Dog days getting you down? Cheer up by checking out these basketball players
High school basketball players are starting to feel it.
The energy from the beginning of the season is gone, so too is the buzz of the holiday tournaments. First round of conference is wrapping up, and there are only so many weekend shootouts to hype.
Let’s face it. We’re in the dog days of basketball season.
Need cheering up? The playoffs for the girls season are only a month away, so brighten your mood by going out to see these five stellar players from the Daily Herald coverage area.
Next week we’ll give you a similar list of boys players.
Brooke Carlson, Batavia
Committed to Colorado State, the senior will go down as one of the program’s all-time greats. Quite an accomplishment for Carlson, who is a Midwest nominee for the McDonald’s All-American games.
She’s scored more than 1,900 points to become the second-leading scorer in Batavia history, and she’s closing in on the top spot. Carlson tallied 39 points in the semifinals of the prestigious Morton College holiday tournament while earning MVP honors.
With her ability to knock down 3s or drive to the basket, it’s a pick-your-poison choice for defenders.
Meegan Fahy, Maine South
Earlier this week Bolingbrook at the Coach Kipp Hoopsfest saddled Maine South with its first loss of the season, but that didn’t dampen the goal of the program’s first trip to state since 2011.
As deep as the Hawks are, Fahy is the engine. The senior scored 17 points in the Bolingbrook loss, gliding further past the 1,000-point milestone she hit last month.
In classic style, she surpassed the mark in an epic win over Evanston. She knocked down a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime and made another to help the Hawks pull away.
Also a Midwest nominee for the McDonald’s All-American games, Fahy is committed to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
Emory Klatt, Stevenson
How’s this for a stat? Earlier this season, Klatt became just the second player in program history to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
The other? Patriots legend Tauja Catchings.
As the numbers indicate, Klatt is a double-double machine willing to do whatever it takes to drive her team to victory. And she’s another Midwest nominee for the McDonald’s All-American games.
A sophomore on the Patriots state title team in 2022, Klatt is aiming to lead her team to another trip to Redbird Arena in Normal. Their three losses have come to Maine South (twice) and Loyola, so they’ll be battle-tested heading into the playoffs.
Klatt is committed to DePaul, where she’ll continue a storied tradition of Herald City standouts who have played for the Blue Demons.
Danyella Mporokoso, Waubonsie Valley
Going with a wild card here ... the flashy sophomore who’s improved by leaps and bounds the last year and has begun to garner significant Division I college interest.
Among her offers are DePaul, Loyola, Northwestern and Marquette.
Mporokoso averaged 16 points for the Warriors as an all-DuPage Valley Conference honoree as a freshman, and picked up this season right where she left off.
She scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in leading the Warriors in a championship game win at the Bill Neibch holiday tournament. She scored a career-high 32 points at the York Thanksgiving tournament.
She’s one to watch, now and in the future.
Ella Todd, Fremd
Part of what makes Fremd great is its ability to smother teams with a dynamite backcourt. But Todd, a 6-foot junior committed to Utah, is the main force for the Vikings.
The leader among a terrific set of guards, Todd can drain 3-pointers as well as show strength around the basket. She was a first-team all-Morton College holiday tournament selection.
A second team all-state selection as a sophomore, Todd missed out on a state trip last year when the top-seeded Vikings fell in the sectional final.
Like the other players on this list, she’s determined to lead her team to the final four in Normal.
Not all of them will make it, though, so check them out now.