High School Sports

Lockport, Bolingbrook and Morris among programs that have seen tremendous success and growth over the past few years.

The Boilermakers opened up 2025 with a nice home win over Richards, bouncing back from consecutive losses in the process. They improved to 10-4 on the season. 

Lazar Lazarevic had eight points and made a big impact with his passing and defense as Rolling Meadows came back from a nine-point deficit late in the third quarter for a 39-37 victory over Downers Grove North in the finale of the WSC/MSL Challenge.

Sterling notched win No. 1,500 as Kaedon Phillips scored a career-high 31 points, Rock Falls fell to Princeton, Eastland beat Forreston, Dixon wrestling went 4-0, Oregon bowling had a big day and more in Saturday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Dillon Orozco scored 18 of his 27 points in the first half, and red-hot Hinsdale Central won its 10th straight game, blowing out Hersey 70-46 at the WSC/MSL Challenge.

Nikki Kerstein scored 30 points to lead Montini past Metamora at the Grow the Game Showcase, Hayven Harden's double-double led a Downers Grove South win and York and Benet boys basketball were winners in Saturday's roundup.

Sophie Kelner was among five Lockport girls to take home individual titles as the Porters won the team championship of Oswego East's Aaron Dudley Memorial Girls Invite. Woodstock was third, Oswego fourth and Oswego East fifth in the 24-team field.

DeKalb raced out to a 15-3 lead in the first five minutes of the contest and then dominated play in the fourth quarter to thwart West Chicago’s comeback attempt for a 64-55 nonconference win.

Marmion hit 10 3-pointers on the night, with sophomore Joey Kramer sinking five and junior Ali Tharwani hitting four, to help set an early pace in a 49-43 victory over St. Charles East.

Andrew Hill, one of five seniors in the IC Catholic Prep starting lineup, led the way with 26 points, eight rebounds, six blocked shots and four steals, and the Knights rallied from 12 down to beat Joliet Catholic 72-51 as part of the 1st Jeremy Izzo Shootout at Aurora Central.

Huntley improved to 15-0 with a 55-51 win over Prospect on Saturday.

Brett Bounds scored 24 points to help snap Morris' three-game losing streak with a 49-36 win over Wilmington.

Glenbard West lost 64-56 to Palatine in the West Suburban Conference/Mid-Suburban League Shootout on Saturday.

La Salle-Peru junior Brie Ruppert posted a game-best 24 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers to a 55-41 win over Marquette at AJ Sellett Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Johnsburg made it a point to move the ball around as much as possible in Saturday's rematch against McHenry. The Skyhawks, led by 11 points and 10 rebounds from freshman Skye Toussaint, were successful in a 41-31 victory.

Ellie Mjaanes scored a game-high 21 points and hit five 3-pointers, and Malaina Kurth hit a go-ahead 3-pointer as Cary-Grove rallied from a four-point deficit in the fourth quarter to edge host Rolling Meadows 41-39.

Shea Carver's 20 points paced Wheaton Warrenville South past Glenbard West and Jakylah Thomas scored 15 in a Downers Grove South loss in Fridays roundup.

Manteno placed third as a team at the Eisenhower Rookie Rumble on Friday

The Coalers moved to 11-3 on the season while the Trojans fell to 9-6

Dom Rome scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Griffin Somlock hit five 3-pointers as Sandwich continued to shake off a slow start to the season, pulling away to beat Morris for the second time in a little over a week 62-44.

Alec Novotney scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to help Marquette slip past Earlville 43-36 Friday night.

Collin Miller finished with 18 points, but it was the Lockport defense holding the potent 3-point shooting of Plainfield North in check that got the job done Friday.

Fulton battled Lena-Winslow as Jacob Voss scored 21 points, Polo girls fell short to Genoa-Kingston, Oregon fell to Rockford Christian and more in Friday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Genoa-Kingston's Marcus Johnson beat the shot clock in overtime for a clutch 3-pointer, and the Cogs held off Indian Creek 64-56 Friday night in Shabbona.

