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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Young will also be invited to play in the annual IBCA all-star game at the end of the school year.

Young broke Oakwood’s all-time scoring record – for girls or boys – by amassing 2,361 points in her four-year career, including 658 points as a senior.

She was the Comets’ top scorer in 28 of the 29 games she played as a senior for the 23-8 squad. For the season, she averaged 22.7 points per game.

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Oakwood’s girls’ basketball team learned a lesson that many programs, coaches and fans alike must accept this time of the year.

A season seldom ends the way those associated with a program would hope, unless it’s with a championship-game victory.

The Comets dropped a 50-47 decision to Tolono Unity on Thursday in the semifinals of the Maroa-Forsyth Class 2A Regional.

For a half, Oakwood was on fire. The Comets led 22-12 at the break and coach Stephanie Marsh said, “we played really solid, a good first half.”

With Aaliyah Denius excelling in her role as the chaser in Oakwood’s box-and-one defense – that was designed to slow down Unity’s all-time scoring leader, Elyce Knudsen – the Comets built a double-digit lead.

Knudsen was limited to one first-half field goal.

In the second half, Knudsen and Rocket teammate Maddie Reed took control. Knudsen scored all 15 of Unity’s third-quarter points, but Oakwood still carried a 39-27 lead into the last eight minutes.

“Overall, Aaliyah did a good job,” Marsh said. “They were setting more screens for her, and she is quick coming off the screens.”

Knudsen hit the final six of her game-high 27 points in the final stanza, but it took a three-point shooting spree by Reed, who drained four late three-point shots, to enable Unity to pull ahead. Reed finished with 19 points, 13 in the final frame.

Freshman Addie Wright led Oakwood with 15 points. Senior Katelyn Young added 12 points.

“I hated to see the season end,” Marsh said. “Addie was starting to figure it out.”

Young’s career-record school scoring mark concludes at 2,361 points.

“I’m excited to see her do bigger and better things next year at Murray State,” Marsh said.

The Comets (23-8) wound up winning 99 games during Young’s varsity career. Young and point guard Aubrey Wells are the lone seniors on this year’s team.

“We’ll still have a solid team next year,” Marsh said. “It’s a matter of figuring it all out.”

Denius, Wells and Karsen Rupp all scored six points against Unity (20-9), which returns to Maroa tonight to play Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin (27-5) in the championship game. The winner advances to next week’s Paris Sectional.

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The Comets opened postseason play on Monday with a 53-25 victory over Westville at Maroa-Forsyth High School in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal game.

Katelyn Young scored 20 of her game-high 29 points in the first half.

Oakwood led 28-13 at intermission.

The Comets (23-7) return to action on Thursday at Maroa in a Class 2A regional semifinal game against Tolono Unity in a tournament game that was postponed from Wednesday.

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The past and the future of Oakwood girls’ basketball came together nearly a decade ago.

A promising young player, Katelyn Young, was getting her start in organized basketball as a grade-schooler. One of her coaches was the former Stacie Calhoun, who set Oakwood’s all-time scoring record – for boys or girls – before graduating in 1985.

“She told my parents when I was in grade school that I could score that many points,” Young said.

That many points was a lot, 2,314 to be exact.

To reach that plateau, a player would need to be a four-year varsity regular and average more than 19 points a game throughout her prep career.

Turns out Calhoun was not just a good scorer. She was also a good prognosticator.

In her 119th varsity game on Friday, Young replaced Calhoun atop the all-time Oakwood basketball scoring list.

Her record-setting point came on a basket with 7 minutes, 30 seconds left in a Vermilion Valley Conference game at Danville Schlarman.

 By game’s end, Young had added five more points to her total, finishing with 26 and extending her career record to 2,320 points.

“I didn’t know that (basket) was the one,” Young said.

It wasn’t long, however, before she realized it.

The game was stopped moments later and the Comets’ senior was presented the game ball.

It will join two other balls she has, one for reaching 1,000 points as a sophomore and the other for hitting the 2,000-point mark in the team’s 13th game this season.

When she entered high school, Young didn’t think much about the prediction made by her former youth coach.

“Not at all,” she said. “I didn’t think I would score a thousand.”

Schlarman won Friday’s game 56-51 to clinch its sixth consecutive Vermilion Valley Conference championship.

Oakwood coach Stephanie Marsh wasn’t surprised that Young has achieved at a high level.

“As a freshman, she made an impact on our program,” said Marsh, who didn’t reveal to Young how close she was to the mark entering the regular-season finale.

“She had her focus on playing the game and didn’t want to know the exact number,” Marsh said. “That’s just one more thing to worry about.”

Young has remained an effective scorer as a senior even though her role on the team has changed as she helps Aubrey Wells get the ball up-court.

Beyond that, Marsh said, “she has stepped up as far as being a leader.

“She’s a great kid to have on the team. I can count on her to help with the younger kids.”

Young has maintained a 19.5 scoring average during her Oakwood years and has hit the 20-point mark as a senior in 20 of her 27 games.

She is well-known as the team’s top-scoring option.

“When you’re double- or triple-teamed you have to get creative on what to do to score and get other teammates open,” Young said.

Young has it on good authority that Oakwood’s former career scoring leader is fine with her newfound hold on the top spot after Calhoun held it for 35 years.

“Her daughter (Hayley Mascari) is in my grade and told me her mom wanted me to beat her record,” Young said.

In Friday’s game, Oakwood held a 29-22 halftime lead, but was outscored 19-9 in the third quarter.

Karsen Rupp scored 10 points and Addie Wright had nine for the Comets. Young hit 14 of her points in the first half.

The Comets (22-7) return to action tonight at 7:30 in a first-round Class 2A regional tournament game at Maroa-Forsyth against Westville.

During Young’s varsity career, Oakwood has amassed 98 wins. Young is looking to add to that total.

“If we play our game,” she said, “we’ll have a pretty good chance.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

The post Comets rebound for big win over Chrisman first appeared on SJO Daily.

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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Katelyn Young scored eight first-quarter points and Addie Wright had four in the opening frame on Thursday as the Comets opened up a double-digit lead at home en route to a 46-31 verdict over Salt Fork.

Young tallied a game-high 22 points, marking the 15th time in 20 games she has hit the 20-point plateau as a senior.

Aaliyah Denius contributed eight points while both Wright and Aubrey Wells ended with six points apiece.

The Comets led 18-7 after one quarter and 29-14 at halftime.

Oakwood (17-5) returns to action tonight against Armstrong-Potomac in the 8 p.m. game of the Vermilion County Tournament at Danville’s Palmer Arena.

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