Senior guard Cameron Mercer vowed to have a much more productive and healthier final season for the Riverside Brookfield High School boys basketball team. Mercer’s efforts were rewarded by being named to the third team of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State boys basketball team.
“It means a lot. Coming into the season, I had my mind focused on one thing: getting a conference and regional championship because I knew all-state would come along with that,” Mercer said.
Besides helping the Bulldogs to another co-Upstate Eight Conference East Division title with Glenbard East, Mercer became the program’s all-time career leader in three-pointers (213) and moved into fourth in career points (1,415) over just three varsity seasons.
This season, Mercer led the Bulldogs in scoring (20.8 points per game), threes (87), steals (75), charges taken (11) and free-throw percentage (.832) by making 149 of 179.
Mercer said he continues to weigh college basketball options, including junior colleges and prep schools.
“I felt like junior year, I wasn’t fully connected. Also the injuries I had [particularly ankle],” Mercer said. “I think this year I had something to prove. I knew I was fully capable to do better and hopefully make a statement and difference in the team.”
Nazareth/LTHS girls basketball
Nazareth Academy senior Stella Sakalas’ return to the first-team 4A girls All-State team was a little sweeter this season. This honor came as the Roadrunners also won their first state title in 4A. The four-year standout and Brigham Young recruit was a key contributor for the Roadrunners’ first state champion in 3A her freshman year.
Nazareth junior Sophia Towne was third-team All-State and junior Sam Austin and freshman Mia Gage received special mention.
“There were a couple of awards that went around and everyone’s so incredibly excited. It was so great to be part of such a good team and get the opportunity,” Sakalas said.
“[Coach Eddie Stritzel is] such a great coach and he always preaches team. He deserves so much credit but our goal truly this whole year was wining state. These awards are so cool and we’re all so excited, but that state championship, that was the big one.”
Lyons Township senior and Cornell recruit Emma O’Brien also was named third-team 4A All-State although her season ended with a torn left ACL during a Jan. 9 game.
For the Associated Press 4A All-State team, Sakalas also was named first team and O’Brien received honorable mention.
“It was really nice, considering I was out half of the year,” O’Brien said. “But I feel like what I did in the first half I proved I was deserving of that.”
O’Brien goes down among the Lions’ all-time greats. She finishes third in career points (1,454), three-pointers (145) and steals (255) and second in assists (330) over four varsity seasons. As for her next basketball chapter, O’Brien said her successful recovery from knee surgery remains on schedule.
“[I’ll remember] how successful we were over our four years and how consistent we played,” O’Brien said.
Sakalas finishes as the Roadrunners’ all-time leader in career rebounds (776) and second in career points (1,956) to current assistant coach Annie Stritzel (2,400), also the daughter of Eddie Stritzel. Sakalas also had career totals of 332 assists, 298 steals and 93 blocked shots.
The Roadrunners were 133-11 during Sakalas’ four varsity seasons and also had a second-place 3A state finish in 2024. Last year’s all-state season ended with the Roadrunners losing in the sectional semifinals by one point to eventual 4A state champion Kenwood.
“We had two very different teams [these past two seasons], although most of the girls stayed the same,” Sakalas said. “Just doing what we did this year and changing our style of play, game to game, and figuring out how to play with this team and how I could become a better player and learn new things, I think we all got better this year.”