March 29, 2023 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Hug, Martinie help SJO girls’ basketball win regional title

Winning regional championships is nothing new for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’
basketball program.


But earning one during the 2022-23 season has to feel particularly rewarding.


A month ago, the Spartans only carried a 7-13 record following a home loss to Chillicothe IVC
on Jan. 12.


Now, SJO will add another piece of IHSA hardware to its school’s trophy case after the Spartans
soundly defeated Hoopeston Area 47-26 last Thursday night to win a Class 2A regional title in
Gibson City. It’s the fifth straight season with a regional title for SJO and the 19th overall
regional championship in program history, dating back to SJO’s first regional title in 1990.
SJO opened its postseason with a 43-34 victory against host Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley in a
regional semifinal game on Feb. 13, and will now turn its attention to Peotone. The Spartans
(16-15) and Blue Devils (30-1) will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in a Coal City Sectional semifinal
game.


But before SJO makes the trip north to face Peotone, here’s a look at what transpired last week
in Gibson City:


Defense leads way against Cornjerkers
SJO opened a 10-2 lead against Hoopeston Area and didn’t let up, taking a commanding 24-6
lead into halftime.


The Spartans kept the fourth-seeded Cornjerkers at a distance in the second half, carrying a 36-
19 lead into the fourth quarter.


Senior guard Taylor Hug scored a game-high 15 points for the Spartans, connecting on a trio of
three-pointers.


Junior forward Addy Martinie joined Hug in double figures with 11 points, while junior guard
Addison Frick wasn’t far behind with nine points.


Junior guard Addie Seggebruch and senior guard Kaytlyn Baker rounded out the balanced
scoring effort for SJO by supplying six points apiece.


Martinie, Frick shine as SJO get past Falcons
The top-seeded Spartans avoided a regional semifinal upset against seventh-seeded GCMS
with a superb fourth quarter.


Tied at 30 entering the final eight minutes, SJO limited the Falcons to only two field goals to
leave Ford County with its first postseason win this season.


Martinie and Frick each tied for game-high scoring honors by recording 11 points apiece, with
Martinie scoring eight of those points in the decisive fourth quarter.


Hug added nine points in a game where SJO led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter and 22-16
at halftime.


Seggebruch (seven points) and freshman guard Katie Ericksen (five points) also contributed
timely buckets in the win by SJO.


What’s next
It’s win or go home for SJO. If the Spartans can defeat Peotone — the Blue Devils already own
a 46-32 win against the Spartans on Feb. 8 in St. Joseph — then a spot in the Coal City
Sectional championship game awaits SJO at 7 p.m. Thursday. SJO would face either Fieldcrest
or Kankakee Bishop McNamara. Those two teams — who SJO has not played this season
— meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the first regional semifinal game. SJO has recent postseason
history with Fieldcrest, losing 52-46 in overtime to the Knights in a sectional title game last
season in Peotone.


If SJO can win its first sectional championship since 2019, the Spartans would advance to a
super-sectional game in Peotone set for 7 p.m. on Feb. 27. SJO would play the winner of the
Timothy Christian Sectional taking place in Elmhurst this week. Chicago Noble/Butler meets
host Timothy Christian at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the first sectional semifinal game before Chicago
Phillips plays Chicago Perspectives/Leadership at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the second sectional
semifinal game.

Banner
Related Posts

Seeley helps guide SJO soccer to win in postseason opener

October 15, 2019

October 15, 2019

Scoring goals in soccer isn’t easy. The St. Joseph-Ogden High School soccer team knows the feeling well, having been held...

Stevenson, Pence shine, but late surge by Prairie Central denies win for SJO football

October 8, 2019

October 8, 2019

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team is still one win away from becoming eligible for the playoffs. The Spartans...

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...

SJO girls’ basketball wins long-awaited season opener

February 8, 2021

February 8, 2021

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

Close matches highlight SJO volleyball’s opening week

August 29, 2022

August 29, 2022

The results of the first week of the season don’t determine how the rest of a two-month season will play...

Witruk, Ward help SJO softball win regional title; Olympia awaits in sectional semifinal

May 22, 2019

May 22, 2019

Add another regional title to the growing collection for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team. The Spartans earned their...

Tough tests: SJO girls’ basketball loses to Teutopolis, Mahomet-Seymour

December 15, 2021

December 15, 2021

Playing quality competition should only make a team better later in the season. The St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball...

Parker looks to succeed at Purdue

June 27, 2019

June 27, 2019

Dalton Parker has seen his share of ups and downs during his baseball career. Parker, a 2016 graduate of St....

SJO football back in playoffs, travels to Mt. Carmel for first-round game

October 30, 2021

October 30, 2021

For years, playoff football games became an expectation for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team. Making 26 straight playoff...

Five SJO softball games to watch for in 2019

March 11, 2019

March 11, 2019

This Team Time Out is sponsored by Kelso Heating and Cooling. The season opener is less than a week away...

Relays shine for SJO track and field

March 25, 2019

March 25, 2019

A St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ track and field relay team won a title at a prestigious indoor meet, the...

Hug, Immke propel SJO volleyball on win streak

September 19, 2022

September 19, 2022

The slow start is long gone for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School volleyball team.Now, the Spartans are racking up win....

A numbers game: Interest in golf, girls’ tennis at SJO increase, but both aren’t
board-approved sports

September 9, 2022

September 9, 2022

 St. Joseph-Ogden High School doesn’t want to be mediocre. To Athletic Director Justin Franzen that means making sure student athletes...

Panthers softball advanced to regional final

September 25, 2020

September 25, 2020

After a strong 3-1 start to the 2020 middle school softball season, the St. Joseph Panthers ended the season with...

Brazelton, Holt to wrestle at IHSA state meet

February 17, 2022

February 17, 2022

All Holden Brazelton has pretty much done during his freshman season wrestling for St. Joseph-Ogden High School is win tournaments....

Comments
Leave a Reply