Aliya Holloman led the Blue Devils in scoring for the 20th time this season on Tuesday, firing in a team-high 26 points in a 65-20 triumph over Judah Christian in Champaign.

Holloman scored 12 points in the first quarter as VG/H opened up a 22-4 lead.

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

Kyleigh Block scored 11 points, Vanessa Wright had 10 points and Samantha Campbell ended with nine points.

On Monday, Holloman tallied 29 points in a 63-33 romp at home over Toledo Cumberland.

Block contributed 15 points and Campbell totaled eight.

VG/H vaulted into an 18-7 lead after one quarter. Holloman netted 11 points in the opening frame and Block had five.

The Blue Devils (23-5) return to action tonight in their Senior Night home finale against Argenta-Oreana. VG/H is 8-1 in Lincoln Prairie Conference action.

Holloman and Jordyn Ray are the seniors who will be honored before their final home game.

The team has five consecutive wins and victories in seven of its last eight contests.

VG/H will play next week 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.

The post Holloman leads Blue Devils over Judah Christian and Toledo Cumberland first appeared on SJO Daily.

Senior Katelyn Young scored all of her game-high 27 points in the first half on Monday as the Comets dispatched visiting Georgetown-Ridge Farm 54-11 in a Senior Night Vermilion Valley Conference game.

Young hit 17 points in the opening quarter as Oakwood opened up a 25-5 lead.

The Comets’ other double-figure scorer against the Buffaloes was the team’s other senior. Aubrey Wells put up 10 points in her final home game.

Oakwood led 44-9 at halftime and allowed just two second-half points.

Monday’s game marked the 10th one this season that the opponent scored fewer than 20 points.

Young’s career point total stands at 2,298. The senior is 17 points away from breaking the school’s 35-year-old career scoring mark. Stacie Calhoun tallied 2,314 points before graduating in 1985.

Young has scored at least 20 points in 19 of the 26 games in which she has played this season. Her season average is 22.9 points per game.

The Comets (22-6) have won seven of their last eight games. The team returns to action tonight in its regular-season finale at Danville Schlarman. Oakwood is 10-2 in conference games.

The post Young and Wells lead Comets in Senior Night win first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets’ defense held Westville scoreless in the third quarter on Thursday and Oakwood emerged with a 60-15 Vermilion Valley Conference victory on the road.

Oakwood led 27-10 at halftime and limited the Tigers to two second-half field goals.

Katelyn Young scored eight of her game-high 29 points in the opening frame as the Comets jumped into a 14-6 advantage.

Mikayla Cox and Karsen Rupp each tallied eight points. Addie Wright chipped in with seven points.

Young’s career point total stands at 2,271. The senior is 44 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 (21-6) return to action tonight in their Senior Night home finale against Georgetown-Ridge Farm. Oakwood is 9-2 in Vermilion Valley Conference games.

Oakwood has been assigned to a Class 2A regional at Maroa where it will open postseason play at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 10  against Westville. The winner of that game will play Tolono Unity in a semifinal game on Feb. 12.

The post Oakwood picks up Vermilion Valley Conference win over Westville first appeared on SJO Daily.

Dan Sappenfield made his debut in coaching the way many others have gotten their starts.

He was a dutiful dad.

As his children started showing an interest in sports, he volunteered to help with the programs in which they were involved.

“T-ball, Little League and you progress up the line,” Sappenfield said.

He eventually spent a year coaching junior high girls’ basketball in Villa Grove and then served as the high school junior varsity coach for three seasons, starting in the fall of 2003. In Year 2, Sappenfield’s daughter Chelsea was a freshman and a member of the team.

When the former VG girls’ basketball head coach, Todd Shunk, resigned prior to Chelsea Sappenfield’s junior year, dad stepped in again.

“I thought I would stay a couple of years,” Dan Sappenfield said.

His tenure is still continuing. On Monday, the 14th-year head coach earned career win No. 200 when his Villa Grove/Heritage team posted a 70-21 triumph at home over Decatur Lutheran.

“Two hundred is another number,” he said, “but I won’t downplay it. Two hundred is a little different.”

On Saturday, when he had his first shot at the milestone, nearly three dozen former players were in the stands. Two days later, Sappenfield said there was still a “tremendous support group.”

