Girls Basketball

Oswego East's Quinn Janssens has enjoyed a spectacular sophomore season, carrying a 48-3 record after winning regional and sectional championships. Now she's set for her state tournament debut in Bloomington.

Hinsdale South junior Callie Carr has made state the last two years, and came a win short of medaling last season. Now she returns to Bloomington this weekend with a 35-0 record, and titles hopes. "I need more."

The Cissna Park girls basketball team beat Roanoke-Benson 49-39 in Thursday's championship game of the IHSA Class 1A Varna Midland Sectional, the second straight sectional title for the Timberwolves.

Missouri commit Nikki Kerstein turned in a masterful effort with 24 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals, leading Montini past DePaul Prep 48-31 to the 21st sectional title in program history.

Hot shooting from junior guard Aubrina Adamik, who had a game-high 20 points and six 3-pointers, helped Huntley pull away from Libertyville 63-50 as the Red Raiders captured their first sectional championship since 2016.

St. Edward crashed the glass hard against Amboy during Thursday’s Class 1A Hinckley-Big Rock Sectional championship. Earning multiple second-chance scoring opportunities from such efforts, the Green Wave took down the Clippers 54-44.

Makenna Yeager scored 22 points, helping lead Glenbard West to a 46-39 win over Batavia in the Class 4A St. Charles East Sectional final for the Hilltoppers' first sectional title since 1999.

Two nights after a scoreless game, Waubonsie Valley sophomore Maya Pereda scored a career-high 12 points with the game's two biggest shots, and the Warriors – after leading by 17 – held off a furious Benet rally for a 66-61 win in the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional final.

Trinity Davis' half-court buzzer beater to end the first half gave Bishop McNamara plenty of momentum to pull away from Watseka-Milford and win Thursday's IHSA Class 2A Herscher Sectional championship.

It wasn't the end Lincoln-Way West wanted in a 59-40 loss to Marist in the Class 4A Rich Township Sectional title game, but it was a heck of a run for the two seniors and the 2024-25 team

A free throw with one second left by Madison Hoffmann proved to be the difference for Grayslake Central as it topped Cary-Grove 33-31 in the Class 3A North Chicago Sectional championship on Thursday.

Benet girls basketball faced Waubonsie Valley in the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional final on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Bolingbrook.

Meeting in a sectional final for the first time, Sterling triumphed 39-30 over Dixon to win its first sectional title since 2007 and set the single-season wins record with 30. Madison Austin led the way with 20 points in a physical and intense rematch.

A lot of things went right for Providence in the Class 3A Marian Catholic Sectional, but the thing that mattered most, the score, did not as the Celtics fell 33-29 to the host school.

Glenbard West girls basketball defeated Batavia in the Class 4A St. Charles East Sectional Final on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in St. Charles.

Batavia senior Natalie Warner had 13 points (four 3-pointers), six rebounds, two assists and two steals to help the Bulldogs win their fourth consecutive regional title with a win over York. Warner was selected as the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

Huntley defeats Libertyville in the IHSA Class 4A Huntley Sectional Championship girls basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, at Huntley High School.

Bishop McNamara claimed a 69-38 victory over Watseka-Milford in the IHSA Class 2A Herscher Sectional championship game on Thursday, Feb. 27.

Yorkville Christian senior Danielle Bulson, who scored 17 points in Yorkville Christian’s 48-41 regional final win over Serena to clinch the first regional championship in program history, is the Record Newspapers Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

Local rivals Dixon and Sterling play for the Class 3A Rockford Boylan Sectional title Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. Sterling won the defensive battle 39-30.

Cary-Grove beat Burlington Central and Crystal Lake South topped Prairie Ridge to reach the Class 3A Prairie Ridge Regional championship game. Plus more boys basketball postseason results in Wednesday’s Northwest Herald sports roundup.

Amboy leveraged its height advantage over Morgan Park Academy on both ends of the court in Tuesday’s sectional semifinal win.

Dixon and Sterling meet at the sectional level for the very first time on Thursday night in a rematch from earlier this season. The Golden Warriors won the matchup in December 44-18. Here is a preview of the 6:30 p.m. showdown.

