Dee-Mack enjoyed ‘summer school’ as it looks forward to a winter of basketball

EAST PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — The Deer Creek-Mackinaw girls basketball team is a little sad to be seeing the month of June come to a close.

This week is the players’ final week of playing summer games as high school teammates. Many will play for their symmer travel teams in July.

The Chiefs tested themselves by playing against bigger schools in Illinois Central College’s annual summer league. They hope it gets them prepared for a big winter.

“We love to compete so it’s a little sick in the head to think all this (summer) work is coming to an end,” said Dee-Mack head coach Joni Nightengale. “It was a great June. We look at the summer as a win.”

Dee-Mack did plenty of winning last season. The Chiefs went 32-3 and return a good chunk of that team for the upcoming season.

The players are excited to see what might be ahead.

“I think we’ve been building since my freshman year,” said Dee-Mack senior Lexi Cottingham. “I see how much I want this, watching how far we can go and see potential. I’m excited to see what the underclassmen can bring and what the upperclassmen leadership can do.

The Chiefs went 5-3 in the month-long ICC summer league and are happy with the way the summer played out.

“There’s a ton of energy at all times,” said senior Kenzie Knowles. “You’re never standing still and there’s always something to get better at. Everyone knows that. It’s an encouraging team.”

All-state player Dalia DeJesus is heading into her junior year. And the veterans around her are now a year older and wiser following consecutive 30-win seasons leading the Chiefs deep into the postseason.

Dee-Mack advanced to the sectional title game where it lost to eventual state champ Notre Dame. The Chiefs see that as motivation.

“We faced a really strong PND team and we fell short in a lot of areas that we hope to fine tune and get better at,” Nightengale said. “Taking care of the ball is going to be our focus heading into the season.”

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