Streaks Girls Basketball: 50 Memorable Games

There have been many great games in Galesburg HS girls basketball history. Here are “50 Memorable Games.” They are listed in chronological order. 

If you think there are other games that should have included, leave comments in the blog. And if you want to share some of your memories of any of these games, leave comments in the blog. Enjoy!!

1973- Galesburg 84- Monmouth 21

Galesburg’s first girls basketball game and first win. 

1974- Galesburg 32- Rock Island 28

This game completed two undefeated season for Galesburg girls basketball. They went 4-0 and then 6-0. This win sealed Galesburg’s claim to being “Mythical State Champions.” 

1978- Galesburg 31- Sterling 52

This was the first year for the Galesburg Invitational. Sterling was the defending State Champs. Galesburg hosted Sterling, Quincy, Peoria Central. When the teams arrived, they drew their pairings. Between games, Fred Kuster cooked a beef roast with baked potatoes for all the teams. The Streak Inv was originally in mid-January, it was moved to Thanksgiving during the 1987 season. No tourney was held during the Covid year, but the tourney in November of 2025 marked it’s 48th year- making it one of the oldest girls basketball tourney in Illinois. 

1978- Galesburg 55- Southern 51

This win was Galesburg’s first Regional Championship.

1979- Galesburg 51- Limestone 49

Limestone had gone to the Sweet 16 the year before, and returned their lineup. Galesburg knocked them off in a close game. Limestone would finish the season 26-4 and advanced to the Elite 8. 

1980- Galesburg 55- Chillicothe I.V.C. 27 (Manual Christmas Tourney Championship)

This was Galesburg’s first venture into Christmas Tourneys, and it was the first year of the Peoria Manual Christmas Tourney. Galesburg defeated Dunlap, East Peoria, and IVC by an average of 25 points. 

1980- Galesburg 72- Alleman 61

This win sent the Streaks to a perfect 5-0 record in the WB6. At this time, the WB6 “fathers” only had girls play each conference team once for the conference title. Galesburg played all 5 opponents twice but some of the QC schools did not want to pay to send a girls team every year to Quincy, thus the 5 game schedule. Only one opponent came within 10 points of the Streaks. This was GHS’s first WB6 title. As of today (2025), no other school has won as many WB6 titles at the Streaks, who have won 13 conference titles.

1981- Galesburg 59- UTHS 51

In one of the all-time best upsets, Galesburg knocked off the Panthers. The Streaks had lost the first meeting at UT when playing without start, Amy Crisman by a score of 73-37. 

1988- Galesburg 65- Canton 34 (Regional Championship at Canton)

Galesburg once their first Regional Championship since the IHSA went to two-classes. This was the first of 18 straight Regional Championships.

This game was also Galesburg’s 20th win of the season. Galesburg would go onto win 20 games for 21 straight years. 

1990- Galesburg 59- Moline 43

Galesburg had lost the first meeting with Moline by 10 points. Moline had won the last three WB6 championships. Full court pressure by Tiffany Sibley, Melissa Cadwell, and Melinda Cadwell turned the game into a blowout. 

1992- Galesburg 58- Washington 37 (At Woodruff)

In an unusual twist, the Galesburg Thanksgiving Tourney was moved to Peoria Woodruff so the boys basketball team could have Meet the Streaks. 

1993- Galesburg 57- Carthage 69 (At Carthage)

The might have been the best atmosphere and the most intimidating atmosphere any Streaks girls basketball team every played a game. Carthage won the Class A State Championship in 1992 and then again in 1993. The ‘93 Streaks were to finish 26-4. Carthage’s small gym and stage were completely full with standing room only. Unfortunately GHS got in early foul trouble and then struggled vs the Carthage press. 

1993- Galesburg 58- Alleman 35 (At Alleman)

This game finished a perfect 10-0 WB6 run for the Streaks. During this WB6 run, the Streaks outscored their opponents by an average of 20 points, and only twice did any team come within 15 points of Galesburg. 

1995- Galesburg 52- Quincy 49 (Sectional at Galesburg)

Galesburg entered the game 27-2 and had beaten Quincy twice in the regular season in close games. Stef Mitchell hit a huge three to help Galesburg come from behind to win the game. 

