2024 midseason report card: Ranking the 20 best high school basketball teams around Peoria
Report cards have arrived.
High school basketball holiday tournaments have come and gone as the postseason is on the horizon. Now, it's time for the 2024 midseason report card with Peoria-area boys and girls teams getting their rankings.
All records and statistics are through Monday.
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Large-school boys
1. Metamora (13-4)
The reigning Class 3A state champion Redbirds saw their 10-game win streak end at the hands of No. 3 Harvey Thornton in a thrilling one-point loss at Saturday's Highland Shootout. Junior guard Matthew Zobrist showed why he's a Division-I prospect, scoring 23 points with Tyler Mason adding 20. Iowa signee Cooper Koch scored 14 points and grabbed eight boards versus East Peoria. No. 6 Metamora won the Jack Tosh tourney title over the holidays with five victories in five days. Upcoming: Hosting Dunlap on Friday.
2. Richwoods (12-3)
Two big road games are on the schedule for the 3A 10th-ranked Knights this week. Richwoods goes to Class 2A third-ranked Manual on Tuesday, then heads over Class 4A No. 4 Normal Community on Friday. These games go a long way to determine the Big 12 Conference champ. Rutgers recruit Lathan Sommerville, who had 23 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks against St. Louis Vashon, has proven to be dominant with Tavie Smith and Jared Jackson being a great cast for coach William Smith. Upcoming: Visiting Normal on Friday.
3. Morton (17-2)
First-year coach Abe Zeller has the 3A seventh-ranked Potters atop the Mid-Illini Conference standings highlighted by a win over Metamora. Senior guard Gus Rugaard, who just eclipsed 1,000 career points, has been consistent on offense for Morton. Classmate Evan Barlow, who will walk on at Florida Gulf Coast, scored 25 points in last week's win over Dunlap. Wes Gudeman has been underrated post presence all season for Morton. Upcoming: Conference game hosting Washington on Friday.
4. Peoria High (8-8)
The Lions have a signature win over Morton, beating the Potters by five in early December. Peoria High, which made a run to the State Farm Holiday Classic large-school consolation title game, got a key win over Peoria Notre Dame last week, holding the Irish to 35 points. D-I hopeful Leshawn Stowers dropped 18 points as he continues to see his role expand. Rico Jackson has been a nice surprise for coach Daniel Ruffin, whose team plays Rantoul at the East Peoria Shootout on Saturday. Upcoming: Traveling to Bloomington on Friday.
5. Washington (9-8)
Washington has a big week ahead with a pair of key conference games. The Panthers, who are tied for second with rival Metamora in the Mid-Illini standings, head into Tuesday's game with the Redbirds, then goes to Morton on Friday. In mid-December, the Panthers showed a great stretch, winning five in a row by an average of 22 points a game. Coach Eric Schermerhorn has a great core in Braden Vanderheydt, CJ Duncan and Andre Lewis leading the way. Upcoming: Key road game with Morton on Friday.
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Small-school boys
1. Manual (8-6)
The Rams top the small-school ranks as the third-ranked team in 2A. Manual has won seven of its last eight, including the last four in a row. In that stretch, the Rams won the consolation title at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament with Dietrich Richardson having a pair of highlight reel games. The junior guard, who holds offers from Bradley and Illinois, scored 30 points against Pontiac, then stuffed the stat sheet with 32 points, four rebounds and two steals in the title game. Upcoming: Playing at Decatur MacArthur on Saturday.
2. El Paso-Gridley (14-2)
EPG is on an 11-game win streak with an incredible title game victory at the State Farm Holiday Classic small-school bracket. Coach Nathaniel Meiss saw his Titans rally for a one-point win over St. Joseph-Ogden off Chancesaye Mixon Jr.'s buzzer-beating 3-pointer. The junior duo of Micah Meiss and Jonah Funk, who were both all-tournament team selections at the State Farm Holiday Classic, give El Paso-Gridley the perfect inside-outside. Senior Kamren Schumacher is defensive stalwart. Upcoming: Hosting Tremont on Friday.
3. Illini Bluffs (16-3)
The lone Class 1A team in these rankings, coming in as the third-ranked team in the state's smallest class. Lehigh signee Hank Alvey has been so impressive this season including last week's triple-double where he went for 19 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks. The senior then had a 21-point, 15-rebound performance against Athens on Saturday. Devon White, Toby Cooper, Wyatt Hendel and Jayden Washington give coach Clay Vass a tough starting five. Upcoming: Inter-County Athletic Conference tournament at Peoria Heights.
4. Fieldcrest (14-1)
A 10-game win streak to start the season helped the Knights win the Colmone Classic. After suffering an opening-round loss, Fieldcrest won the consolation title in the State Farm Holiday Classic small-school bracket. The trio of Jozia Johnson (13.0 points), Ed Lorton (12.5 points) and Brady Ruestman (12.25 points) all averaged double figures during their 3-1 run over the holidays. Fieldcrest is the No. 2 seed at the HOI Tourney under coach Jeremy Hahn. Upcoming: Going to Deer Creek-Mackinaw on Friday.