Every time Dixon built a lead, Morris came roaring back – and the final surge was enough to put it over the top. Led by Layken Callahan’s stellar fourth quarter, Morris rallied for a 53-48 victory over the Duchesses on Friday at Lancaster Gym.

Downers Grove South couldn't overcome a cold first half of shooting Friday night as the Mustangs fell to Schaumburg 55-30 at the MSL-WSC Challenge in Buffalo Grove.

Behind 20 points from Joey Villa, the visiting Glenbard South Raiders knocked off West Chicago 42-39 in an Upstate Eight matchup.

Led by 17 points from junior Mikala Amegasse and 10 points and 11 rebounds from senior Chloe Van Horn, Hampshire won back-to-back games for only the second time this season and opened the new year with a 55-39 win over Sycamore.

Darius Harrington and Eli Davidson both hit their first four shots as Dixon rolled to a 60-34 win over Plainfield Central Friday afternoon to start the new year. The Dukes (11-3) have won four straight games.

Oregon's Gavvin Surmo had the top series at Dixon's Toughman Tournament as the Hawks took second behind state power Harlem. The Dukes were third and Sterling took 12th in a strong field on Thursday.

Freshman Brady Pettigrew has become a key figure in Bolingbrook's success this season

Here are the Sauk Valley senior bowling results for the month of December at Plum Hollow.

Seniors Sam Phillip and Ava Sullivan have helped to catapult Oswego co-op to its best season in more than a decade – and contend for its first berth to the eight-team state meet since 2002. Oswego won its Tumble for the Troops Invitational with the state's second-highest score.

Crystal Lake Central's boys basketball team picked up some confidence and two wins at Marengo's E.C. Nichols tournament, while Dundee-Crown and Huntley also finished 2024 strong.

Former Oswego East basketball star Ray J Dennis on Wednesday signed a two-way deal with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.

As the calendar flips to 2025, Daily Journal sports editor Mason Schweizer reflects back on the top 10 prep teams in the area over the last year

Crystal Lake South's boys basketball team lost to Waubonsie Valley in the championship game of Jacobs' Hinkle Holiday Classic, but Gators coach Matt LePage liked what he saw from his team in the tournament.

Behind tourney MVP Davion Thompson, Bolingbrook came back from a 10-point halftime deficit against Fenwick to win the championship of the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic.

The 2024 sports year in McHenry County saw Crystal Lake Central capture state championships on back-to-back weekends in the spring, a near repeat state champ in girls track and field and two first-time Olympic qualifiers.

The greater Kankakee area continued to make waves in the sports scene in 2024

Manteno senior Ray Lee had a Kankakee Holiday Tournament to remember

Vincas Buzelis scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Hinsdale Central rallied from 10 points down in the third quarter past previously undefeated Brother Rice 52-51 in the championship game of the Hinsdale Central Holiday Classic.

Jeremy McCullum came off the bench to shoot 5 for 5 from the field and score 10 points in Bolingbrook's 61-47 win over Metamora in the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic semifinals

Huntley needed a rally but kept its record spotless on the season with a 49-48 over Maine South in the title game of the Komaromy Classic on Monday.

Forreston's Kendall Erdmann scored 25 points in a comeback win, Fulton's Jacob Huisenga had a game-winning shot, Bureau Valley and E-P girls won and more in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Fenwick continued its impressive run at the Jack Tosh Tournament earning a spot in Tuesday's title game with a 50-37 win over Lake Zurich on Monday.

Congratulations to The Times Athlete of the Week, Streator boys basketball's Matt Williamson

Kankakee boys basketball coach Chris Pickett felt pretty good about the Kays' chances with the way they’d been playing

Manteno’s Ray Lee dazzled for much of the title game of the blue bracket title game

Luke Reinert scored 14 points, one of five Kaneland players scoring in double figures, and the Knights outlasted Yorkville Christian in a 91-85 barnburner in the 61st Plano Christmas Classic championship game, overcoming Jayden Riley's 39-point performance and the Mustangs 19 3s.