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Logger Classic

Feb. 19-21 - Second Place (4-1)

Spfld Predators 39 Predators Lowis 24
The Predators were too much for the younger, scrappy 5th grade team. The physical and height mismatch was evident as 27 of the 39 points came from the paint. Jillian Mulvany led the way with 14 including a 10 point first quarter. Sam Churchill tossed in 9 while Tosha Curtis had 6.

Spfld Predators 30 Mattoon Wave 11
The Predators struggled early holding only a 4-2 first quarter advantage in spite of having good shot selection. The team opened the game up in the second quarter and took a 14-5 halftime advantage and eventually won 30-11. The team had fairly balanced scoring and even scored from outside as Lexie Clark and Bree Ann Derhake hit a couple long range jumpshots each.

Spfld Predators 29 Collinsville Jr. Kahoks 16
This game determined the winner of Pool A as both teams were undefeated coming into the game. The Predators again struggled to put the ball in the basket early and held a 4-2 first quarter advantage. This was extended to 14-5 at the break. The second half was similar to the first. The Predators started off slow but finished big with a 29-16 victory. Eight players scored with Lexie Clark leading the way with 6.

Spfld Predators 25 St. Joseph Panthers 5
The Predators played smothering defense as they only allowed 5 Panther points. Three of those came in the first 3 minutes and the other two in the last minute. During the middle 20 minutes of the game, they shut the Panthers down. This strong effort cemented an undefeated Pool A championship.

St. Louis Majestics 28 Spfld Predators 23 (Championship Game)
The Majestics jumped to an 8-2 advantage after the first 90 seconds causing a Predators timeout. The Lady Predators responded by scoring the next 7 points to take a 9-8 lead. However, the Majestics jumped to a 16-9 lead and looked like they were going to put the game away, but the Predators popped a press on them and scoring 6 straight to cut the margin to 3. The Lady Predators couldn't get any closer as the teams traded baskets the rest of the way. The Predators stayed in the game with some clutch free throw shooting. However, they came up short to the Majestics who are now 40-3 on the season. For the second straight year, the Majestics claim the Logger Classic Championship over the Lady Predators.

Lincoln Trojan Tournament

Feb. 27-28 Second Place (2-1)

Predators 36 St. Joseph 11
The Predators led start to finish in this one as they jumped to a 15-6 halftime lead and finished it off in the second half. Sam Churchill paced the Predators with 12 while Jillian Mulvany added 7. All 8 Predators contributed to the scoring in this one.

Predators 27 North Greene 16
The Predators jumped to a 15-4 lead and then held on to a 27-16 win. Averi Gamble topped the scoring with 11 while Bree Ann Derhake and Jillian Mulvany tossed in 5. each

Washington 20 Predators 16
The Predators couldn't buy a basket in this one. Credit the Washington defense as they were stingy and didn't allow many second chances on the offensive glass. The Predators cut the lead to 16-15 with 3 minutes left, but missed 6 free throws and a pair of layups that would have put them ahead. This is a game we'd like to have back

St. Louis

Mar. 5-7 Third Place (2-1)

Tri-County Rockets 26 Predators 10
The Predators continued their inconsistent scoring as we went the middle 36 minutes of the game without a field goal (only 4 free throws). We had numerous open shots, but nothing would go through the net. The Tri-County Rocket did end up winning the tournament without much of a threat as we were their closest game.

Predators 33 Dexter Bearcats 23
Unlike the first game of the day, the Predators jumped up to a 11-2 lead and 20-5 first half lead before Dexter made a run to cut it to 22-15. The Predators then were able to create a number of turnovers and converted on the offensive end to win 33-23. Tosha Curtis provide the spark as she had numerous steals and ended up with 12 points. Averi Gamble added 7 while Kylie Clemens added 6. Jillian Mulvany and Bree Ann Derhake tossed in 4 each as well.

Predators 36 St. Louis Lady Spartans 22
The Predators stuggled early again as this has been the trend. We we only ahead 14-11 at the half and 16-15 early in the second. After a couple timeouts and defensive adjustments, the Predators went on a run outscoring the Lady Spartans 20-7 the rest of the way. Averi Gamble contributed 12, Jillian Mulvany 11, and Kylie Clemens 6. Ashley Brown, Catie Costa and Sam Churchill had a basket each while Brooklyn Crum tossed in a free throw. The second half defense was what won this game.

End of Year Gym Tournament (4th Place - 4-4 in the league and 1-2 in the tournament)

The Springfield Predators concluded the winter session at The Gym by finishing 4th in the 7th grade tournament. The team started the tournament with a great defensive performance against the Lady Hakasaus. The Predators were defeated earlier this year 29-21 by the Lady Hakasaus, but this game was to be ours. The team defended aggressively with Averi Gamble, Jillian Mulvany, and Sam Churchill commanding the glass and Lexie Clark, Catie Costa, Bree Ann Derhake, Brooklyn Crum, and Ashley Brown playing hard-nosed defense on the perimeter. On the offensive end Jillian Mulvany pace the Predators with 14, while Averi Gamble tossed in 6. In the second game, the Predators were not as fortunate as they squandered an 18-12 lead by hitting only 5 of 19 free throws in the second half. The Morton Heat were victorious 29-21 as they outscored the Predators 17-3 down the stretch. In the third place game, the Predators battled and were down 20-12. However, a good surge at the end of the third and into the fourth quarter found the Predators only down 28-26 in the last minute. However, Plains proved too much and beat the Predators for the third time this season 30-26. Overall, the Predators finished 4-4 in league play and were 1-2 in the tournament.

St. Louis Tournament of Champions (3-2 Overall, 2nd in pool play - effectively 3rd place overall)

Springfield Predators 29 St. Louis Rockets 27
The Lady Predators traveled to St. Louis and proved a worthy team. The Predators opened with the St. Louis Rockets. It was a hard fought battle that started a little slow. However, the Predators jumped to a 13-11 halftime lead. They extended the lead to 24-15 with 3 minutes left in the game. However the Rockets made a surge and cut it to 29-27 in the last minute. The Predators were then able to shut out the Rockets the remainder of the way to hold onto victory. Jillian Mulvany and Averi Gamble had 8 each, Kylie Clems and Sam Churchill added 4, while Catie Costa tossed in 3 and Ashley Brown 2.

Springfield Predators 23 Della Lamb Running Angels 17
In the second game, the Predators slugged their way to a 23-17 victory over the Della Lamb Running Angels from Kansas City.
The Predators cleaned up on the glass and were able to keep the quick guard from the Angels out front. Averi Gamble and Kylie Clemens lead the way with 6 each. Ashley Brown hit a pair of baskets for 4. Lexie Clark, Sam Churchill and Brooklyn Crum had 2 while Jillian Mulvany hit a free throw for 1.

Springfield Predators 27 Q-City Magic 21
In game 3, the Predators and Q-Magic had a sloppy affair. However with the score tied at 19 with 3 minutes left. The Predators executed successfully on 4 straight possessions to take the game 27-21. Averi Gamble had 7, Kylie Clemens and Sam Churchill added 6. Bree Ann Derhake and Jillian Mulvany had 4 each. This put the Predators at 3-0 and set up a showdown with the Arkansas Mavericks who finished 9th in the AAU tournament last year.

Arkansas Mavericks 47 Springfield Predators 30
The Predators battled to a 25-20 deficit at the half, but the Mavericks proved too much in the second half and knocked off the Predators 47-30. Averi Gamble tossed in 12, Kylie Clemens 6, Jillian Mulvany and Ashley Brown 4 and Brooklyn Crum and Sam Churchill 2 each.

Kansas City Angels 43 Springfield Predators 7
In an extra game the Predators picked up to play this weekend, they were destroyed by an outstanding Kansas City team 43-7. Enough said about this one.

MBC Shootout - Evansville, Indiana (1-2 Overall)

Springfield Predators 29 Henderson County, Ky 24
The Predators trailed 9-4 late in the first half, but managed to tie it at halftime. They then opened a 22-15 lead before eventually winning 29-24. Averi Gamble lead the way with 14. Tosha Curtis, Sam Churchill, and Jillian Mulvany tossed in 4 each. Sarah Cross had 2 and Lexie Clark added 1 in the victory. The Predators were able to handle the ball well late and score easy baskets to pull out the win.

