and Wright all had multiple games where they scored in double figures.

Young averaged a team-best 22.7 points per game for the 23-8 Comets.

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After hitting a season-low for points scored in a game (19) in its previous contest, Oakwood achieved a season’s high on Monday in a 70-29 win at home against Chrisman.

The Comet led 23-3 after one quarter en route to their 20th win of the season.

Katelyn Young hit the 30-point mark for the sixth time as a senior, tossing in a game-high 31 points.

Addie Wright chipped in with 14 points and Ashlynn Pinnick contributed 10 points.

Pinnick scored eight of her points in the first quarter and Young hit 17 of hers in the second quarter.

Young’s career point total stands at 2,242. The senior is 73 points away from breaking the school’s 35-year-old career scoring mark. Stacie Calhoun tallied 2,314 points before graduating in 1985.

The Comets (20-6) have a minimum of four games left in their season. They return to action tonight at Westville. Oakwood’s 20-win season is its fourth in a row in girls’ basketball.

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The Comets’ streak of consecutive Vermilion County Tournament basketball championships ended at three when Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin recorded a 33-19 win on Friday in the finals at Danville’s Palmer Arena.

This year was the fourth in a row that the same teams played in the County Tournament championship game.

Ashlynn Pinnick scored six points and Katelyn Young had four points for Oakwood.

In December, B-H/R-A had lost to Oakwood 39-32.

The Comets (19-6) return to action tonight at home against Chrisman.

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For the sixth time this season, the Comets held an opponent to fewer than 20 points in a game.

Oakwood’s 26-16 win on Monday was at Hoopeston Area.

The Comets kept the Cornjerkers scoreless in the first period, but were only ahead 11-10 at halftime.

Katelyn Young made six of her team-high 12 points in the third quarter as Oakwood moved into a 22-13 lead.

Hoopeston managed just two field goals in the second half.

Karsen Rupp scored six points and Ashlynn Pinnick made four for the Comets.

Oakwood (16-5) returns to action tonight at Salt Fork. Oakwood is 6-2 in Vermilion Valley Conference games.

The post Strong defense leads Oakwood Girls’ Basketball over Hoopeston Area first appeared on SJO Daily.

Senior Katelyn Young on Monday became the fourth athlete in Oakwood High School history to reach the 2,000-point mark for a career.

She reached the milestone with a basket in the final 3 minutes of a 39-32 triumph at home over previously unbeaten Bismarck-Henning (10-1).

Young scored a game-high 29 points. It was No. 27 that enabled her to join a 2,000-point club that includes 1985 graduate Stacie Calhoun (2,314 points), 1982 graduate Peggy Witsman (2,176 points) and 2010 graduate Amy Martin (2,010 points).

There was no special recognition at the time of the historic point.

“Considering it was so close, we didn’t do an announcement or anything,” Oakwood head coach Stephanie Marsh said. “We will announce it again before our game on Thursday (against Salt Fork). She will also receive the game ball.”

Young rallied the Comets (11-2), who trailed 9-3 after one quarter, but held a halftime lead by holding the Blue Devils scoreless in the second quarter. Young tallied eight of her points in the second quarter and nine in the third quarter.

Young made all of the seven second-half field goals that were converted by the Comets.

In the fourth quarter, she nailed 4 of 4 free throws.

Ashlynn Pinnick scored five points for Oakwood.

The post Young becomes fourth Comet to reach 2,000 points first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets bounded back from a one-point loss to register their top defensive effort of the year on Monday, a 35-14 Vermilion Valley Conference win at Westville.

Westville is the third opponent to manage less than 20 points in a game against Oakwood.

Playing without the injured Katelyn Young, Oakwood held a 6-4 lead after one quarter and was ahead 15-8 at halftime before keeping the visiting Tigers scoreless in the third quarter.

Aaliyah Denius led Oakwood with 10 points, including six in the third stanza. Karsen Rupp totaled nine points and Mikayla Cox chipped in with six points.

Westville was limited to two second-half field goals.

Young returned to the lineup on Wednesday and tallied 11 of her game-high 31 points in the first quarter, helping the Comets to a 63-40 triumph over visiting Centennial.

The team point total was a season’s high for Oakwood.

Ashlynn Pinnick also registered her personal high against the Chargers, making 19 points. Denius scored six points and Addie Wright ended with five points.

After limiting Centennial to two second-quarter points, the Comets held a 32-13 halftime cushion.

Oakwood (9-2) returns to action tonight at Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

The post Oakwood girls’ basketball picks up Vermilion County Conference win at Westville first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets (7-2) opened Vermilion Valley Conference play on Thursday with a win at Chrisman (62-19) before dropping a 41-40 decision at home on Saturday against St. Joseph-Ogden.

Against Chrisman, Oakwood built a 27-0 lead after one quarter and limited the Cardinals to three first-half baskets.

Katelyn Young scored 17 points and Ashlynn Pinnick had 10 points. Aaliyah Denius hit eight points and Kalie Tison contributed five points.

Against SJ-O, the Comets jumped into a 13-6 lead after one quarter, but fell behind at halftime, 24-23.

Young hit a team-high 22 points. Denius scored 11 and Addie Wright added three points.

Oakwood returns to action tonight at home against Westville.

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Oakwood Boys’ basketball

The Comets scored nearly half of their points from three-point range on Tuesday (24 of 50), but dropped a 60-50 decision to Judah Christian at Champaign.

Brevin Wells scored a team-high 14 points and hit three shots from three-point range. Kade Anderson also dropped in three three-pointers and added 11 points.

Josh Young finished with 10 points.

