Kloe Froebe surpasses 3,000 career points, leads Lincoln past O'Fallon in Illinois girls basketball showdown

Colorado State signee scores game-high 33 points, earns MVP honors

O’FALLON, ILLINOIS – Kloe Froebe reached a milestone on Friday night that never crossed her mind going into high school.

The Lincoln Community High School senior guard surpassed 3,000 career points – becoming just the 10th player in Illinois high school girls basketball history to do so – as part of a 33-point performance in the Railers’ 62-55 win at O’Fallon, the reigning Illinois Class 4A champion.

“Honestly, I never really thought about it,” Froebe said. “My main objective coming into high school was to turn the program around and follow the footsteps that my sister set and we’ve been able to accomplish that and I guess score 3,000 along the way.”

The runner-up in Class 3A a year ago, Lincoln improved to 29-0 this season and 65-1 since the start of the 2022-23 season. It’s been a dominant run fueled by the Railers’ high-scoring but humble guard and a strong group of players around her.

“Kloe’s a phenomenal basketball player,” Lincoln coach Taylor Rohrer said. “Nobody that watches her play can ever question that. What people don’t know about her is she’s an even better teammate, an even better person. She’s just an all-around great kid.”

A 5-foot-9 senior guard headed to Colorado State, Froebe scored eight points in the first quarter, 11 in the second quarter, seven in the third and seven in the fourth.

Froebe made two 3-pointers – both in the first quarter – and sank seven of her nine free-throw attempts. She was named the game's most valuable player and presented the game ball. 

Needing 13 points to reach 3,000, Froebe accomplished the feat during the second quarter. A few minutes later, the game was stopped briefly to acknowledge the feat.

“It means everything that I was able to accomplish it with my teammates and my coaches and my family supporting me,” Froebe said. “I looked towards my teammates first because I couldn’t have accomplished this without them and then I looked towards my parents and my coach because they supported me throughout this and it’s as much their accomplishment as it is mine.”

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Rohrer, who recently reached 200 wins as Lincoln’s head coach, said it has been a dream come true to coach the humble high-scoring senior guard.

“She’s a once-in-a-lifetime player that you get on your roster,” the coach said. “You don’t get kids like that every year. They are once in a lifetime. Coaching her and the way she is and the way she is with her teammates and how humble she is, she makes all the difference for our program and she brings her teammates right along with her and they love her and support her and she loves them and supports them.”

Becca Heitzig, a senior guard, added 12 points in the win, while junior guard Piper Whiteman added eight.

Sophomore guards Haeli Tart and Josie Christopher led O’Fallon (22-7) with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Senior forward Carolyn Foster added 12 points.

Lincoln has been focused all season on making a return trip to the state championship game and achieving a different outcome this time. Friday’s impressive road win – part of the two-day Bank of O’Fallon Shootout – is a positive step in that direction.

But along the way, what Froebe and the Railers have accomplished for their school and sport has transcended winning basketball games.

“We’ve said it all year we’ve got one goal and it’s that state championship trophy and hoisting it up,” Froebe said. “But ultimately the memories we’ve made along the way, the support we’ve gathered and the acknowledgement to girls basketball in Lincoln and in the Central Illinois has created a memory that no one can take away.”

Lincoln Community's Kloe Froebe

Photos by Nate Latsch

Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports

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- Nate Latsch | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveIL