Athletes of the Week: March 16, 2023

The 6-foot senior guard reached a career milestone while helping the Red Knights juggernaut continue to roll. Coffey, an Illinois State University signee, eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau as Incarnate Word knocked off conference rival St. Joseph’s 73-31 in the Class 6 District 2 championship game. She scored a team-best 25 points against the Angels to go along with three assists and two rebounds. Coffey then provided 13 points, four steals and three assists in a 58-26 victory against Troy Buchanan in a Class 6 quarterfinal. The Red Knights have won a nation-leading 98 games in a row and are in search of winning their sixth consecutive state championship.

A 5-foot-11 senior guard and Blackburn College recruit, Hanvey sank the most famous shot in program history and then helped Gibault win the first state championship in program history. Hanvey made a buzzer-beating 3-point shot for a 45-44 super-sectional win over Illini Bluffs, lifting the Hawks into the state semifinals for the first time since 1999. Hanvey’s shot was featured the same night on a segment of ESPN’s SportsCenter. The senior then dished out a Class 1A state tournament record 18 assists over two wins — 70-46 over Bloomington Cornerstone Christian in a semifinal and 65-45 over Scales Mound in the title game. His total eclipsed the previous record of 14 that was established in 2009. Hanvey had nine assists in each state game, establishing single-game tournament records for assists.

A 6-foot-1 sophomore guard, Moore produced a pair of steady efforts to help the balanced Trojans earn their first state semifinal appearance since 2011. In a 49-47 victory against Francis Howell in the Class 6 District 4 championship game, Moore tied older brother Tyler for team honors with 15 points while also collecting three rounds. Andrew followed up that effort with 17 points, four assists and three rebounds during a 75-62 victory against Chaminade. Moore, who is second for the Trojans with a scoring average of 13 points per game, is one of four players on the team averaging double figures in scoring. The Trojans face Kickapoo at noon Friday in a Class 6 state semifinal in Springfield.

The 6-foot-9 and 220-pound senior center only played one season for the Panthers, but he certainly made a lasting impact. Principia reached the Class 2 state championship game last week before falling 55-46 to Salisbury. The runner-up finish is the best in program history and Principia’s 25-7 record was its first winning mark in 13 years. Okoro averaged 13.97 rebounds and 13.5 points per game this season. At the state tournament, he had 14 points and 21 rebounds in the championship game loss. In a 65-63 semifinal victory against previously unbeaten Plattsburg, Okoro had nine points and 16 rebounds. He earned all-Metro League and all-district honors.

The 6-foot-7 senior guard and Kansas State signee closed his high school career with an outstanding week to lead the Flyers to a third-place finish in the Illinois Class 3A state tournament. Rich had a pair of double-doubles, the first coming when he scored 24 points and hauled in 13 rebounds during a 59-56 victory over defending 3A state champion Sacred-Heart Griffin in double overtime in the super-sectional round. Rich had 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists in a 50-43 state semifinal loss to eventual champ Metamora, and he came back with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a 50-48 victory against Chicago St. Ignatius in the 3A third-place game. Rich was a first-team Associated Press all-state selection.

The Rams are in the state semifinals for the second time in program history, and Steinbach is a big reason why. A 6-foot senior point guard, Steinbach helped lead Ladue to a pair of one-point victories last week to earn a spot in the Class 5 final four. In a 48-47 victory against De Smet in the Class 5 District 3 final, Steinbach scored a team-leading 13 points and had four assists. Then in the Class 5 quarterfinal round, Ladue beat Westminster 42-41, with Steinbach helping that effort with nine points, five rebounds and four assists. Steinbach is a four-year varsity player who leads Ladue with averages of 14.4 points and 4.7 assists per game and recently was named the district player of the year. In his career, he has scored 1,322 points and 409 assists.

A sophomore all-around standout, Tiller helped the Flyers win four consecutive games as part of a 4-1 start, including a pair of back-to-back games in Louisville. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Tiller plays defense and long stick middle and takes faceoffs. He also plays in Lindbergh’s man-up rotation with a long pole. In last week’s four victories — Louisville DeSales (20-0), Louisville duPont Manual (19-8), Marquette (10-6) and Eureka (9-7) — Tiller clamped down defensively, allowing one point to the player he was marking. For the season, Tiller is averaging 3.8 ground balls per game. He has 10 caused turnovers, two assists and is winning 80 percent of his faceoffs.

Compiled by Chris Gove based off stats reported to STLhighschoolsports.com. Please send nominations to cgove@stltoday.com by noon each Monday.