January 21, 2025
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Basketball: Kankakee boys leap in AP Poll; Cissna Park, Watseka girls stay ranked

By Mason Schweizer
Kankakee's Myair Thompson gives a high five after defeating Lindblom in last month's Kankakee Holiday Tournament (maroon division) title game at Kankakee High School.

Kankakee's Myair Thompson gives a high five after defeating Lindblom in last month's Kankakee Holiday Tournament (maroon division) title game at Kankakee High School. (Daily Journal/Nicholas Holstein)

The first IHSA Basketball AP Polls of the new year were released Wednesday, with three local teams finding their names in the list of the state’s top-ranked teams and a fourth school that saw its boys and girls teams both receive votes.

In boys basketball, Kankakee (11-2) leapt to the fifth spot in Class 3A, rising through the ranks after the Kays were tied for eighth in the last poll before the holiday break. On the girls side, Watseka (11-1) came in at 10th in Class 2A and Cissna Park (12-2) is third in Class 1A. Bishop McNamara received Class 2A votes in both boys (13-2) and girls (12-6). The Kankakee girls (10-7) received a vote in Class 3A

For the polls in their entirety, see below:

BOYS

Class 4A

Rank School Total Points Previous

1. Quincy (6) (13-1) 90 T2

2. Kenwood (3) (14-1) 80 1

2. Rich Township (1) (9-4) 80 NR

4. Bolingbrook (15-2) 74 T2

5. Waubonsie Valley (15-0) 67 4

6. Lisle (Benet Academy) (15-2) 46 6

7. Homewood-Flossmoor (14-2) 36 5

8. Gurnee Warren (11-3) 25 NR

9. Hinsdale Central (13-2) 19 NR

10. Rock Island (15-1) 10 9

Others receiving votes: 11, Simeon 6. 12, Alton 5. 13, Waukegan 3. 14, Lincoln Park 3. 15, Normal Community 2. 16, St. Ignatius 1. 17, Curie 1. 18, Edwardsville 1. 19, Evanston Township 1.

Class 3A

Rank School Total Points Previous

1. DePaul College Prep (9) (15-1) 98 1

2. Brother Rice (14-1) 84 4

3. Metamora (15-3) 63 T8

4. Fenwick (13-3) 60 5

5. Kankakee (11-2) 47 T8

6. Chicago Mt. Carmel (13-2) 41 7

7. Peoria (H.S.) (1) (14-4) 36 2

8. Morton (11-5) 34 NR

9. St. Laurence (13-3) 33 6

10. Mt. Zion (12-3) 26 3

Others receiving votes: 11, Carmel 9. 12, Centralia 6. 13, Kaneland 4. 14, East Peoria 3. 15, Lemont 3. 16, Waterloo 2. 17, St. Patrick 1.

Class 2A

Rank School Total Points Previous

1. Belleville (Althoff Catholic) (6) (13-3) 117 6

2. Williamsville (3) (13-0) 110 4

3. Benton (3) (15-0) 104 2

4. Peoria Manual (2) (10-4) 86 1

5. Bismarck-Henning (16-0) 71 5

6. Chicago Dyett (12-3) 69 7

7. Rockford Christian (12-0) 45 9

8. Columbia (11-4) 24 3

9. Auburn (15-1) 23 NR

10. Pinckneyville (13-2) 19 NR

Others receiving votes: 11, Murphysboro 18. 12, Chicago (Christ the King) 15. 13, Warsaw West Hancock 12. 14, Breese Mater Dei 8. 15, Breese Central 8. 16, Carlyle 6. 17, Crane 6. 18, Rockridge 6. 19, St. Joseph-Ogden 5. 20, Warrensburg-Latham 5. 21, Riverton 4. 22, Chicago King 4. 23, IC Catholic 3. 24, Kankakee (McNamara) 1. 25, Sherrard 1.

