District 94: Ithaca Wins Rematch Advances to Semis

On the opening night of Districts, I like to follow the road less traveled in search of a gym featuring four teams that I haven't watched during the regular season. Ovid-Elsie was the perfect spot for me to stop by, as all four teams had at least nine wins coming into their matchups. This was my first time visiting the town of Ovid to see games at Ovid-Elsie High School. I loved the "Hoosier" aura of the gym, the playoff energy, the proximity of the stands to the court, and the friendliness of the people. To top it all off, a bag of popcorn only cost me $1, what a bargain!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/03/PXL_20260302_223335674-crop-3264x2144-1772569444.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1794377" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Ithaca vs. St. Louis, District 94 Quarterfinals, Ovid-Elsie HS, Mar. 2nd, 2026.</figcaption></figure>   St. Louis (11-11) finished third in the Jack Pine Conference at 8-8 and came into Monday's quarterfinal matchup with Ithaca seeking another win against the Yellowjackets. Ithaca (12-10) finished third in the TVC-Blue at 6-4 and looked to avenge its 53-52 regular season loss to St. Louis. From the opening tip, Ithaca looked determined to do just that. Ithaca led 9-4 after one and stretched its lead to a comfortable 31-13 margin at the half. St. Louis kept it interesting in the second half, outscoring the Yellowjackets 21-10, but the deficit proved to be insurmountable. Ithaca earned a 41-34 victory and will face #4 ranked and District 94 favorite Pewamo-Westphalia on Wednesday. Here are the prospects who stood out during the matchup.    Paige is a D1 softball player (Eastern Illinois) who also makes a major impact for St. Louis on the basketball court. She kept her head up and made a great pass down low out of a double team. Paige rejected a shot in the paint with feeling and showed off her vertical athleticism by volleyball spiking another shot in the lane. She buried a wing three and crashed the glass hard to secure offensive rebounds. Paige drove hard to the basket in transition and dished out a jump pass assist. Paige makes unselfish passes, made the effort plays, and got her hands on the basketball to cause a jump ball. She scored six points and blocked three shots for the Sharks.     Libby delivered a complete performance to guide Ithaca to an opening night victory in the postseason tournament. Her perimeter pressure created steals and disrupted the opponent's offensive flow. She put her defender in jail with a hostage dribble, maintained excellent balance, and drove by the help defenders to score a layup off two feet. Libby anticipated a pass from the help side, picked it off, and took it the distance for another layup. She drained a smooth step-back three off a screen, dished a strong skip pass to the corner for an assist, and dropped in a soft runner off the glass. Libby's court vision, ball-handling, pesky defense, and finishing finesse at the rim stood out. She led Ithaca with 14 points and added five steals. Libby is a great addition to Cornerstone's 2026 recruiting class.     Emma has a bright future ahead of her in the Ithaca program, and she turned in a big second quarter for the Yellowjackets. Emma ignited the offense with seven points, burying a confident corner three off the catch and two mid-range jumpers off the bounce. Her in-your-face ball pressure, quick feet, and active hands generated three steals. Emma anticipates cuts before they happen on the defensive end and causes deflections. She's a scrappy two-way guard.     Emma worked tirelessly off the ball to get open and the defense decided to face guard her eventually. She cuts, rubs defenders off screens, sprints to open space, and runs through passes to get open looks at the basket. Emma was the most dangerous and confident shooter for St. Louis. She curled around a staggered screen to sink a triple from the wing, drilled another with a hand in her face, and buried a third three up top. Emma catches to shoot with her feet balanced. She pivoted to create just enough space to drain a contested fadeaway jumper in the corner and knocked down a long jumper for two more points up top. Emma led St. Louis with 13 points and will be a promising freshman guard to follow in their program.     Alyssa has length, physicality, and an aggressive style that make her a force for Ithaca in the paint. She muscled into rebounding position, scored multiple putbacks after securing offensive rebounds, and earned trips to the free-throw line. Alyssa sprinted the length of the floor to force a turnover on a breakaway opportunity and swatted a shot away during a drive attempt. Alyssa scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win.     Riley was the defensive player of the game for Ithaca. Her long and active arms, high motor, toughness, and quick feet made scoring hard to come by for the opponent. Riley drove hard to the rim and shot the ball with good form on the perimeter. She anticipated passes and created several steals/deflections on the defensive end. Riley scored a sweet spin layup off the glass and made a great transfer to her left at the last second for an inside hand finish after a drive by. She rotated quickly from the help side to block a shot attempt, dove on the floor to wrestle for loose balls, demonstrated great touch on a lob pass for the assist, and zoomed back in transition to block a shot on a breakaway. Riley outworked the opponent for a key rebound late and was active on the glass throughout the game. She turned in an all-out effort with seven points, six steals, seven rebounds, and three blocks.

On the opening night of Districts, I like to follow the road less traveled in search of a gym featuring four teams that I haven't watched during the regular season. Ovid-Elsie was the perfect spot for me to stop by, as all four teams had at least nine wins coming into their matchups. This was my first time visiting the town of Ovid to see games at Ovid-Elsie High School. I loved the "Hoosier" aura of the gym, the playoff energy, the proximity of the stands to the court, and the friendliness of the people. To top it all off, a bag of popcorn only cost me $1, what a bargain!