1995- Galesburg 69- Peoria ND 51 (Sectional Championship at Galesburg)

Galesburg had beaten Peoria ND by 15 earlier in the year. Galesburg’s depth and pressure defense made the difference with Bonny Apsey, Gina Miller, Jen Bulkeley, Mandy Rinker, Sara Wood, Molly Watson, Ami Pendry, Stef Mitchell, Jenny Cirmotich, and Jen Wright leading the charge.This was Galesburg’s first Sectional Championship in front of huge crowd.

1996- Galesburg 67- Freeport 66 (Sectional at Ottawa)

Jennifer Bulkeley got a big rebound off of a missed free throw, passed to Molly Watson, and Molly dribbled the length of floor for the winning bucket with under 5 seconds. Ami Pendry guarded Freeport’s All-State guard and held her in check. 

1996- Galesburg 62- Belvidere 51 (Super-Sectional at Dixon)

In a close game, Ami Pendry broke it open with a huge three, and then Sara Wood sealed the win with big free throws. This marked Galesburg’s first trip to the Elite 8. 

1997- Galesburg 53- Rock Island 46 (Last Regular Season Game)

Galesburg went to Rock Island with hopes of completing an undefeated Regular season. The Streaks came out a perfect 27-0, and were met with a police escort when they arrived back on Route 150. The Streaks of ‘97 were led by Molly Watson, Melanie Pendergrass, Angie Galyean, Meg Sherwood, Jess Thompson, Sarah Larson, and Megan Pacheco.

Feb. 20, 1997- Galesburg 110- LaSalle-Peru 30 (Regional Championship at Galesburg)

It was a night when everyone on Galesburg made shot after shot. Its significance is that it was the night that Allen Massey was born. 

1997- Galesburg 71- Rock Island 58 (Sectional at Moline)

After getting down early, the Streaks came back to get a huge win over Rocky. This marked Galesburg’s third win over Rock Island in the year. In a close game, Galesburg’s super-star, Molly Watson took over in the fourth quarter. 

1997- Galesburg 76- Belvidere 56 (Super-Sectional at DeKalb HS)

In a rematch of the ‘96 Super, Galesburg blasted Belvidere. The Bucs defense had no answer for freshman, Megan Pacheco, who scored over and over inside. 

1997- Galesburg 61- Taylorville 67 (State Semi-Finals)

This game was not full of the best memories, but it was a great game. This game still holds the record for the largest crowd to attend a high school girls basketball game in Illinois. In an up and down game, Galesburg took a lead in the fourth quarter. Galesburg fouled, sending the Tornadoes to the line over and over, and T’ville kept getting offensive rebounds. This game was between the #1 and #2 teams in Illinois with both being undefeated. Some have labeled this one of the ten best games in Illinois girls basketball history. 

1998- Galesburg 77- Mendota 74 (OT) (State Farm Grand Championship)

The Streaks won the Class AA portion of the tourney, and then matched up vs. Mendota for the Grand Championship. After getting down in double digits, Galesburg made a furious comeback to send it to OT. Sophomore, Jaque Howard hit the three at the buzzer to win the game. 

1998- Galesburg 43- Loyola 59 (State Quarter-Finals)

Galesburg stayed close for about half before the Ramblers over powered Galesburg. The significance of this game was that Loyola had all their key players coming back for the next year, and Galesburg had their entire roster back. 

1999- Galesburg 76- Rock Island 62 (Sectional Championship at Geneseo)

Galesburg had blitzed Freeport in the first game of the Sectional by 88-53. The Streaks had beaten Rocky twice in regular season by 13 and 21. Rock Island kept the game close until the Streaks broke out in the fourth quarter behind Sarah Larson and Megan Pacheco. 

1999- Galesburg 65- Harlem 64 (OT) (Super-Sectional at Evans FH in DeKalb)

Galesburg came from behind on a three by Sarah Larson. Then sophomore, Rachel Bicego found sophomore, Sarah Pacheco open at the basket for a layup that gave the Streaks the lead with only seconds left. 

