Top 10 Teams: #1 Seed Edition (6-10)

<h5 style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;">So much talent is in these programs and they've shown dominance throughout their entire season. Below are my choices for top teams that finished their season with the #1 seed in their section.</span></strong></h5> <h6><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">6) Lyons Township (Lagrange)</span></strong></h6> Starting the playoffs on a 13 game winning streak and a first-round bye... the Lions from Lagrange are looking to dominate in their first game against Proviso West or Proviso East. With their fast-paced up and down style of play, the guards for Lyons are at the forefront of trying to win it big. Senior guards [player_tooltip player_id="158267" first="Hailey" last="Markworth"] (Winona State Commit), and [player_tooltip player_id="343740" first="Olivia" last="Mezan"] (UMSL Commit) .. are both combination guards who can score in a multitude of ways, and also defend at a high level. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="363327" first="Ella" last="Ormsby"] fits right into that fold with being a High IQ three-level scorer and a high-energy and communicative player on the other side of the ball as well. Senior wing Izzy Lee is the perfect down low piece for this high-speed team. Izzy is a threat on the block with the ball and a threat without the ball. She stays in constant moving and is always looking to get in the right spot for an easy bucket. Lyons will be a tough matchup for the first couple of rounds. <h6><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">7) Geneseo</span></strong></h6> Winning their first 25 games straight, the Lady Leafs were poised to have an undefeated season. Taking their first loss at the end of January to Rock Island.. they finished off the season winning their last 4 games of an average of 13 points. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="124856" first="Kammie" last="Ludwig"] is the school's all-time scoring leader and their outright star. She's been dropping 23+ on a near-nightly basis. Ludwig's game is phenomenal and she'll continue to show off her deep skillset at Providence following her senior season. The pieces around Ludwig are more than complimentary. Classmate Ali Rapps can contribute in a multitude of ways, Junior Annie Wirth is a walking double-double, and combo guard Danielle Beach is an offensive problem as well. With the focal point being zoomed in on Kammie, the rest of the team will look to step up and show off their talents as well for the playoffs. <h6><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">8) Edwardsville</span></strong></h6> Finishing the season with no losses in conference play, the Tigers from Edwardsville are looking for their first post-season win this upcoming Tuesday against the winner of Pekin &amp; Granite City. The team is full of talent, and at the forefront of that is their Senior Trio. The 6'0 standout, [player_tooltip player_id="78769" first="Sydney" last="Harris"] will be continuing her athletics at CMU next fall. She's a versatile guard/wing that can hurt the defense from all areas on the court. [player_tooltip player_id="124869" first="Elle" last="Evans"] (North Dakota State commit) &amp; [player_tooltip player_id="124890" first="Macy" last="Silvey"] (SIUE commit) are both intriguing and talented guards that are known for their outstanding skill set and high IQ. On top of the talent this team posses, their overall experience, and maturity will be another boost taking them into the playoffs. <h6><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>9) Bolingbrook</strong></span></h6> With injuries affecting two of their biggest stars on the team [player_tooltip player_id="265996" first="Tahj" last="Bloom"] &amp; [player_tooltip player_id="158262" first="Kennedi" last="Perkins"], The Raiders have come out and showed how deep their talent level really is. Losing no games in conference play, the underclassmen have been a real push to keep this team going. Sophomore Angie Smith is one of the most exciting guards to watch in the state, from baseline to baseline she's a load for any defender and ball handler. [player_tooltip player_id="349221" first="Persais" last="Williams"], another sophomore standout is a problem to be dealt with as well. With a simple score, play hard and defend type of game, Williams is the do it all player on the team. Rounding out the talent is Kent State Commit [player_tooltip player_id="124853" first="Tatiana" last="Thomas"]. Thomas is a brute force on the boards, on the ball, and in the paint. She's tough-minded, bodied, and tough to guard. She can hurt you in the paint, the mid and can make plays from all over. This team is built ford tough and they're looking to make some noise in the playoffs. <h6><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>10) Barrington</strong></span></h6> The Fillies are entering playoffs on a 14 game winning streak and they don't look like they're slowing down anytime soon. The sniper, certified bucket and recent Purdue commit [player_tooltip player_id="148135" first="Sophie" last="Swanson"] (2024) has been the focal point and catalyst of the team's success. The team's talent is built perfectly around their star. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="343744" first="Laura" last="Mahlum"] (Illinois Wesleyan commit) &amp; sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="349443" first="Gwen" last="Adler"] are the backbones and grit of Barringtons Varisty Program. They both can score at a high level, and will when needed. Gwen in particular does everything else that no one wants to do. Their security blanket and post presence role are filled by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="265984" first="Molly" last="O'Riordan"], and she is a problem for all. 6'2 and full of muscle, agility, and finesse. Barrington will be a tough matchup for most opponents. The game plan and scouting report might be simple to defeat them, but with only 5 losses total this season, those plans and reports might have to be adjusted.