Unbeaten and top-ranked Paris ended the girls’ basketball season for St. Joseph-Ogden on Monday with a 62-35 win in a Class 2A sectional semifinal game at Paris.

The Tigers scored all 62 of their points in the first three quarters. Paris led 18-13 after one quarter and 39-21 at halftime and had doubled the score (62-31) after three quarters.

Katie Cramer drained three three-point shots and made a team-high 11 points for SJ-O. Payton Jacob contributed 10 points.

Cramer netted a team-high 46 three-pointers for the season.

SJ-O ended the season with a 21-11 overall record.

Ten different squad members led the Spartans in scoring in at least one game this season.

Cramer was the leader in 11 games. She was followed by Ashlyn Lannert (six games), Payton Jacob (five games), Ella Armstrong (four games), Taylor Barnes (three games), Payton Vallee (three games), Atleigh Hamilton (two games), Taylor Wells (two games), Abby Behrens (one game) and Alyssa Hamilton (one game).

The team’s top individual scoring performances were by Jacob (19 points), Barnes (18 points) and Armstrong (17 points).

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The Spartans continue to play teams close, salvaging a 34-32 win in Tuesday’s Class 2A regional semifinal game at home against Tuscola (17-10).

Seventeen of SJ-O’s 30 games have been settled by nine points, or less. The Spartans are 12-5 in those games.

SJ-O’s Ella Armstrong tallied a game-high 15 points, 12 in the opening half.

Taylor Barnes’ tie-breaking shot created the final margin for the Spartans, who overcame a 27-23 fourth-quarter deficit.

Hannah Dukeman, in her fifth game back following an injury that sidelined her during the first 25 games, scored six of her seven points in the fourth stanza.

The Spartans’ defense limited Tuscola to a pair of fourth-quarter field goals.

SJ-O (20-10) returns to action tonight at home at 7 o’clock in the regional championship game against Villa Grove/Heritage after snapping a four-game losing streak.

Tuesday’s win enabled SJ-O to reach the 20-win mark for the third consecutive season.

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The Spartans’ four-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday as visiting Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin posted a 47-31 non-conference victory.

In a game where SJ-O made 7-of-7 free throws, senior Hannah Dukeman made her first appearance of the season and scored two points. In her return from an injury, Dukeman made 2-of-2 free throws.

Katie Cramer led the Spartans with 11 points. Ella  Armstrong ended with eight points. Payton Jacob contributed four points.

B-H/R-A (23-5) jumped into an 18-7 lead after one quarter and led at halftime, 22-14.

Armstrong scored a team-high 17 points on Monday as the Spartans won at Rantoul, 52-25.

Armstrong and Cramer netted five points apiece in the first stanza as SJ-O opened up a 13-6 cushion.

Cramer finished with 12 points and Taylor Barnes contributed nine points.

The Spartans led 24-11 at halftime.

SJ-O (19-7) returns to action on Saturday in the Sangamon/Illini Prairie Conference Challenge. The Spartans will play Auburn at 6 p.m. in a game held at Maroa-Forsyth High School.

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Taylor Barnes scored a season-high 18 points on Monday and teammate Payton Vallee grabbed 13 rebounds to lead St. Joseph-Ogden past visiting Monticello 47-39 in a girls’ Illini Prairie Conference basketball game.

SJ-O held a slim 21-20 halftime lead, but built its advantage to 34-27 after three quarters. Five Spartans scored in the third quarter, but no player hit more than three points in the stanza.

Katie Cramer finished with eight points and Ella Armstrong contributed six.

SJ-O helped its cause by sinking 11 of 15 free throws.

The game was the 13th in 23 games played by the team this season that have been settled by nine points, or less. SJ-O is 10-3 in those contests.

The Spartans (17-6) return to action tonight at Pontiac. The team is 4-2 in conference games.

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Three players scored in double figures on Thursday as the St.  Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team denied Prairie Central its 20th victory of the season with a 51-44 conquest at home.

Payton Jacob hit a team-high 14 points. Teammates totaling 12 points apiece were Taylor Barnes and Katie Cramer.

Cramer drained three three-pointers and Barnes hit two three-point shots.

The Spartans carried a 35-34 lead into the fourth quarter. Barnes scored five points and Cramer four in the last stanza to help SJ-O pull away.

SJ-O is 16-6 overall. Prairie Central is 19-4.

The Spartans return to action tonight at home against Monticello. SJ-O is 3-2 in Illini Prairie Conference contests.

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St. Joseph-Ogden was held to one third-quarter field goal on Monday and suffered a 49-40 Illini Prairie Conference girls’ basketball loss at Unity.

