February 19, 2026 | WALLS 102 - Part 3

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Jillian Hoffman shoots Alleman past St. Bede

Little Jillian Hoffman would’ve been the least expected hero for Rock Island Alleman going into Thursday’s 2A girls regional championship game at St. Bede.She’s a defensive-minded player, who had scored just two points, missing her only three-point attempt. But when her team needed her the most, the 5-4 senior guard hit back-to-back three-pointers to shoot the Pioneers to a 37-34 lead early in the fourth quarter, their first since early in the second quarter.That spark propelled the Pioneers to the regional championship, defeating the host Bruins 42-40.“It was a regional game. It was now or never,” Hoffman said. “I’m a senior and it was really a great opportunity. I knew I had to take it for my team and coaches. I’ve been playing with these girls for so long. It means the world to me to have another couple games with them.”The Pioneers (16-17) will play AP No. 2 ranked Byron (29-2) at the Mendota Sectional on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Byron beat Rockford Lutheran 67-36 at the Somonauk Regional.“I’m super excited. It’s amazing,” Hoffman said. “It (three straight regionals) hadn’t been done in over 20 years I think. So, it’s a really big accomplishment and I’m happy to do it with my favorite girls ever. It’s insane.”Senior sharp-shooter Lili McClain hit three straight 3-pointers to fuel a 10-0 St. Bede second-quarter run, the Bruins settling for a 24-16 halftime lead. St. Bede maintained its 8-point edge with a drive by freshman Hannah Heiberger and a putback by Ava Balestri for a 28-20 lead to start the third quarter. Senior center Savanna Bray added a hook shot off an inbounds play to send the Bruins to a 7-point lead, but Alleman’s Megan Hulke drained a 3-pointer with a minute left to bring the Pioneers within 30-26 at quarter’s end.Hanna Waszowiak followed a hoop by Lili McClain off a lob pass from Bray to put the Bruins up 34-28.Emilye Polich scored on a 3-point lead to cut the St. Bede lead in half.Then Hoffman, who scored all of her eight points in the second half, decided it was her time to step up. She hit one 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game at 34 with 3:55 left to play. Hoffman liked that one so much, she did it again with 3:15 remaining, this time a little farther, to shoot the Pioneers to a 37-34 edge.“Oh, man, Jill. “She’s a quiet player,” Alleman coach Steve Ford said. “I love when she shoots the basketball. She doesn’t shoot it very often. She loves Caitlin Clark and she hit a couple fairly close to Caitlin Clark’s distance. Big for us.”Hoffman acknowledged that Clark, the former Iowa legend and WNBA super star, is a “big inspiration.”St. Bede coach Tom Ptak admitted while the Bruins had prepped for Hoffman’s defense prowess, she was off their radar offensively.“Big-time (surprise). On the second 3, I turned to the bench, and said, ‘I don’t remember her scoring like that.’ But that’s basketball,” he said. “Those were huge 3s. Changed the momentum on us. Totally threw me off.”McClain shot twice deep for the tie, but missed. Bray grabbed a rebound and scored with a putback to pull the Bruins within 38-37 with 49.2 left, but couldn’t convert the 3-point play from the charity stripe.Hulke (18 points) made two free throws to put Alleman up 40-37, and after McClain fouled out, Ashlan Heersink hit 1-2 free throws to cut the Alleman lead to two.Hulke made two more free throws with 12.8 remaining with Waszkowiak scoring at the buzzer as the Bruins ran out of time.Ford said the Pioneers were just taking it one basket at a time as they mounted their second-half comeback.“We just started leaving in that next-play mentality. You can’t do anything about the last play. You can do it the next play. We just kept continuing to believe in the second half. Obviously, you’re not going to get an 8-point shot. You just got to slowly inch it back and continue to play hard.”The Bruins bow out at 19-14 and Ptak was proud how they battled to the end.“They gave us every ounce of energy they had. I’m really proud of them, Couple things didn’t go our way. Couple shots didn’t fall. But if you were a fan, you got your money’s worth. “Wonderful game. Good environment. It hurts. I feel bad for the seniors. They had great careers.”Lili McClain led the Bruins with 17 points before fouling out and Bray finished with 10.