St. Louis Cougars 38 Springfield Predators 35 OT
The Predators jumped off to a 12-4 and then 17-10 lead. However, the turnover bug hit as St. Louis went on a run in the second half. Trailing by 2 late, Tosha Curtis stole the ball and scored to tie the game with 10 seconds left in regulation. However, the Predators couldn't muster enough in the overtime and fell to a good Cougars team

Henderson County, Ky 27 Springfield Predators 25
In a rematch of a pool play game, the Henderson County team executed just a little better to pull off the win. The Predators played well in spite of lots of foul trouble. The Henderson County team eventually won the entire tournament.

Turkey Jam - Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (Tournament Champs 3-0 Overall)

Springfield Predators 58 Antioch Jr. Sequoits 23
The Predators opened with a convincing 58-23 win over the Antioch Jr. Sequoits. After trailing 9-8 with about 10 minutes left in the first half, the Predators went on a serious run scoring the next 12 points and eventually opened up a 39-14 halftime lead. The team was able to dominate inside with Averi Gamble tossing in all 17 of her points in the first half. Sam Churchill added 14, Jillian Mulvany 7, Elecia Thies 6, Ashley Brown, Tosha Curtis, and Brooklyn Crum had 4 while Lexie Clark added 2. Catie Costa contributed with great defense and numerous assists.

Springfield Predators 34 Rockford Heat 12
In game 2, the Predators struggled a bit out of the gate again as they missed 10 first half free throws and numerous open shots. However, they rebounded the latter part of the first half and opened a 20-4 halftime lead. In the second half, it was more of the same on the offensive end as the team had trouble converting regularly both from the free throw line and in the half-court offense. Tosha Curtis paced the way with 8 points. Jillian Mulvany and Averi Gamble added 6 each. Sam Churchill had 5, Lexie Clark 4, Elecia Thies 3, and Ashley Brown 2.

Springfield Predators 49 Woodstock North 7
In the championship game, the Predators converted on almost every one of their first 15 possessions as they scored on 11 of them. The team opened an 18-0 lead 4 minutes in and a 30-0 lead 9 minutes into the game. The team was able to then work on their half court offense and passing game. The Predators cruised to the championship with a 49-7 win over Woodstock North. The scoring was evenly balance as Sam Churchill had 10, Tosha Curtis 9, Jillian Mulvany and Averi Gamble 8, Ashley Brown and Elecia Thies 4, and Catie Costa and Brooklyn Crum 2. Brooklyn Crum added some interior rebounding in the second half as she played as one of the post players. The teams overall passing and defense was much improved this weekend. We are looking forward to this continuing against the remainder of the competition.

Summer Break Shootout - Springfield (7-0 Overall)

Springfield Predators 28 Pleasant Plains 19
Springfield Predators 28 St. Agnes-7th 20
Springfield Predators 32 Holy Trinity-7th 14
Springfield Predators 43 Screaming Eagles-7th 10

Springfield Predators 42 Carlinville-7th 24Springfield Predators 27 St. Louis Storm 10
Springfield Predators 23 North Greene-7th 12
The Predators played extremely well over the weekend going 5-0 against 7th grade teams and 7-0 overall. The team was able to pound the ball inside, pick up transition baskets, and played pretty solid defense when necessary.
Springfield AYBT in May (2-3 Overall)

Bloomington Angels-7th 28 Springfield Predators 27
The Predators had this game under control with a 6 point lead with 2 minutes left. However, some costly turnovers down the stretch proved detrimental as the Angles knocked down their shots to pull out a one point victory. Tosha Curtis lead the way with 10, Sam Churchill 4, Averi Gamble, Elecia Thies, and Catie Costa 3, and Jillian Mulvany and Brooklyn Crum with 2 each.

Pleasant Plains-7th 36 Springfield Predators 34
This was a great game from start to finish. The Predators however fell to Plains for the 4th time this season.... in all close games. The Predators were up 7 with 2 minutes to go in this one, but missed a couple free throws. To Plains credit, they knocked down a pair of 3's in the last 30 seconds to pull out the win. Tosha Curtis lead the way with 13, Sam Churchill 7, Jillian Mulvany and Averi Gamble 6, and Brooklyn Crum 2.