Alyssa Hamilton hit the lone Spartan basket in the third quarter. Teammate Ashlyn Lannert’s two free throws accounted for the other SJ-O points in the stanza.

Unity expanded a 26-23 halftime lead into a 38-27 cushion after three quarters.

Four Spartans ended with six points apiece: Taylor Barnes, Katie Cramer, Atleigh Hamilton and Lannert.

SJ-O is 15-6 overall and will try to break a two-game losing skid tonight at home against Prairie Central. The Spartans are 2-2 in IPC games.

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What can a team that only returns one starter from its third-place state finish do in the followup year?

St. Joseph-Ogden’s Taylor Barnes believes the Spartans’ girls’ basketball team can do a lot.

And from the beginning of the season, Barnes has had her actions set on leading the team to produce something special.

“As a team, a goal is to win regionals — since we host it — but I believe we can do a lot more,” Barnes said. “I think if we all work together we can do great things during the season.”

The Spartans are already off to a 15-4 start, including two defensive efforts that held their opponents to less than 20 points.

“We have lost some games, but we’ve learned a lot from those losses and I think they have ultimately made us a better team,” she said.

Barnes took to the court competitively beginning with the fifth-grade program at Prairieview-Ogden Elementary.

“It was a very small school, so I played a lot,” she said. “I’ve stuck with playing basketball because I just really enjoy the sport and I love my teammates that come with it.”

She’s also grateful for the variety of coaches she’s had in the last eight years for helping to develop her game.

“Two coaches that I think have played a huge role in my basketball career are Rachel Hurliman (sixth-grade coach) and Kevin Taylor (current varsity coach),” she said. “These two coaches have pushed me a lot as a player, and have helped me develop into the player I am today.”

During her senior year, Barnes has appeared in all 19 games, contributing 5.2 points per game. Of the 32 field goals she’s made, 16 are three-pointers, placing her second on the team for three-point goals made.

But points aren’t the most important part of Barnes’ game.

“Each time I step onto the court I want to bring leadership,” she said. “(I want to) play with confidence and continue to be a leader for the team on and off the court.”

Barnes has taken a cue from her older siblings and the Spartans who have come before her. She’s focused on leading the way through communication and demonstration.

As she graduates, her fondest memory may be the 2019 St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ team that placed third in the IHSA Class 2A state tournament.

“It means the world to me,” she said. “All of the girls on the team last year got a lot closer, and we have a special bond that I will never forget.”

She’ll also hold the memories of the community which has come to support the Spartans over the years she’s played.

“The support from the SJO community is amazing,” she said. “Especially after the run to state last year, I think the support from the community has only gotten stronger. I love being at home games and seeing the community in the stands cheering us on.”

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The Spartans (7-1) continue to flourish in close games.

SJ-O followed up on a seven-point Thursday win at Danville (52-45) with a one-point triumph (41-40) on Saturday at Oakwood.

For the season, five of the team’s seven wins have been by margins of seven points, or less.

Against Danville, Payton Jacob and Payton Vallee each notched 10 points to lead SJ-O.

Ella Armstrong scored seven points.

The Spartans led at halftime, 29-13, but the Vikings closed within four points (36-32) entering the fourth quarter.

Against Oakwood, SJ-O needed a late free throw from Vallee to register the non-conference win. Her decisive point came with four seconds remaining.

Armstrong drained three three-point shots en route to a team-high 13 points. She hit five of her points in the fourth stanza.

Abby Behrens added seven points and Taylor Barnes contributed six.

Vallee scored both of her points from the free throw line.

The Spartans trailed Oakwood 13-6 after one quarter, but surged into a 24-23 advantage by halftime.

SJ-O will play its third road game in five days tonight when it travels to Mahomet-Seymour.

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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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The Spartans (4-1) dropped their home-opener on Tuesday, 65-44, to Paris.

Taylor Barnes scored a team-high nine points. Finishing with six points apiece were Alyssa Hamilton, Payton Jacob and Ashlyn Lannert.

Paris jumped into a 14-6 lead after one quarter.

Lannert and Katie Cramer were picked for the all-tournament team the previous week at the Lady Bunny/Lady Falcon Classic.

SJ-O returns to action tonight at home against Tuscola.

St. Joseph-Ogden Wrestling

Three Spartan underclassmen were mentioned in the honorable mention category by The Illinois Best Weekly in its preseason Class 1A individual state rankings.

Junior A.J.  Wagner received notice at 113 pounds as did teammates Isaiah Moore, a sophomore, at 120 pounds and Isaiah Immke, a junior, at 138 pounds.

The Spartans open the season on Saturday at Danville with a series of dual meets that will also include Urbana, LeRoy and Olympia.

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