November 6, 2024 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

SJO girls’ basketball wins long-awaited season opener

The last time St. Joseph-Ogden hosted a girls’ basketball game before Thursday night, it had a good ending for the Spartans.

SJO beat Villa Grove/Heritage 50-34 on Feb. 13, 2020 to win a Class 2A regional title for the third consecutive season.

Thursday night featured another solid ending for SJO — and perhaps a sense of relief, too.

Playing for the first time in the pandemic-abbreviated season and playing the program’s first game in almost a year, SJO defeated visiting Villa Grove/Heritage 47-33 in the Spartans’ season opener.

A limited crowd saw the Spartans take an 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter that extended slightly to 21-17 at halftime.

But a strong third quarter by the Spartans (1-0) made sure they would enjoy their return to basketball with a win as SJO outscored the Blue Devils 18-8 in the third quarter to go ahead 39-25 to start the fourth quarter.

Ella Armstrong scored a team-high 15 points and drained two three-pointers to spark SJO. Payton Jacob also reached double figures with 10 points, with Jacob scoring seven points after halftime. Alyssa Hamilton and Taylor Wells each chipped in five points, while Atleigh Hamilton (four points), Taylor Campbell (two points), Abby Behrens (two points) and Taylor Hug (two points) also dented the scoring column for the Spartans, who finished a robust 12 of 15 at the free throw line.

SJO is set to begin Illini Prairie Conference action at 7 p.m. next Monday at St. Thomas More, the second game for the Spartans in what is a 12-game schedule crammed into the next month.

Banner
Related Posts

Panthers on the prowl for state title

May 18, 2019

May 18, 2019

St. Joseph Middle School Head Track and Field Coach Zachary Steele couldn’t be prouder of his team. “We had a...

Jacob, Smith help SJO boys’ basketball stay unbeaten

December 15, 2023

December 15, 2023

It doesn’t seem to matter the team. Or the location. All the St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ basketball team is doing through...

Sjuts saving the best for last

May 9, 2019

May 9, 2019

Rylee Sjuts is starting her final month as a track athlete for St. Joseph-Ogden High School. If the past is...

SJO girls’ track and field wins Spartan Classic, prep for postseason

May 8, 2019

May 8, 2019

Winning meets on their own track has become a consistent theme for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ track and...

Dowing ties state home run record as SJO softball wins third straight game

May 10, 2019

May 10, 2019

Bailey Dowling is one home run away from cementing her name atop a state record. Add on the fact the...

SJO volleyball cruises to three straight road wins

September 3, 2019

September 3, 2019

So far, the road has not produced any bad results for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School volleyball team. The Spartans...

Ingram, Behrens lead SJO soccer in spring season

April 21, 2021

April 21, 2021

The St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ soccer team experienced a whirlwind of aseason during the 2020-21 school year. A season they’ll likely...

Spartans fall to T-Town

February 23, 2019

February 23, 2019

NORMAL— All basketball teams have an off-night shooting occasionally. It’s just too bad that the St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans picked the...

Postseason quest begins for SJO baseball after strong finish to regular season

May 15, 2019

May 15, 2019

The regular season ended on a positive note for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team. Now, the Spartans hope...

SJO softball’s senior night set for Monday as Spartans try to end skid

May 6, 2019

May 6, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team will try to end a two-game losing skid and score its first runs...

Price is right: SJO baseball off to solid start

April 12, 2023

April 12, 2023

The spring weather is starting to get nicer outside. And the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team is starting to...

Cramer, Jacob come up clutch in SJO girls’ basketball’s win against Tuscola

December 5, 2019

December 5, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team has fared well under pressure so far this season. The Spartans’ latest...

Five key SJO baseball games to watch for in 2019

March 5, 2019

March 5, 2019

The 2018 baseball season for St. Joseph-Ogden High School was another successful one. Under the leadership of coach Josh Haley,...

SJO baseball letter and award winners

June 7, 2022

June 7, 2022

Tyler Altenbaumer, Sr.Andrew Beyers, Sr.Hayden Brazelton, Sr.Austin Cotter, Sr.Avian Gerdes, Sr.Nolan Grindley, Sr.Coby Miller, Sr.Ramsey Primmer, Sr.Griffin Roesch, Sr.Maddux Carter,...

Spartans advance in sectional

June 10, 2021

June 10, 2021

—-ST. JOSEPH—-
There is an adage in baseball that a good offense wins games, but good defense wins championships. It does...

Comments
Leave a Reply