One night after the 200th win was earned, his Blue Devils recorded another victory of significance.

In Tuesday’s 77-9 decision over Georgetown-Ridge Farm, VG/H reached the 20-win mark. Going back 30 years, this is the first time for Villa Grove to have back-to-back 20-win seasons in girls’ basketball. (Heritage girls’ basketball teams enjoyed consecutive 20-win seasons three times prior to the formation of the co-op).

“The wins are awesome, but what I enjoy is watching the kids excel in a way that maybe they didn’t know they had the ability to, and see how 12 to 15 kids can come together as a group,” Dan Sappenfield said.

“You have pieces to a puzzle that you have to use to make a perfect picture by the end of the year.”

Sappenfield is not one to keep track of his individual achievements.

Ask him about his first varsity victory and he said, “I don’t remember.”

Career win No. 100? The response is the same.

That’s not what he’s about.

“We want to make the experience as positive as we can for the kids and teach them to be good women, and strong,” Sappenfield said. “There’s pressure, but it’s good pressure.

“The kids know what they will get when they come into my program. They know we try to keep consistency as we build the program.”

The term “consistency” is not a misnomer.

“My practice plans look pretty similar to when I started,” Sappenfield said. “I have every practice plan and, in fact, our first three practices this year were the same as the first three my first year (2006-07).

“Don’t make it more complicated than you have to.”

The practice days that followed this season were somewhat different out of necessity.

“We’ve made some adjustments because our personnel the last couple of years has been so much more athletic,” he said.

Sappenfield doesn’t spend his days in a school building. He is part of the Boyer & Sappenfield Investment Advisors group, a job he has held for 29 years.

“Every day at 3:30, no matter what goes on during the day helping people with finances and the markets, coaching gives you a respite,” Sappenfield said.

His clients are understanding as the mid-afternoon hours draw near.

“I have amazing clients who know my love of the game,” Sappenfield said. “The first thing they will ask is, ‘How is the season going?’”

During his time on the sidelines, Sappenfield has made adjustments based on personnel, but he doesn’t alter much of his personal philosophy.

“I try to be as consistent and fair with the kids as I can,” he said. “For them, it’s not important how much you know. They want to see that you care.”

Sappenfield has been that person. For his first seven years as the head coach, the program consisted solely of Villa Grove athletes. The past seven have included students from Heritage as the co-op was implemented.

“The co-op brings in different personalities,” Sappenfield said, “and our job is to make it as cohesive as possible.”

Teen-agers who have been rivals previously now find themselves on the same side. Sappenfield knows what is possible based on the early years of the co-op.

Villa Grove’s Alix Ezell and Heritage’s Micaela Childress first got together as teammates.

“And now, they are still good friends,” Sappenfield said. “They never would have been friends without the co-op.”

Sappenfield’s original target of coaching a couple of years has been far exceeded, but the 54-year-old doesn’t see retirement in his near future, he said, “as long as I feel like I’m making an impact in kids’ lives.”

Some of his family members have told him to stay with the coaching. His daughter, Chelsea Williams, has two children, including a daughter who is in third grade.

Son Drew Sappenfield – who works in the family business – has a 4-year-old daughter.

“They’re telling me I have to hang on for them,” Sappenfield said.

Working in the family business includes more for Drew Sappenfield than his day job. He is also known as Coach Sappenfield. He works with the junior high boys’ basketball program in Villa Grove.

One of Dan Sappenfield’s personal highlights has nothing to do with any games that his teams have played.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have had great kids to work with,” Sappenfield said. “I’ve heard coaches talk about parents being an issue.

“My parents have been amazing. This wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have great parents, and the kids go with that.”

There’s one parent in particular that Sappenfield sees on occasion in the stands. None of her children have ever been a part of his VG/H program, but he listens when she speaks.

It’s his sister, Lisa Sappenfield Boyer.

“We talk a lot about basketball and what my team looks like,” Dan Sappenfield said.

There was a time, before the co-op with Heritage was formed, that the siblings couldn’t talk so freely. Boyer is a former Heritage girls’ basketball head coach.

Their teams played against each other, but Dan Sappenfield doesn’t believe either one ended with bragging rights.

“I think we split,” he said.

***

In games this week, the Blue Devils continued a season-long streak on Monday with their 70-21 win at home over Decatur Lutheran.

