By: Dennis Bowling
The Peotone girls basketball team is a very close knit team. Following their first loss of the season to Prairie Central, the Blue Devils proved they are a very resilient group and rebounded in style by beating Lisle on January 30.
Senior Mady Kibelkis, a 5′-8″ shooting guard, finished with 16 points, had four assists, and four steals, as the Blue Devils trounced Lisle, 54-14, in an Illinois Central Eight Conference game before a “senior night” gathering in Peotone. In the past two years, the Blue Devils have finished with a 49-6 mark.
Strongly backing up Kibelkis were Blue Devil seniors Jenna Hunter, who finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds, Marissa Velasco – six points and six rebounds, while Kayleigh Anderson added six points.
“I just love this team,” said Kibelkis, who is an outstanding player. “I feel like I am on top of the world. Jenna always makes her shots and always brings energy to our team.”
“Kayleigh is a team player and couldn’t ask for a better teammate,” she continued. “This win will get our hopes up for the rest of the season.”
Hunter, a girls soccer player and basketball standout, enjoyed the senior night festivities, saying, “It was a rebound game – just an amazing one. We played great!”
Velasco, a girls volleyball and basketball standout, had a positive experience and noted, “It was a blast. We played really well.”
Anderson, who came in off the bench, did well, too. “I felt great,” she said. “My shots were really on, and I was getting good passes. Jenna is a great player. This has been a ton of fun, and we enjoyed playing everyone.”
On the night, the amped-up Blue Devils rolled to an 18-4 first quarter lead, led 38-6 at half time and, from there, it was all over.
The Blue Devils are 24-1 overall, 11-0 in the conference – along with first place, won 29 conference contests in a row, and are 11-0 at home.
In the junior varsity contest, Peotone beat Lisle, 32-20. Allie Walsh led the Blue Devils with 14 points, Alyssa Lottz recorded six, while Peyton Bisping finished with five points for the Blue Devils.
