Kirkwood Womens Basketball

MVP Larson leads Kirkwood to title

PEORIA, Ill. - Kirsten Larson popped in six 3-pointers in the first half Tuesday as Kirkwood jumped to a big lead and drubbed Sauk Valley, 76-44, in the championship game of the Illinois Central Classic.

Larson played sparingly in the second half with Kirkwood cruising and finished with 18 points. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the eight-tournament that featured several ranked teams.

Peyton Bockholt contributed 12 points as the seventh-ranked Eagles raised their record to 11-4. Tyra Polite finished with eight points and six assists. Anna Martensen grabbed eight rebounds.

Kirkwood finished 14 of 29 on 3-pointers, including a sizzling 11-of-20 in the first half.

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Subs boost Kirkwood at tourney

PEORIA, Ill. - The Kirkwood Eagles got a big boost from their reserves Monday and topped 16th-ranked South Suburban College, 56-41, in the semifinals of the Illinois Central Classic.

Anna Martensen, Peyton Bockholt, Aliyah Isaac, A.J. Downs and Caitlin Sudduth came off the bench as a group in the second half and produced a 17-2 run as the seventh-ranked Eagles raced to a 52-31 lead. Martensen scored all nine of her points during the spurt as Kirkwood turned a six-point advantage into a 21-point spread.

Martensen, Kirsten Larson and Cassidy Clark shared scoring honors for the Eagles (10-4) with nine points. Ariel Sneed and Bockholt had eight points apiece.

Tyler Brown-Henderson led South Suburban with 14 points.

Kirkwood will face Sauk Valley in the championship game Tuesday at 4 p.m.

KIRKWOOD (56): Sneed 3 2-2 8, Downs 0 0-0 0, Isaac 0 2-2 2, Silva 1 0-0 2, Oberman 0 0-0 0, Sudduth 2 0-0 4, Polite 1 0-0 3, Larson 3 0-0 9, Hutchins 0 0-0 0, Martensen 3 3-4 9, Bockholt 3 2-4 8, Kallenberger 0 0-0 0, Clark 4 0-0 9, Wood 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 9-12 56.

SOUTH SUBURBAN (41): Brown-Henderson 6 1-3 14, Gebo 0 0-2 0, Lopez 3 0-0 7, Middleton 3 1-2 10, Heady 3 2-3 8, Joyner 0 2-2 2. Totals 15 6-12 41.

Halftime - Kirkwood 25, South Suburban 23. 3-point goals - Kirkwood 5 (Larson 3, Polite 1, Clark 1), South Suburban 5 (Middleton 3, Brown-Henderson 1, Lopez 1).

Polite sparks No. 7 KCC in tourney

PEORIA, Ill. - Tyra Polite scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out four assists Sunday as seventh-ranked Kirkwood bopped Lake Michigan, 62-39, in the opening round of the Illinois Central Classic.

Polite popped in four 3-pointers for the Eagles (9-4).

Cassidy Clark scored 10 points for Kirkwood. Anna Martensen and Peyton Bockholt had eight points apiece. Taylor Silva collected six assists.

Christy Gonzalez led Lake Michigan (7-4) with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

Kirkwood will face 16th-ranked South Suburban College (12-3) in the semifinals Monday. The final round will be played Tuesday.

KIRKWOOD (62): Sneed 2 0-0 4, Downs 0 0-0 0, Isaac 2 1-2 5, Silva 2 0-0 5, Sudduth 1 0-0 3, Polite 6 0-0 16, Larson`1 0-0 3, Hutchins 0 0-0 0, Martensen 4 0-0 8, Bockholt 4 0-0 8, Kallenberger 0 0-0 0, Clark 5 0-0 10, Wood 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 1-2 62.

LAKE MICHIGAN (39): Frederick 0 2-6 2, Trujillo 2 0-1 6, Stevens 1 0-1 2, Brandt 1 2-2 5, Decker 4 0-0 9, Huffman 1 1-5 4, Firovich 0 0-2 0, Gonzalez 4 3-6 11. Totals 13 8-23 39.

Halftime - Kirkwood 31, Lake Michigan 20. 3-point goals - Kirkwood 7 (Polite 4, Silva 1, Sudduth 1, Larson 1), Lake Michigan 5 (Trujillo 2, Brandt 1, Decker 1, Huffman 1).

KCC game with Little Priest canceled

The women's basketball game scheduled for Thursday night between Kirkwood and the Little Priest Tribal College at Johnson Hall has been canceled.

The team from Little Priest Tribal College was supposed to leave home at 10 a.m. Thursday for the trip to Cedar Rapids, but only one player reported for the bus trip and the game was called off.

The game is being called a "no contest" rather than a forfeit. Kirkwood will not receive a victory.

Little Priest Tribal College lost to Iowa Central Community College, 113-53, in Fort Dodge Wednesday night and returned to its campuses in Winnebago (Neb.) and Sioux City rather than coming straight to Cedar Rapids.

Little Priest Tribal College has been accredited by the NJCAA and would like to join the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference as a full-fledged member in the future once its probationary period is over.