Class 2A State Tournament: Thursday Standouts
The IHSA State Tournament returned for the first time in two years on Thursday morning with Class 2A semifinals in the morning with the winners advancing to the state championship Saturday afternoon and the losers to the 3rd place game later Thursday evening. The day was full of exciting games with electric fan bases to get the weekend rolling. Here were the 2A standouts on Thursday:
Abbey Schreacke Abbey Schreacke 6'0" | SG Quincy Notre Dame | 2023 State IL – QND – 2023 – 6′ G
The leading all-state team vote getter showed exactly why she earned that honor on Thursday. She finished the semifinal game with 13 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists to help her team make their way to the state championship. Abbey is aggressive driving to the basket and can pull up and hit it from anywhere on the floor. The junior has great court vision with the ability to find her open teammates. Abbey is a strong, athletic guard with a lot of length that causes fits for defenders as she drives to the basket and finishes at a high percentage. She is still a student of the game and will only get better as time goes on.
Blair Eftink – QND – 2023 – 5’8 G
Blair is a quick guard who defends and shoots the ball very well. She found her rhythm early and was hard to stop the rest of the game. Eftink moves well without the ball to get herself open and can knock down shots in a hurry. The junior has great form with a quick release as she was able to knock down 3-5 from deep to help her score a game-high 18.
Jillian Hamilton Jillian Hamilton 5'11" | SF Pana | 2022 State IL – Pana – 2022 – 5’10 F
The first team all-state selection is a strong athletic scorer who is a triple threat with the ability to hit the shot from deep, take defenders off the dribble to score at the rim, or pull up for a mid-range bucket. Jillian has a ton of athleticism that shows on the defensive end of the ball as she was able to cause havoc swatting away four shots on the day in two games. In the SWIC commits two games, she was able to score 27 points, grab 15 rebounds, and assist on six baskets to help her team bring home the 3rd place trophy.
Lainey Hicks – Pana – 2022 5’11 F
Lainey is a strong athletic guard who was always in the right place at the right time under the basket. She positions herself in the right spot to come down with timely rebounds as she ripped down 12 boards in two games on Thursday. The senior is aggressive on the drive and looks to score around the rim with contact. Hicks scores at a high percentage in the paint helping her to score 18 points in her games on Thursday.
Miyah Brown Miyah Brown 5'10" | CG Winnebago | 2022 State IL – Winnebago – 2022 – 5’10 G
Miyah is a special talent to watch on the floor with her pure athleticism, versatility, and leadership. She didn’t score the most points Thursday but when she did they were crafty. Brown has a nice euro step in her bag that gets her around defenders easily. The Bellarmine University commit does all the things you’d expect a great player to day with her ability to score, pass, rebound, and defend. The senior was able to swat away 4 shots on the defensive end Thursday. She also showed why she earned all-state honors on the season by helping her team advance to the State Championship.
Renee Rittmeyer – Winnebago – 2022 – 5’10 F
Renee is a strong forward who isn’t afraid to take it to the bucket and score through contact. She uses her strong body to attack the glass and rip down boards. The senior uses those strong rebounding skills to put the ball right back in the basket. The forward also wasn’t afraid to step out and take the shot from deep with great rotation on the ball. She finished the day with 12 points and 8 rebounds.
Campbell Schrank Campbell Schrank 5'10" | SF Winnebago | 2023 State IL – Winnebago -2024 – 5’10 F
The strong forward attacked the boards on both ends of the court ripping down 8 rebounds. Campbell has the ability to take defenders off the dribble to score at a high percentage at the hoop. She shows great shot creativity driving to the rim with plenty of strength. The sophomore will also step out behind the arc and hit the open shot at a high level as well. Her strong post moves allowed her to lead the team in scoring with 18 points.
Kaitlin White Kaitlin White 5'6" | PG Fieldcrest | 2024 IL – Fieldcrest – 2024 – 5’5 G
The sophomore was one of the most impressive players of the day. She is deadly from deep who doesn’t hesitate to pull it up. Kaitlin also has the ability to take defenders off the dribble and finish around the basket. Her toughness allows her to be scrappy around the basket and pull down a good amount of rebounds for her size. When the team needed a big shot all day she was the one with the ball in her hands knocking it down from the corner. Kaitlin finished the day with 36 points, 14 rebounds, and shooting 8-13 from the 3-point line in her two games.
Ashlynn May – Fieldcrest – 2023 – 5’9 G
The second team all-state selection handles and distributes the ball well being a great floor general to her team. Ashlynn is crafty with her moves to drive the ball aggressively and score tough shots around the rim. She is scrappy on defense to come away with timely steals to turn her defense into offense. The junior will also pull up off the dribble to score deep and from the mid-range. Ashlynn finished her day with 17 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals in the two games.
Aaron Stout is a new scout for Prep Girls Hoops Illinois, and is trying to bring more coverage to central and southern Illinois. He and the rest of PGH Illinois staff seek to cover the entire state by keeping subscribers up to date with player evaluations, recruiting info, and statewide news. Our audience often supplies with some of our best information. If you have any information on players, teams, or statewide news in Illinois, please email Aaron Stout at prephoopsaaron@gmail.com or DM him through Twitter @Astoutprephoops.