Every time VG/H has lost a game this season, it has followed up with a victory in the next game.

The team rebounded after suffering a loss on Saturday to Tri-County.

Kyleigh Block scored 19 points in the milestone win vs. Decatur Lutheran. Samantha Campbell and Aliya Holloman each ended with 11 points.

Block hit 10 of her points in the first quarter and Holloman added seven in the first eight minutes as VG/H zoomed into a 32-4 lead.

Decatur Lutheran managed just three first-half field goals as VG/H extended its lead to 53-8.

On Tuesday, in the victory over the Buffaloes, Holloman and Block each reached the 20-point mark together for the second time in a game this season.

Holloman tallied 26 points to sail past the 1,700-point mark for her career, and Block made 21 points as she eclipsed the 1,100-point plateau.

Campbell added 14 points.

Villa Grove/Heritage limited G-RF to two field goals in the game. The Blue Devils created a 36-2 lead after one quarter.

VG/H (20-5) returns to action tonight at Arcola.

The post Dan Sappenfield reaches 200 wins: recognizes players, parents and love for the game first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets fell behind early and were unable to catch up on Tuesday in a Vermilion County Tournament game at Danville’s Palmer Arena.

Josh Young scored all 12 of his team-high points in the third period against Georgetown-Ridge Farm, but the Buffaloes prevailed 48-36.

Jackson Powell scored eight points for Oakwood, which trailed 22-15 at halftime.

G-RF hit 13 of 17 free throw attempts and advanced into Saturday’s championship game.

Oakwood (10-10) returns to action tonight in the 8 o’clock game against Salt Fork.

The post Early deficit puts Georgetown-Ridge Farm over Comets in tournament play first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets (10-9) opened play in the Vermilion County Tournament on Saturday at Danville’s Palmer Arena by overpowering Armstrong-Potomac 59-32.

The point total was the second-fewest allowed by Oakwood this season.

Josh Young led the Comets with 14 points. Brevin Wells totaled 10 points. Finishing with eight apiece were Kade Anderson and Jackson Powell.

Oakwood limited A-P to five first-half field goals and had more than doubled the score by halftime, leading 29-14.

The Comets return to action on Tuesday in the 6:30 p.m. game at the County Tournament against Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

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The Comets needed three overtimes on Tuesday to secure a 73-65 victory at Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

Josh Young hit a season-high 23 points and became the second Comet this season with a 20-point game. Young tallied 14 of his points in the overtime periods and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line after the end of regulation.

Overall, Oakwood nailed 16 of 20 free throws.

G-RF carried a 41-36 lead into the fourth period.

Brevin Wells netted 15 points with all five of his baskets coming from three-point range. For the season, Wells has made a team-best 44 three-pointers.

Jackson Powell and Isiah Ruch were also steady scorers with 12 points apiece against the Buffaloes. Kade Anderson contributed eight points.

Oakwood is 8-8 overall and 3-0 in Vermilion Valley Conference games entering Friday’s home game against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.

The post Comets top Georgetown-Ridge Farm in three overtimes first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Hawks used a 28-point third-quarter on Friday to pull away from Arthur Okaw Christian, 65-40, in a non-conference game at Heritage.

VG/H carried a 26-23 lead into halftime, but built its lead to 54-31 after three quarters.

Blake Smith netted a season-high 21 points to lead the Hawks. He drained four three-point shots, also a season high.

Logan Nohren added 19 points and Nick Coffin scored 10 points.

VG/H is 7-3 overall and returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 26 in its own BSN Tournament, with games at 11:30 a.m. against Georgetown-Ridge Farm and at 7 p.m. against Judah Christian.

The post Big third quarter pulls Heritage boys’ basketball over Arthur Okaw Christian first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets reached the 10-win mark on Thursday, building a double-digit lead after one quarter at Georgetown en route to a 38-14 conquest of the Buffaloes.

Katelyn Young scored 13 points and Addie Wright notched 12 points for Oakwood. Aaliyah Denius added six points.

Oakwood, which has a three-game winning streak, carried a 33-8 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Comets (10-2) return to action tonight at home against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, weather permitting. Oakwood is 3-0 in Vermilion Valley Conference games.

The post Oakwood girls’ basketball picks up 10th win 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.