Rockford's top 15 girls basketball players to watch include handful of Division I recruits
Class 1A teams around Rockford rarely have NCAA Division I recruits. This year there are two in the NUIC North — including one who has not yet played a single high school varsity game.
A third D-I recruit is outside of our coverage area but within the NUIC. Junior guard Gracie Furlong has led NUIC West champ Galena to second- and third-place finishes at state the last two years. She could lead the Pirates to a state title this year — if they can get past other strong NUIC teams.
Last year, Byron from the Big Northern finished second in the state in 2A and three NUIC teams were state-ranked in 1A. This shapes up as another exciting local girls basketball season. Here are the top 15 local players to watch this year, including another possible NUIC North D-I recruit and a couple from the NIC-10. Players are listed in alphabetical order:
Laney Cahoon, Orangeville
The 5-7 junior guard is a cousin of star center Whitney Sullivan. She is a two-time first-team all-conference choice and led Orangeville in scoring as a sophomore, averaging 16 points, including 33 in a win over Pecatonica that helped clinch the NUIC North title.
Taylor Davidson, Stillman Valley
Davidson, a 5-10 junior, helped lead Stillman to a 28-7 record last year. She averaged 11.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 steals as a sophomore.
Lily Esparza, Boylan
The 6-2 senior forward was named NIC-10 MVP last year and third-team All-State. She is another Division I recruit, having committed to Denver. She averaged 13.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.2 steals as a junior.
Grace Groezinger, Lena-Winslow
Groezinger, a 6-1 senior center, helped Le-Win tie the school record for wins as a sophomore, when the Panthers went 21-11, and break it last year at 22-9. She also was one of the stars on the volleyball team that went a school-record 37-3. “Groezinger is a handful,” River Ridge/Scales Mound coach David Wiegel said.
Macy Groharing, Byron
The 5-9 guard was the second-leading scorer, averaging 14.2 points, for a team that finished second in the state in Class 2A. She was also second in assists (2.5) and shot 48 percent from the field.
Mya Janssen, Stillman Valley
While Taylor Davidson got more notice, Mya Janssen led 2A sectional finalist Stillman Valley in both scoring (12.1) and rebounding (10.6), becoming a rare local player to average a double-double.
Camrynn Jones, Polo
Jones averaged 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals as a freshman. The 5-8 guard was a unanimous choice for first-team all-conference in the NUIC South.
Paityn London, Freeport Aquin
The 5-8 freshman guard has received NCAA Division I offers from Loyola-Chicago and Denver before ever playing a game in high school. “Paityn London will be the girl to watch. She is something special,” said Nicole Brinker, who coached Eastland to the 2019 Class 1A state title. Aquin coach Josh Glawe said London is an all-around player who “makes our fastbreak faster and helps us in every facet.”
Soraya Parker, Rockford Lutheran
The 5-8 sophomore guard was second-team all-Big Northern as a freshman. She averaged 17.5 points, 3.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 steals. She already has one Division I offer, from Loyola-Chicago.
Alayna Petalber, Boylan
The 5-7 senior point guard averaged 10.5 points and 3.2 assists as a junior. She can get overlooked at times, playing alongside conference MVP Lily Esparza and another standout Boylan guard in Kaylee Harter. Those three stars make Boylan the team to beat in the NIC-10.
Emma Pierson, Belvidere
Pierson led the NIC-10 in scoring as a sophomore at 20.7 points per game. The 5-9 junior point guard also averaged 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 3.3 steals. She is also a two-time state qualifier in track, two-time all-conference in golf and was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Register Star as a sophomore. She had a late-season stretch where she scored 31 or more points, including a school-record 40, four times in five games. Auburn coach Sean Crary called Pierson “the best returning player in the NIC-10.” The junior has a D-I offer from Wright State.
Elaina Rager, Pecatonica
Rager averaged 16.5 points and 6 rebounds and shot 45 percent as a sophomore to be named NUIC North MVP. She has led Pec to back-to-back regional titles. She could win up being a third NCAA Division I recruit from the North division as she has started to draw some looks. “She is a special player and is just scratching the surface of her full capabilities,” Pec coach Daniel Rosenstiel said.
Destiny Robinson, Auburn
Robinson was the only freshman named first-team all-NIC-10 last year. She averaged 13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists.
Whitney Sullivan, Orangeville
The versatile 6-3 center was recruited by Wisconsin and signed with Tulsa. She has led Orangeville to three consecutive NUIC North titles. She is not a big scorer, but can handle the ball, pass and block shots. She averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists and 3 steals as a junior.
Maya VanEtten, Christian Life
The 5-11 senior guard averaged 18.5 points as a junior and led Christian Life (21-12) to the NAC title. She also averaged 9.5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3.5 steals.
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Here are Rockford's top 15 girls basketball players to watch
