ALTON - After going to public school all her life, senior Payton Patterson didn't know what to expect coming into Marquette Catholic High School.
"I came into Marquette going to a public school and I didn't know anybody coming into a private school," she said. "It didn't take me long to have friends, and when I came in here I met some of my best friends."
It helped that she decided to go out for three sports during her freshman year. That's a sure way to make some new friends.
She went out for volleyball which she played her freshman and sophomore years, basketball which is what she'll continue to play at Lewis and Clark Community College, and soccer which she has played all three years up to this point.
Basketball being her preferred sport, she always knew she wanted to try and continue playing it.
"I wanted to play basketball in college for so long. I finally worked toward a scholarship and got one," she said.
Patterson is a Tucker's Automotive Repair & Tire Female Athlete of the Month for the Explorers.
She had a few different options to choose from but she stuck with LCCC so that she could continue living at home, it was the more affordable option, and because she already has many friends that are Trailblazers.
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While at LCCC she will study to become a nurse.
Patterson can't wait to get things started.
"I'm mostly excited about playing with my team. Coming in and meeting new people and getting the opportunity to play at the college level, I'm very excited about it."
While moving on though she said she will miss the friends she has made at Marquette.
Through three years of playing soccer, she's scored a goal and assisted three others.
This season in basketball she's racked up 143 points through 23 games. Her Explorers are 13-10 this season.
"We started off a little rough but then we learned how to play as a team and got used to it. We're going good now," Patterson said.
She said that the goal is to go out and grab another regional title and maybe a little more.
The Explorers will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Jerseyville in the Carrollton Tournament.
Final was the finest for Green as Marquette coach
Final was the finest for Green as Marquette coach
2021-22 PREP YEAR IN REVIEW: Small-Schools Girls Basketball Coach of the Year Lee Green of Marquette
Marquette Catholic coach Lee Green instructs his team during a Class 2A sectional semifinal against Carthage Illini West last season in Waverly. Green is the 2022 Telegraph Small-Schools Girls Basketball coach of the year.
Greg Shashack / The Telegraph
ALTON – Lee Green’s first, quick response is yes.But he adds a qualifier before checking off all the boxes on the wish list from six seasons spent rebuilding the girls basketball program at Marquette Catholic. The one miss came on the job description put forward by former Marquette principal Mike Slaughter.
“I would say yes,” Green said. “But when Mr. Slaughter hired me, the last part of our meeting, we walked through the commons area at Marquette and went right to the third-place trophy they had from state. He said, that’s what I want you do, get us back to state. When I took that program over, that was really a longshot. But I was two games away.”
Green resigned after the season, leaving the Explorers with a 114-51 record from six winning seasons that produced two Class 2A regional championships.
“Never had a losing season,” said Green, who followed a 15-13 first season with four 20-win seasons yielding 20, 21, 24 and 27 victories around a 7-5 covid season. “It just got better and better, we were able to build the program up. For Whitney now, they’ve got to try to keep that rolling.”
Green’s final season was his finest, guiding the Explorers to a 27-7 record and a 16-game winning streak before losing to eventual state champion Quincy Notre Dame in the title game at the Waverly Class 2A Sectional. Green is the 2022 Telegraph Small-Schools Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.
Green left Marquette and will coach the Civic Memorial Eagles boys basketball team next season. Green’s lead assistant will take over the program, with Whitney Sykes-Rogers getting the job in June. The Explorers must replace all five graduated starters from last season, but winning is not expected to depart with Green.
“I lobbied for her,” Green said of Sykes-Rogers. “I coached her for four years at SIUE, I recruited her. I convinced to leave Granite City to come and help me get Marquette to state. I said, look, I’m thinking about stepping down in a year or two and move on to something else. I want you to get this job. I need somebody who knows what they’re doing, somebody I trust. She did it and it was great. She’s a perfect fit.”
Marquette did not get off to a perfect start in Sykes-Rogers’ first season on Green’s staff. With senior transfers Chloe White (Jersey) and Alyssa Powell (Triad) added to an already experienced roster, a big season was expected.
An opening four weeks producing a 6-5 record was not. The product was failing to meet the hype.
“We were around the .500 mark after 10 or 11 games,” Green said. “We had so many good players and I was starting to question whether we had enough basketballs to go around. We had to get them to jell. I did question a little bit, but I knew in the back of my mind, we’ve got to keep going, we’ve got to keep going.”
The Explorers got going after Christmas. Green circles a 31-23 win over Benton in the semifinal of the Benton Holiday Tournament as the game when the switch flipped on. Marquette would lose the Benton title game to Mount Vernon. But the Explorers went unbeaten in January and stretched the win streak well into February with regional wins over Southwestern and Staunton to win a regional and a 35-38 sectional semifinal victory over a Carthage Illini West squad ranked No. 4 in the Class 2A state poll.
