Minooka's Top Returner Recovering From Injury

One of the top returning Southwest Prairie Conference girls basketball players will enter the season off an injury.

Minooka senior-to-be, 5-foot-11 center Ashley Clemmons, is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. She averaged 12.8 points and 7.6 rebounds during an all-SPC season a year ago.

Clemmons did not play for the Indians during their summer schedule. Undefeated SPC champion Minooka went .500 overall while participating in leagues or camps at Notre Dame, Indiana, Plainfield Central, Morris, Marquette University and Ottawa this summer.

“(Incoming) Senior Sara Placher was our most consistent scorer during the summer and (incoming) junior center Larissa McClemen was a younger player who performed very well throughout the summer,” Minooka coach Ray Liberatore said.”

Placher was a key performer during the Indians’ run to the Class 4A Danville regional championship. She hit four free throws in the final minute to seal the Indians’ first regional title since 1980.

McClemen is making the jump from the lower level this year and may be pressed into service if Clemmons is not at 100 percent for the start of the season in November. Clemmons was one of many Indians from a year ago who missed time this summer due to injuries.

“Besides not having two-year incoming senior center starter Ashley Clemmons, we had several other girls miss time do to injuries,” Liberatore said. “We are going to have to continue to work on creating enough offense with Ashley out and the graduation of SPC MVP Stephanie Furr.”

Minooka went a school-record 23-5 overall and 14-0 in the SPC during the 2010-2011 season.