NORMAL, Ill. — For the third time in program history, the Okawville Rockets are state champions in girls basketball.
The Rockets took down Christopher 56 to 35 on Saturday at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois to claim the 1A state title and go 24-4 on the season.
It's the third state championship in program history for the Okawville girls, who last won it all back in 2000.
Alayna Kraus led the way for the Rockets with 21 points, and Megan Rennegarbe added 17 more in her final game for Okawville.
The championship was the culmination of a dream season for Okawville, who had this end goal in mind from the very start.
"I think we talked about it in like the first week. I think that was our grind the whole time. The girls wanted this. They pushed for this, their competitiveness is something you don't find in a whole lot of high schoolers but they want it. They've wanted it since day one," first-year head coach Haylee Bowers said before the team headed up to state.
"We've been working for this ever since freshman year, just waiting for this moment and this opportunity. We've put everything we've had into this all season long," senior Ellie Frederking said.
The 2023 Rockets join the 2000 and 1994 teams as state champs. And in this basketball-crazy town, those teams live on forever.
"My brothers both played here and put up banners on the wall, so getting to close that end and be a part of history in Okawville is something I've always wanted to do," Frederking said.
"Being a Rocket means a lot because of what people have laid down in the years before us," Rennegarbe said.
"The tradition here is unbelievable... I'm an alumni from here. I was a freshman on the team that went in 2006. So I know what that feels like, and I can't tell you how excited I am for the girls to walk out on that floor this weekend," Bowers said.