Maura Grogan scored 17 points and Mary Kate Hilgart 13, and IC Catholic Prep rolled past Westmont 49-32 to advance to Thursday's Class 2A Lisle Sectional final.

Nazareth's 'special' season that included a 23-game winning streak dating back to December nearly ended in the program's fourth straight sectional final, but Kenwood came back in the fourth quarter to beat the Roadrunners 72-71 in Tuesday's sectional semifinal.

After Watseka-Milford opened the Class 2A Herscher Sectional semis Tuesday with a 14-0 run over Reed-Custer before never looking back, Bishop McNamara used a second-half outburst to down Seneca and set up Thursday's championship.

Bishop McNamara broke a tie at halftime with a second-half run to end Seneca's season in the 2A Herscher Sectional semifinals.

In a game where their role players followed the game plan, Batavia came away with a 55-25 victory over Wheaton North in a Class 4A sectional semifinal game at St. Charles East to advance to their third straight sectional championship.

Molly Finn hit a driving layup with 2 seconds remaining to give Lincoln-Way West a 49-48 win over Lockport in the Class 4A Rich Township Sectional

Providence Catholic won 57-41 after being up just one at halftime.

Bishop McNamara claimed a 51-30 victory over Seneca in the IHSA Class 2A Herscher Sectional semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.

Watseka-Milford opened the Class 2A Herscher Sectional semis with a 50-24 victory over Reed-Custer on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, to advance to the championship on Thursday.

The Ottawa girls basketball team's season came to an end in Tuesday's Class 3A Ottawa Sectional semifinals as Morton scored the opening 13 points of the final quarter on the way to a 59-46 victory at Kingman Gym.

Cary-Grove defeated Wauconda 46-41 in a Class 3A North Chicago Sectional semifinal Tuesday.

Cissna Park had an obvious size advantage Tuesday in its 1A sectional semifinal and used it to defeat Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland 42-30.

Benet used a fourth quarter surge to finish off Downers Grove North in the semifinal round of the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional on Tuesday.

St. Edward took the lead 10 seconds in and led the rest of the way in a 46-20 victory over Yorkville Christian in a Class 1A Hinckley-Big Rock Sectional semifinal Tuesday.

Lyons Township girls basketball faced Whitney Young in a Class 4A Lyons Sectional semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 in La Grange.

Cissna Park had an obvious size advantage Tuesday in its 1A sectional semifinal and used it to defeat Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland 42-30.

Lyons junior Emma O'Brien, after a scoreless first half, caught fire in the third quarter with 18 of her 20 points, but the Lions could not overcome a cold start in a 65-52 loss to young in the Class 4A Lyons Sectional semifinal.

Huntley's defense got one final stop against Lake Zurich, and the undefeated Red Raiders celebrated a 39-37 win in their Class 4A Huntley Sectional semifinal Tuesday. The Red Raiders advance to play Libertyville at 6 p.m. Thursday in the championship.

Dixon built a 31-9 lead and held on a 40-30 victory over the Knights in a Class 3A Boylan Sectional semifinal on Tuesday behind 15 points from Ahmyrie McGowan.

Points were at a premium during Tuesday’s Class 4A girls basketball sectional semifinal between Glenbard West and host St. Charles East as the Hilltoppers won 35-32 in overtime.

Batavia girls basketball faced Wheaton North in the Class 4A St. Charles East Sectional semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 in St. Charles.

Sterling outscored Crystal Lake Central by 22 points in the first quarter en route to a 62-30 victory in a Class 3A Boylan Catholic Sectional semifinal Tuesday.

Glenbard West girls basketball faced St. Charles East in a Class 4A St. Charles East Sectional semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 in St. Charles.

The Dixon and Kaneland girls basketball teams met Tuesday in a Class 3A sectional semifinal at Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford.

The Crystal Lake Central and Sterling girls basketball teams met Tuesday in a Class 3A sectional semifinal at Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford.

The scores/schedule for Illinois Valley/Herald-News schools in the IHSA girls basketball postseason, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025

Yorkville Christian faces off against St. Edward's Elgin in Class 1A Sectional girls basketball Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, at Hinckley-Big Rock High School. St. Edwards took the win and will play for the Sectional title on Thursday.