Southern Illinois Top Duos and Trios: Round 2

In this article we look at some additional top duos and trios around Southern Illinois. In this version we have some ranked players but also some unranked players that have had a big season to get themselves noticed.   <ul> <li>Paris-- [player_tooltip player_id="124854" first="Kate" last="Littleton"] and [player_tooltip player_id="159965" first="Madyson" last="Rigdon"]After losing the strong class of 2020 to graduation Coach Tingley knew he would need these two seasoned juniors to step up into bigger roles. Both did an excellent job on both ends of the floor. Both or guards that can handle, defend and score. Madyson lead the team at 16 points per game and added 5 rebounds and 3 steals per game. Kate scored 14 per game and had 3 rebounds and 2 steals per game. Both players are definite college players and should be watched in their last AAU season.</li> <li>Triad-- Avery Bohnenstiehl and [player_tooltip player_id="124891" first="Alyssa" last="Powell"].Triad had one of their best seasons in while with a 9-4 record and these two were the catalysts for that success. Avery is a long wing player that excels on defense. She is a high level soccer player which helps her with footwork and her 5’10 long armed frame does the rest. She averaged 4.3 steals per game and her defense often led to fast break chances that helped her score 11.5 points per game. Alyssa is an excellent athlete that has slowly transitioned from a post player to adding more to her game on the wing and in the high post. She has the explosion to beat her defender off the dribble and she continues to work on her outside shot. Alyssa averaged 11.2 points per game and 5 rebounds.</li> <li>Marissa--[player_tooltip player_id="160164" first="Bree" last="Portz"] and [player_tooltip player_id="266940" first="Emily" last="Smith"]. This outstanding 1A guard duo had another good season. Last year was cut short for Portz as she suffered a knee injury but she came back strong this season for the Meteors. They were 14-1 with only a loss to 3A Mascoutah to blemish their record. Smith averaged 15.9 points per game in her senior year to go along with 6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.6 steals. She is a true stat stuffer and a tough player. She has had an outstanding career by scoring over 1,000 points and leading her team to 20 win season in her sophomore and junior season. Portz cam back from the knee injury to score 13.7 points per game to go with 4.6 assists and 3.8 steals per game. With another year under her belt, AAU ball with the SI Hawks and her senior year ahead, she is one to watch for small schools looking for a quality guard.</li> <li>Porta-- [player_tooltip player_id="265431" first="Jayce" last="Privia"], Bailey Wahlbaum and Isabel Hudspeth. This talented trio led Porta to an undefeated season and Sangamo Conference championship. All three scored in double figures with Hudspeth at 13.7, Wahlbaum at 13 and Privia at 11.2. Hudspeth did most of her damage inside while Privia had 22 threes and Wahlbaum 14 in their 14 games. All 3 were over 70% from the free throw line and Hudspeth led the team in rebounding at 7.3 per game. Privia is just a freshman and has 3 big years coming while Wahlbaum and Hudspeth are seniors that cap their careers with a historic season at Porta.</li> <li>Highland -- [player_tooltip player_id="193913" first="Kristen" last="Taylor"] and [player_tooltip player_id="123603" first="Bella" last="LaPorta"] This high power duo finished off their career with another good year. They reluctantly finished second in the MVC but in the process Bella surpassed 1,000 points on her way to averaging 15 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Kristen struggled with her 3-point shot in the shortened season but still averaged 7.5 points per game to go with 4 rebounds. Kristen took on more of a leadership role and handled the ball more after the graduation of 3 guards from the 2020 class. Highland finished with a record of 10-3 with two losses to CM and one to Edwardsville.</li> <li>Father McGivney--[player_tooltip player_id="199009" first="Anna" last="McKee"] and [player_tooltip player_id="160154" first="Charlize" last="Luehman"] This inside / outside duo led Father McGivney to another strong season. After losing key seniors from their super-sectional run last year Coach Oller was looking for more from these two if the strong play was going to continue. I think he is happy with the results. Anna finished off a great career by averaging 12.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3 steals per game. Every year of her career the talent around her got better and she carried less of the load. Anna is an excellent defender who improved her all around skills each year. Charlize really established herself as one of the top 1A players in the south this year. She has extended her range and averaged 15.4 points, 8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Charlize is hard to stop in the paint and is a very good free throw shooter when she draws contact.</li> <li>Althoff- [player_tooltip player_id="266941" first="Anaya" last="Davis"], [player_tooltip player_id="265850" first="Emilee" last="Travnicek"] and Nariah Parks. This trio led Althoff to a 9-3 record with losses to Belleville East and West and 2A opponent Breese Mater Dei. Davis finished her career with a huge season by averaging 25.6 points per game and 10 rebounds. She is an extremely strong post that can get her points in the paint against taller players .In her second season back from a knee injury her agility has improved and she continues to show a nice touch from the outside. Parks is a very quick guard that can defend and pass the ball. She averaged 9.2 points and 4.5 assists per game. Travnicek is a long freshman that shows a ton of potential. As she adds strength she can be the focal point to replace some of the scoring lost with Parks and Davis graduating. Travnicek averaged 8.8 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. Althoff would not have been predicted to have this good of a season so the huge step up for Davis and the emergence of Travnicek made for a fun season.</li> </ul>