Illinois girls roster for Muddy River Showcase full of grit, toughness and winners
QUINCY — Tough. It is the first word that comes to mind scanning the roster of the Illinois girls team for the upcoming Muddy River Showcase.
From Brilyn Lantz’s scrappiness that propelled Central-Southeastern to a Class 2A super-sectional berth last winter to Taylor Fohey’s willingness to battle on the block in guiding Quincy High to a 25-win season to Lillie Woodworth’s unrelenting desire to set the stage for future success at West Hancock, this group showed grit.
Now, it has to uphold tradition.
The Illinois all-stars have won back-to-back Muddy River Showcase games and making it three in a row will be a challenge come 2 p.m. June 15 when the latest installment of the summer classic takes place at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center.
Here is an alphabetical look at the Illinois roster:
Kenadee Allensworth, Macomb — A three-sport standout for the Bombers who has signed with Spoon River College to play softball, Allensworth provided a young Macomb squad with experience and leadership while proving to be a solid frontcourt scoring option. Her tenacity on the diamond carried over to the hardwood.
Leah Chevalier, Quincy High School — Arguably one of the toughest on-ball defenders in the area and in the Western Big 6 Conference, Chevalier was a dynamo who took on some of the toughest defensive assignments. She averaged two assists and two steals per game and caused chaos with her deflections.
Leila Dade, Quincy High School — The catalyst of the Blue Devils’ attack from her point guard position, Dade proved capable of distributing and scoring. She averaged 6.5 points and 2.5 assists per game, but it was her ball-handling against pressure and ability to see the floor that helped the Blue Devils reach 25 victories.
Taylor Fohey, Quincy High School — One of just four players in program history with more than 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds, Fohey capped her career as a first-team All-Western Big 6 Conference selection and an Illinois Media honorable mention all-stater. She finished the season averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and a team-leading 2.7 assists per game.
Allison Icenogle, Illini West — The Chargers have a history of success and sending student-athletes to play at the next level, and Icenogle is contributing to both. The Illinois College signee helped Illini West win 62 games the past three seasons combined and averaged 7.6 points and two rebounds per game.
Brilyn Lantz, Central-Southeastern — The Panthers were the last team standing from West-Central Illinois last winter largely because of their defense and leadership. Lantz provided plenty of both. A backcourt mainstay, she averaged three steals and three deflections per game to go along with 10.7 points per game.
Sophia Shaffer, Mendon Unity — A knee injury derailed a promising start to her high school career, but Shaffer battled back and became one of the area’s most consistent performers. A three-sport standout, Shaffer is just as active in extracurricular activities such as 4-H, FFA, Student Council and the Adams County CEO program as she is in athletics.
Lillie Woodworth, West Hancock — The Lincoln Land Community College signee was named a Class 2A special mention all-stater by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association after guiding the Titans to a 23-win season. Woodworth averaged 17.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and was among the area’s top 3-point shooters with 81 made treys. She also snared 3.4 steals.
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