TEAM MEMBERS

Malea Bailey

Medora - Piasa Southwestern School District
Class of 2016
1st Year Team Member
Guard/Forward

Malea has been committed all year making the long trek from Medora. Malea is smart player that picks up on things quickly. She has the best left hand lay up on the team. She hit a huge shot in the championship game of the Logger Classic that helped the Predators play even with a tough St. Louis Majestics team.

Ashley Brown

Vachel Lindsay Elementary - Springfield School District
Class of 2016
2nd Year Team Member
Guard/Forward

Nickname: Happy Feet

This was Ashley's second year. She has made great strides over the last two years. Ashley is a hard worker that has worked on her individual game as well as her team game. Ashley came up big in game 1 of the National Tournament with 8 points. As a fitting end to the season, Ashley ended up with a steal that sealed the National Title game against the Peoria Jems. Ashley also continued to be a physical player both as a guard and an inside player as she would often out-battle opponents for the ball. She was a tough match up for other teams as she was more physical than a guard and quicker than most inside players. This created advantages for us on both ends of the floor.

Sam Churchill

Rochester Middle School
Class of 2016
1st Year Team Member
Forward/Center

Nickname: Slammin' Sammy

Sam was one of the more consistent players all year. She was tremendous in the post as we could count on her to get good position and finish. Sam contributed on the defensive end as well grabbing rebound after rebound. Sam is currently working on improving her left hand lay ups and free throws. One of Sam's more memorable moments was hitting a shot against the Bloomington Saints that tied the game in the final 20 seconds as we eventually won by 2 in overtime.

Lexi Clark

Sherman Elementary School - Williamsville School District
Class of 2016
2nd Year Team Member
Guard

Lexie had a tough start to the year as she missed much of the first half of the season with a variety of illnesses. After finally getting healthy, the summer went much smoother. Lexie contributed with solid ball handling and good outside shooting. Lexie was also extremely pesky on the defensive end as she regularly harassed the opponent's better ball handlers. In the National Title game Lexie helped the Predators run out almos the entire last 1:30 of the game with great passing and ball handling.

Catie Costa

St. Agnes Catholic School - Springfield
Class of 2016
2nd Year Team Member
Guard

Nickname: Skittles

Catie had another great year. Catie was our leading scorer last year, but played an entirely different role this year with the strength of our inside players. Catie became the primary ball handler as she penetrated on offense, helped break the press, and contributed mightily to the assist totals. Catie also was an annoying defender as she regularly showed a knack for the ball and anticipated situations well. Catie hit the game winning lay up against the Bloomington Saints in overtime in the Logger Classic as well.

Brooklyn Crum

Vachel Lindsay Elementary - Springfield School District
Class of 2016
2nd Year Team Member
Guard

Nickname: The Jet

Brooklyn was a solid guard this season. Brooklyn's biggest contributions were in feeding the post and playing tough nose defense. She really helped the team by being in the right place and doing the right thing most of the time. Brooklyn improved her game by being able to hit free throws this season. She was money when needed from the free throw line including nailing the game winner in sudden death overtime against the 6th grade team from Petersburg. She is currently working on her left hand lay ups and being able to cross over when being pressured.

Bree Ann Derhake

Saint Joseph School - Springfield
Class of 2016
2nd Year Team Member
Guard/Forward

Nickname: Silent Assassin

Bree continued to be a steady player for the Predators. She showed great range this year including nailing 4 (count'em 4) three pointers in a game against the Illiana CVC Gold 7th graders in Indianapolis. In fact she nailed one in three consecutive possessions to put the game away. Bree was a solid defender that could mark both a guard or a forward. She was also effective in transition both as a ball handler and a finisher. Bree improved both her free throws and left hand lay ups throughout the course of the season. Bree is also one of the best listeners on the team as she soaks up whatever is being coached and then puts it into practice!

Averi Gamble

Blessed Sacrament - Springfield
Class of 2016
1st Year Team Member
Center

Averi was a big lift for the team this year. The addition of Averi and Sam Churchill to Jillian Mulvany gave the team a much needed inside game that was sorely lacking last year. Averi clogged the lane and was able to control the glass on both ends of the floor. Averi improved greatly this year as she developed better footwork in the post and good touch around the basket. Averi contributed mightily in many games but none more important than the National Title game where dropped in 12. She also hit the game winner with 20 seconds left to beat the CAM Raiders the week before in a one point win. Averi is still working on being a little meaner in the post - although there were signs of this happening more and more as the season progressed.

Jillian Mulvany

Vachel Lindsay Elementary - Springfield School District
Class of 2016
2nd Year Team Member
Forward

Nickname: Giggles

Jillian improved her game as much as anyone over the past year or so. This started towards the end of last summer. Her ball handling, agility, and shooting continue to improve. Jillian was dominant in the National Tournament proving extremely tough to guard in the open court and in the half court sets. Jillian came up big in the biggest games as she tossed in 11 against the Peoria Jems in pool play as she proved to be the difference against their press. In the semi-final game against the Freeman-Predators, she knocked down the first 6 points of the game and then hit a basket and free throw at the end that tied the game and then put us ahead in a thrilling 2 point win. In the championship game, she hit 4 out of 4 free throws in the last couple minutes that finished off the National Championship.

Olivia Schmidt

Lincoln Trail - Mahomet-Seymour School District
Class of 2016
1st Year Team Member
Guard

Olivia had the longest drive on the team coming all the way from Mahomet. However, Olivia was able to make most of the practices during the week which showed great commitment. Olivia contributed greatly to the guard play as she consistently handled the ball and played defense on the better opposing guard. Olivia made a splash early in the season nailing the game winning jump shot with 2 seconds left against the 6th grade Petersburg team. Olivia may have had the play of the season with a steal and a basket in the last minute of the game to help erase a 4 point deficit in the national semi-final game against the Freeman-Predators.