Girls Basketball

There are great athletes.

Bates resigns as DeKalb girls basketball coach

The National Federation of State High School Associations Basketball Rules Committee voted Tuesday to reject a proposal to add a shot clock to high school basketball games

Relief washed over Greg Burks after his most stressful season in his four years as the girls basketball coach at Hinckley-Big Rock.

It almost has been one month since Hinckley-Big Rock’s girls basketball season ended.

ELGIN – DeKalb girls basketball coach Ben Bates knew that his team would need to slow down a potent Bartlett offense in his team’s Class 4A Elgin Super-Sectional game  Monday night.

ELGIN – The first sign came before either team took a shot in Monday night’s Class 4A Elgin Super-Sectional.

DeKALB – It’s been a nice few days for Emily Bemis and the DeKalb girls basketball team.

For a committed high school athlete, sometimes nothing seems more important than sports.

SYCAMORE – Belvidere North advanced to a Class 3A girls basketball sectional final last season.

McHENRY – With the last shot airborne, all Ben Bates thought was “don’t let it be this one.”

McHENRY – Rachel Torres missed the final 6:42 of the first half because of foul trouble. Taylor White missed eight of her 10 three-pointers. Emily Bemis missed a double-double.

The start time for Thursday night’s IHSA Class 4A McHenry Sectional girls basketball championship game between DeKalb (27-4) and Cary-Grove (21-8) has been changed to 6 p.m. because of impending snowstorms.

Phillips, Hollis, Maynard unanimous all-LTC picks

Things just weren’t right for the DeKalb girls basketball team in late December.

MAPLE PARK – Kaneland shuttles girls basketball practices between the high school gym and the adjacent middle school, divvying court time in tandem with the boys.

SYCAMORE – Once again, the Kaneland girls basketball team’s depth put it over the top.

McHENRY – No matter the scoreboard, DeKalb girls basketball coach Ben Bates’ demeanor was mild in the halftime locker room this season. He’s self-admittedly superstitious. Chances of him straying from his routine are never good.

Class 4A McHenry Sectional semifinal DeKalb (24-4) vs. Hononegah (31-1)

Class 3A Sycamore Sectional semifinal Kaneland (19-9) vs. Hampshire (17-14)

Sometimes, longtime referees will chuckle when they see Corey Jenkins because he’s just like his father.

Twice during Thursday’s Class 3A Yorkville Regional final, Kaneland girls basketball junior Allyson O’Herron attempted drives off shot-fakes only to be whistled for traveling.

DeKALB – DeKalb had been in this position before, many times over the past two years.

YORKVILLE – This had the look, the feel and the sound of a game that was slipping away.

YORKVILLE – One public address announcement emerged among the many delivered during Wednesday’s semifinal doubleheader in the Class 3A Yorkville girls basketball regional.

ROCHELLE – The last game of her senior year had just slipped away, but Lake Kwaza smiled.

DeKALB – Ben Bates’ message was ready before players even got to the bench.

VARNA – Kaitlin Phillips kept her head high. The senior guard congratulated Annawan’s players before the buzzer even sounded Tuesday night, knowing there was nothing else she could do.

When Greg Burks took over the girls basketball team at Hinckley-Big Rock four years ago, he knew the Royals had a chance to be special.

A closer look at the girls basketball scene

LANARK – Randi Maynard’s mind went blank. There were no thoughts. No flashbacks of the past four years, no regrets that Hiawatha couldn’t extend its historic postseason one more game.

Even three days later, the history of it all continued to hit Hiawatha coach Franz Schumacher.

SHABBONA – His players say Greg Burks is as emotional as anybody. Even if he covers it up, stoic and straight-laced on the sideline during games, they say the Hinckley-Big Rock girls basketball coach shows them a different side.

DeKALB – With their teams warming up Thursday night, DeKalb girls basketball coach Ben Bates told counterpart Brett Goff that Sycamore had the team to beat.

SOUTH BELOIT – The pregame declaration came first.

SHABBONA – Hinckley-Big Rock senior Megan Hamm said she’s forgotten about the Royals’ loss to Somonauk in the Little Ten Conference tournament three weeks ago, which coach Greg Burks called the worst game of his coaching career.

Everything about this week has been normal for Kaitlin Phillips and Katie Hollis.

Hiawatha’s girls basketball team got a 32-28 win against Alden-Hebron on Tuesday in the Class 1A South Beloit Regional semifinals.

A weekly look at the area girls basketball scene

SHABBONA – Alyssa Arends admits she was a little nervous when Ariel Russell went down to the ground in pain with 7:36 left in the Indian Creek girls basketball team’s regional quarterfinal game against Paw Paw on Monday.

Rachel Torres is a most peculiar entry to the popular sports definition of reluctant star.

Genoa-Kingston’s girls basketball team got 12 points from Rachel Ellstrom and 11 from Andrea Strohmaier, but fell, 54-35, to Byron in the Class 2A Oregon Regional quarterfinals on Monday.

It’s easy to play for a winner.

Sycamore's defense held Kaneland's boys basketball team to 14 first-half points Saturday, and held on for a 51-42 win.

DeKALB – Maybe a letdown was inevitable. A team can only flirt with perfection for so long. And with DeKalb starters getting well-deserved, garbage-time rest Friday night against Rochelle, something had to give.

The DeKalb-Sycamore co-op girls gymnastics team won the Wheaton Warrenville South Regional on Friday night, scoring 145.2 points to best second-place Wheaton Warrenville South’s 141.525.

GENOA – John Mason isn’t looking for perfection. He doesn’t demand wins either.

With point guard Mason Lucca at home with the flu, the Genoa-Kingston boys basketball team’s offense sputtered to a 44-30 loss at Harvard on Thursday night.

SYCAMORE – It was easy to wake up Wednesday morning for Ryan Bartels. Sycamore’s senior quarterback knew what this day meant.

DeKALB – Ben Bates is focused on the big picture.