The regional drought continues for Villa Grove/Heritage.

The Blue Devils dropped a 50-34 decision to St. Joseph-Ogden in Thursday’s Class 2A girls’ basketball regional finals on the Spartans’ court.

The last regional crown for a Villa Grove girls’ basketball team came in 1999. For Heritage, the most-recent regional title was claimed in 2004.

Kyleigh Block scored a team-high 14 points for the Blue Devils. Aliya Holloman had nine points and Samantha Campbell totaled six points.

“We didn’t finish plays that we normally did all year,” VG/H coach Dan Sappenfield said. “We couldn’t find that offensive rhythm.”

VG/H trailed 24-18 at halftime, but rallied and took a 27-26 third-quarter lead.

Sappenfield prefers to look at the positives of the season as he reflects. The 25 wins are the most ever for a girls’ basketball team from Villa Grove.

“Twenty-two was the most before,” Sappenfield said. “It was an awesome season with a cohesive group that was connected all year.”

VG/H finished 8 of 15 from the free-throw line against the Spartans and was held to six second-half field goals.

Holloman and Jordyn Ray are the lone graduating seniors.

“Those two left it better than they found it, and that’s all you can ask,” Sappenfield said. “We have a nice nucleus back, but we will miss them a ton.”

VG/H (25-6) had its second seven-game winning streak ended in the regional finals by SJ-O (21-10).

In the pre-game individual three-point shooting contest, Block drained 11 of 15 attempts and was one of four athletes to advance to next week’s Paris Sectional. The other three qualifiers were from Clinton.

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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.

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Kyleigh Block hit for a game-high 22 points Thursday night as Villa Grove/Heritage won its third game in a row with a 61-46 triumph at Arcola.

Block netted eight of her points in the opening stanza as VG/H vaulted into a 17-6 lead.

Three teammates joined her in double figures. Samantha Campbell scored 12 points. Jordyn Ray had 11 points and Madie Burwell ended with 10 points.

The Blue Devils (21-5) return to action tonight at home against Toledo Cumberland.

VG/H was assigned to a Class 2A regional at St. Joseph-Ogden and will start postseason play on Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. against either Schlarman or Georgetown-Ridge Farm in the semifinals.

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Aliya Holloman scored 16 points and Kyleigh Block added 12 on Saturday, but VG/H was unable to keep up with top-seeded Tri-County and suffered a 62-49 loss in the championship game of the Lincoln Prairie Conference Tournament at Villa Grove.

The Titans led 16-12 after one quarter and 32-29 at halftime.

Jordyn Ray hit a season-high 11 points for VG/H,

Block and Holloman each made 16 points Thursday night as the Blue Devils overpowered Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond 57-39 in a semifinal tournament game at Villa Grove.

Madie Burwell matched her season’s high with 11 points.

Samantha Campbell contributed eight points.

The Blue Devils led 13-7 after one quarter and 29-19 at halftime.

VG/H (18-5) returns to action tonight at home against Decatur Lutheran.

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Samantha Campbell scored nine first-quarter points on Monday, staking the Blue Devils to an early 19-11 lead in a game they won at Cerro Gordo 67-41.

Aliya Holloman hit a team-high 28 points. Campbell put up 15 points, just shy of her season-high of 16.

Madie Burwell contributed 10 points and Jordyn Ray ended with eight points.

On Tuesday, the Blue Devils carved a 66-5 lead after three quarters at home en route to a non-conference home win over Chrisman, 80-20.

The point total was a season-high for VG/H. The win was the fifth in a row for the Blue Devils.

Holloman scored 17 first-quarter points, helping the team to a 37-point outburst during the opening eight minutes. Campbell and Kyleigh Block each netted eight points in the first quarter.

On the night she was honored for reaching the 1,000-point mark (which occurred in December), Block ended with 13 points.  Campbell tallied 10 points as did Vanessa Wright. Maci Clodfelder added eight points.

VG/H is 16-3 overall and returns to action tonight at Tri-County.

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The Blue Devils dropped a 56-52 non-conference at home on Tuesday to Unity.

Kyleigh Block and Aliya Holloman each scored 13 points to lead VG/H. Teammates Jordyn Ray (nine points), Samantha Campbell (eight points) and Madie Burwell (seven points) were also major contributors.

The Blue Devils were unable to overcome a 39-point outburst from Elyce Knudsen, who hit 13 of 16 field goal attempts, including 7 of 8 from three-point range. Knudsen made all six of her free throw attempts.

Knudsen scored 14 first-quarter points as the Rockets (8-2) carved a 17-8 lead.

VG/H (9-2) returns to action on Dec. 26 in the Bismarck-Henning Tournament.

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Kyleigh Block hit a game-high 25 points on Thursday as the Blue Devils doubled up visiting Blue Ridge, 62-30.

Samantha Campbell scored 13 points for VG/H, which has a seven-game winning streak.

Kaylee Arbuckle and Jordyn Ray each contributed six points.

The Blue Devils put up 20 first-quarter points and at halftime had what proved to be enough points for the win, 31.

VG/H returns to action tonight, weather permitting, against Judah Christian in Champaign.

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Kyleigh Block made seven first-quarter points on Monday and finished as one of three squad members to score in double figures during a 55-34 victory over Okaw Valley in Bethany.

Aliya Holloman collected a season-high 27 points followed by Block with 13 points and Jordyn Ray with 10 points. Kaylee Arbuckle added five points.

VG/H (8-1) puts its six-game winning streak on the line tonight with a home game against Blue Ridge.

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Heritage Volleyball

The Hawks won their 10th match in their last 11 outings on Thursday, sweeping DeLand-Weldon on the Eagles’ court, 25-18, 25-23.

Olivia Sorensen had 24 assists and two aces.

Bri Struck pounded 14 kills and added seven digs. Anna Sanders had seven digs. Teammate Malani Smithhenry had matching totals for kills and digs with six apiece.

Heritage (10-2) returns to action on Tuesday at home against Okaw Valley.

Villa Grove/Heritage Football

Blake Smith’s touchdown pass to Lerik Sorenson in the final minute of the first half on Friday accounted for the only points for Villa Grove/Heritage in a 41-6 loss to state-ranked Arcola in Villa Grove.

Smith completed 8 of 17 passes for 90 yards. Kehm Shirley had three receptions. Sorenson caught two passes as did Carson Howard.  Shirley rushed for a team-high 65 yards on 11 carries.

Sorenson had 90 yards on kickoff returns.

Arcola is ranked eight in Class 1A.

VG/H (1-2) returns to action on Friday at Sangamon Valley.

Heritage Golf

Zach Buesing finished in fourth place, two strokes behind the medalist in Saturday’s Blue Ridge Invitational at Woodlawn Country Club.

Buesing fired an 80 for VG/Heritage, which didn’t have enough competitors to be scored as a team.

Villa Grove Volleyball

The Blue Devils (6-4) completed a comeback on Thursday and handed Okaw Valley a 16-25, 25-14, 25-21 loss.

Jordyn Ray led the way with three kills and three aces for VG, which is unbeaten in Lincoln Prairie Conference matches.

The win snapped a three-match losing streak.

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