Girls Basketball

Venita Parsons, a 2014 Oswego East graduate and the first player in that school’s girls basketball history to score 1,000 career points, has been hired as the next girls basketball coach at Oswego High School. Parsons was previously the Oswego head freshman coach for one season.

The Illinois Basketball Coaches Association announced its Coaches of the Year Thursday, including 12 local junior high, high school and college coaches.

After 13 years as a freshman coach and assistant varsity coach at St. Charles North, Grant Oler, a North Stars alum, was named as the next head coach for the North Stars on Monday.

Here is the Sauk Valley Media All-Area Girls Basketball Team for the 2024-25 season.

Sterling senior Madison Austin is the SVM Girls Basketball Player of the Year. The Illinois State signee helped lead the Golden Warriors to a school-record 30 wins, their first Western Big 6 crown and first sectional title since 2007.

Madison Austin is the GBPOY for '24-25. The senior led the Warriors to the Supersectional this past season.

Area basketball players compete in the girl’s game of McHenry County Area All-Star Basketball Extravaganza on Sunday, April 13, 2025, at Alden-Hebron’s Tigard Gymnasium in Hebron.

Many of the area’s top senior girls and boys basketball players will star in the McHenry County Area All-Star Basketball Extravaganza on Sunday at Alden-Hebron’s historic Tigard Gymnasium. 

Cary-Grove's Tony Moretti recently resigned as head girls basketball coach after six seasons. The Trojans had four winning seasons under Moretti, including the past two with 20-plus wins and back-to-back regional championships.

Fieldcrest junior Macy Gochanour is the 2024-25 NewsTribune Girls Basketball Player of the Year after leading the area in scoring by a wide margin at 20.8 points per game.

A look at the best girls basketball players in the NewsTribune area for the 2024-25 season.

A look at the final girls basketball statistical leaders in the NewsTribune area for the 2024-25 season.

Honoring 25 of the area's best high school girls basketball players as selected by The Times Sports staff, here is the 2024-25 Times All-Area Girls Basketball Team.

Ottawa senior Marlie Orlandi is the 2024-25 Times Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Meet the 2025 Northwest Herald All-Area girls wrestling team.

Lucy Hynes helped lead Lockport to a remarkable turnaround this season. She is the Herald-News girls basketball Player of the Year.

Here is a look at the 2024-25 Herald-News All-Area Girls Basketball Team.

Kendra Brown helped Kaneland win its first conference title in 20 years and reach a sectional semifinal for the second straight year, and rewrote the program record books along the way. She's the Daily Chronicle 2025 Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Here are the players on the Daily Chronicle 2025 Girls Basketball All-Area Team

Headlined by Player of the Year Riley Cwinski, here is the 2024-2025 Kane County Chronicle girls basketball Player of the Year.

After averaging 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists per game while also becoming the school's leading scorer, Aurora Central Catholic senior Riley Cwinski is the Kane County Chronicle girls basketball Athlete of the Year.

Nikki Kerstein scored a game-high 21 points, including five in the final 1:17, as banged-up Montini outlasted St. Ignatius 50-44 in the Class 3A state championship game on Saturday evening at CEFCU Arena in Normal. 

Bishop McNamara's Trinity Davis and Cissna Park's Addison Lucht were recognized as All-State girls basketball players by the Illinois Media.

Montini senior Nikki Kerstein was named the Class 3A Player of the Year and Lyons senior Nora Ezike and Nazareth junior Stella Sakalas received Class 4A All-State recognition by Illinois Media on Tuesday.

Sterling's Madison Austin was voted to the Illinois Media's All-State second team in Class 3A on Tuesday. Morrison's Camryn Veltrop (2A) and Polo's Camrynn Jones (1A) received honorable mention.

Bishop McNamara senior Trinity Davis is this year's Daily Journal Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

The Daily Journal 2024-25 All-Area girls basketball team.

Ashlynn Durkin struck out 12 in a one-hit shutout for Downers Grove North softball, and Nazareth and Wheaton North softball and Riverside-Brookfield baseball were also winners in Friday's roundup.

Huntley's Steve Raethz led the Red Raiders to a program-record 35 wins and the fourth sectional championship in team history. Raethz is the 2025 Northwest Herald Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.

Meet the 2025 Northwest Herald All-Area girls basketball team.

Huntley senior guard Anna Campanelli led the Red Raiders to a program-record 35 wins to start the season and its fourth straight Fox Valley Conference title. Campanelli is the 2025 Northwest Herald Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Here’s a look at the top area career scorers for the Class of 2025 and other classes:

Amboy's Addison Pertell and Tyrah Vaessen, and Polo's Camrynn Jones were all-state special mention picks in Class 1A by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

Sterling's Western Big 6 Conference MVP Madison Austin was named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association first team in 3A, Joslynn James was named to the third team and coach Taylor Jackson was named coach of the year. Dixon's Hallie Williamson earned special mention.

The IHSA announced three significant changes to its classification policy Tuesday. Starting next school year, the IHSA will go back to using fixed classification cutoffs, change its multiplier waiver process and adjust its “Success Adjustment Policy.”

Bishop McNamara had a historic basketball season, as both the boys and girls teams both made at least the round of 16 in the same year for the first time ever.

The Bradley-Bourbonnais Special Olympics Unified basketball team won its second state championship in the past three years Saturday.

Here is the 2024-2025 Suburban Life All-Area girls basketball team.

Lyons senior and Stanford recruit Nora Ezike, who averaged 21 points and 7 rebounds and led the Lions to a program record 31 wins and conference and regional titles, is the Suburban Life Player of the Year.

Here is the 2024-2025 Record Newspapers All-Area girls basketball team.

Oswego East junior Aubrey Lamberti, who on the season averaged 15.8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists, is the Record Newspapers girls basketball Player of the Year.

Paschal: Eastland will represent the Sauk Valley in the state tournament this weekend in Champaign. Clearly talented with a top-notch coach calling the shots, the team definitely has a chance to bring back the hardware.

Shutter to Think: A selection of basketball photos from the 2024-25 season in the Sauk Valley.

Sandwich senior Dom Rome was named the Kishwaukee River Conference Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Check out the full All-KRC team for the 2024-25 season, as selected by coaches.

Plano senior guard Josie Larson repeated as the Kishwaukee River Conference Girls Basketball Player of the Year, while Marengo led the All-KRC team with three selections. Check out the full team here.

Montini girls basketball defeated St. Ignatius to win the Class 3A state championship on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at CEFCU Arena in Normal.

Here is the All-Fox Valley Conference girls basketball team for the 2024-25 season, as selected by coaches. Huntley led the team with four selections, followed by Cary-Grove with three.

Seven area girls basketball players earned all-state recognition by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

The Interstate Eight, Illinois Central Eight, Tri-County, Little Ten, Kishwaukee River and Heart of Illinois conferences have released their All-Conference girls basketball teams for 2024-25 season.

All five Montini seniors played all 32 minutes of Thursday’s late night Class 3A state semifinal game.  Their reward? They will be playing for a state championship.