High school basketball: Week 4 MVPs
Benet junior Christen Prasse and St. Charles North junior Quinten Payne get the Daily Herald’s nod for Most Valuable Players for high school basketball in the fourth week the honor has been awarded this season.
Prasse, a point guard, keyed the Redwings to victories over Wheaton Warrenville South and York and had a career-best 30 points in a win over Geneva.
Payne, a Loyola recruit, had 19 points in win against Streamwood and 32 in an overtime loss to Hope at Jacobs.
Girls MVPChristen Prasse, Benet: The Redwings#146; junior point guard has been a catalyst in Benet#146;s six-game winning streak. Prasse scored 14 points #8212; 10 in the fourth quarter #8212; with 7 assists and 0 turnovers in a 61-58 win over Wheaton Warrenville South. The next night she scored a personal-high 30 points with 6 assists as Benet beat Geneva 65-55. Prasse also scored 14 points in a win over York.
Girls runners-upJackie Kemph, Rolling Meadows: The Mustangs#146; floor leader was a scoring machine on back-to-back days. First, Kemph tossed home a game-high 20 points with three 3-pointers in a 54-34 win at Elk Grove. The 5-foot-5 sophomore came back less than 15 hours later and scored 27 points with two 3s in a 56-32 triumph over Highland Park at the Mundelein tournament.
Liz McNally, St. Charles North: The sophomore is quickly making her presence felt for the North Stars, none more than in her first rivalry game against St. Charles East last week. McNally led all scorers with 21 points including a tiebreaking 3-point play with 50.6 seconds left in her team#146;s 51-44 victory. McNally also had 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.
Jessica Prince, Warren: When she plays as she did in back-to-back wins this week, it#146;s easy to understand why Wisconsin-Milwaukee offered her a scholarship, which she accepted. The 6-foot-3 senior center poured in a season-high 23 points in the Blue Devils#146; 49-35 victory over Wheeling. She followed up with team highs of 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds, helping her team capture a 44-28 win over Palatine.
Ali Sanders, Dundee-Crown: The Chargers#146; senior leader stepped up her game with classmate Carlin Faulkner out with an ankle injury. Sanders, a 5-foot-7 guard/forward, scored 22 points and had 7 rebounds in a 45-43 win over Prairie Ridge and then came back with 18 points, 7 steals and 5 rebounds in a 52-20 win over Elgin. On Tuesday in a 58-41 win over Larkin, she scored a career-high 23 points to go along with 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals as D-C won for the seventh straight time.
Boys MVPQuinten Payne, St. Charles North: The Loyola recruit racked up big numbers in a 1-1 week for the North Stars. The 6-foot-4 junior guard slammed a couple dunks and scored 19 points in a 68-45 win over Streamwood. He followed with 32 points in a 68-65 overtime loss to Hope at the Jacobs Tournament. Payne totaled 15 rebounds and 9 assists for the two games.
Boys runners-upAustin Amann, Elk Grove: Elk Grove came into the Jacobs Holiday Tournament with 2 wins. Thanks to Amann, the Grenadiers went 3-0 in pool play and reached the semifinals. The 6-foot-1 junior averaged 14.7 points so far in the tourney and his leadership was instrumental in two last-second victories.
Mirko Grcic, Lake Zurich: The Bears are already on the verge of equally last season#146;s seven wins, and their improvement has coincided with that of their star player. An all-area player as a junior, the 6-foot-6 senior is playing even better this season. Lake Zurich won its fourth straight game and sixth overall, as he had 20 points and 6 assists in a 65-52 decision over Marian Central on second-day action of Jacobs#146; tournament. Grcic averaged 20.5 points during the streak.
John Moss, Bartlett: This 5-foot-10 guard came off the bench to hit five 3-pointers in a 56-45 victory at East Aurora. The junior scored a team-best 20 points to help Bartlett end a 3-game losing streak. Moss also added 9 points, including a 3-pointer, in a 5-point loss to Zion-Benton in the Jacobs Holiday Tournament opener on Saturday.
Sean O#146;Mara, Benet: The 6-foot-8 sophomore center was named the Most Valuable Player of the Plainfield North holiday tournament and the Redwings went 5-0 in a busy week. O#146;Mara averaged 18 points and 8 rebounds for Benet in the five games, including a 25-point, 10 rebound effort against Lockport in the opening game at Plainfield North.