Jillian Hoffman shoots Alleman past St. Bede

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Jillian Hoffman shoots Alleman past St. Bede

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Jillian Hoffman would’ve been the least expected hero for Rock Island Alleman going into Thursday’s girls regional championship game at St. Bede. But when her team needed her the most, the 5-4 senior guard hit back-to-back three-pointers

Three area wrestlers in state semifinals: Thursday’s Sauk Valley Roundup

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Three area wrestlers advanced to the Class 1A state semifinals as Newman’s Landon Near (113 pounds) and Landon Blanton (132), and Dixon’s Charlie Connors (144) won two straight matches in Champaign.

Big shots send Geneva past Dixon in 3A regional final

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While Geneva made key plays in Thursday’s Class 3A Dixon Regional championship, Dixon suffered one of its worst shooting nights of the season in a 49-40 Vikings victory at Lancaster Gym.

NewsTribune Athlete of the Week: Mendota’s Aden Tillman

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NewsTribune Athlete of the Week: Mendota’s Aden Tillman

Senior Aden Tillman has been integral in the Mendota boys basketball team’s success this season.The Trojans are 26-5 and claimed a share of the Three Rivers Conference East Division title with a 9-1 league record. Tillman helped the Trojans to three wins last week with victories over Hall and Princeton in the conference and Sterling in nonconference action.He also reached an individual milestone with his 1,000th career point with a 30-point performance against Hall on senior night. Three days later, his younger brother, Cole, also joined the 1,000-point club.For his performance, Aden Tillman was voted the NewsTribune Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Sullivan’s and Grasser’s Plumbing & Heating.Tillman answered some questions from NewsTribune sports editor Kevin Chlum.When did you start playing basketball and how did you get into it?Tillman: I got into basketball from watching a lot and learning how to play outside with my brother and dad.What do you enjoy about playing basketball?Tillman: I enjoy all the energy that is involved in the game. I like to think of the whole game itself as a game of momentum. When you get positive energy flowing with your team and team chemistry, it really is a thing of beauty.What makes you a good basketball player?Tillman: I think my ability to be a jack of all trades makes me a good player. I take pride on defense for sure and that’s the biggest part of it. Offensively, I’m successful because of my shooting ability I would say. My shooting opens up opportunities for myself and everyone else on the floor with me in the grand scheme of things.What does it mean to you to play with your brother and have you both reach 1,000 points?Tillman: It means a lot to me. We have always grown up really close and something we have always had to connect was basketball. It is really cool to see the way we are both panning out as basketball players.What is your favorite sport to play and why?Tillman: My favorite sport to play is a toss up between football and basketball. I love football so much and it’s an experience that you really can’t get in any other sport. I might have to side with basketball because of the chemistry on the court I have experienced with the guys that I’ve grown into the game with.If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?Tillman: I would go to Peru. Not the town a few minutes south of Mendota, but the country. I really want to see Machu Picchu someday. Maybe trying out fried guinea pig would be on the bucket list too.With what food could you win an eating contest?Tillman: I feel like I would have a good chance at winning a food eating contest with peas. I absolutely love peas and I would consider them my favorite vegetable. I feel like a lot of people don’t like them very much and I would wipe the floor.What is a TV show or movie you never get tired of watching?Tillman: I never get tired of ‘Cash Cab.’ I like all the different people that they just pull off the street randomly. All game shows have people “randomly” pulled into it, but you know ‘Cash Cab’ is really authentic.What are your plans after high school?Tillman: My plans after high school are to attend the University of Iowa and get into biomedical engineering. I’m looking into developing prosthetics and things of that sort.What are your thoughts on your performance last week?Tillman: I think that my performance last week was awesome. Obviously, it was really cool for me to be the one with all of the points, but that is a testament to my team as well. We all play the game so unselfishly that any night could end up the same way for every player that steps on the court.

NewsTribune Athlete of the Week: Mendota’s Aden Tillman

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NewsTribune Athlete of the Week: Mendota’s Aden Tillman

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NewsTribune Athlete of the Week: Mendota’s Aden Tillman

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