Basketball MVPs, Week 11
Senior guard Tami Morice of Waubonsie Valley and senior forward Ryan Arquette of Cary-Grove have earned basketball MVP honors from the Daily Herald for their recent basketball performances. It’s the 11th installment of the award this season.
Morice helped Waubonsie Valley past Neuqua Valley to clinch a share of the UEC Valley title, then led the Warriors past Geneva with a team-best 19 points in the UEC title game.
Arquette made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Cary-Grove’s game against Jacobs into OT; his free throws in the extra period accounted for the final margin as the Trojans won 53-50.
Girls MVPTami Morice, Waubonsie Valley: The senior guard played a key role in two big road wins. Morice scored 12 points to beat Neuqua Valley 45-38, clinching a share of the Upstate Eight Valley division championship. Morice then poured in a team-high 19 points as Waubonsie won at Geneva 56-43 in a matchup of UEC division winners.
Girls runners-upMegan Borries, Antioch: The sweet-shooting guard failed to advance in the 3-point contest before her team#146;s Class 3A regional semifinal against Lakes at Vernon Hills. But the 3 she hit later was all that mattered. It sparked a fourth-quarter rally, as the Sequois overcame a 7-point deficit after three to pull out a 51-42 win. She scored 15 of her career-high 21 points in the fourth.
McKaila Hays, Westminster Christian: The Warriors#146; sophomore scored a team-high 13 points, including hitting a key 3-pointer during the game-winning run, as Westminster defeated Harvest Christian 42-30 to win the program#146;s first regional title. Earlier in the week she had 8 points in a 53-25 regional-opening win over Elgin Academy.
Ashley Prost, Kaneland: Kaneland#146;s junior forward started her week scoring a game-high 17 points with 6 rebounds in 54-44 win over Marengo, then again paced the Knights with 13 points and 5-of-5 free throw shooting to help beat Rochelle 52-51.
Destinee Young, Hoffman Estates: Young made it an old habit of double-figure scoring games this season. But the 6-foot junior forward outdid herself in the Hawks#146; Class 4A regional opener at Addison Trail. She made 14 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws for a career-high 30 points in a 64-45 victory over the host Blazers.
Boys MVPRyan Arquette, Cary-Grove: This 6-foot-2 forward doubled his fun in a pair of victories over Fox Valley Conference rival Jacobs. The senior led all scorers with 16 points in a 53-50 victory, including a 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer that sent the game to overtime. He also sank 2 free throws with three seconds left in double overtime to establish the final margin. Arquette helped the Trojans to a sweep five days later by scoring 10 points in a 56-51 overtime victory.
Boys runners-upJohn Cheng, Immaculate Conception: Helping the Knights win their first conference title in 45 years, the 6-foot-1 senior point guard scored 14 points with 6 assists, 4 steals, 4 rebounds in about half of IC#146;s 75-35 SCC Gold win over Guerin. Cheng then tallied 27 points, 8 assists, 5 steals, 8 boards to beat Aquin 76-67. Combined he hit 13 of 23 shots.
Tyler Gaedele, Rolling Meadows: Tyler made sure there was no tie for the Mid-Suburban East title. The senior scored a career-high 25 points on 7-for-11 shooting from 3-point range #8212; including all 5 first-quarter tries #8212; and had 7 rebounds and 4 assists as the Mustangs clinched the outright East crown in a 60-59 win over Wheeling.
Sean Wells, Grant: Sean (rhymes with #147;seen#148;) created a scene at Vernon Hills. The senior guard set off a victory celebration by beating the buzzer with a shot that lifted the Bulldogs to a 54-52 win. He finished with 10 points. He followed up his performance by producing 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 assists in a 73-61 win over Lakes.
Thomas Williams, Kaneland: In a game Kaneland needed to win to remain in contention in the Northern Illinois Big 12 East, the 6-foot-1 guard scored 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, with 4 rebounds, in a 65-55 victory over DeKalb. The sophomore added 10 points and 5 rebounds in a 54-49 nonconference loss to Nazareth.