5. Peoria Notre Dame (7-9)
A healthy PND would be ranked much higher, but the injury bug has bitten the Irish. Teddy Dimler (knee) and Eoin Dillon (foot) are sidelined for the next few weeks, leaving a scoring void to be filled by Tommy Graham. He scored a team-high 13 points in a 43-40 overtime near-upset over 2A seventh-ranked Beecher at the Taylorville Shootout on Saturday. This also means Kayden Hudson, Eliot Lynch and Thatcher Hogan will be needed to step up and contribute more. Upcoming: Heading to Urbana on Friday.
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Large-school girls
1. Peoria High (16-1)
The big question for Lions fans is: what's the status with Aaliyah Guyton? The Iowa signee is scheduled to get an MRI on her injured knee Tuesday, hopefully giving 3A second-ranked Peoria High an answer on her status for the rest of the season. If Guyton can't go, coach Meechie Edwards will rely on Danielle Ruffin, Allannah Jackson, Niasha Rutherford and Jakiyah Jordan to step up. Upcoming: Visiting Richwoods on Thursday.
2. Morton (15-4)
3A fifth-ranked Morton once again is competing for a Mid-Illini title, wrapping up the first half of the league schedule with 3A No. 7 Washington on Wednesday. The Potters, who started 4-3, reeled off 10 wins in a row before losing to Normal Community in the State Farm Holiday Classic large-school title game. All-tourney pick Addy Engel continues her stellar senior season. Upcoming: Heading to Washington on Wednesday.
3. Galesburg (18-2)
The 3A third-ranked Silver Streaks started the season 16-0, making a run to the Mattoon Tournament championship game. Galesburg lost to the hosts in the title, then dropped an eight-point loss to Western Big Six Conference foe and 2A No. 5 Rock Island Alleman. All-stater Kiarra Kilgore is back and healthy for coach Evan Massey, who earlier this season hit 1,000 career wins. Upcoming: Welcoming Sterling on Thursday.
4. Richwoods (16-5)
Richwoods is playing great basketball under first-year coach Shamar Hill. The Knights are on a four-game win streak after winning nine in a row earlier this season. Senior guard Kamryn Heider averaged 13 points a game at the SFHC where the Knights went 3-1. Braniyah Hickman, Alayah Sprattling, Londyn Sommerville and the Ross twins, Alyssa and Alana, give Richwoods a great core. Upcoming: Hosting Peoria High on Thursday.
5. Washington (12-4)
Washington picked up a signature victory by beating Class 4A power Mundelein Carmel on Saturday. Sophomores have been huge for coach Kim Barth. Avery Tibbs, who was a SFHC all-tourney team selection, has led the way with help from Mazzy O'Brien, Dani Guedet and Becca McDougall. The 3A No. 7-ranked Panthers are 5-0 in the Mid-Illini, facing Morton this week. Upcoming: Playing Morton on Thursday.
Small-school girls
1. Peoria Notre Dame (19-3)
2A third-ranked PND is a legit 2A state title contender playing a tough schedule. Coach Layne Langholf has constructed a slate of games that has tested the Irish at every turn. Mya Wardle, Kaitlin Cassidy, Julia Mingus, Emy Wardle and Lexi Baer are as a good of a starting five as any in all of 2A. Look for another great unannounced game in the coming weeks. Upcoming: Hosting Normal Community on Thursday.
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2. Deer Creek-Mackinaw (18-1)
Dee-Mack rides a 17-game win streak including avenging an overtime loss to Petersburg PORTA in the Riverton Tournament semifinals. Dalia Dejesus was named tournament MVP at Riverton, while teammate Kenzie Knowles joined her on the all-tournament team. The Chiefs and coach Joni Nightingale are the top seed in next week's Heart of Illinois/McLean County Tournament. Upcoming: Hosting Fieldcrest on Thursday.
3. Canton (15-5)
The Little Giants had won eight in a row until a loss to Washington. Six of those victories came in an eight-day span. Before that defeat, Canton went 4-0 to win the Ottawa Tournament. Allison Wheeler was named tourney MVP, averaging 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in those half-dozen games. Natalie Downing, Ella Demler, Ava Wenger and Jena Goforth have played pivotal roles. Upcoming: Visiting Morton on Saturday.
4. Abingdon-Avon (14-5)
ATown has been a surprise squad this year with a big-time player. Freshman Kennedy Quinn arrived on the scene in a big way, leading the Tornadoes to the 41st annual Lady Tiger Classic championship in Beardstown. In the process, Quinn became the first freshman ever to win tournament MVP. Hailey Redding, Taylor Ford, Emma Gunther and Kaydin Quinn have all been contributors. Upcoming: Hosting Mendon Unity on Monday.
5. Illini Bluffs (18-3)
IB is having another standout season, finishing as runnerup at the Lady Tiger Classic in Beardstown. The Tigers had won 15 in a row before that defeat to ATown in the championship game. Coach Jim Belville has a boatload of talent in Lily Luckzkowiak, Reese Cruit, Annabelle Fortin and Anabelle Reimer, who all have shown their ability to score. Five tough games remain on IB's schedule. Upcoming: Facing Elmwood on Wednesday.
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Midseason Peoria basketball power rankings: Top 20 teams around Peoria
