Daily Herald Players of the Week

Tri-Cities

Katie Hatch, Kaneland

The junior scored a team-high 20 points to go with 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in a win against Yorkville. In another Western Sun Conference victory over Rochelle, she tallied a game-high 12 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Collin Pryor, St. Charles East

The 6-foot-6 senior led the Saints in back-to-back wins over Larkin and Geneva. He scored 19 points against the Royals and followed with 29 points and 10 rebounds against the Vikings while improving his season scoring average to just under 19 points a game.

Fox Valley

Rachel Doby, Westminster Christian

The Warriors' sophomore earned MVP honors in the Westminster Christian MLK Day tournament, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a 33-26 win over Woodlands, then coming back with 9 points and 8 rebounds in a 50-43 championship win against Mooseheart.

Jeff Beck, Dundee-Crown

The Chargers' lone senior starter helped Dundee-Crown bounce back from a 15-point loss at Cary-Grove by turning in his best game of the season against Crystal Lake South. Beck poured in 30 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished 5 assists to lead the Chargers (9-8) back above the .500 mark.

DuPage Co.

Alexa Sharkey, Wheaton Academy

The 5-foot-9 sophomore guard scored 25 points in a 52-44 win at Streamwood, 21 in a 44-36 victory at Timothy Christian and 23 in a 52-47 triumph at Newark. In the three games Sharkey collected 23 rebounds, 18 steals and 6 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field and 79 percent from the foul line.

Milton Colbert, Willowbrook

A model of consistent dominance in three victories, Colbert powered the Warriors to a string of wins in a five-day span. The 6-foot-5 senior forward averaged 20.3 points and 10.6 rebounds as Willowbrook beat Fenton, Downers Grove South and Leyden. Colbert hit 75 percent of his 32 shots from the field.

Lake Co.

Autumn Gaylor, Grant

An autumn night is typically cool. Autumn's night for Grant was red-hot. In front of a large home crowd, the 6-foot-1 senior pumped in a career-high 21 points and was a force on the boards all game, as the Bulldogs clinched the North Suburban Prairie Division championship with a 65-56 win over Round Lake.

Jordan Sivertsen, Carmel

Signed with Southern Illinois to play baseball, the slugger can do more than hit a ball. He can hit jump shots, too. Sivertsen's 24 points led the Corsairs to a 65-58 upset of Benet Academy. He followed up with a 17-point effort, as Carmel played tough again in a loss to St. Joseph.

Northwest suburbs

Janelle Cannon, Wheeling

Cannon had a breakout week while helping Wheeling to three big wins, including a 57-49 victory over No. 1 Class 4A ranked Buffalo Grove. Before a crowd of nearly 2,000 in the Wheeling gymnasium, the 5-foot-9 sophomore guard scored a game-high 23 points against the Bison with 8 rebounds. She also led the Wildcats to a 57-46 triumph over Montini at the McDonald's Shootout at Willowbrook High School with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals, and she collected 23 points, 7 rebounds, 7 steals, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots in a 66-42 win at Prospect.

Brian DeSimone, Buffalo Grove

Scoring 14 points to help Buffalo Grove take first place in the Mid-Suburban East with a win over Wheeling last Friday was just a warmup to the senior's most prolific high-school game. DeSimone scored 39 points and had 7 rebounds and 2 assists in a 78-60 win over Thornwood. DeSimone had 20 first-quarter points and made 6-of-8 attempts from 3-point range in the first half as he finished 12-for-18 from the field.