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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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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Villa Grove/Heritage Boys’ basketball

The Hawks tallied 18 of the 21 first-quarter points in Tuesday’s home-opener against Urbana University High and went on to decision the Illineks, 64-22.

Juniors Jake Eversole (16 points) and Logan Nohren (15 points) were the top VG/H scorers. Matt Gullick contributed seven points.

VG/H led at halftime, 34-9.

The Hawks (4-1) return to action tonight at home against Schlarman Academy.

 Villa Grove/Heritage Girls’ basketball

Aliya Holloman scored nine of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter on Monday to spark VG/H past visiting Westville, 57-22.

The Blue Devils led 15-9 after one quarter and 32-13 at halftime.

The Tigers managed just four second-half field goals.

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St. Joseph-Ogden’s boys’ basketball team opened its season with a win on Tuesday, despite missing 9 of 17 free throws in the opening round of the 31st Spartan Classic.

SJ-O upended Georgetown-Ridge Farm, 65-37.

Chance Izard scored 19 points and Jordan Kelly added 12 points for the Spartans, who turned a 7-4 lead after one quarter into a 21-11 advantage at halftime.

Izard and Kelly were two of five SJ-O players who connected on a three-pointer.

Coach Keil Duval started four seniors – Payton Cain, Drew Coursey, Conner Hodge and Izard – along with freshman Ty Pence.

Cain scored eight points, Pence had seven and Luke Renfrew chipped in with six points.

SJ-O continued its winning ways on Wednesday, knocking off Notre Dame de La Salette, 48-37.

Cain registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 steals.

Pence ended with eight points, including 4-of-4 from the free throw line in a game where the Spartans were 6-of-12 overall from the line.

Izard and Andrew Beyers each scored seven points.

Cain collected a team-high seven rebounds. Pence and Hodge each gathered four rebounds.

The Spartans scored nine of the game’s first 10 points and held a 41-20 fourth-quarter lead.

The Spartans (2-0) return to action at 8 p.m. on Friday against Cissna Park.

All six teams will play twice in the round-robin event on Saturday. The final-day SJ-O games will be at 11:30 a.m. against Schlarman Academy and at 7 p.m. against Watseka.

St. Joseph-Ogden Girls’ basketball

The Spartans trailed after each of the first two quarters on Monday against Tuscola, but rallied to register a 50-46 overtime win.

Katie Cramer scored 14 points to lead SJ-O. Both Cramer and Payton Jacob nailed three-pointers in OT to help the Spartans pull away.

Taylor Barnes scored nine points and Abby Behrens added eight for SJ-O.

SJ-O (5-1) returns to action tonight at Danville. The Spartans received votes in the first Class 2A state poll, which was released on Wednesday.

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