Springfield Predators 41 Central A&M-7th 28
The Predators finally pulled one out. This win avenged a pair of losses to Central A&M two years ago. The Predators were only up 18-15 at the half, but went on a big run to open the half and eventually win 41-28. Tosha Curtis again lead the way with 13. Jillian Mulvany tossed in 10, Sam Churchill 9, Averi Gamble 4, Lexie Clark 3, and Brooklyn Crum 2.

LAGBL 26 Springfield Predators 25
The Predators opened day 2 similar to the way the started day 1. They owned a 6 point lead in the last 2 minutes for the 3rd game over the weekend and managed to give it way. The Predators are closing the game against older teams that have beat them in years past. The games are now very competitive with the younger Predators winning many... but not this one.

Springfield Predators 50 Limestone-7th 25
The Predators ended the weekend successfully as the opened a 19-10 halftime lead before putting this one away 50-25. Elecia Thies and Sam Churchill had 13 a piece. Jillian Mulvany added 8 while Averi Gamble added 7. Catie Costa had 5 while Ashley Brown and Lexie Clark added 2 a piece.

Springfield AYBT in June (4-0 Overall)
Springfield Predators 41 Champaign Blues-7th 7
The Predators jumped to a 21-5 halftime lead and finished it off with an impressive 41-7 win over Champaign. Averi Gamble lead the way with 10. Elecia Thies and Jillan Mulvany had 7 each. Sam Churchill had 6 while Ashley Brown and Tosha Curtis had 4 each. Sarah Cross had a pair and Lexie Clark 1.

Springfield Predators 30 St. Louis Northstars-7th 23
The Predators started strong again with a 20-7 halftime lead. However the Northstars battled back to close the gap at 22-18 before the Predators finished it off. Averi Gamble had 9 and Sam Churchill 7. Ashley Brown and Jillian Mulvany had 3 each while Lexie Clark, Elecia Thies, Tosha Curtis, and Bree Ann Derhake had a pair each.

Springfield Predators 32 Future Starz-7th 23
In another battle, the Predators pulled out a second half win. Averi Gamble lead the way with 9, Elecia Thies hit a pair of 3's and added another basket for 8. Sam Churchill added 8 as well. Ashley Brown tossed in 4 while Catie Costa drained a 3.

Springfield Predators 33 Rochester Rockets 24
In a tough battle, the Predators extended a 12-9 halftime lead to a 33-24 victory. The Predators had good balance in the scoring department as it was Averi Gamble with 8, Lexie Clark 7, Ashley Brown and Elecia Thies 6 each, Sam Churchill 4, and Sarah Cross 2.
LLCC Shootout - Springfield in June (2-1 Overall)

Auburn-8th 27 Springfield Predators 25
The Predators trailed 19-7 at one point of the second half. They battled back to tie it at 23, but couldn't jump ahead. Auburn nailed a few free throws down the stretch to pull out the victory. The Predators struggled from the free throw line in this one going 3-16.

Springfield Predators 36 Paris 10
The Predators jumped up 12-2 early in this one and cruised from there.

Springfield Predators 22 Pleasant Plains-6th/7th/8th 11
Again, this was a defensive struggle as the Predators opened a 12-6 halftime lead, but went 13 minutes without a basket in the first half. The team managed just enough in the second half to pull out the victory from a mix of middle school Plains girls. The girls are now 36-18 for the summer heading into the National Tournament.

National Tournament - Bloomington, Illinois July 15-18

Game 1 - Predators 35 LAGBL-7th 18
The Predators struggled early having only a 10-7 most of the way through the half. However, a good 6-0 to finish the half opened a 16-9 lead. The Predators hit their stride in the second half outscoring LAGBL 19-11 in the half to eventually win 35-18. Tosha Curtis sparked the rally with 8 second half points to finish with 10. Averi Gamble tossed in 8 while Bree Ann Derhake, Sam Churchill, and Jillian Mulvany had 4 each. Catie Costa and Sarah Cross added two and Lexie Clark 1.

Game 2 - Predators 23 Future Starz-7th 18
This was a good solid physical game from the start. The Future Starz banged their way to an early 12-6 lead. The Predators added a basket right before the half and then added a 15-6 second half run. They were able to keep the Future Starz scoreless from almost 15 minutes from the end of the first half through much of the second half. This was a solid win against a good older team. Jillian Mulvany lead the way with 7, Averi Gamble and Tosha Curtis 6, and Sam Churchill 4. The team played extremely good trapping defense causing many disruptions for the Future Starz. A very good win for the Predators.

