Basketball: Week 10 MVPs
Lakes senior forward Jake Kohler and Benet senior guard Christen Prasse have earned MVP honors from the Daily Herald for their recent basketball performances.
Kohler scored 14 points and blocked a last-second layup attempt to help Lakes defeat North Chicago by a point and move the Eagles into a first-place tie in league play. Prasse tied a personal best with 30 points plus 7 assists in a decisive victory over Providence.
BOYS MVP
Jake Kohler, Lakes: Jake’s rejection led to a joyous celebration. The 6-foot-4 senior blocked a last-second layup attempt in overtime to secure the Eagles’ 67-66 win over North Suburban Prairie Division rival North Chicago. He finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds, as the Eagles moved into a first-place tie with the Warhawks.
BOYS RUNNERS-UP
Ore Arogundade, St. Viator: The standout junior help the defending East Suburban Catholic Conference champs stay in the thick of the league race by scoring a game-high 24 points as the Lions beat the league leaders 55-54 in Lisle. Arogundade had 8 points in the second quarter, when St. Viator outscored the Redwings 14-4.
David Cohn, York: The Dukes claimed two victories behind the play of their Colorado State-bound guard. The 6-foot-2 senior tallied 20 points in a 46-45 win over state-ranked Curie, and poured in 29 points in a 58-50 West Suburban Silver win over Glenbard West. Cohn added a total of 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
Dylan Kissack, Dundee-Crown: This 6-foot-3 forward scored 11 points in a 44-40 win over McHenry, but he turned it up a notch later in the week. Kissack scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 60-44 victory over rival Jacobs, highlighted by a 3-of-4 performance from 3-point range, thereby avenging an earlier loss to the Golden Eagles in double overtime.
Kyle Swanson, St. Charles North: The 6-foot-6 senior forward came up big in two UEC River victories. Swanson’s 13 points and three-point play in overtime helped lift the North Stars to a 45-44 win over Batavia. The next night he scored 14 points with 11 rebounds and made 11 of 12 free throws in a 62-49 win over rival St. Charles East.
GIRLS MVP
Christen Prasse, Benet: Benet’s St. Louis-bound senior guard tied a personal high with 30 points along with 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in 71-50 win over Providence. Prasse also had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists against state-ranked Marian Catholic and had 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 48-38 win over Nazareth.
GIRLS RUNNERS-UP
Justyna Chojnowski, Leyden: Chojnowski recorded career highs of 20 points and 20 rebounds along with 5 steals in Leyden’s 47-27 win over Elmwood Park. The 5-foot-10 forward also scored 12 points with 7 rebounds in a 47-42 loss to league power Hinsdale South and 9 rebounds against Riverside-Brookfield.
Emily Dugan, Grayslake North: Her sweet shooting led to another sweet victory. The sophomore guard came off the bench to sink two 3-pointers and score 12 points in the Knights’ 61-45 win over Grayslake Central that gave them the outright Fox Valley Fox Division championship. She had drained 11 3-pointers, including 7 against Hampshire, in her previous two games.
Hannah Frazier, Batavia: During a 2-0 week that saw Batavia play the spoiler role and deny Streamwood a share of the Upstate Eight Conference River title, Frazier was second on the team with 27 points. The freshman had 10 points and 8 rebounds in the win over the Sabres after totaling 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots in a victory over Larkin.
Joslyn Nicholson, Cary-Grove: In a 61-19 win over Jacobs, the Trojans’ 5-foot-10 senior had 11 points, 2 assists, 2 steals and 5 deflections. She then came back with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 6 deflections and was 7-for-11 at the free-throw line in a 50-44 overtime win over Huntley that secured Cary-Grove’s fourth straight Fox Valley Conference Valley Division championship. She scored 8 of her points in the final 6:32 to help the Trojans come back and claim the win.