The high school basketball season is well underway and the amount of talent in the area is significant once again. Many eye-catching performances last week earned 10 student-athletes a nomination for the first CSM Winter Athletes of the Week poll.
The following athletes are our nominees for CSM Winter Athletes of the Week with information on their standout performances listed below. There are polls for Boys Athlete of the Week and Girls Athlete of the Week.
Update: Olivia Corson of Normal Community girls basketball won CSM Girls Athlete of the Week with 40 percent of the vote total and Quinton Kitt of East Peoria boys basketball won CSM Boys Athlete of the Week with 55 percent of the vote total.
Girls nominees:
Lily Luczkowiak, Illini Bluffs girls basketball
The ICC commit had quite the stretch in a trio of wins for Illini Bluffs last week, averaging 18 points a game in those three games. Luczkowiak, an IBCA All-State third team selection last year, increased her scoring output in each game with 13 in a 41-29 win over East Peoria last Monday, 18 in a 63-15 win over Stark County on Thursday and 23, nearly half of the team’s 50 points, in a 50-19 over ROWVA/Williamsfield on Saturday.
Olivia Corson, Normal Community girls basketball
Corson dropped a game-high 32 points in a 69-59 win over Richwoods last Thursday, the Lady Iron’s sixth straight win to start the season. The McKendree commit has led Normal Community in winning seven out of its first eight games.
Kaylea Randall, El Paso-Gridley girls basketball
Randall put together a complete performance in a 50-34 win over Roanoke-Benson on Saturday with 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks. Randall has helped the Titans start the season 5-0, including a thrilling 48-46 win over Prairie Central last Thursday and committed to the University of Dubuque last week as well.
Cate Uhren, Bloomington Central Catholic girls basketball
Uhren has provided a big assist to a deep BCC team that has started 6-2 and picked up a pair of wins over Mahomet-Seymour and Pleasant Plains last week. Uhren stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and eight steals in the win over Mahomet-Seymour and added 14 points, four rebounds, eight assists and four steals against Pleasant Plains.
Anaya Seldal, Limestone girls basketball
The senior guard has provided a big lift for Limestone so far this season and scored 33 points combined in a pair of games for the Rockets last week.
Boys nominees
Malachi Persinger, Peoria Christian boys basketball
Persinger was simply outstanding last week for the Chargers and highlighted his week with a 37-point outing against IVC on Tuesday where he sank seven 3-pointers and dished out seven assists in a 71-39 win. He added 28 for Peoria Christian in a loss to ROWVA/Williamsfield on Friday and 18 more against Bloomington Central Catholic on Saturday.
Lathan Sommerville, Richwoods boys basketball
Sommerville has drawn lots of attention since transferring back to Peoria from The Skill Factory in Georgia and he proved why with a triple-double in a 58-47 win for Richwoods over Normal West on Thursday. Sommerville’s final tally included 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 blocks and Richwoods has broken out to a 7-1 start on the season.
Quinton Kitt, East Peoria boys basketball
The freshman forward has wasted no time making a name for himself and helped East Peoria go 2-1 last week with wins over Taylorville and Limestone. Kitt posted a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds in the Raiders’ 63-53 loss to Peoria High on Tuesday and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds in EP’s 50-47 win over Limestone to open up Mid-Illini play on Saturday.
Matthew Juergens, Pekin boys basketball
Pekin picked up a big 62-60 win against Champaign Central in overtime on Saturday and Juergens provided a big-time boost with 29 points in the victory. The Dragons have started the year 4-1 and picked up a Mid-Illini win against Dunlap last Thursday.
Tyler Heffren, Eureka boys basketball
Heffren was a workhorse for Eureka in consecutive games on Friday and Saturday, putting up 22 points and 10 rebounds in the Hornets’ contest against Bloomington Central Catholic on Friday. The senior followed it up with an even better 27-point, 10-rebound outing in a 49-33 win over Roanoke-Benson on Saturday.
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