BND readers select high school girls basketball team of the year in southwest Illinois

The Freeburg Midgets are the winner of the Belleville News-Democrat’s Girls Team of the Year high school basketball poll, as selected by readers of bnd.com.

The Midgets had a tremendous season, going 26-6 overall while posting a 9-1 mark in the Cahokia Conference to share title with Breese Central. Freeburg ultimately reached the regional championship game where they lost to Mater Dei 35-33.. The team also enjoyed a 10-game winning streak this season.

Overall, Freeburg tallied 83% of the votes to finish ahead of other BND nominees Alton, Civic Memorial, Edwardsville, Freeburg, O’Fallon, Waterloo and Triad.

To be clear, these polls are not scientific. In fact, we invite you to vote as many times as you want. It’s all for fun, BND readers.

The next poll will appear on the BND’s website — www.bnd.com — at 5 a.m. Tuesday. For next week’s poll, it’ll be a vote for the top prep basketball state champion from the metro-east. To nominate a team, email gvartanian@bnd.com.

Past poll winners: Tyler Lunning of O’Fallon High School (Week 1), Dylan Murphy of Columbia High School (Week 2), Brady Moore of Breese Central High School (Week 3), Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic (Week 4), Kaden Augustine of Gibault Catholic High School (Week 5), Natalie Peterson of Freeburg High School (Week 6), Sydney Harris of Edwardsville High School (Week 7), Kaylyn Wylie of Granite City High School and Lunning (Week 8); Kylie Kisgen of Freeburg High School and Lane Otten of Freeburg High School (Week 9); Caleb Burton of O’Fallon High School and Jaliah Pelly of O’Fallon High School (Week 10); and Gannon Birkner of New Athens High School, Reagan Chigas of Triad High School (Week 11), Norah Gum of Waterloo High School and Jake Ottensmeier of Highland High School (Week 12), Devin Davis of Collinsville High School and Harris (Week 13) and Peterson and Rini Harris of O’Fallon High School (Week 14).