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ALTON – The seventh-grade girls’ red basketball team at Alton Middle School is currently enjoying an undefeated season thus far, and has the opportunity to make history in the upcoming Illinois Elementary School Association state tournament series.
The Junior Redbirds seventh graders finished the regular season 17-0. The girls defeated East St. Louis Clark 42-11 and Bethalto Trimpe 41-18 in their final regular season games. Kiyoko Proctor had 17 points and Amyracle Hardimon added nine in the Trimpe game.
Going into the Trimpe Middle School of Bethalto game, the team had won their games by an average of 32 points. Their closest game was a 43-30 win over Wirth Junior High of Cahokia.
“We have a real good team chemistry, and our girls really seem to get along well with one another,” said Junior Redbird coach Jeff Harris. “It correlates to good play on the court. And they also have a pretty good work ethic when it comes to practice. All I have to do is set the drills, and the girls go after it.”
It’s Harris’ second year coaching the Alton Middle girls and he has his seventh graders and eighth-grade team practice at the same time, using the same system on both teams. He has been a basketball coach for 15 years.
The team’s leading scorer is Proctor, who averages 16.5 points per game. Proctor usually gets the majority of the team’s points in a rotation that includes seven to eight players in a game. Jarius Powers is next, averaging nine points per game, while Amyracle Hardimon averages 8.5 points per game. Tayen Orr contributes 4.6 points per game, and Amani Leonard averages four per game.
The Junior Redbirds’ defense is a key reason for their success. Harris describes Leonard as “a huge reason for our success. Orr is also a phenomenal defensive player, and Powers averages two blocked shots a game and is a great defensive stopper in the low post.
Powers, who stands at 5’ 10”, is in the sixth grade, but plays for the Junior Redbirds’ seventh-grade team, and is also the team’s leading rebounder.
The Junior Redbirds will begin play in the IESA Class 4A regional at Trimpe on Nov. 19 in a 4 p.m. tip and is the regionals’ top seed. Harris is liking his team’s chances in the postseason.
“I’m extremely optimistic,” Harris said.
But Harris is very excited and optimistic about the program’s future.
“I’m very excited about our coaching staff,” Harris said, “and what we’re doing to rebuild the program.”
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Steven Spencer also contributed to this story.
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