August 2, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

SJO girls’ basketball wins sectional title, advances to Elite Eight

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team waited more than a decade to give the program another sectional title.


On Thursday night, the Spartans delivered.


Paced by strong games from seniors Peyton Crowe and Bree Trimble, SJO defeated Watseka 55-48 to win the Class 2A Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Sectional championship game.


The win not only marks the 14th straight this season by coach Kevin Taylor’s program, but also is the sixth sectional title in SJO girls’ basketball history after the Spartans previously collected sectional championships in 1992, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.


Crowe led all scorers with 22 points on Thursday night, connecting on three three-pointers. Trimble wasn’t far behind with 19 points, giving SJO a dynamic 1-2 punch that resulted in a raucous celebration afterwards.


The Spartans (27-4) led 13-11 at the end of the first quarter and 27-22 at halftime before taking a 42-36 lead into the fourth quarter. Maclayne Taylor chipped in seven points, including hitting 3 of 4 free throws in the fourth quarter. Trimble also shined at the free throw line, going 6 of 8 from there in the final eight minutes.


Hannah Dukeman (three points), Katie Cramer (two points) and Taylor Barnes (two points) rounded out the scoring for SJO.


The Spartans advanced to Monday’s Pontiac Super-Sectional against Chicago Christian (24-9) that is slated to tip at approximately 7:30 p.m. If SJO can knock off Christian Christian, the Spartans would advance to their second-ever state tournament appearance and would play either Nashville (23-9) or Teutopolis (31-4) at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22 in a state semifinal game at Redbird Arena in Normal.

In wrestling
Jake Wendling and AJ Wagner are still wrestling at the Class 1A state meet, but but St. Joseph-Ogden athletes suffered first-round losses on Thursday.


Wrestling inside State Farm Center in Champaign, Wagner, a sophomore, lost a 7-0 decision to Billy Tay from Ridgeview/Lexington in his first-round match at 106 pounds.


Wagner (43-8) is slated to wrestle Alex Armira (33-10) of Chicago Hope in his first wrestleback match on Friday.


Wendling, a senior, suffered an 18-2 technical fall to Gabe Spencer of Heyworth at 120 pounds in his first-round match on Thursday. Wendling (11-4) is set to wrestle Bobby Mann of Reed-Custer (37-11) during his first wrestleback match on Friday.

In boys’ basketball
The St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ basketball team will play for an Illini Prairie Conference title on Friday night.


SJO (19-8, 8-0 IPC) will host Bloomington Central Catholic (21-7, 8-0) at 7 p.m. on Friday inside the Spartans’ own gymnasium with the conference title on the line in SJO’s regular-season finale.


Prior to Friday, the Spartans won 44-37 at Paxton-Buckley-Loda in nonconference action. Jack Cook led SJO with a game-high 22 points by making 7 of 11 shots from the field, while Joel Orcutt also hit double figures with 10 points.


In a low-scoring first half, SJO trailed 9-8 at the end of the first quarter before taking a 16-13 lead into halftime. The pace picked up in the third quarter as SJO led 32-26 to start the fourth quarter before holding off the Panthers down the stretch.


Chance Izard (five points), Keanen Swanson (four points), Braydon Rupert (three points) and Payton Cain (two points) rounded out the scoring for SJO.


Even with the regular season ending Friday, the Spartans will have a quick turnaround for their postseason opener.

SJO is the top seed in the Class 2A Heritage Regional and will face either No. 7 Tuscola or No. 10 Georgetown-Ridge Farm at 7 p.m. next Tuesday in a regional semifinal game. Tuscola (16-11) and Georgetown-Ridge Farm (8-18) are set to meet at 6 p.m. on Monday in Broadlands for a regional quarterfinal game.

Banner
Related Posts

McCarty throws no-hitter, SJO baseball picks up two wins

May 6, 2019

May 6, 2019

Each time Keegan McCarty takes the mound, the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team has to likes its chances of...

Bigger, Burnett play crucial roles as SJO volleyball pushes win streak to five

September 10, 2019

September 10, 2019

Balanced offense and strong serving. Both are critical aspects for successful volleyball teams. The St. Joseph-Ogden High School team followed...

SJO soccer to have new home in 2023, while issues arise about current field maintenance

July 14, 2022

July 14, 2022

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School soccer team is set to have a new home field for the 2023 season. SJO...

Hug, Martinie help SJO girls’ basketball win regional title

February 21, 2023

February 21, 2023

Winning regional championships is nothing new for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’basketball program. But earning one during the 2022-23...

Spartans win Toyota of Danville Classic as Jacobs earns MVP honors

December 5, 2023

December 5, 2023

How well the St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ basketball team would fare this season without current Illinois State guard Ty Pence in...

Kaiser’s positivity a plus on court

October 4, 2019

October 4, 2019

Lacey Kaiser is a positive presence on the volleyball court. So much so, that her coach Abby McDonald nominated her...

10 things you don’t know about me…the SJO girls basketball team

February 22, 2019

February 22, 2019

After this weekend, Maclayne Taylor will have 12 state medals and has been apart of five team state trophies.  ...

Ward, Martlage and Immke help SJO softball get back in win column

May 5, 2021

May 5, 2021

A flurry of games is usually the norm for St. Joseph-Ogden softball.But usually, at this juncture in the calendar, the...

SJO boys’ track and field looks to build upon past success

April 2, 2019

April 2, 2019

Jason Retz is no stranger to success when it comes to St.Joseph-Ogden High School athletics. The sixth-year coach of the...

Get to know SJO Volleyball player Peyton Williams

October 31, 2022

October 31, 2022

What do you think makes the team so successful? I think what makes our team so successful is the determination...

McCarty hurls shutout, SJO baseball cruises to win at STM

April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

Excellent pitching has defined the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team throughout much of its 2019 season. The trend continued...

Vallee, Lannert help SJO girls’ basketball increase win streak to four games

December 12, 2019

December 12, 2019

Winning close games has become a theme so far this season for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team....

5 question Friday with SJO Tennis Coach Kevin Martlage

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

We asked SJO Tennis Coach Kevin Martlage five questions. Here are his answers. What does it mean to you to...

SJO to hold summer camps

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

Boys Basketball Youth CampMay 29, 30, 31 8 AM-1:30 PMThe camp will be full of drills and fundamentals. The new...

‘They are all so unselfish’

February 22, 2019

February 22, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden Girls Basketball team is going to make history this weekend by bringing home a State trophy. And...

Comments
Leave a Reply