Since the Central State Eight Conference began play in 1993, it’s been the home of some of the best girls basketball players in Springfield-area history.  

But Lincoln’s Kloe Froebe can boast something none of her predecessors could: A state championship.  

Froebe, the Ms. Basketball of Illinois winner, according to the Chicago Tribune on Friday, and The State Journal-Register’s Large School Girls Basketball Player of the Year recipient for a second year in a row, led the Railsplitters to an undefeated record and a Class 3A state title with a win over Chatham Glenwood at Illinois State University’s CEFCU Arena last month.  

Her efforts culminated in the awards mentioned above — as well as the Gatorade Illinois Girls Basketball Player of the Year award. To many of us, it seemed like destiny after Froebe and Lincoln suffered their only loss of the 2022-23 season in the season finale, a 63-52 setback to LaGrange Park Nazareth in the 3A title game. Froebe finished second in Ms. Basketball voting her junior year.  

Perfection: Lincoln girls basketball romps to first state title over Chatham Glenwood

Along the way, her feats surpassed even the best of the area’s best, including Taylorville’s Allison Curtin, Southeast’s Alex Harden and Springfield High’s Zahna Medley. Just being among those CS8 legends is quite an accomplishment, but her state championship and an undefeated season put her on a pedestal all by herself.  

Arguably, the best player in CS8 history is Taylorville’s Allison Curtin, who guided the Tornadoes to a second-place finish in the 1997 Class AA state tournament, losing to Wilmette Loyola back in the two-class system. Curtin was a junior and that loss — like Lincoln’s last year — was Taylorville’s only blemish on an otherwise dominant season. Curtin became the first Ms. Basketball of Illinois winner from the area in 1998. She played collegiately at Illinois and Tulsa before being drafted by the WNBA’s Detroit Shock, but she retired after sitting out her only season with an injury.  

Zahna Medley led Springfield High to four consecutive Class 3A Final Fours from 2009-12. Though the Senators never broke through for a title game, Medley, a three-time winner of our Central State Eight Girls Basketball Player of the Year award, was the catalyst for an unprecedented four-year run. She went on to star at TCU, which named the women’s locker room in her honor.  

Southeast’s Alex Harden had an amazing career, played at Wichita State and was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, where she played for two seasons.  

Angela Perry twice helped Rochester finish second in Class 3A, with losses to Morton in the state title game in 2015 and 2017. Perry was The State Journal-Register’s Large School Girls Player of the Year in 2017, then had a distinguished career at Bowling Green.  

There are so many more stars that have emerged from the CS8 — including Lanphier’s Marke Freeman, Shatonia Levy of Springfield High and Lincoln’s Steph Reichle — but Froebe stands out from them all.  

If it wasn’t impossible to stop her, no coach in Lincoln’s path found a way. She set scoring records at Lincoln and in the state tournament. She rebounded, defended and dished to her numerous capable teammates. She seemed effortless on the court and quickly displayed her dimpled smile in every postgame interview.  

Even when she had to have her nostrils plugged after a bloody nose in February’s sectional semifinal, she was able to laugh it off while chatting with reporters after another win.  

Her next stop is Colorado State University. The Rams are getting a winner and will undoubtedly provide Froebe with more curveballs and obstacles as the quality of competition and coaching grows.

But one thing in her favor is her relentlessness. She does it all and, despite being undersized at 5-foot-8, she wormed her way into the paint, tussled for every loose ball and defended bigger players to force turnovers or missed shots.  

Women’s basketball has never been more popular. With Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, the women’s collegiate game has more eyes on it than ever before. More and more talented players are getting the attention of first-time fans of the game. Viewership is through the roof.  

We’ve had four years to catch just how special Kloe Froebe is. Now, the rest of the country might get a chance to learn what we already know.

Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.