Hononegah's Jordan Johnston heads All-Area girls basketball team

ROCKTON — It was a year of stingy defense, aggressive backcourt possessions and a hard-nosed, warlike mentality for several of the Stateline’s best prep girls basketball teams.

One trait almost all of the area’s players embodied was that hardworking, blue-collar mindset the Midwest is so known for. And it showed with success being built off of low-scoring, grind-it-out games that were won with the help of dominating the boards and forcing turnovers rather than flashy shooting.

No player displayed those skills as well as Hononegah senior Jordan Johnston did.

And for her efforts, Johnston is the Beloit Daily News Player of the Year and headlines our 2023-24 All-Area First Team.

“It’s probably a long time coming for her,” Indians’ head coach Jason Brunke said. “A four-year starter who always does all of the little things on both sides of the ball, she really was the captain of our defense.”

Johnston is joined on the First Team by teammates Jordan Dimke and Olivia Robinson, Brodhead sophomore Alecia Dahl and Beloit Memorial junior Jocelyn Tibbetts.

Brunke is the BDN All-Area Coach of the Year for the third-straight season after guiding Hononegah to its third-straight undefeated NIC-10 record.

Johnston didn’t just lead the charge for any defense, she was the commander for a Hononegah squad that rode its fantastic backcourt to an 18-0 record in the NIC-10, upping their winning streak in conference play to 56-straight games and winning an IHSA 4A Regional championship before falling to Libertyville in the sectional finals.

The Indians, which finished 30-5, held their opponents to an average of just 33.4 points per game. They only gave up 50 or more points twice all season, and they held the opposition to 40 or less points in 23 games.

A big reason for that was the work of their 5-foot-10 guard. Johnston’s defensive numbers are impressive: 83 steals, nine blocks and 13 taken charges. She also snatched 116 rebounds and routinely played great floor games with her 122 total assists.

“She is a real good communicator in the back row of the defense, a tough and physical rebounder and really just a model for being in the right spot, being where she's supposed to be,” Brunke said. “Why we've had a little bit of success is because players like Jordan get to this point and realize, 'Hey, I'm the one who's the veteran now. I've got to show them what this is all about.’”

Brunke praised Johnston, who he brought up to varsity as a freshman in his first season at the helm and never looked back, for her unselfish style of play. She limited shots with her intense press and on-the-ball defense. Heck, those 13 charges are a statistic that only a coach could truly admire.

“It’s constant effort and energy,” Brunke said. “It's continually working on just playing your role and doing your assignments really, really well.”

Her offensive numbers are solid as Johnston averaged eight points per game on a 39.3% shooting average while going 43-for-131 on 3-pointers.

“Offensively, Jordan really was our steadying force,” Brunke said. “When she was on the floor, things just tended to run smoothly. Whether we were trying to play with better pace and not rush things or get into a set and be organized, Jordan really understood the importance of all of those things that helped the team function.

“This year, you started to see a lot of her hard work really start to pay off as her shooting percentage increased and she just filled the box score with all kinds of statistics.”

Johnston had great scoring games against Rockford Auburn in the regular season with 19 and 17-point outputs. That translated to the postseason where a great passing night and 12 points helped the Indians beat the Knights to win a regional title. She also scored 12 in the sectional finals as she turned up her production on offense during the most crucial portion of the season.

“That entire run she was really locked in,” the head coach said. “Just how much of a physical warrior she was against some kids that were bigger and stronger. She laid it all out there and that's a perfect example of the embodiment of this team that followed her leadership.”

Johnston received NIC-10 All-Conference First Team honors alongside Dimke and Robinson.

Dimke, a 6-foot sophomore post player, was the Indians’ catalyst on offense. A nearly unstoppable force in the post that was able to use her quick footwork for driving buckets in the paint, she averaged 12.9 ppg while shooting 52% from the floor. She went 27-for-65 (41.5%) on 3-pointers and recorded a team-high 281 rebounds and 11 blocks. She also embodied Hononegah’s strong defensive mindset by adding 105 steals and seven charges.

“Just her sheer athleticism was able to make a huge impact for this team," Brunke said. "It says a lot about her character and work ethic. She's got great balance — she did a lot of tumbling growing up, and you can just see that as fast as she's going, she's still very under control. She can obviously jump through the roof and is a very aggressive player.”

Robinson, Hononegah’s 5-foot-4 point guard, was as scrappy as they come. She paced the team in steals (113) and assists (145) while averaging 9.2 points per game with a 31.1 shooting percentage from the field. She grabbed 126 rebounds.

“Olivia has got an unbelievable heart,” Brunke said. “You talk about playing the game with a fire in your belly, she’s the epitome of it. She was the engine to our offense, got us up and moving and really accelerated our pace. She really helped us finish games. When you thought maybe she didn't have anything left in the tank, she would just find a way to draw a foul and continue to attack against pressure.”

