SWC Conference Year in Review and All Conference Selections

As we all wait for our world to revert back to normal I thought I would try to give the girls’ basketball community something to read. My hope is that it will bring a little distraction to your day and a sense of normalcy. So, I will run the through the All Conference teams and review the season for some of the Southern Illinois conferences that I cover. Here we take a look at the SWC. Just like the MVC, the SWC has been controlled by one team in recent years. Edwardsville has had a strangle hold on the SWC for as long as most of us can remember. As the saying goes, until someone knocks them off they had to be considered the odds on favorite Collinsville came into the season with a strong senior class that hoped to make a run at the title. O’Fallon has been closing the gap recently and hoped to make a statement this year. Some teams gave Edwardsville good games, but they came out on top. Here are the standings: <ol> <li>Edwardsville -- 12-0</li> <li>O’Fallon -- 10-2</li> <li>Belleville West -- 7-5</li> <li>Collinsville -- 6-6</li> <li>East St Louis -- 4-8</li> <li>Belleville East-- 3-9</li> <li>Alton --0-12</li> </ol> The All Conference First Team is as follows: <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="121900" first="Caite" last="Knutson"] is a 5’10 2020 Wing from Collinsville Caite is a very versatile player that can play inside and out on both ends of the floor. She led Collinsville in scoring at 14.4. Caite hit 105 free throws on the year by doing an excellent job of getting into the paint and creating contact. Caite will continue her career at SIUE.</li> <li>Queirra Love is a 5’3 2020 Point Guard from Edwardsville. Que is one of the fastest players end to end that you can find. She is a true point guard that can handle it, lead her team and defend. But, this year she showed her improved scoring. The Lady Tigers needed her to be more aggressive offensively and she came through. Que scored 11.4 points per game and hit 39% of her 3-point shots. She will continue her career at SIU.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="78769" first="Sydney" last="Harris"] is a 6’0 2022 Wing from Edwardsville. Sydney is an excellent offensive player that can hit shots from anywhere. She is excellent off the catch and shoot, either on the move or stationary. Sydney led the Lady Tigers in scoring at 15.7 and hit over 41% of her 3-point shots.</li> <li>Tyler Butler is a 5’9 2021 Forward from Belleville East. Tyler is a classic effort player that seems to maximize her skill and opportunities through all out effort and hustle. She finds a way to score inside the lane despite often facing players with 3-4 inches in height advantage. As she improves her shot from 15-18 feet Tyler can be a real force next year.Tyler led the team in scoring and rebounding at 12.6 and 9.9 respectively.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="121895" first="Kayla" last="Gordon"] is a 5’4 2020 Point Guard from O’Fallon. Kayla has a knack for getting wherever she wants on the floor. She handles the ball well and can really push up the floor in transition. She excels in an open court game where she can get into the lane and score before the help can be established. Kayla averaged 12.3 points per game and 3.3 assists per game for the Lady Panthers. She will continue her career at ICC.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="123579" first="Amelia" last="Bell"] is a 6’0 2021 Forward from O’Fallon. Amelia averaged 12.2 points per game this year while shooting over 55% from the field and 78% from the line. She excels in a fast paced game and will often beat other posts up and down the floor. Amelia pulled down 6.8 rebounds per game</li> </ul> The All Conference Second Team is as follows: <ul> <li>Reese Bennett is a 5’8 2022 Guard from Belleville West. Reese scored 10.6 points per game to lead the team. She became a very consistent threat from behind the 3-point line. For the season Reese hit 73 threes and hit 40% of her attempts behind the arc.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="76341" first="Kristyn" last="Mitchell"] is a 6’0 2020 Post from Collinsville. Kristyn averaged 12.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Lady Kahoks. She has improved her ability to play away from the basket while still maintaining her ability to post up strong and finish with either hand. Kistyn will continue her career at ICC.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="124869" first="Elle" last="Evans"] is a 6’0 2022 Wing from Edwardsville. Elle provided a consistent third scoring option for Edwardsville that was key to their success. Elle scored 8.2 points per game on 56% shooting from the field. She is an excellent 3-point shooter that can also use her length to disrupt the game defensively.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="76340" first="Shania" last="Nunn"] is a 6’0 2020 Post from Belleville West. Shania averaged 9.2 points per game and led the team in rebounding at 7.3 per game. She has been a consistent contributor for West for the past 3 seasons. Shania is a strong player that can get good post position and finish in the paint.</li> <li>Shakara McCline is a 5’5 2023 Guard from East St Louis. Shakara averaged 13.5 points per game to lead the team. She is excellent in the open floor both on offense and defense where she averaged 2.5 steals per game.</li> <li>Tyanna Lovelace is a 5’11 2021 Post from O’Fallon. Tyanna is very strong in her lower body and this allows her to get and maintain excellent position in the paint. Once she establishes herself in a spot, it is very hard to get her off it. She finishes well with either hand and does a good job on the boards. Tyanna scored 10.8 points per game on 55% shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds per game.</li> </ul> The All Conference Third Team is as follows: <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148160" first="Jailah" last="Pelly"] is a 5’10 2023 Guard from East St Louis. Jailah is a long and athletic player that averaged 12.1 points per game this year. She hit 34% of her 3-point shots and uses her length well from the guard spot.</li> <li>Germayia Wallace is a 5’7 2021 Wing from Alton. Germayia led the Lady Redbirds in scoring this year at 15.7 per game. She is very good off the dribble and has good range on her shot.</li> <li>Faith Liljegren is a 5’7 2020 Point Guard from Collinsville. Faith is a D1 soccer player that uses that athleticism very well on a basketball court. She averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 assists and 3.6 steals per game.</li> <li>Maria Smith is a 5’8 2020 Forward from Edwardsville. Smith is a D1 softball recruit and an excellent athlete. She provided toughness to the team and is an excellent defender. Maria averaged 6.1 points per game and 5 rebounds per game.</li> <li>LaMaya Terrell is a 5’7 2023 Guard from Belleville West. LaMaya averaged 7.8 points per game and 2.7 assists. She is a very good passer and can score well in the open floor. She has started for two years and should have an excellent junior and senior year for West.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148153" first="Shannon" last="Dowell"] is a 5’ 2023 Guard from O’Fallon. Shannon is very long and does an excellent job getting into the lane where she can finish with a variety of shots over taller post players. She has the potential with her build and quickness to be a top defender.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148167" first="Laylah" last="Jackson"] is a 5’6 2023 Guard from Belleville East. Laylah has special talent as a scorer. She has very deep range on her 3-point shot and does a great job getting to the basket. She averaged 11 points per game and did a good job of helping to run the point at times.</li> </ul> O’Fallon was able to pull of a victory against Edwardsville in the Sectional Semi Final game. It will be very interesting to see how that may impact their games going forward. Both teams will be strong and both Belleville teams along with East St Louis will look to make a run towards the top 3 in the conference in 2020-21.