Tri-Cities all-area girls basketball team

Katie Baglieri

Batavia

A senior guard at Batavia, Baglieri averaged 6.6 points a game while making 16 3-pointers and hitting 72 percent at the free-throw line. Earned Upstate Eight River Division All-Conference honors. "What Katie did well was learning to get shot off quickly, being a leader on the floor, and wanting the ball in clutch situations," Bulldogs coach Tim DeBruycker said. "She improved coming off of screens and shooting and making good decisions under pressure. She is very coachable and did everything I asked her to do to the best of her ability."

Jacqui Cardona

Aurora Central

This silky smooth wing led the Chargers to the best season in school history, setting records for victories (19) and winning their first regional title. Cardona averaged 15.1 points a game, made 40 3-pointers and led the team in assists (37) and steals (32). She got to the free-throw line 161 times and converted at a 73 percent clip. "She is one of the most talented basketball players that I have had the privilege to coach in my 19 years of doing this," ACC coach Mark Fitzgerald said. "There is no doubt that her team looks to her to go to that extra gear in times of stress during the game and she responds time after time." With 803 career points, Cardona can pass 2001 graduate Andrea Taylor as ACC's all-time leader next year. "She is totally unselfish," Fitzgerald said. "She is definition of team first, me second."

Kelly Evers

Kaneland

Like her team that went from 5 wins in 2009-10 to 13 this year, Evans saw her numbers soar in her junior season. She averaged a team-high 10.4 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. Also shot the ball exceptionally well from the field at 57.8 percent while hitting 64.4 percent at the line and adding 1.1 steals a game. "She has improved a ton and has developed into a player that is double and sometimes triple teamed in the post," Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe said. "She works as hard as anyone we have in this building and has a positive attitude. Kelly has the ability to take over games and is a player teams have to prepare for."

Amanda Hilton

St. Charles East

Listed at 5-foot-5, Hilton was one of several freshmen including Batavia's Liza Fruendt and West Aurora's Liz Skaggs who wasted no time making an impact. Starting every game, Hilton was second on the Saints in scoring at 10.7 points a game. She drained 39 3-pointers and hit 72 percent of her free throws while adding a team-high 2.3 steals and 1.8 assists a game. Showed her all-around ability with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the Saints' regional win over Batavia. "Amanda has been very consistent all year," Saints coach Lori Drumtra said. "She is a threat to score both from beyond the arc and by driving to the basket. It is impressive how well she has done for someone so young."

Breann Maryanski

Rosary

Rosary coach Dave Beebe has been blessed with some terrific low-post players, and this senior carried on the tradition. Maryanski led the area in rebounding this year at 9.6 a game. She also was Rosary's top scorer at 11.3 points a game including a career-high 30 points in her final home game. Set a program record by taking 15 charges and averaged 1.9 steals a game. Made all-tournament at the Oswego Holiday Classic and all-Suburban Christian Conference. "Breann led us this year through the good and bad games and stretches," Beebe said. "She was consistent throughout the season at both ends of the court."

Lexi Nelson

West Aurora

A 5-foot-9 junior guard, Nelson played a steadying role for a team trying to break in an almost entirely new roster that included five freshmen. Nelson led West Aurora in scoring (10.0 points per game), 3-pointers (45), assists (3.2 a game) and steals (2.4 a game). She hit 65.8 percent from the line. She had back-to-back 21- and 20-point games at the Falcon Classic to lead the Blackhawks to the consolation championship. "Alexis has had to fill some big shoes by leading the team," West Aurora coach Connie Siljendahl said. "The opponents' goals are to always shut her down."

Sydney Russell

St. Charles North

Russell took over the point guard job from 3-time All-Area pick Kiley Hackbarth and kept the North Stars' excellent play from that position alive. A two-year starter, Russell finished second on the team in scoring (8.6 points a game) while leading them in assists (2.8) and steals (2.5) by a wide margin and also hustled her way to 4.1 rebounds a game. Earned all-tournament honors at the prestigious Dundee-Crown Charger Classic. "She has been such a huge leader and focal point of our team," SCN coach Colleen Brennan said. "She has been the go-to kid for so many things. Her defense should be videotaped for people to watch. She's always on their strongest player. She has one of the most beautiful shots I've ever seen."

Ashley Santos

Geneva

This 6-foot junior elevated her game in her second year at Geneva while attracting Division I schools from all over the country. Averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 47 percent from the field and 77 percent at the line. Earned MVP honors of the Benet/Naperville North Christmas Tournament, was an Upstate Eight all-conference pick and 4th team IBCA All-State. "I think she's a lot more comfortable in our system," Geneva coach Gina Nolan said. "She plays with so much more confidence out there too, inside game, outside game. I think this year defensively, she is our leading rebounder even though plays the 3. She is so long, gets her hands on so many balls. She goes up with authority when she grabs rebounds."

Sammy Scofield

Geneva

Headed to Notre Dame to play soccer, Scofield capped quite a basketball career this winter at Geneva. A 4-year varsity player and 2-year starter, Scofield earns her first spot on the All-Area team after helping the Vikings to their third straight conference, regional and sectional titles. Averaged 7.5 points and 1.7 steals while leading Geneva in assists at 3.7 a game. "Sammy's speed and court vision helped ignite many fast breaks for us," coach Gina Nolan said. "She is an incredibly unselfish player who likes to pass the ball up the floor for a teammate to score. Because of her speed, she often defended the opponent's best guard."

Kat Yelle

Geneva

The Ohio-bound guard, 3-time All-Area selection and 2-time All-Area captain leaves Geneva as one of the best to ever play at the school. The Vikings had never won a sectional title until 2009 they won three straight in Yelle's final three seasons as a starter with an 88-10 record. Yelle scored 17.1 a game in her final season to give her 1,421 career points. That included a 38-point game in the McDonald's Shootout against Pickerington North from Ohio. Also averaged 3.4 steals and 3.1 assists a game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field. Named MVP of the Upstate Eight River Division and 1st team IBCA All-State. "She is irreplaceable," Geneva coach Gina Nolan said.