Class 4A IHSA State Semifinals: Nine Players Who Stood Out

Four talented teams and dozens of talented players took the floor on Friday for the Class 4A IHSA State Semifinals at Redbird Arena in Normal. While neither game came down to the wire, there were still many stand-out performances throughout the evening. Here is a group of nine players that impacted the two games: &nbsp; <strong>Brooke</strong> <strong>Schramek</strong> – The Junior Forward from Benet led the team in scoring and was able to contribute a nice game offensively against a tough Mother McAuley defense. At 6’1’’, Schramek has the size and strength to score down low, but also the shiftiness and ball handling skills to produce on the perimeter. She finished with 13 points in the Benet loss. &nbsp; <strong>Kendall Holmes</strong> – Holmes has been a consistent scorer for Benet this season, and this game would’ve been out of reach early on without her. The 5’11’’ Guard is a great driver and can use her size to get in good position in the lane. Also has ability to knock down 3 pointers often. &nbsp; <strong>Nikki Murphy</strong> – If you like ball-hawking defense, you must watch this PG play. At 5’6’’, Murphy only averages 2.8 PPG, but is the driving force behind the ferocious McAuley defense. She likes to pick up the opposing PG as soon as the ball is in play and allows no separation up the court. Benet was unable to run their offense consistently and it was mainly due to Murphy not allowing the guards to get comfortable. &nbsp; <strong>Jenna Badali</strong> – You just can’t say enough good things about the way Badali plays night in and night out. After dropping 34 points in McAuley’s Super-Sectional win over Rock Island, the 5’6’’ Guard wasn’t able to get many clean looks against Benet in the State Semifinal. So what does she do? She adjusted and used her quickness in the lane to draw fouls and converted 15 of 17 free throws on her way to a game-high 21 points. &nbsp; <strong>Grace Hynes</strong> – Facing a Benet team that is taller at every position, the 5’9’’ Hynes was able to use her physicality and quickness to not only compete, but really take charge of the game. Hynes creates mismatches offensively because of her speed and skillset, but she was able to bring down 15 total rebounds, three times more than Benet’s leading rebounder for the game. &nbsp; <strong>Dylan Van Fleet</strong> – A role player on the best team in the state, and top 10 team in the country, Van Fleet erupted for 17 first quarter points in Maine West’s route of Hononegah. The 5’8’’ Junior Guard can handle the ball well, but her three-point shooting and fast break layups were on display in the Semi’s. &nbsp; <strong>Rachel Kent</strong> – The Saint Louis University commit had a rather rough night shooting the ball, but with Van Fleet and others scoring well, she was able to play the role of the Senior leader looking to close out a game, and she did just that. Kent, a 5’11’’ Forward, takes care of the ball and uses size and strength to finish in traffic with either hand. &nbsp; <strong>Angela Dugalic</strong> – Similar to Kent, Dugalic wasn’t needed to score a ton of points for Maine West to win this game. The 6’4’’ Forward can play any position and that’s what makes her so dominant. When opposing defenders would apply pressure or try to trap her, she was able to use her long arms and make a clean pass to her open teammate. Dugalic finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds on 5-7 shooting. &nbsp; <strong>Jordan King</strong> – This statement may be bold, but I’ll go ahead and say it. I haven’t seen a single player do the things that King can do, other than South Carolina commit Brea Beal of Rock Island. King may be quicker overall, but like Beal, she is extremely talented and can use her size to dominate at every aspect of the game. The 5’11’’ Guard had a rough first half shooting the ball, but she settled in and was able to knock down some long range shots and drive the ball in the lane and convert at a successful rate as the game went on. She finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds for Hononegah.