Game 3 - Predators 35 St. Louis NorthStars-7th 11
The Predators did not leave anything to doubt in this one. They jumped up early to a 24-6 halftime lead with good offensive and defensive play and then finished it off 35-11. The defense did not allow any player on the NorthStars to have more than 2 points. The Predators had balanced scoring with Bree Ann Derhake, Sam Churchill, and Averi Gamble having 7 each, Jillian Mulvany 5, Tosha Curtis 3, and Brooklyn Crum, Sarah Cross, and Lexie Clark 2 each.

Game 4 - Predators-Yeck-7th 34 Predators 14
In a battle of teams from The Gym, the 7th grade Predators got the best of the 6th graders 34-14. The younger Predators were able to get decent looks at the basket in the first half, but had trouble finishing. The younger Predators kept the game close at 16-8 and 20-12, but the 7th grade team methodically picked the younger team apart over the last 10 minutes to pull out the game 34-14. Tosha Curtis and Sam Churchill had 4 each while Ashley Brown, Bree Ann Derhake, and Averi Gamble tossed in 2 each.

Game 5 - Predators 43 Check Game-7th 16
The Predators couldn't connect early as the game was 12-10 most of the way through the first half. As the half wound down, the Predators picked up 3 baskets to go up 18-10 at the half. In the second half, Bree Ann Derhake came ready to play as she had 3 steals, 3 rebounds and 9 points in the first four minutes of the half. The Predators went on to outscore Check Game 25-6 in the second half for a 43-16 victory. Bree Ann Derhake lead the way with 11, Averi Gamble 10, Ashley Brown and Jillian Mulvany 6 a piece, Catie Costa 4, and Lexie Clark, Tosha Curtis, and Sam Churchill 2 each.

Game 6 - Predators 28 Razzle Dazzle-7th 21
In a hard fought game, the Predators were probably outplayed by Razzle Dazzle. However, the team reached down and found a way to win a tough game. The game was close through out including 23-21 with about 2:30 left. Lexie Clark drained a pair of free throws and Ashley Brown added a basket at the end for the final margin of 28-21.

Semi-finals - Predators-Crum 40 Check Game-7th 13
The Predators came out with a lot of fire. The opened a 7-0 lead in the first couple minutes. After 5 points by Check Game, the Predators finished the half with a 17-0 run sparked by some great defense. The Predators then closed out the second half with a 16-6 advantage to pull out the game 40-13.

Championship Game - St. Louis NorthStars-7th 45 Predators 31
In a rematch of a pool play game, the Predators jumped to a 17-12 halftime lead. The NorthStars scored the first 8 of the second half to regain the lead at 20-17. However the teams traded baskets with the Predators eventually taking their last lead at 29-28 with about 5 minutes left in the game. The NorthStars then converted on their next possession to lead 30-28. The NorthStars continued on a 17-0 run mostly with free throws as the Predators had to foul to give themselves a chance.

Overall 42-20
The team improved tremendously from January to July again this year. There was the occasional step backwards, but overall the team progressed in leaps and bounds. Again the Predators finished their spring/summer portion of the schedule undefeated against 6th grade teams with their last loss to a 6th grade team being in the Evansville Tournament in early April. Playing against quality upper level competition should help the players as they return to their school teams in the fall.
7th grade girls league 4-47th grade girls tournament 1-2Peoria Jems 1-1 (beat 6th and lost to 7th)Logger Classic 4-1 lost championship 28-23 to St. Louis Majestics... againLincoln Trojan Tournament 2-1 Second PlaceSt. Louis Shootout 2-1 Third PlaceSt. Louis Coach T Classic Tournament of Champions 3-2 Third PlaceEvansville MBC

Classic 1-2 (both losses to tournament champion)
18-14 in winter portion
Lake Geneva Turkeyjam 3-0 1st PlaceSummer Break Shootout 7-0Springfield AYBT 2-3Springfield AYBT 4-0LLCC Shootout 2-1National Tournament 6-2 2nd Place
24-6 in summer portion
23-12 vs 7th/8th grade teams 19-8 vs 6th grade teams