ALAH girls look to be strong in three-point shooting, defense

By Editor | November 20, 2024 |

By Mike Monahan

ARTHUR–Only two players are gone from last year’s 19-13 overall, 8-3 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference, good for fourth place for the Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond Knights. However, one of the players was Claire Seal, who finished with over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career. Seal was a unanimous first team pick last season and was on the first team as a sophomore Hannah Carter, was the other senior, who was injured most of the season.

Seal averaged 18.6 points and 13.3 rebounds per game as well as 1.5 assists (second on the team), 2.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game to lead the Knights in those categories.

“Clarie Seal was a stat suffer for sure,” said ALAH coach Mac Condill

Seal shot a team-high 47 percent from the field.

“We have had two good weeks of practice,” said Condill. “We are very young. However we do have several girls that played plenty of varsity minutes last year as freshmen and sophomores. The seniors are Mackenzie Condill, Sara Hershberger, Reese Peters, Kat Perez and Addison Yeakel

“It is the first time they will be able to be out of the shadow of Claire Seal and Charley Condill,” said coach Condill. “Our work ethic and attitudes the first two weeks have been great and I know they are excited and so it has really been fun to kind of build up to see what we may be. We have an opportunity to really figure out what our identity is.You can say whatever you think our identity is, but we won’t know yet.”

Condill is in his ninth season at 151-71 (.680) and the Knights have gone 54-29 the last three seasons.

“We are fighting some injuries coming into the season (started Monday at Meridian and continued Tuesday at Tuscola),” said Condill. “Savannah Butcher had a fantastic volleyball season. She broke her finger in January of 2024 and missed 4-6 weeks of basketball. She has not seen the basketball court in almost a year.”

Starters on Monday were Morgan Casteel (sophomore) Sophie Mont (sophomore), Anna Rawlins (Junior), Sara Hershberger (senior) and Mackenzie Condill (senior).

“We have got sophomore guards that played a lot lost year, Rawlins came on in the early season as a post last year. Hershberger is the most veteran player (guard) and Mackenzie (Condill) is our five, a place she has never played before in her life. Addison Yeakel is dealing with a knee injury and Bell Romine suffered a sprained ankle in the volleyball regional and we have been taking our time with her. She has not had her full two weeks of practice yet. We have got a big freshman class including Annabelle Vanausdoll, who is coming off a strong eighth grade year last year. A handful of them might be able to help us at some point during the season.”

Monts, Hershberger and Casteel are the top scorers back at 4.3, 4.2 and 4.1 points per game respectively, while Yeakel and Hershberger are the top rebounders at 4.1 and 4.0 respectively.

Hershberger and Condill are the top players in assists with 1.8 and 1.3 respectively. Casteel led in steals at 1.3, while Condill averaged one.

“I feel like we have preached or tired to the last several years that our athletes need to be quick and strong and when you look at our roster of 21 we have a lot of athletes and I think that is exciting,”said Condill. “I think we will be a legitimate three-point threat even though it is something I am not used to. That will be fun. I hope our scrappy defense will be a strength, but that is yet to be determined. No longer will rebounding be a strength. It is wide open as far as who is going to get the rebounds, but I do think our guards can rebound well.”

As for speed and or height Condill feels they have a little bit of both. We have a freshman that played volleyball and I have the feeling she played in the middle and blocked a lot. In our first practice she was out there and had fun blocking shots (Addison Dixon). It was eye-opening for everyone. One other freshman, Annabelle Vanausdoll comes back from last year where she handled the ball as an eighth grader and does not shy away from that job and that is good. She likes to play defense and we have several other players to add to our depth. I don’t know if we will play small or big.”

Alexa Miller, a 2022 ALAH grad, joins the coaching staff as Hannah Morfey moves up the junior varsity coach and will now be paid.

“Miller joins the staff fresh off after her two year career at Lake Land College,” said Condill. “We have several other volunteer coaches, but Hanna and Alexa have been everything. They were also two ball hawk guards that were defensive minded and that could do something offensively.

I am excited about the pace we will run and we will be fun to watch. I hope we play pretty fast. We will have a deep, young bench and I hope we can use that to our benefit.”

2024-25 ALAH

Varsity Roster

Seniors: Mackenzie Condill, Sara Hershberger, Reese Peters, Kat Perez, Addison Yeakel

Juniors: Savannah Butcher, Anna Rawlins

Sophomores: McKenna Blaudow, Morgan Casteel, Sophie Monts

Freshman: Annabelle Vanausdoll

2024-25 ALAH schedule

(all games start at 6 p.m. with junior varsity followed by varsity unless noted)

Nov. 18 at Meridian, Nov. 19 at Tuscola, Nov. 25 SHELBYVILLE

Dec. 2 OAKWOOD, Dec. 5 at Tolono Unity (5:30 p.m.), Dec. 9 at Cumberland*, 6 p.m. varsity only, Dec. 10 at Argenta-Oreana*, Dec. 12 HERITAGE*, Dec. 14 at Mattoon, 10 a.m. junior varsity followed by varsity, Dec. 16 SULLIVAN*, Dec. 17 MONTICELLO, Dec. 20, 21, 23 KNIGHTS HOLIDAY CLASSIC

Jan. 6 at Effingham St. Anthony, Jan. 10 at Cerro Gordo/Bement (10 a.m. varsity only), Jan. 13 at Arcola*, Jan. 18, 20, 21, 23 Lincoln Prairie Conference Tournament at Arcola, TBA, Jan. 27 at Blue Ridge* (5:30 p.m.), Jan. 30 UNITY CHRISTIAN*

Feb. 1 at Central A&M (1 p.m. junior varsity followed by varsity), Feb. 3 VILLA GROVE*, Feb. 4 MARSHALL, Feb. 6 vs. Tri-County* at Shiloh, Feb. 10 at Okaw Valley*, Feb. 15 Class 2A regional tournament, TBA

*-Lincoln Prairie Conference game

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