Women’s Basketball has Championship Pedigree

Jeremy Jacob, Harbinger
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015

Emma Heisler is not only one of six freshmen on this year’s Illinois Central College Women’s Basketball team but also someone who brings championship pedigree to the team.  

Last year, with her Morton High School teammates, she won the class 3A state championship in the Illinois High School Association.  They beat Rochester, a team that went in ranked 5th in the state, 47-37.  Heisler scored 14 points in the game and had a key driving layup at the tail end of a game deciding 14 point run.

“Once we started winning some games I really started believing,” Heisler said.  

Heisler started playing basketball around the age of 5 or 6.  She plays both guard positions and makes a habit of playing at a quick tempo while also always looking up the floor.  These are the skills she took with her to high school.

“We had the biggest hearts as a team of 14 and minimal drama,” she said.  Heisler and her fellow Lady Potters finished last year with a 33-3 record and #7 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.  They won 20 of their remaining 21 games and became the first Mid-Illini Conference basketball team (boys or girls) to win a state title.  

“Indescribable it still doesn’t really seem like we did it,” Heisler said. “I keep thinking that season isn’t over yet. At the time I didn’t realize we were the first, but it is cool to know that no one has done it and as a school we all can take pride in that.”

According to head coach Karrie Redeker, Heisler almost didn’t come to ICC.

“We got lucky getting Emma,” Redeker said. “We tried to recruit her last fall but she chose to sign with an NAIA school in Chicago before even visiting ICC because the other school had a good nursing program and was a Christian school.”  The coach at that college then left the program and Heisler visited and signed with ICC to the delight of Redeker.

“We welcomed Emma with open arms and we are excited to have her in our program,” Redeker said. “Emma Heisler is a very good shooter and a solid defender.”  Redeker was also happy to recruit the five other freshmen not only for their basketball skills but also the character they bring to the program.

“The freshmen are hungry for playing time and have a lot of very solid basketball skills,” Redeker said, “Most of these ladies’ high school teams either send deep into state tournament play or their team won over 20 games, so they know how to win and expect to win and that will make our team more competitive.

“Brandi Fier (South Beloit, Ill.) is a solid point guard who likes to push the ball up the floor,” Redeker said. “Kierra Weir (Springfield, Ill.) is an excellent athlete who has a strong competitive spirit.  Bri Henson (Dunlap) is very versatile and has a passion for ICC basketball. Sommer Burgard (Table Grove, Ill.) is an excellent passer and catches onto things quickly. Mia Yarbrough (Zion, Ill.) knows how to score inside and also has a nice outside shot.”

The Cougars last year won their first two games of the Region 24 tournament against Lewis and Clark and Danville Area but came up six points short against Parkland extending their championship drought to nine seasons.

“We had a few things not go our way in the second half of that game and got rattled,” Redeker said. “We have been working in practice on staying more positive, playing through adversity, and trying to be more mentally tough, both as a team and individually.”  Redeker believes the team this year has greater depth along with the positive team chemistry that last year’s team had.  Heisler also believes she brought something from her team last year that can help her team this year.

“You have to remain calm even when down and never give up,” Heisler said. “You can’t get to the top without hard work and hard times, it is how you react to those bad days to see what kind of team you will be.”   

Along with the six freshmen, the eight returning sophomores include Austyn Camp (Farmington), Jemia Carpenter (Peoria Central), Wilnide Fadeus (Sunrise, Fla.), Notora Landers (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Clarisa Martinez (Plano, Ill.), Katelynn Martinez (Champaign Centennial), Hayley Reneau (Washington, Ill.), and Third Team All-American Destiny Ramsey (Normal U-High).