UPDATE: Sandburg's Chris Pajak is Patch MVP

Sandburg wrestling standout Chris Pajak outpolled seven others in voting for Southland Patch MVP, Feb. 18-24. He is now eligible for Patch Athlete of the Month honors.

Your Patch is a place to celebrate local high school athletes. Show your support for these prep sports MVPs—each of whom is Athlete of the Week in his or her local Patch—by cheering them on in the comments thread, sharing your own photos with the Patch community and voting in the poll. Do you think we're missing someone? Tell us in the comments and share his or her photo to the gallery above. (It's easy. Just click the Upload Photos and Videos link — learn more here.) Read more about this week's MVPs in the photo gallery, and show your support for them by: There is one more way for you to become a more interactive fan: Sign up to become a Patch sports blogger. (Learn more about blogging on Patch here).

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New Lenox Pride Girls Basketball Team Wins Holiday Tournament

New Lenox Pride triumphs at Dec. 28-Dec. 30 holiday basketball tournament

The New Lenox Community Park District’s Competitive Basketball League, the New Lenox Pride, were triumphant in a holiday basketball tournament held December 28th – 30th. Both the 5th and 8th grade girls teams took first place in the Kaneland Holiday Basketball Tournament held in Kaneville, Ill. Each team won an impressive five games providing the New Lenox Pride teams with a perfect 10-0 record. The 5th grade team defeated Yorkville, Kaneland A, Kaneland B, and the South Suburban Wildcats twice over the weekend tournament. The second win over the South Suburban Wildcats was in the championship game. It was a hard fought contest, but the determination of this 5th grade New Lenox Pride team was too strong to be denied winning with a score of…

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Girls Basketball: LW-East Holds Central to Single Digits, Stays Undefeated

Lincoln-Way East defeated Lincoln-Way Central 45-9 in a cross-district battle Tuesday night. Taylor Johnson and Caitlin McMahon led the way for the Griffins' outstanding defense.

At one point during Lincoln-Way East's girls basketball rout of Lincoln-Way Central, senior Taylor Johnson nailed a 3-pointer from about 4 feet behind the arc. The next possession, the Knights’ Kayla Pope had a wide open 3 that fell halfway down the basket before bouncing out. It was that kind of night for Central, which lost 45-9 to the undefeated Griffins. The Griffin defense was outstanding, keyed by Johnson's pressure on the perimeter and 6-foot senior Caitlin McMahon's presence inside. The Knights' defense did well in the second half, holding East to only 11 points in that span, but it wasn't enough. East coach Jim Martin said his team needs to avoid late-game droughts come playoff time. "When you get into the state tournament time …

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Rivalry Week: L-Way Basketball Teams Square Off

The four Lincoln-Way schools match up in boys and girls basketball this week, with Central versus East and North versus West. Who do you think will come out on top?

It's rivalry week for local boys and girls basketball teams, as the four Lincoln-Way schools pair off for district bragging rights. Lincoln-Way Central and Lincoln-Way East, members of the Southwest Suburban Blue Conference, will face off while Southwest Suburban Red members Lincoln-Way North and Lincoln-Way West go head-to-head. The full schedule follows: Tuesday, Jan. 10 Friday, Jan. 13 The local girls teams are doing pretty well in our weekly power rankings, with East coming in at No. 2 and North ranked No. 4. But the boys teams aren't ranked, with only East being named in the "next best" section. Patch will be at some of the games, but if you want to share your photos or video you can add it to our neighborhood galleries or send it to …

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Basketball Power Rankings: Did Providence Girls Crack Our Top 5?

Leah Bolton was named MVP at the Hillcrest Holiday Classic as Marist captured the team title and remained undefeated. Lincoln-Way East is No. 2 in our weekly Patch Power Rankings for girls basketball.

1. Marist (16-0): Leah Bolton’s MVP performance powered RedHawks at the Hillcrest Holiday Classic. Next, Marist faces Mother McAuley on Jan. 9. 2. Lincoln-Way East (11-0): Taylor Johnson and the Griffins get back to business in the Southwest Suburban Blue with a 6 p.m. game today at rival Sandburg. Johnson was named MVP at the Medieval Classic. 3. Homewood-Flossmoor (12-5): Amena Brent was a dominant force in the Vikings’ 49-35 victory over Sandburg. She scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. 4. Lincoln-Way North (13-3): The Phoenix had a 10-game win streak snapped by district rival Lincoln-Way East at the Medieval Classic. They return to Southwest Suburban Red play at Andrew today. 5. Rich Central (14-4): Tatianna Newell and Tyron …

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Girls Basketball: Walsh Powers Marian Past Providence

Junior Megan Walsh scores 19 points and grabs 11 rebounds in leading the Spartans to an 80-54 East Suburban Catholic victory over the visiting Celtics.

Girls Basketball: Providence D Stifles LWC

Providence Catholic 53, Lincoln-Way Central 32. Celtics Alex Shermulis and Cassidy Glenn outscored the Knights in a great defensive performance.

The Skinny: Lincoln-Way Central looked sharp early, up 19-16 in the second quarter against Providence Catholic. But junior Alex Shermulis tied it with a 3-pointer and the Celtics wouldn't trail again, winning 53-32. They switched to a zone defense late in the first half and smothered the Knights to force a lot of turnovers and fast break scores. Patch’s MVP: Senior Cassidy Glenn went on a tear in the second half with her quick hands on defense leading to nine third-quarter points (15 for the game). She packed the stat sheet and in one sequence got a steal, went coast-to-coast for the score, then forced another steal and got the pass for another bucket Key Stats: On an unofficial count, the Knights had at least 10 turnovers. Central shot …

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PHOTO GALLERY: Ray, Barry Headline Girls Basketball All-Village Teams

We pick 10 girls who stood out this season in New Lenox.

The basketball postseason ended pretty quickly for New Lenox teams, but there were still great season performances by players who led the three local high schools. Lincoln-Way Central got a first-round win in the Class 4A regionals but couldn't match up with the No. 1 seed, Marian, in its next game. Marian went on to take down Providence Catholic in the regional championship. Despite a No. 1 seed in its Class 3A regional, Lincoln-Way West's late-season struggles continued with an early exit. Here's our all-village teams, based off feedback from coaches and analysis of game coverage and statistics.

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PatchCast: A Daily Video Report

Daily PatchCast: Mass Graves, Scouts Swindled and Sliders

A daily video recap of the Southland's top stories

Thief Drains Boy Scout Troop's Bank Account Toddler Found Dead in New Lenox Township Cemetery President 'Surprised' by Sheriff’s Mass Graves Accusation Girls Basketball: Mother McAuley Ousts Oak Lawn It's What You Crave: The White Castle Debate (Video)

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