IHSA Girls Basketball State Finals: Byron’s Day One Standouts

<!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">First Day of the IHSA Girls basketball State Finals featured 1A-3A matchups. Carrollton vs Cissna Park, St. Edward vs Pecatonica, Mt. Carmel vs Peoria Notre Dame, Phillips vs Nashville, St. Ignatius vs Washington, and Montini vs Quincy Notre Dame to round it out. </h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lauren Flowers (Carrollton)</strong> - Flowers put on a scoring clinic in the first game of the day. In the first half, she was key to why it was a 22-point lead going into halftime. She put up 19 points and grabbed 7 boards while ending the game with 28 points, 8 boards, and 4 steals to go with it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Elaina Rager (Pecatonica</strong>) - Rager has flown under the radar for way too long, but the D1 commit showed up to play on Day 1. On both sides of the ball, her impact was felt. Defensively, she picked off 4 steals and had a handful of deflections. Offensively is really where St. Edward had no answer. From beyond the arc, she only missed one shot (4-5) and finished the night with 25 points on 8-16 shooting. Big night for the Wright State commit!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lexi Baer (Peoria Notre Dame)</strong> - Baer is one of the most talented players in Illinois, regardless of class. In a game that got away quickly, she made her mark in the second half to stretch the lead. She put up 16 points and grabbed 6 boards in just under 14 minutes in the second half. With offers still rolling in, Lexi hasn't slowed down.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='863111' first='Samantha' last='Brinkmann'] (Nashville)</strong> - We don't get to see much of Sam throughout the regular season, but over the past year, it's clear she's grown her game. One thing that has remained consistent is her efficiency. In today's win over Phillips, she put up an impactful stat line: 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-2 3PT), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, a block, and a steal to round it out—all with ZERO turnovers. So much potential and upside is there.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='624950' first='Maggie' last='Helms'] (St. Ignatius)</strong> -What Maggie does offensively is impactful, and not just from a scoring standpoint. She pulled down 10 boards today, with six of them on the offensive end, and added 11 points to go with it. In my opinion, she was the unsung hero of today's game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='335720' first='Nikki' last='Kerstein'] (Montini)</strong> - Three years straight of performing at state, and each year Nikki has shown growth. With ZERO breaks this game, Nikki carried her team to a dominant win. She finished the night with 27 points and 8 boards. The Mizzou commit has notched her name as one of the best guards in the state.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->