Dahl was voted the Rock Valley Conference Rock Division’s Player of the Year and earned a Division 4 All-State honorable mention with her impressive ability to have an impact in practically every area on the court. The 5-foot-6 guard shot 51% while averaging 18.9 points per game and eight rebounds per game as she totaled 215 boards. She finished third in the conference with 3.4 assists per game, ending with 92 total, and second in steals with 92.

“To say that she’s a true competitor might even be an understatement,” Brohead head coach Brian Kammerer said. “How hard she works both in and out of the season to get better, I can’t say enough about that. What she did this year offensively is work on her outside game, and that made her a threat from both outside and attacking the basket. Her basketball IQ is higher than most kids her age, and she has a knack for being around the ball.”

First Team returner Tibbetts has developed nicely into a three-level scorer for the Purple Knights. A consistent shooter, the 5-foot-7 guard went 36.2 percent from the field and 72.6 percent from the free-throw line, converting 37 3-pointers to average 12 points per game. She grabbed 5.6 rebounds per game and averaged 2.5 assists and 3.1 steals.

“From her work in the classroom to mentoring the junior Knights,” Johnson said. “She does everything we need her to represent herself and others in a positive light. She's very competitive and loves a challenge. It's like 'Oh, you're going to take away my three pointer? I'm gonna shoot further back. Oh, you're gonna you're gonna guard me up? I'm gonna backdoor you all night. She was working in the weight room (this offseason), and it really translated to her defensive game. Just being ahead of the ball and up the passing lanes. Her feet are constantly moving on defense."

The All-Area Second team consists of two stout Turner players in senior Mariya Babilius and sophomore Portia Segerstrom, Hononegah senior Ally Niedfeldt, Brodhead senior Addison Yates and Beloit Memorial junior SaDera Richardson.

Babilius helped lead the Trojans ear through the regular season to end 18-6, more games than any other Trojans’ squad has won in over 21 years.

She broke the program’s 3-point single-season record of 57 by pouring in 69 on a 37.7 shooting percentage. The 5-foot-7 guard also grabbed 3.1 rebounds per game, dished out 41 assists and provided 43 steals and 11 blocks.

“Mariya had a special season from the outside,” head coach Nick Faralli said. “Not only could she do that in spurts, she did it all year long. And as someone who was on the top of everyone’s scouting report to not let her get open shots, she worked hard to make them.”

Segerstrom averaged 3.7 assists per game and was second in the conference with 93 total assists. A stout defender on a fast tempoed and defense-first minded Turner squad, the 5-foot-4 point guard paced the league with 81 steals. She was second on the team with 10.2 ppg.

“Just her recognition of spacing on the floor — when to throw the ball on the side or when to kick it out — was a really high level for such a young player,” Faralli said. “Portia wants to win and wants to lead. Having those two qualities of just competitiveness and willing leadership, it allows someone that young to take on the (point guard role) like she has over the last couple of years.”

Niedfeldt continually found ways to score and was impressive from the perimeter as she converted 72 3-pointers to average 9.5 points per game. She was outstanding from the free-throw line (38-for-50) and grabbed 114 rebounds while contributing 38 assists and 66 steals.

“Ally can get red hot in a hurry,” Brunke said. “And when she does, that basket starts looking real big. The way she runs the floor, gets herself in position to be open, that helps us open things up inside.”

Yates was an offensive spark with Dahl, and she ended third in the Rock Valley Rock with 16.7 points per game while shooting 41.4% from the field and 33% on 3-pointers (35-106). The 5-foot-9 senior guard often used her length to clog up passing lanes and rack up deflections as she snatched 149 total boards (5.5 per game) and provided 70 assists while adding 44 steals and eight blocks.

“Addie was one of our biggest assets with her ability to knock down shots from outside,” Kammerer said. “She can attack, she’s a high jumper in track during the spring, so she can elevate. And if she wasn’t on the receiving end, she was making some phenomenal passes for us.”

Richardson earned an SLC honorable mention after averaging nearly nine points per game on a 34% shooting average. She averaged 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in addition to her 35 steals.

Johnson praised Richardson for stepping up and putting in the extra work in the classroom, whether it was studying with teammates or staying behind to ask questions.

“And she offered so much stepping up into that point guard role,” Johnson continued. “She plays with her heart on her sleeve. She put on a lot of muscle. So, although she might be six to 12 inches shorter (than her opponent), she's confident in getting into them and initiating contact.”

• HONORABLE MENTION: Jayla Hodges, Beloit Turner (so.); LaNasia Dubois, Beloit Memorial (jr.); Zorah Martin, South Beloit (sr.); Leah Paulsen, Big Foot (fr.); Abby Anderson, Parkview (jr.); Marlee Alderman, North Boone (fr.); Hannah Hahn, Clinton (sr.).