By Trenten Scheidegger

PHOTO BY BETTY KENDELL/PECATONICA FANS CLUB FACEBOOK PAGE The Gazette
The Pecatonica Lady Indians have won their first-ever Class 1A State Championship. They beat Carrollton 63-45 on March 8.

    The Pecatonica Indians girls’ basketball team cemented themselves in Illinois history as this year’s Class 1A State Champions. The Indians not only claimed their spot atop 1A Illinois basketball, but they brought home Pecatonica’s first ever team state championship.

    It’s the end result of trusting the process that was rebuilding the Indians over the last three years. Third-year head coach Daniel Rosenstiel didn’t inherit a bad team by any means. The Indians went 22-9 the season before he took over. That was just a starting point for Rosenstiel’s Indians.

    In his first year as head coach, the Indians matched their previous win total with another 22-win season. That was Elaina Rager and Payton Thomas’ sophomore season. Even then, it was evident the Indians were building something special. They were missing a few key pieces to the puzzle, as future All-Conference point guard Kianna Degner took the season off.

    Then, in 2023-24, Degner returned and the Indians set a new win record by going 25-8. They were stonewalled by Lena-Winslow in the first postseason game, however. While it wasn’t ideal at the time, it only made the Indians hungrier for success.

    Everything came together for Pecatonica in the 2024-25 season. Degner, Thomas, and Rager were a trio of experienced seniors with diverse talents. Thomas became one of the team’s key defenders, constantly battling sizeable opponents down low. Degner blossomed into one of the best guards in the area, being called Pecatonica’s “coach on the floor” by Rosenstiel. Rager’s greatest asset may have been her lack of having a weakness. Rager is strong in all areas and was willing to do whatever the team needed in order to see success.

    Even with such an impressive trio of seniors, the Indians needed just a little bit more to get them over the edge. Insert a pair of breakout freshmen in Korah Noud and Ryleigh Alexander. It’s not all that often that two freshmen are starting on state championship rosters, but the duo wound up being the perfect fit with this year’s lineup. In addition to capturing the school’s first title, they also helped the Indians claim their first girls’ basketball conference championship in nearly 30 years.

    After claiming this year’s Sectional Championship, and before leaving for the State tournament, the three seniors and their head coach sat down to discuss the journey they have been on together. They didn’t know they would be state champions yet, but that is exactly the vibe they gave off.

    “We couldn’t have done it without them, and the freshmen too. Everyone was just on the same page, just knocking down shots at the right time. It was really good,” Rager shared, less than eight hours after returning home from Sectional play.

    The Indians had a late night back, but they were up early for their state media calls. Even then, the excitement was beaming.

    Thomas saved one of the biggest games of her high school career for when the team needed it most. She led the way in scoring with 14 points to punch the Indians’ ticket to state.

    “[Payton] works so hard. Just to build her confidence like that going into state, I’m super proud of her. She stepped up at the time we needed her the most,” Rager said of Thomas, her long-time teammate.

    “Yes, definitely,” Degner answered without hesitation when asked if she made the right decision to return after taking her sophomore year off. She also shared on what being a Pecatonica Indian has meant to her: “We’ve been such good friends for the last two years, but this year we are closer than ever. It means a lot being our last season here at Pec, but I’m glad we’ve gone this far, and I’m super proud of all of us.”

    Even after leading her team to state, Thomas remained humble as ever.

    “It’s kind of hard to say, with the class we have, even the freshmen, they are so athletic and such great, competitive players. I feel like Abbington-Avon was definitely pressing on them, and they showed out and showed them that they can’t do that. And then, when my team needs me, I’m going to step up and score,” Thomas answered, when asked what it was like for her to lead the team in scoring in the sectional championship.

    Those freshmen continued to come up. Even after all the seniors have been through over the last few years, those two freshmen quickly earned their respect. Thomas had no shortage of compliments for the young duo.

    “Earlier in the year, things weren’t clicking like they are now. They took everything we would say, and they would go and work on it. I’ve never seen freshmen like this, who just constantly put their head down and put the work in. They have just made our team so much better. I am so proud of Korah and Ryleigh,” Thomas said, prior to the state game.

    “I think just instilling confidence in them means so much to them, and knowing that we can help them compete at a higher level, knowing the seniors and everyone have their back. The amount of work they put in is incredible. I’m also so proud of them,” Rager added of the freshmen.

    Degner commended the young duo for bringing the energy. “They don’t play like freshman, as you can tell. They, like, run the whole team with us. We’re all on the same level. The energy they bring is huge. When the freshmen get hyped up, that gives me so much energy. I’m so proud of them and I’m glad that we’ve started something that hopefully they can continue,” she said of Noud and Alexander.

    That was all before the Indians went on to claim the 2025 1A title. It’s no surprise to see a team filled with such talent, chemistry, and leadership reach such heights. They were truly unstoppable, winning the State semifinal game against St. Edward 54-41 on March 6 and then dominating the championship game on March 8 against Carrollton 63-45.

    It was a classic Indian victory. Rager lit up the scoreboard, racking up 30 points. The Pecatonica’s strategic defense and hustle allowed them to control the game from start to finish.

    The coach leading the program deserves his recognition too, and it’s clear the seniors are thankful he has been there every step of the way. “First, we were close, but we weren’t super close,” Rager said, of her sophomore year with Rosenstiel. “We worked through what we had to work through, and it’s been so good ever since. He knows how to talk to me, and our bond is really strong. He’s a really good coach and I’m really happy to have him as my coach.”

    “This is every team and coach’s dream, to make it where we are going,” Rosenstiel shared before the state trip. “You make a good point about trying to stay in the moment, and I think that’s what I’ve appreciated the most this year with our group. They alluded to it with the freshmen, and it’s really just been our whole team and our whole coaching staff. I think when you take it a day at a time and work toward goals, those building blocks each day end up getting you where you want to go. Obviously, we’re happy and we’re going to enjoy it, but we also want to win. We want to give the best performance we can possibly give. I’m really appreciative of all the people in our program and our town. This team has taken us on quite a ride. We are going to enjoy these last two games and see where the chips fall.”

    And did those chips ever fall. Even in that moment, Rosenstiel was quietly calling his team’s shot, saying they would enjoy their last two games. The Indians knew they would be competing for a state championship if they did what they had to do. Deep down, Rosenstiel knew a bittersweet ending approached.

    “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve thought about it,” Rosenstiel said before state. That ‘it’ being the fact that he was down to just two games with this year’s seniors, win or lose. “Every time we’ve laced it up in the playoffs, anything can happen and you think about it. The game starts and you forget about it and you are in the moment. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank and honor the group of seniors. Especially, those three that have been with us. Just for what they have meant for our program and our school in general, and just because they are great kids. But, I do think the nice thing about it is that we have just enjoyed the ride together and really gotten to know each other just as much off the court as we have on the court, and that I think will last forever. It’s definitely going to be bittersweet and there is going to be some tears. There have been tears of joy and sadness along the way regardless over the last couple of years. We got two more games, we’re going to enjoy the heck out of it. Then after that, we will celebrate like these girls deserve.”

    The celebration time has definitely arrived, but the party never ends for a state championship team. The 2024-25 Pecatonica Indians girls basketball team has etched their name permanently into Illinois and local sports history.

 
 
 
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