“We never lost again, until we got beat by QND,” Green said. “We went two months without losing, it was great. Kept building confidence and we really were playing our best basketball down the stretch.”
Chloe White • Alton Marquette basketball
Athletes of the Week: Feb. 24, 2022
Chloe White • Alton Marquette basketball
A 5-foot-7 senior guard who has signed with McKendree University, White led the Explorers to the Class 2A Roxana Regional championship. In a 65-48 win over Staunton in the regional final, White nearly had a double-double, finishing with a team-high 24 points, nine rebounds and three assists. She had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven steals to lift the Explorers to a 70-19 semifinal win over Piasa Southwestern. White, who played three seasons at Jerseyville before transferring to Alton Marquette, is averaging team-highs in scoring (12.7), steals (4) along with 6.9 rebounds. She has been named to two all-tournament teams this season.
Abby Williams • Alton Marquette basketball
Athletes of the Week: Jan. 27, 2022
Abby Williams • Alton Marquette basketball
A 5-foot-10 senior forward, Williams led the Explorers to four victories last week as part of a current nine-game winning streak. She had big performances in a 54-28 win over Hardin Calhoun (12 points, 11 steals, 6 rebounds), a 68-18 win over Metro-East Lutheran (11 points, 8 steals, 7 rebounds, 3 assists), a 59-25 win over Roxana (12 points, 5 assists, 5 steals, 4 rebounds) and a 53-20 victory over Granite City (16 points, 4 steals, 4 rebounds, 3 assists). Williams, who shot 68.3 percent from the field in the four games, is averaging 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.8 steals.
Click here to see all the Athletes of the Week for January 27, 2022
Girls basketball spotlight: Williams looks to lead Alton Marquette on deep postseason run
Girls basketball spotlight: Williams looks to lead Alton Marquette on deep postseason run
The Alton Marquette senior even refers to herself as a “bossy person.”
“That’s an understatement,” explained senior teammate Kamryn Fandrey.
Williams, a 5-foot-10 forward, is a born leader who loves to step to the forefront and take command.
Her ability to handle that role has made the Explorers a threat to make some serious noise in the Illinois girls basketball state playoffs.
Alton Marquette (24-6) has won its last 13 games and is the team to beat in the Class 2A Roxana Regional. Marquette opens at 6 p.m. Monday against Piasa Southwestern in a regional semifinal in the first meeting between the programs since 2018.
Thanks in part to Williams, the Explorers carry state championship hopes into the postseason grind.
“Our first goal is regionals,” Williams said. “For us, that would be a big deal.”
Basketball Star Jillian Nelson Is Jeff Lauritzen-Country Financial Marquette Catholic Female Athlete Of The Month
Basketball Star Jillian Nelson Is Jeff Lauritzen-Country Financial Marquette Catholic Female Athlete Of The Month
ALTON - Marquette Catholic High School senior Jillian Nelson is one of the mainstays this year for the Explorers' varsity girls basketball team. Jillian has been a starter since her sophomore year and is also a soccer player.
Jillian Nelson is the Jeff Lauritzen-Country Financial Female Athlete of the Month for Marquette Catholic High School.
She wanted to first thank her parents for always "supporting me every step of the way throughout my athletic career, even through the hard times. I would also like to thank my middle school and elementary coaches for helping my passion for the sport grow at a young age. I would also like to thank Coach Lee Green for helping me improve my skills throughout my time at Marquette."
Nelson said this year she led her team in scoring against Althoff and Belleville West. She said she has been playing basketball for nine years and the sport has brought her many of her best friends and a lot of great memories other than playing soccer.
She said her hobbies include: photography, traveling, hanging out with my friends and family, and buying sneakers to add to her collection.
Congratulations to Senior, Jillian Nelson, for being named the Athlete of the Month. Click here to read the full article.
HEAD COACH
Whitney Sykes-Rogers
ASSISTANT COACH
Tony Springman
JV COACH
Bob Siemer
FRESHMEN COACH
Leon McElrath
11 IHSA Regional Titles
Sectional Championship 1999-2000
3rd Place - IHSA Class 1A State Finals 1999-2000
Gateway Metro All Conference 2022-23
All-Conference Team
Haley Rodgers
Honorable Mention
Allie Weiner
Gallatin Awards | 2023
Haley Rodger4s | MVP
QND Shootout
Alyssa Powell | MVP | 2021-22
Carrollton Tournament
Abby Williams and Chloe White | All-Tournament Team | 2021-22
Benton Tournament
Alyssa Powell and Chloe White | All-Tournament Team | 2021-22
Prairie State All Conference 2019
1st Team
Adrenna Snipes
Kamryn Fandrey
Abby Williams
Telegraph Small-School Player of the Year | 2018-2019