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Anna Weber spends copious hours in the gym.
Even on a Sunday with her dad, Kyle.
It doesn’t get much better than being able to consult with someone with as much authority of the game as the former Pleasant Plains boys basketball coach who oversaw six 20-win seasons over nine years.
They would just talk it out, Weber said, and he could plainly show what needed to be done.
“In the summer, I’m out on the lake and in the winter, it’s basically just the gym,” Weber said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. It’s super fun. I think for all of us the work that we put in inside of the gym really showed this season.”
Glenwood's Alexis Neumann: Meet the SJ-R 2026 Large School Girls Basketball Player of the Year
All-area team: Here are 24 players on the 2026 SJ-R girls basketball all-area team
The Cardinals indeed ascended to third place in the Class 2A state finals.
Weber continued to exhibit a natural feel for the game and produced 17.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game. The 5-foot-11 senior center was named all-state first team by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and all-state second team by The Associated Press in Class 2A.
She is also The State Journal-Register's repeat Small School Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
“I would describe this team as one big family,” Weber said. “We all support each other on and off the court and we’re going to support each other and remember these moments for the rest of our lives. When we’re out there playing, we don’t think about who’s scoring, who’s rebounding or who’s passing. We just play. I think it’s just been a magical season getting to play with all of my best friends.”
Weber had played with her senior counterparts for years beginning with point guard Bailey Leach since third grade, later Grace Sabatka in fourth grade and Madison Burke in sixth grade.
Weber and Leach each generated 18 points in a 54-37 supersectional win over Downs Tri-Valley on their home floor for the program’s second ever state berth.
“I’ll never forget the supersectional game,” Weber said. “That was definitely my all-time favorite game of my career — just how packed the gym was, all the Plains’ fans and it was so loud. When everyone stormed the court after the game, we were all smiling and laughing and having fun. I was glad to be able to do it with all my best friends.”
They certainly lived up the state finals to be sure, and Weber notched one last double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds in the third-place game.
Weber ultimately departed with 1,739 career points and 1,381 rebounds.
“We got there and (senior guard) Kerbi Shultz was like, ‘I never knew what the best day of my life was until now,’” Weber said. “That was pretty cool because you’re able to see the impact it has everyone on the team.
“Seeing all the fans and the community there to support, it was amazing. I think just being in that atmosphere where you know the stakes are high and it’s going to be fun no matter what and the crowd’s going to be wild. It was just like nothing I’ve ever done before.”
Weber will next play at Lincoln Land Community College, which made its third straight NJCAA Division II national tournament appearance.
Weber said she wants to polish her shooting form and maybe add a 3-point presence. Another priority is replicating the same team chemistry from high school.
“A lot of success happens outside of the court,” Weber said.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Plains' Anna Weber is 2026 Small School girls hoops Player of the Year
Continue reading...
Even on a Sunday with her dad, Kyle.
It doesn’t get much better than being able to consult with someone with as much authority of the game as the former Pleasant Plains boys basketball coach who oversaw six 20-win seasons over nine years.
They would just talk it out, Weber said, and he could plainly show what needed to be done.
“In the summer, I’m out on the lake and in the winter, it’s basically just the gym,” Weber said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. It’s super fun. I think for all of us the work that we put in inside of the gym really showed this season.”
Glenwood's Alexis Neumann: Meet the SJ-R 2026 Large School Girls Basketball Player of the Year
All-area team: Here are 24 players on the 2026 SJ-R girls basketball all-area team
The Cardinals indeed ascended to third place in the Class 2A state finals.
Weber continued to exhibit a natural feel for the game and produced 17.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game. The 5-foot-11 senior center was named all-state first team by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and all-state second team by The Associated Press in Class 2A.
She is also The State Journal-Register's repeat Small School Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
“I would describe this team as one big family,” Weber said. “We all support each other on and off the court and we’re going to support each other and remember these moments for the rest of our lives. When we’re out there playing, we don’t think about who’s scoring, who’s rebounding or who’s passing. We just play. I think it’s just been a magical season getting to play with all of my best friends.”
Weber had played with her senior counterparts for years beginning with point guard Bailey Leach since third grade, later Grace Sabatka in fourth grade and Madison Burke in sixth grade.
Weber and Leach each generated 18 points in a 54-37 supersectional win over Downs Tri-Valley on their home floor for the program’s second ever state berth.
“I’ll never forget the supersectional game,” Weber said. “That was definitely my all-time favorite game of my career — just how packed the gym was, all the Plains’ fans and it was so loud. When everyone stormed the court after the game, we were all smiling and laughing and having fun. I was glad to be able to do it with all my best friends.”
They certainly lived up the state finals to be sure, and Weber notched one last double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds in the third-place game.
Weber ultimately departed with 1,739 career points and 1,381 rebounds.
“We got there and (senior guard) Kerbi Shultz was like, ‘I never knew what the best day of my life was until now,’” Weber said. “That was pretty cool because you’re able to see the impact it has everyone on the team.
“Seeing all the fans and the community there to support, it was amazing. I think just being in that atmosphere where you know the stakes are high and it’s going to be fun no matter what and the crowd’s going to be wild. It was just like nothing I’ve ever done before.”
Weber will next play at Lincoln Land Community College, which made its third straight NJCAA Division II national tournament appearance.
Weber said she wants to polish her shooting form and maybe add a 3-point presence. Another priority is replicating the same team chemistry from high school.
“A lot of success happens outside of the court,” Weber said.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Plains' Anna Weber is 2026 Small School girls hoops Player of the Year
Continue reading...
