Galesburg High School

After winning three games in two days during its own Thanksgiving tourney, the Galesburg girls basketball team stands with an unblemished 4-0 record to start the 2024-25 season.

Lily Furrow, 24, and Khloe May, 3, pressure Robinson’s Zoe Tuttle during the first quarter of the Nov. 21 game. (Photo by Loran Lewis)

The Silver Streaks defeated Robinson 49-22 on Nov. 21, then topped Metamora 59-43 in a noon game Nov. 22. In a night game, the Streaks finished off the tourney with a 78-56 victory over Springfield.

Streaks open tourney with dominant defense

In all three games, Galesburg played a tenacious defense that allowed the team to build substantial halftime leads. That effort forced head coach Lexi Demott to rotate groups of players in and out of the lineup for breaks.

“We do normally press a lot,” Demott said, “so we have a rotation. One of my assistants has got it. And so, there’s a rotation every time that they sub. But yeah, it’s to keep our legs fresh so that we can press and wear teams down for a full 32 minutes.”

That same strategy, which was effective in the team’s first win Nov. 14, carried over into the tourney against Robinson on Nov. 21. The Maroons scored just eight points in the first half and did not break into double figures until midway through the third quarter.

Taylor Herchenroder, 10, looks for a play as she brings the ball downcourt against Robinson during the Galesburg Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 21. She is trailed by Ella Herchenroder, 11. (Photo by Loran Lewis)

Demott said during the first half, she called off the pressing defense.

“We got up by a good amount there,” she said, “and we need to be able to be a half-court, man-to-man team as well. And so, if we get the opportunity to do that, yeah, that’s something that we’re going to work on and we’re going to practice and do in games.”

The Streaks added a balanced scoring attack. Lily Furrow led the team with 11 points, while Jozalyn Kilgore had 10 points and Ella Herchenroder scored nine. Leah Correll led Robinson with 15 of her team’s 24 points.

Khloe May did not score in the game, but she was a key factor in the team’s defensive efforts.

“Our jump press, it really gets the team going,” she said. “It gets the crowd hyped. But in order to work, everyone has to be on the same page. So, when I came out, I knew that I wanted to stop someone, so that’s what I did. And the team just went from there.”

May said she thought the Robinson game was better than the season opener against Camp Point Central, but not as good as it should have been.

“I feel like the team, our team, we did good, but we definitely could have been a little bit better because first game out, it was the first game, and it was like a first game. But this game (against Robinson), I don’t know, I feel like we were ready, but we weren’t as ready (as we could be). But we still got the job done, so that’s really all that matters.”

Streaks pull away from Metamora in second quarter

In a noon game against Metamora on Nov. 22, the Silver Streaks followed a similar script. After a tight first quarter with GHS holding a 12-9 lead, the Streaks broke out with 21 points to take a 33-16 halftime lead.

Galesburg held onto that lead throughout the second half and won its third game of the season, 59-43. Kilgore led the way with 17 points and Furrow added 10.

Other scoring came from Zaniyah Carter with seven, Taylor Herchenroder six, Ella Herchenroder seven, Grace Herchenroder eight and Eleanor Johnson four. Abby Woodson led the Redbirds with 12 points.

High-powered offense caps perfect weekend

In the evening game Nov. 22, the Silver Streaks needed their highest offensive output so far this season to defeat Springfield 78-56.

The Streaks finished a high-scoring first quarter with a 23-20 lead, but while Springfield cooled off in the second quarter, Galesburg continued its scoring spree to take a 46-30 lead into halftime. That lead grew in the second half with GHS finishing its tournament with a 78-56 victory.

Carter led the Streaks with 18 points, while Taylor Herchenroder and Kilgore each had 12. Other scorers were May with two, Olivia Springer one, Ella Herchenroder seven, Grace Herchenroder 10, Furrow eight, Johnson two and Kisler six. Aniyah Rhinehouse scored 22 for Springfield.

The undefeated Silver Streaks play their first road game at 7 p.m. Nov. 25 against Alleman. The team is back home for another doubleheader Nov. 29, hosting Winnebago at noon and Peoria Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m.

Knox College

Senior Lance Miller made Knox College history by becoming the second Prairie Fire runner to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, finishing the 8K course at Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 25:59.

Lance Miller races earlier this season on his way to becoming just the second runner in Knox history to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

The Midwest Conference runner-up each of the past two years, Miller finished the race in 197th place out of 291 entrants. Of the 20 fastest 8K times in Knox history, Miller owns 10 of them, including his performance Saturday.

Emmanuel Leblond of Johns Hopkins took the gold in 23:35.0, edging Mohammed Bati of Augsburg College by 4.6 seconds. The team title went to the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, followed by SUNY Geneseo and Wartburg College.

Miller will next compete for Knox during the indoor track season.

On the Schedule
Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025
• GHS boys wrestling vs. Canton, Beardstown at Canton, 5 p.m.
• GHS girls basketball at Alleman, 3:30 p.m.
• Knox men’s basketball at Illinois College, 5:30 p.m.
• Knox women’s basketball at Illinois College, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025
• GHS boys basketball vs. Limestone, 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 28, 2025
• GHS boys basketball vs. Madison, Thanksgiving Tournament, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025
• GHS girls wrestling at Normal Invite, 9:30 a.m.
• GHS girls basketball vs. Winnebago, noon
• GHS boys basketball vs. Chicago (Little Village), Thanksgiving Tournament, 6 p.m.
• GHS girls basketball vs. Peoria Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.