1999- Galesburg 56- Loyola 54 (State Quarter-Finals)

In a rematch of the year before, the Streaks met Loyola in the Elite 8. Loyola had 3 Division 1 players. Loyola was the two-time State Champs. After being down at half-time, Galesburg came back in the fourth quarter behind clutch threes from Jaque Howard and free throws by Sarah Larson.  The Streaks had the ball with over a minute to go with the score 54-54. Megan Pacheco, Larson, and Howard ran a triangle delay until the last seconds. Megan Pacheco missed a 10 foot turnaround shot, Jenny Zolper tipped the rebound that went long, and Sarah Larson picked it up and put in at the horn. Many label this as the greatest game in Illinois State Tourney history. 

1999- Galesburg 41- Lincoln 39 (State Semi-Finals)

Incredibly in the third game in a row, Galesburg had to win the game in the last ten seconds. In this game, Jaque Howard skipped the ball to Sarah Larson, who drove to the basket. Larson was fouled and knocked down both free throws. 

2000- Galesburg 68- Harlem 64 (Super-Sectional at Evans FH in DeKalb)

Whitney Snyder, Sarah Pacheco, Megan Pacheco, and Ashley Shepherd battled a frontline with three players over 6’2”. They won the battle as the Streaks won another barn burner.

2000- Galesburg 51- Aurora West 45 (State Quarter-Finals)

Galesburg was again challenged inside by the Warriors 6’5” center. Galesburg handled the challenge.

2001- Galesburg 52- Sterling 32 (Sectional at Dixon)

Galesburg had lost to Sterling at Sterling earlier in the year by 50-48, in what the Streaks thought involved a controversial finish. Sterling went into the game with a plan to try to stop Galesburg’s inside players- Sarah Pacheco (18ppg) and  Ashley Shepherd (14ppg). They didn’t count on the outside shooting of Shanell Jackson, who poured in shot after shot from the outside as Galesburg ran away with the game. 

2001- Galesburg 69-  Peoria Central 47 (State Quarter-Finals)

Galesburg had lost to Peoria in November in the Galesburg Thanksgiving Tourney. Peoria featured an All-State guard, who was scoring over 20ppg. Galesburg’s defense with guards- Shanell Jackson, Shannon Williams, Rachel Bicego, Annie Parkin, and Jenna Bicego, trapped and pressured the ball out of her hands. 

2003- Galesburg 49- Sycamore 38 (Sectional at UT)

Down by double digits in the first half, Galesburg came back to win by 11. This team was led by Amanda Gunther, Allison Bauchman, Jenna Bicego, Annie Parkin, Elizabeth Hauslein, Casey Berry, Sade Boyd, Brittany Stephan, Andie Allison, and Whitney Shepherd.

2003- Galesburg 67- Rock Island 44 (Sectional Championship at UT)

Amanda Gunther went a scoring surge during the 2003 post-season, and this was one of her best as she poured in over 20 points. This Sectional Championship was Galesburg’s 9th in row, which is still a State Record.

2003- Galesburg 67- Rockford Boylan 41 (Super-Sectional at Convocation Center at NIU in DeKalb)

Boylan in the pre-game write ups talked about how much they had worked to attack the Galesburg press. It turned out the Streaks half-court mm defense and fastbreak were too much for Boylan. This was one of Galesburg’s most dominant post-season wins ever.

2005- Galesburg 69- Peoria Central 57 (Regional Championshp at Galesburg)

The Streaks led by Latoya Wright, Sade Boyd, Brenna Saline, Claire Anderson, Taylor Young, Michelle Dennison, Rachel Pendry, Lia Anderson, and Kelly Ricketts won the Regional title. This was Galesburg’s 18th straight Regional Championship.

2005- Galesburg 63- Morton 37 (Sectional at Pekin)

The pre-game write ups talked about how no lead was too big for the Potters to come back from. Morton could not stop LaToya Wright, she scored from threes and beat the Potters down the floor to catch long passes from Jenna Bicego for layups. 

2007- Galesburg 40- Morton 44 (Sectional Championship at Galesburg)

Galesburg had beaten Moline and Rock Island in the Rock Island Sectional, and entered the Sectional Championship at 30-3. The game looked doomed as Morton went up 3 with under 5 seconds. Taylor Young launched a three from half-court that sent the game into OT. The Streaks grabbed the lead in OT but were unable to convert free throws. 

