Basketball MVPs, Week 12
Daily Herald report
Geneva sophomore Morgan Seberger and Warren senior Darius Paul have earned the Daily Herald’s final MVP honor of the season for their recent exploits on the basketball court.
Seberger had two of her best games of the year to help the Geneva girls to their fourth straight regional crown, and Paul had three standout games, including a 28-point effort as Warren topped North Chicago for the North Suburban Conference boys basketball championship.
Girls MVPMorgan Seberger, Geneva: Seberger, a sophomore sharpshooter, saved two of her best games of the season for Geneva#146;s fourth straight regional title last week. She started with a team-high tying 14 points against Lake Park and followed by scoring 17 of her 20 points in the second half of a comeback win over Elk Grove for the title. She made three 3s in the game and 11 of 13 free throws.
Girls runners-upMaggie Dansdill, Wheaton Warrenville South: The Tigers sophomore came up huge in two regional wins. Dansdill scored 14 points with 8 rebounds and 2 steals in a 57-42 win over Hoffman Estates, then had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals as the Tigers beat Wheaton North 51-37 for their first regional title since 2007. Dansdill shot 13 of 27 over the two games.
Michelle Dumoulin, Hampshire: The Whip-Purs#146; 5-foot-8 senior scored 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and had 4 assists and 3 rebounds in a 59-32 win over Burlington Central, then came back with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in a 52-43 victory over Woodstock North as Hampshire won its fourth straight regional championship.
Kellie Kuzmanic, Wheeling: Wheeling#146;s 5-foot-10 senior guard-forward helped the No. 14-seeded Wildcats get to today#146;s Class 4A Palatine sectional championship with a team-high 13 points, 9 rebounds and 1 steal in a 41-26 triumph over No. 6 Warren. Kuzmanic had two big 3-pointers in the first half and made 5-of-6 free throws.
Olivia Whalen, Stevenson: Whalen had a whale of a game. A four-year varsity player, the 5-foot-8 guard led the Patriots in their Class 4A regional final against host Lake Zurich by scoring a career-high 21 points. She knocked down all three of her 3-pointers in the opening half, as the Patriots built a 16-point lead en route to a 52-34 win.
Boys MVPDarius Paul, Warren: The Blue Devils#146; big kid stepped up big. After draining four 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 23 points in an 81-42 win over Libertyville, the 6-foot-8 Western Michigan recruit posted game bests of 19 points and 13 rebounds, to go along with 5 assists, as the Blue Devils lost to undefeated Proviso East 73-66 in the McDonald#146;s City-Suburban Showdown. Paul added a game-high 28 points as Warren topped North Chicago 84-80 for the North Suburban Conference title.
Boys runners-upJimmy Lundquist, Schaumburg: The 6-foot-5 junior was a big part in the Mid-Suburban League title returning to Schaumburg for the sixth time and first since 2003. Lundquist scored 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting, hit three 3-pointers and had 9 rebounds and 4 assists in a 69-51 win over Rolling Meadows.
Bryce Only, Huntley: This third-year varsity performer played a key role in three victories as Huntley wrapped up its second straight outright title in the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference. In wins against Jacobs, Cary-Grove and Barrington, the 6-foot-1 junior scored a combined 28 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and made 5 steals to help Huntley extend its winning streak to nine.
Zach Strittmatter, Batavia: The 6-foot-5 junior provided a constant force in two Upstate Eight Conference River Division victories. In the biggie, 61-54 over Geneva, the forward used his soft touch to score 14 points, with 9 rebounds. The Bulldogs needed all of Strittmatter#146;s 19 points, 10 rebounds, a block and a steal to beat East Aurora 49-48.
Tyler Sutton, Neuqua Valley: The 6-foot-2 senior guard was on target in a pair of Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division wins. He scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting in a 71-57 win over Lake Park. In a 59-52 win over Bartlett he had 14 of his 16 by halftime. Total, Sutton made 13 of 20 field goal tries, 5 of 10 on 3s, and was 6 of 6 from the line.