Sitting in the stands at Redbird Arena in Normal last weekend, Aleeya Sawyer was transfixed watching her younger sister dominate the Class 4A state championship game.
Simone Sawyer, one of the most decorated players in Stevenson history, was in the midst of an electric two-way performance against Barrington.
The senior guard had been out of sync due to foul trouble early in the state semifinal against Benet one day earlier and finished that game with an uncustomary stat line: two points, five rebounds, five turnovers and four fouls.
“She didn’t perform to her best, but she has this ability to bounce back in a way that’s very calm and collected,” said Aleeya Sawyer, a former soccer star at Howard who took a break from graduate school at Denver to watch the tournament. “I’ve not seen many people like her do that at a young age.”
Simone Sawyer, the 2021-22 News-Sun Girls Basketball Player of the Year, did indeed bounce back. In Stevenson’s 55-43 win against Barrington on March 5, the 5-foot-10 Penn recruit scored 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting and also had five rebounds, five steals and an awe-inspiring block on a fast-break layup attempt.
She tied the record for field goals made and broke the record for steals in a 4A state final.
“Going into the game, I knew I wasn’t going to have a repeat of the semifinal,” Simone Sawyer said. “I knew I was going to play well. I had that mindset already going in. … I just knew I could’ve played better. I decided this is my last game and I want to be a state champion.”
She said had long been motivated to follow in the footsteps of older sisters Aleeya and Jasmine. Both played three sports at Lake Forest Academy and set an example for her outside athletics too. Her father played baseball at Creighton.
“My sisters and I are about five to seven years apart,” Simone Sawyer said. “They’ve been excellent role models on how things should be done and have paved the way for my successes. … My family has pushed me to be better every day as a person and a player.”
Sawyer made an impact on Stevenson’s program before her freshman year even started. In the Patriots’ summer league, held for three-plus weeks in June, she caught the eye of several area coaches with her athleticism and unflappable personality while playing against upperclassmen.
“The reaction of coaches was disbelief that she was just a freshman, not just because of her basketball ability but the maturity and stoic personality that has always been her trademark and that she consistently displayed,” Stevenson coach Ashley Graham said. “She’s always played well beyond her years and acted like a veteran.”
Sawyer didn’t know what to expect playing such a big role early in the summer league, which included numerous Lake County teams. She said she was surprised by her success playing against the “big girls.”
The four-year starter’s success at Stevenson reached its pinnacle when she held up the state championship trophy, the program’s third overall but first since 1996.
Playing alongside senior guard and best friend Ava Bardic, Sawyer averaged 14.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.2 steals for the Patriots (36-2) this season and was named the North Suburban Conference player of the year.
Sawyer broke the program’s single-season record for points with 520 and finished second on the all-time list with 1,682 career points. She also ranks second all-time with 184 3-pointers and is seventh with 251 steals.
“She doesn’t just have a place in Stevenson history,” Graham said. “She is Stevenson history. The records she broke are going to be solidified for years to come.”
Sawyer said she was driven throughout her career to lead the Patriots to a championship.
“Winning a state title is every high schooler’s dream,” Sawyer said. “It was super special. It’s a moment I will never forget. All of the work for the past four years paid off for myself and the team.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