Judah led 32-23 at halftime and was only able to increase its margin by one point in the second half.

When the same teams played a week earlier in the Tri-County Tournament, Oakwood registered a 54-43 victory.

Oakwood (4-3) returns to action on Friday in its home-opener against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond.

Oakwood Girls’ basketball

Aaliyah Denius scored eight first-quarter points and Katelyn Young scored six in the opening frame on Monday to lead the Comets past visiting Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, 53-27.

Young went on to post her third 30-point game of the season. She had a game-high 30 points. Denius ended with 10 points and Ashlynn Pinnick chipped in with nine points.

Oakwood held the visitors to five second-half field goals.

The Comets (6-1) return to action tonight at Chrisman.

The post Strong start puts Oakwood girls’ basketball ahead of Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, boys’ basketball opens at home Friday first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Oakwood Comets girls’ basketball team won all four games in last week’s Comet Classic to capture team honors in the eight-school event.

After knocking off Blue Ridge in the opener, 49-15, Oakwood followed up with a 49-21 triumph over Urbana University High and a 60-29 conquest of Rantoul that sent coach Stephanie Marsh’s team into Friday’s title game.

Katelyn Young scored 32 points against Uni and 34 against Rantoul. Addie Wright hit seven points in each of those games. Aaliyah Denius totaled nine points against the Eagles.

Against Uni, which has a 5-2 season record, Young netted 12 first-quarter points as the Comets jumped into a 16-6 lead. Uni managed just three second-half field goals.

Young followed up with 19 points in the first half versus Rantoul (1-5). She swished 10 points and Denius added six during a 23-9 third-quarter spurt. The Eagles connected on just five second-half baskets.

In the championship game, Oakwood (5-1 overall) edged Tri-County (4-1 overall), 60-59. The Comets led 15-9 after one quarter, but had to withstand a fourth quarter where the Titans sank 7-of-8 free throws and made three three-pointers.

Young scored seven of her team-high 23 points in the fourth stanza to keep the Comets in control.

Wright (16 points) and Ashlynn Pinnick (12 points) both reached their season’s high for scoring. Wright hit what proved to be the decisive basket in the final half-minute. Her shot gave the team a three-point lead.

After making 4-of-10 free throws in the first three quarters, the Comets drained 7-of-11 in the fourth quarter.

Oakwood returns to action tonight at home against Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond. It is the first of eight games for the team in an 18-day period. Six of those games will be played at home.

Young is averaging 26.1 points per game through six games.

Oakwood Boys’ basketball

Thanks to the perimeter prowess of Brevin Wells, Oakwood won the team title in the Tri-County Turkey Tournament.

Oakwood (4-2 overall) and Judah Christian completed the tournament with 4-1 records. By virtue of a 54-43 win against Judah, the Comets emerged as the team titlists.

In his last three tourney games, Wells drained 16 of his 18 field goals from three-point range, scoring 54 points in that span.

Oakwood started the week with a 50-38 win over the Paris junior varsity team, a game where it fell behind 14-6 in the first quarter before recovering and carrying a 23-16 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Josh Young, Isiah Ruch and Kade Anderson all scored 12 points.

On Tuesday, the Comets lost a non-tournament game to Watseka, 50-40.  Ruch led the way with 12 points. Jackson Powell had 10 points and Young netted nine.

Wells’ 12 points were tops for the Comets in a 66-35 win over Martinsville. Young added 10 points and Ruch collected nine.

Martinsville managed just four second-half baskets.

A 29-24 halftime lead ballooned to 51-30 entering the fourth quarter. Wells had seven points and Young six in the third quarter.

Against Judah, Oakwood trailed 8-2 after one period and 21-14 at halftime.

Wells and Powell each made seven third-quarter points and the Comets surged ahead, 38-35.

Judah managed just seven second-half field goals.

Wells and Powell each ended with 12 points.

In a 70-65 loss to Tri-County, Wells converted eight three-point shots en route to a 24-point effort.

Powell had 13 points and Ruch totaled 12.

Oakwood completed tournament play with a 64-55 win over Hutsonville/Palestine.

Wells tallied 18 points, Young had 17 and Elijah Harden chipped in with 10.

The Comets made 16 of 21 free throws. After the first quarter, Oakwood’s lead was 25-7.

Oakwood

Wrestling

Five Comet grapplers were recognized by The Illinois Best Weekly in the publication’s preseason Class 1A state rankings.

Junior Gage Reed was rated third at 113 pounds and senior Caide Borden was ranked fifth at 220 pounds. Reed was 35-10 last year and Borden was 26-9 a year ago.

Three teammates achieved honorable mention status: sophomore Joe Lashuay (132 pounds), junior Connor Hutson (138 pounds) and senior Caleb Lashuay (152 pounds).

Oakwood will open its season on Saturday at the Cumberland Duals.

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The Comets opened the season on Tuesday with a 58-35 triumph over Judah Christian in Champaign.

The Comets led 20-4 after one quarter and expanded their lead into a final 23-point margin.

Katelyn Young scored a game-high 26 points and was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Teammate Karsen Rupp had 11 points and the lone Oakwood three-pointer.

Aubrey Wells added eight points, Aaliyah Denius had six points, Ashlynn Pinnick had five and Addie Wright ended with two points.

Oakwood (1-0) will host its own McDonald’s Comet Classic and faces a first-round game at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday against Blue Ridge (1-0), which won its season-opener on Monday 76-1 over Decatur Christian.

The post Young and Rupp lead Oakwood Girls’ Basketball to win over Judah Christian first appeared on SJO Daily.