Two Rockford-area boys basketball players named All-State, Sobos star near miss
Rockford Lutheran guard Walt Hill, Jr., who led the Crusaders to a 41-0 conference record during his career, was named second-team All-State in Class 2A by the Associated Press.
Junior guard/forward Thomas Hereau, who led Scales Mound back to the state tournament made second team in Class 1A. Ross Robertson, who led South Beloit to its second successive regional title, fell one vote short of second team in 1A.
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The AP picks only five players first-team in each class and five more second team. Other players who get at least two votes are honorable mention.
“I am surprised he didn’t get first team,” Lutheran head coach Tom Guse said of Hill, who averaged 22.7 points, 5 assists and 2.2 steals for a team that missed reaching the state semifinals by one point after Hill’s shot at the buzzer bounced off the front rim. “Everybody involved at Rockford Lutheran is extremely proud of him."
One more basket would have probably elevated both Hill and Robertson in the voting.
Robertson, a 6-8 sophomore, had 37 points and 24 rebounds in a double-overtime sectional loss to Scales Mound. Players that make it to state on their team tend to perform better in the balloting, just as MVPs in the NFL, NBA and MLB tend to come from the best teams.
“I thought Ross was first team this year,” South Beloit coach Matt Stucky said. “He had an amazing season. But being just short of second team for a sophomore and No. 11 overall is quite an accomplishment.
“There is no limit to what he can do the next couple of years. He is going to finish as the school’s all-time leader in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.”
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Hereau leads Scales Mound (32-5) in both scoring (16.6 points) and rebounds (5.4) and is third in assists (2.9).
Pecatonica senior Korbin Gann made honorable mention in Class 1A.
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Lutheran's Walt Harris, Jr. and Scales Mound star voted All-State
