Poll results: Columbia standout guard Girls Player of the Week in southwestern Illinois

Karsen Jany of Columbia High School is the winner of this week’s Belleville News-Democrat Girls Player of the Week high school basketball poll, as selected by readers of bnd.com.

In recent action, Jany, a senior guard, scored 22 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a 54-48 loss to Freeburg. Jany, who tallied 45% of the votes, is averaging 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.24 assists and 2.9 steals per game. She also is shooting nearly 78% from the foul line.

Here were the other candidates from the week of Jan. 2-7:

• T’Yonna Burris, Dupo High School, senior, F/C. Burris averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds a game in the Chester Mid-Winter Classic. while being named to the All Tournament team.
• Shannon Dowell, O’Fallon High School, senior, SG. Dowell registered 24 points in a 52-20 win against Belleville East, 27 points in a 68-40 victory against East St. Louis and 18 points and 8 steals in a 50-31 win against Cape Notre Dame at St. Joseph’s High School.
  
  
• Norah Gum, Waterloo High School, senior, F. Gum notched 23 points and 10 rebounds in a 54-52 loss to Highland at the 31st annual Highland Optimist Scott Credit Union Shootout.
• Kylie Kisgen, Freeburg High School, senior, PG. Kisgen scored 22 points in a 47-38 loss to Okawville and reached the 1,000 career point milestone; had 16 points and 6 steals in a 54-48 victory against Columbia; and 12 points in a 51-47 loss to Civic Memorial.
  
  
• Natalie Peterson, Freeburg High School, senior, SG/PF. Peterson notched 15 points and 11 rebounds in a 54-48 victory against Columbia and 16 points in a 51-47 loss to Civic Memorial at Breese Central.
  
  
• Jarius Powers, Alton High School, sophomore, F. Powers posted 12 points in a 66-24 win against Belleville West and 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 63-50 victory against Arlington Heights Hersey at North Central College.
  
  
• Grace Wilke, Highland High School, senior, G. Wilke notcied 24 points and 6 steals in a 54-52 win against Waterloo at the 31st annual Highland Optimist Scott Credit Union Shootout.

The poll ended at 8 a.m. Friday.

To be clear, this poll is 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. Wednesday. Please email nominations to gvartanian@bnd.com.

Previous poll winners: Taylor Smith of Belleville East High School; Cole Stuart of Freeburg High School; Dylan Murphy of Columbia High School; Clareece Davis of Althoff Catholic High School; the Freeburg-Columbia Holiday Tournament; and Jordan Lewis of Althoff Catholic High School.