A look at the competition

When the St. Joseph-Ogden girls basketball team takes the court on Friday evening, they will be in some exclusive company.

Of the four teams that will be competing for the Class 2A crown on Friday and Saturday at Redbird Arena in Normal, there are 15 state championships between them.  The Spartans are the only team to have not won a championship of the four teams.

Here’s a look at the Spartans’ competition and how SJO stacks up.

Teutopolis
SJO’s opponent, Teutopolis (32-4) has won five state titles, but none since 1995.  The Wooden Shoes finished third last season.  Since the state series began for the girls, Teutopolis has made 17 appearances. Current head coach Laurie Thompson has led the Wooden Shoes to state four times and is still looking for her first state title.  Legendary coach Dennis Koester won the five titles, spanning an 18-year coaching career. The Wooden Shoes have only one starter that averages double figures in scoring (Lexie Niebrugge at 12.0 PPG), but Sadie Bueker (9.4 PPG) and Claire Bushur (9.0 PPG) are knocking on the door to double figures. Morgan Mette and Olivia Niemerg each average 7.4 points per contest, giving Teutopolis one of the more balanced scoring offenses in the state.

Chicago Marshall
Chicago Marshall (25-8) needs no introduction to the IHSA State Series, having won nine state titles under long-time head coach Dorothy Gaters, who is in her 44th year of coaching at the inter-city school.  Gaters has been the only coach that the Commandos have ever had and has a remarkable 1131-206 record during her coaching career. Chicago Marshall is the defending state champions in Class 2A.

Hillsboro
Hillsboro (29-4) won their state title in 2006 under current head coach Brett Teutken, who is in his 18th year with the Hilltoppers.

SJO
The Spartans (28-4) made their only state appearance back in 2007 under the old two-class system, and when it was the Elite 8. The Spartans haven’t lost since Dec. 29, when they fell to Kankakee Bishop McNamara 50-46 in the State Farm Holiday Classic in Bloomington. Since that time, SJO has 15 straight wins, including winning the Illini Prairie Conference outright with a perfect 9-0 mark. The Spartans are led in scoring by seniors Bree Trimble (16.9 PPG, 54% FG), Peyton Crowe (11.9 PPG, 49% FG) and junior Hannah Dukeman (8.3 PPG, 117 assists). Senior Maclayne Taylor also is averaging 7.7 PPG and has 150 assists on the season, which leads the team in that category.