Daily Herald Players of the Week
Northwest suburbs
Cully Payne, Schaumburg
Ten was a magic number for Payne as the junior guard led Schaumburg to a 66-61 victory over Rock Island at the Rock Falls Shootout. Payne had bookend 10-point first and fourth quarters en route to 24 points and hit all 10 of his free throws. He shot 7-for-11 from the field and also had 6 assists.
Maggie Mocchi, Buffalo Grove
Mocchi was more like a "Player of the Day." In less then 24 hours, the senior all-state guard led the Bison to victories with 21 points against state-ranked Fenwick (52-47) and 26 against Marshall (54-52). Mocchi was also 11-of-12 at the free throw line against defending Class AA champion Fenwick with 8 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 assists. She collected 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists against Marshall in Chicago.
DuPage Co.
Erin Hayes, Immaculate Conception
The 5-foot-8 senior guard poured in a career-high 32 points to lift the Knights to a 53-47 Suburban Catholic Conference victory against St. Francis. Hayes made 8 of 14 shots from the field and 14 of 16 from the free-throw line. She also grabbed 6 rebounds.
Damian Sieradzki, Fenton
Led by this 6-foot-4 senior forward, the Bison rallied from a 7-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Bartlett 58-57. Sieradzki scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. His 3-pointer gave Fenton the lead with 40 seconds left, and his 2 clutch free throws sealed the nonconference victory.
Lake Co.
Joree Green, Warren
With a pair of Division I post players on her team, the junior point guard is basically asked to just get the Blue Devils into their offense, protect the basketball and pass it. Against Lake Zurich, she shot it. And sank it. Green scored all 12 of her career-high points in the fourth quarter, helping Warren pull out a 36-31 win. She also had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block.
Vernon Randolph, Round Lake
Rudolph delivered Randolph. Or put another way, Christmas provided the Panthers a great gift. The senior forward, who played for Warren two years ago, became eligible right before Christmas. He averaged nearly 25 points in his first six games for Round Lake. He had 17 points in a 54-52 upset of Grant, then scored 28 against first-place North Chicago.
Fox Valley
Markie Rahn, Jacobs
The Golden Eagles' 5-foot-8 senior guard had 28 points, including 22 in the second half, as her team beat Huntley 48-39 on the road. Rahn also shot 9-for-18 from the field, made three 3-pointers, and had 5 rebounds and 6 steals in the win.
Derell Howse, Elgin
Normally an Elgin reserve, Howse started against DeKalb at the Rock Falls Shootout and responded with his best game of the season in a 55-50 victory that evened the Maroons' record at 7-7. The senior guard scored 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, grabbed 7 rebounds and sank 3 of 4 free throws in the final 22 seconds to cap an 8-0 run that sealed the victory.
Tri-Cities
Chris Jordan, Geneva
The Vikings stayed tied for the Western Sun Conference lead with a 72-66 victory over Sycamore last week, and this senior led the way. Jordan scored a career-high 26 points and also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for the Vikings.
Kelsey Smith, St. Charles North
This 6-foot-4 junior center didn't even need a full game to tally 16 points and 9 rebounds in a 55-36 win over South Elgin in Upstate Eight Conference action. She set the tone early with 12 points in the first quarter.