Vote now: Who should be SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (Jan. 30-Feb. 4)?
Here are the candidates for SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week for Jan. 30-Feb. 4 as nominated by fans, readers and SBLive’s staff.
Read through the nominees and cast your vote at the bottom of the page. Voting will conclude on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced the following week. If you would like to nominate an athlete in the future, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.
THIS WEEK’S SBLIVE ILLINOIS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NOMINEES:
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Mason Alessio, Joliet Catholic wrestling
Alessio, the 145-pound runner-up from last year, is having himself another great season for the Hilltoppers. The now 160-pounder improved to 33-3 on the season after winning the East Suburban Catholic Conference Meet by pinning both of his opponents. Joliet Catholic won the conference as a team as well.
Armin Aliloski, Taft boys basketball
During a three-overtime Public League playoff showdown with Brooks on Wednesday, Aliloski led the way with a 31-point, 11-rebound double-double. The 6-3 senior helped the Eagles hang around but they lost 97-84.
Cole Certa, Bloomington Central Catholic boys basketball
Certa was a scoring machine during a Friday matchup against Nashville at the Bank of O'Fallon Shootout. The 6-4 junior guard earned game MVP honors after scoring 43 points in a 76-70 overtime loss.
Shannon Dowell, O’Fallon girls basketball
Dowell was named the MVP of Game 1 of the Bank of O’Fallon Shootout after scoring 17 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 5 steals, an assist and a block. The Panthers were able to pull out a 41-40 victory over Cardinal Ritter (Mo.).
Nora Ezike, Lyons Township girls basketball
A sophomore, Ezike had her best performance to date with 22 points and 17 rebounds (both career highs) as the Lions beat York 57-50 to secure their second straight West Suburban Silver championship.
Jeremy Fears Jr., Joliet West boys basketball
The McDonald's All-American shined at the Bank of O’Fallon Shootout against Indianapolis Cathedral. He had a solid all-around performance with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal, which earned him the MVP award for the contest. Joliet West won 60-56.
Jake Furtney, St. Charles North boys basketball
A 6-5 junior center, Furtney helped lead St. Charles North to their first conference victory of the season with a 69-62 victory over their crosstown rival, St. Charles East on Friday. Furtney led the North Stars with a career-high 29 points (10 of 15 shooting) while grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.
Brett Gomez, Kennedy boys basketball
Gomez had an impressive game during Kennedy’s Monday matchup with Mather. The 6-2 senior guard scored 31 points and dished out seven assists to lead the way for a 87-58 Crusader victory.
Cordy Johnson, Clark boys basketball
In a Wednesday Public League Playoff matchup against Englewood STEM, Johnson had a big performance on both ends of the floor with 35 points, 8 steals, and 4 rebounds while helping Clark to a 63-44 victory.
Brady Kunka, Benet Academy boys basketball
In an East Suburban Catholic matchup at Marian Catholic on Friday, Kunka poured in a team-high 20 points while grabbing 13 rebounds en route to a 57-49 victory.
Alyssa Latham, Homewood-Flossmoor girls basketball
A Syracuse commit, Latham capped off her week with two impressive performances in two wins. She recorded 15 points and 11 rebounds in a 54-25 win over Sandburg and 15 points and 9 rebounds in a 46-33 win over Lincoln-Way East.
Cooper LePage, Crystal Lake South boys basketball
A senior guard, LePage had a great shooting performance in a Fox Valley Conference matchup against Huntley on Friday. He scored a career-high 31 points with six 3-pointers to help Crystal Lake South to a 61-52 victory.
Mekhi Lowery, Oswego East boys basketball
A Towson recruit, Lowery had a solid performance against Southwest Prairie West foe Yorkville on Friday. The senior recorded a double-double with game-highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way for a 59-48 Wolves victory and a clinched conference title.
Emily Petring, Downers Grove South girls basketball
Petring helped carry Downers Grove South to its first conference title since 2001 with a game-high 20 points, including a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, against Willowbrook on Friday. The Mustangs clinched the conference title with a 46-42 win.
Tia Poulakidas, Neuqua Valley girls basketball
A senior center, Poulakidas was impressive during her final game at her home court on Thursday as she finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals as the Wildcats won 69-41 to clinch at least a share of the DuPage Valley Conference title (their first since 2016).
Laney Stark, St. Charles North girls basketball
Stark played well offensively and defensively during the North Stars 52-50 overtime victory over Lake Park on Thursday. The junior led the way with 20 points and she broke the school single season steals record with her 86th of the year.
Je’Shawn Stevenson, Lindblom boys basketball
Stevenson had two highlight performances on the week during Lindblom’s wins on Sunday and Wednesday. On Sunday, the junior posted 25 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals in a 91-59 win over Manley. During their 77-56 victory over Morgan Park on Wednesday, he tallied 27 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals.
Sophie Swanson, Barrington girls basketball
Swanson, a senior committed to Purdue University, had a dominant performance against Warren on Friday. She took over the game with 39 points while grabbing six rebounds to lead Barrington to a 61-43 win.
Koby Wilmoth, O’Fallon boys basketball
In Game 2 of the Bank of O’Fallon Shootout, Wilmoth, a 6-8 senior, led the way for the Panthers against Whitfield with 25 points, 5 rebounds, an assist and a block. He earned the game's MVP award and O’Fallon won convincingly 65-35. He then scored a team-high 14 points in a 55-50 win over Chaminade on Saturday at the Bank of O'Fallon Shootout.
Oswego East's Bryce Shoto voted SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (Jan. 23-28)
Previous winners: Benet Academy's Brady Kunka (Jan. 16-21), Lincoln-Way East's Lilly Dockemeyer (Jan. 9-14), St. Francis' Tea Rubino (Jan. 2-7), Libertyville's Will Buchert (Dec. 26-31), Rich Township's Diondre Henry (Dec. 19-24), Montini Catholic's Shannon Blacher (Dec. 12-17), East St. Louis' Macaleab Rich (Dec. 5-10), Butler's Xamiya Walton (Nov. 21-26), East St. Louis' TaRyan Martin (Nov. 14-20), Lake Zurich's Tyler Erkman (No. 7-12), St. Rita's DJ Stewart (Oct. 31-Nov. 5), Stevenson's Matt Projansky (Oct. 17-22), Prospect's Brad Vierneisel (Oct. 10-15), Brother Rice's Owen Lyons (Oct. 3-8), Bolingbrook's Jonas Williams (Sept. 19-24), Benet Academy's Aniya Warren (Sept. 12-17), Bolingbrook's I'Marion Stewart (Sept. 4-10), Lemont's Nate Wrublik (Aug. 29-Sept. 3) and Highland's Travis Porter (Aug. 22-28).
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