L-P tops Ottawa 51-46 at Plano; Marquette girls champs at Amboy: The Illinois Valley Saturday Roundup

Boys basketball

La Salle-Peru 51, Ottawa 46: At the 61st Plano Christmas Classic on Saturday, the Cavaliers trailed 26-20 at halftime and 40-38 heading into the fourth quarter before rallying to claim seventh place in the 16-team field.

Nick Olivero and Marion Persich each scored a dozen points for L-P, with Mikey Hartman adding 11 and Andy Medina scoring eight.

For Ottawa, Owens Sanders (16 points), Aric Threadgill (14 points) and Evan Snook (eight points) spearheaded the attack.

The old rivals are scheduled to meet at least two more times this season – Jan. 10 at Ottawa and Feb. 7 at La Salle-Peru.

Northridge Prep 64, Streator 55: At the 61st Plano Christmas Classic, the Bulldogs' bid to come home with the third-place trophy for the second straight December came up short.

Isaiah Weibel scored 20 points to lead the Bulldogs. All-tournament selection Nolan Lukach added 19.

Streator is now 10-4.

Mendota 43, Sandwich 40: At the 61st Plano Christmas Classic, the Trojans won their third straight to claim ninth-place/the consolation title.

Dom Rome scored 21 points for Sandwich.

Hinckley-Big Rock 66, Newark 62: At the 61st Plano Christmas Classic, the Norsemen finished 14th with the loss despite 29 points from all-tourney pick Dylan Long.

Payton Wills added 15 points for Newark.

Kaneland 91, Yorkville Christian 85: At the 61st Plano Christmas Classic, the Knights repeated as champions.

Coal City 51, Hall 47: At Seneca’s inaugural Shipyard Showdown, the Coalers captured third place by surviving a close one with the Red Devils (7-7).

Wyatt West scored 19 points, all-tournament pick Braden Curran had 12, and Jack Jablonski put in eight to pace fourth-place Hall.

Flanagan-Cornell 53, Serena 41: At Seneca’s inaugural Shipyard Showdown, the seventh-place contest went to the Falcons, who were led by 14 points apiece from all-tourney pick Logan Ruddy and Rudra Patel as well as nine points from Reece Pelnarsh.

Serena received 10 points apiece from Hendrix Johnson and all-tournament selection Beau Raikes, with Matt Farrell adding nine.

Dwight 60, Marquette 52: At Seneca’s inaugural Shipyard Showdown, the Trojans captured the consolation title/ninth place, leading throughout a victory over the Crusaders.

All-tournament selection Alec Novotney scored 17 points, Griffin Dobberstein pitched in 13, and Luke McCullough scored 10 for Marquette in the defeat.

Collin Bachand led Dwight with 17.

Woodland 63, Somonauk 46: At Seneca’s inaugural Shipyard Showdown, the Warriors claimed ninth place in the 16-team field with a win led by Nick Plesko (21 points), Connor Dodge (15 points) and Nolan Price (nine points).

Brock Sexton scored 18, while Silas Johnson had 14 for the Bobcats.

Earlville 43, Putnam Co. 39: At Seneca’s inaugural Shipyard Showdown, the Red Raiders finished the tournament with a victory and 15th place spearheaded by Easton Fruit’s 17 points and 15 courtesy of Adam Waite.

Braiden Bickerman’s 15 points and 10 more from Jaden Stoddard led Putnam County.

Peoria Heights 50, St. Bede 49: At the Princeville Holiday Tournament, the Bruins lost a heartbreaker on a late Patriots bucket to finish fourth in the eight-team field.

Gino Ferrari and Mason Ross each scored a dozen points for the Bedans. Kaden Nauman added 11 points.

Princeton 72, IMSA 57: At Sherrard’s Mike Hutchins Tournament, the Tigers captured fifth place with the triumph over Illinois Math & Science Academy.

Eastland 47, Fieldcrest 43 (OT): At the State Farm Holiday Classic, the Knights fell in the consolation championship game.

Jordan Heider (14 points), Layten Gerdes (13) and Eddie Lorton (12 points) led Fieldcrest, which advanced to the consolation title game with a 56-50 win earlier in the day over Aurora Christian.

Amboy 55, LaMoille 45: At the LaMoille Holiday Classic, the Lions fell in the third-place contest to finish fourth.

Girls basketball

Aurora Christian 39, Somonauk/Leland 36 (OT): At the Earlville Christmas Tournament, the Bobcats fell in overtime in the fifth-place game despite strong performances from Abby Hohmann (10 points, seven steals), all-tournament selection Kiley Mason (nine points) and Macey Kinney (eight points, nine rebounds).

West Carroll 37, Earlville 28: At the Earlville Christmas Tournament, the host Red Raiders fell in the seventh-place contest despite 11 points and eight rebounds provided by Natalie Hall.

Addie Scherer added six points.

Kewanee 58, Bureau Valley 48: At the Warkins Memorial, the Storm were defeated in their penultimate game in the tournament despite double-digit scoring from Kadyn Haage (12 points), Brooke Helms (10) and Emily Wright (10).

Hall 55, Fulton 32: At the Warkins Memorial, the Red Devils (8-4) used a big third quarter to pull away to the victory.

Ella Sterling’s 15 points, Ava Dephi’s 11 and eight apiece put in by Charlie Pellegrini and Kennedy Wozniak paced Hall in the win ahead of Monday’s tournament finale against Stark County.

Seneca 50, Westmont 23: At Lisle’s Holiday Cage Classic, the Fighting Irish bounced back from a Friday loss with the win over their old conference rivals, leading by 21 points at the half.

Alyssa Zellers scored 14 points, Tessa Krull put in nine, and Evelyn O’Connor scored eight for Seneca.

The Irish return to Lisle on Monday.

Marquette 62, Mendota 41: At the Amboy Christmas Tournament, the Crusaders – led by all-tournament selections Hunter Hopkins' 18 points and five assists and Kaitlyn Davis' 17 points and seven steals – defeated then Trojans and claimed the tournament title via tiebreaker.

Chloe Larson added eight points. Keely Nelson contributed six points and nine assists.

Serena 39, Orion 29: At the St. Bede Bruins Christmas Tournament, the Huskers (11-4) finished the tournament with a victory paced by Jenna Setchell’s 14 points and nine from Kendall Whiteaker.

Boys wrestling

Marquette, Princeton, Seneca rumble at ABE: At the ABE’s Rumble held Friday and Saturday in Springfield, Princeton placed third in the Silver Bracket, Seneca placed fifth in the Silver Bracket and Marquette came in third in the Bronze Bracket.

Princeton went 3-1 in pool play, ultimately defeating Monticello 46-32 to claim third.

Seneca posted a 3-1 record in pool competition as well, finishing Silver Bracket matches with a 42-29 victory over Benton.

Marquette was 1-3 in its pool to earn a spot in the Bronze Bracket, where the Crusaders won the third-place match 47-46 over Rockridge.

Seneca’s Jeremy Gagnon (54 points won for his team), Princeton’s Casey Etheridge (53 points won) and Princeton’s Ian Morris (52 points won) all finished in the top 10 of points captured over the massive two-day tournament.