2008- Galesburg 66- Peoria Notre Dame 43

This team was led by Taylor Young, Keli Jo Hinkle, Jessica Howard, Kelly Ricketts, Rachel Pendry, Whitney Dehler, and Stef Baker. This games marked their 20th win of the season. This marked Galesburg’s 21st season of winning 20 games. 

2010- Galesburg 80- Richwoods 77

Richwoods was the defending State Champions in 3A. Galesburg had gone to the “Grinnell System.” The game was early in the year during the Galesburg Thanksgiving Tourney. Jessica Howard and Mickey Rodriguez got hot from three. When Richwoods came out to guard them, Howard stepped back farther and farther. This was one of the all-time upsets. Richwoods went onto finish in the Elite 8. 

2011- Galesburg 74- Richwoods 46 (Sectional Championship at Metamora)

In the most lopsided Sectional game in Streaks history, Galesburg overpowered Richwoods with three after three. Jessica Howard who set a state record for made threes could not miss. Mickey Rodriguez, Megan Young, Jessica Lieber, and Jamie Johnson also hit threes during the flood from long distance. The other key players were Tai Peachey, Sadee Hamilton, Paige Klinck, and Myra Diggins.

2015- Galesburg 68- Salem 52 (Mattoon Championship)

In an unusual format, Galesburg had to beat state-power Salem in back to back games to win the championship. Sabrina Clay was a dominant force winning the tourney MVP. The Streaks were keyed by Casey Williams defensively, Shayli Florine inside, Lexi Daniels from three, and Raina Gulley as point guard. 

2015- Galesburg 68- Richwoods 51 (Sectional at LaSalle-Peru)

The post tandem of Shayli Florine and Sabrina Clay were unstoppable. Florine posted up for high-low feed after feed as Galesburg ran away from Peoria’s powerhouse. 

2015- Galesburg 44- Morton 47 (Sectional Championship at LaSalle-Peru)

In one of those “what if” games, Galesburg led Morton late in the fourth quarter but was unable to convert at the foul line. Morton grabbed the lead then and did not miss free throws. Morton went onto win the State Championship.

2016- Galesburg 51- Washington 58 (OT) (Sectional at Galesburg)

Galesburg had a chance to win in OT but only tied the game. Washington ran away in the OT.

2022- Galesburg 40- Dixon 37 (Regional at Sterling)

Dixon led and Galesburg came back. The key play of the comeback was a fastbreak drive by Capre Ferguson. She got the layup and made the free throw. This was a huge win in a great atmosphere. The Streaks were led by Kiarra Kilgore, Grace Nelson, Capre Ferguson, Alexis Edgerson, Kayla Pendergast, Kadynce Lydic, Abby Lingafelter, Abby Davidson, and Juniper Schwartzman. 

2023- Galesburg 64- Peoria Manual 27

Galesburg defeated Manual to win Galesburg’s 1000th game as a program. 

2023- Galesburg 53- Rock Island 46 (Regional at Dixon)

Galesburg had beaten Rocky twice during the regular season by 7 and 29. The Rocks jumped all over Galesburg in the first half, leading by as many as 15 points. Galesburg totally dominated the second half to come back for the win. The Streaks were led by Kiarra Kilgore, Alexis Ferguson, Capre Ferguson, Antonia Kisler, Syriah Boyd, Juniper Schwartzman, Addie McLaughlin, Addy Peck, and Lilly Clark. 

2024- Galesburg 55- UTHS 46 (At UTHS)

Galesburg came from behind on the outside shooting of Antonia Kisler and the inside scoring by Kiarra Kilgore. This moved the Streaks to a perfect 8-0, and marked win #1000 for Coach Massey in his career. 

2025- Galesburg 45- Dunlap 37 (Regional at Richwoods)

This game marked the first Regional Championship for Coach Lexi Demott. The Streaks depth and pressure eventually won out behind key players- Joss Peck, Lily Furrow, Joz Kilgore, Ella Herchenroder, Grace Herchenroder, Taylor Herchenroder, Khloe May, Zaniyah Carter, and Ryleigh Clark.