The Blue Devils’ Kyleigh Block finished in a tie for 10th in the Class 2A three-point shooting contest on Thursday at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena.

A total of 32 finalists participated at state.

Block, a junior, hit 8 of her 15 attempts at Redbird.

During the regular season, Block led the Blue Devils with 54 three-pointers. In her varsity career, Block has amassed 1,217 career points.

Also on Thursday, VG/H teammate Aliya Holloman was chosen for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state special mention team.

Holloman was the top scorer this season on a 25-6 team, averaging 20.0 points per game. She completed her prep career with 1,853 points, 599 of those coming this season.

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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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The Blue Devils took down the 2019 Class 1A state champions in a semifinal regional game on Tuesday at St. Joseph.

VG/H ousted Schlarman Academy (17-7) in a Class 2A regional semifinal game 57-49.

Kyleigh Block nailed three first-quarter three-point shots, helping VG/H take a 17-14 lead after eight minutes.

Aliya Holloman tallied a game-high 27 points, leading the Blue Devils in scoring for the 12th time in the last 14 games.

Block ended with 19 points.

Madie Burwell and Samantha Campbell each netted five points.

The Blue Devils connected on 15 of 21 free throws.

VG/H (25-5) carries a seven-game winning streak into tonight’s 7 o’clock regional championship game against the host SJ-O Spartans, whom it lost to by three points in the season’s third game in November.

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BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

Senior Aliya Holloman scored 20 of her season-high 33 points in the opening quarter Thursday night as the Blue Devils blitzed Argenta-Oreana 80-34 on Senior Night at Villa Grove.

Villa Grove/Heritage led 37-0 after the opening eight minutes.

The team’s other senior, Jordyn Ray, scored nine points in her final home game.

Kyleigh Block tallied 16 points and Samantha Campbell added 10 for the Blue Devils, who enter the postseason with a six-game winning streak.

A-O was limited to three first-half field goals.

VG/H ended 8-1 in Lincoln Prairie Conference games, second only to Tri-County, which was 9-0.

The Blue Devils (23-5) return to action on Tuesday 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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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.

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.

The post Block’s 22 puts VGH over Arcola first appeared on SJO Daily.

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.

The post VGH girls’ lose Lincoln Prairie Conference championship to Villa Grove first appeared on SJO Daily.

Second-seeded Villa Grove/Heritage jumped into a 19-6 lead after one quarter on Monday and went on to dispatch Okaw Valley 55-23 at home to move into a semifinal game of the Lincoln Prairie Conference Tournament.

Aliya Holloman tallied 13 of her game-high 25 points in the first quarter.

By halftime, VG/H held a 34-12 lead.

Kyleigh Block chipped in 11 points and Kaylee Arbuckle added seven points for the Blue Devils.

VG/H (17-4) returns to action tonight at home against third-seeded Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond. The winner gains a berth in Saturday’s championship game.

Monday’s game marked the seventh time this season the Blue Devils have limited an opponent to fewer than 28 points in a game.

The post VGH girls’ basketball moves into Lincoln Prairie Conference semifinal game first appeared on SJO Daily.

Tri-County halted a five-game winning streak for the Blue Devils (16-4) on Thursday at Kansas with a 67-61 triumph.

VG/H carried a 48-46 lead into the final quarter, but the Titans rallied thanks to hitting 11 of 14 free throws down the stretch.

For the fourth game in a row, Aliya Holloman led the Blue Devils in scoring. She hit a season-high 30 points.

Kyleigh Block scored 14 points and Vanessa Wright tallied eight points.

Holloman scored nine of her points in the fourth quarter and was the lone VG/H player to make a field goal in the last eight minutes.

The Blue Devils return to action tonight at Villa Grove in the 7:30 p.m. quarterfinal game of the Lincoln Prairie Conference Tournament against Okaw Valley.

The post Tri-County halts VGH girls’ basketball win streak first appeared on SJO Daily.

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.

The post Block recognized for 1,000 career points, Holloman and Campbell put Blue Devils over Cerro Gordo first appeared on SJO Daily.