Class 1A

Rank School Total Points Previous

1. Pecatonica (12) (11-0) 130 2

2. Waltonville (13-0) 111 3

3. Effingham St. Anthony (1) (13-2) 101 5

4. Jacksonville Routt (14-1) 82 NR

5. Lanark Eastland (1) (12-2) 78 1

6. Tuscola (15-1) 63 4

7. Hope Academy (9-4) 50 8

8. Goreville (11-2) 46 NR

9. Casey-Westfield (11-3) 31 7

10. Yorkville Christian (12-5) 28 10

Others receiving votes: 11, Dieterich 12. 12, Annawan 11. 13, LeRoy 5. 14, Chicago (Fenger) 5. 15, Mounds Meridian 5. 16, Lexington 4. 17, Bluford Webber 3. 18, Dakota 2. 19, Unity Christian 2. 20, Illini Bluffs 1.

GIRLS

Class 4A

Rank School Total Points Previous

1. Benet (4) (15-1) 72 2

2. Lyons (2) (16-1) 68 1

3. Kenwood (1) (16-1) 64 3

4. Alton (1) (16-1) 53 T8

5. Waubonsie Valley (14-1) 42 4

6. Fremd (15-4) 40 5

7. Huntley (16-0) 30 T10

8. Loyola (14-2) 18 T8

9. Whitney Young (10-5) 16 7

10. Nazareth (13-2) 12 T10

Others receiving votes: 11, Prospect 8. 12, Normal Community 8. 13, St. Charles North 7. 14, Maine South 2.

Class 3A

Rank School Total Points Previous

1. Washington (8) (20-0) 88 T1

2. Quincy Notre Dame (16-0) 74 6

3. Mount Vernon (14-2) 67 3

4. St. Ignatius (13-3) 58 5

5. Bethalto Civic Memorial (15-1) 54 4

6. Galesburg (15-3) 30 7

7. Chicago Heights Marian Catholic (16-2) 24 10

8. Sterling (14-2) 22 NR

9. Morton (13-4) 21 9

10. Morris (15-1) 17 NR

Others receiving votes: 11, Montini 16. 12, Dixon 14. 13, Effingham 9. 14, Kankakee 1.

Class 2A

Rank School Total Points Previous

1. Breese Central (11) (13-1) 119 1

2. Stillman Valley (16-0) 75 3

2. Peoria Notre Dame (1) (15-3) 75 6

4. Nashville (13-2) 74 2

5. Teutopolis (15-2) 62 5

5. Central Southeastern (16-3) 62 NR

7. Carlyle (13-2) 45 4

8. Byron (14-1) 44 NR

9. Pittsfield (16-0) 32 NR

10. Watseka (12-1) 13 9

Others receiving votes: 11, Vienna 10. 12, Bishop McNamara 10. 13, Deer Creek-Mackinaw 8. 14, Sullivan 8. 15, Sherrard 7. 16, Rock Island Alleman 6. 17, Breese Mater Dei 5. 18, Bloomington Central Catholic 2. 19, Mt. Carmel 1. 20, Petersburg PORTA 1. 21, Tremont 1.

Class 1A

Rank School Total Points Previous

1. Effingham St. Anthony (4) (13-3) 54 1

2. Abingdon-Avon (1) (14-3) 49 T3

3. Cissna Park (1) (12-2) 45 T3

4. Okawville (1) (9-4) 43 2

5. Orangeville (15-3) 38 T5

6. Pecatonica (13-3) 37 8

7. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (14-2) 34 7

8. Brownstown/St. Elmo (16-2) 25 T5

9. Brown County (12-4) 12 NR

9. Roanoke-Benson (14-3) 12 NR

9. Salt Fork (16-1) 12 NR

Others receiving votes: Monmouth United 9. 13, Hardin Calhoun 8. 14, St. Edward 3. 15, Rockford Lutheran 2. 16, Chicago Morgan Park Academy 2.

https://daily-journal.com/sports/basketball-kankakee-boys-leap-in-ap-poll-cissna-park-watseka-girls-stay-ranked/article_6df6efbc-ce2a-11ef-a48f-cfb474bd0ebc.html