For the past couple of years, Yorkville’s Macie Jones and her father, Jason, have worked on her free throws.

Jason, a former Kaneland player, would dance under the basket trying to distract her while she was shooting.

Is he a good dancer?

“No,” Macie said with a smile. “He’ll do these weird dance moves to get me out of rhythm. He’ll kick his feet and move his arms as a visual distraction.”

Jason is no Fred Astaire, but his approach has been a positive at the line for the senior guard.

“It’s helped me a lot,” Macie said.

Yorkville’s Macie Jones (4) gives Hayden Hodges (12) a playful shove after Hodges hit a shot and drew a foul against Sandburg in a nonconference game in Orland Park on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)

Indeed, Jones made four big free throws in the fourth quarter Tuesday night as the Foxes rallied for a 56-55 nonconference win over host Sandburg in both teams’ season opener in Orland Park.

Jones and Aubrey Spychalski led a balanced attack with eight points apiece for Yorkville (1-0). Alayna Demas added six points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Demas also scored the go-ahead basket for the Foxes with 1:05 remaining in the game. Sydney McCabe came off the bench and scored seven points, all in the first quarter.

The Foxes were 19-11 last season. Jones, a Benedictine recruit, is the only starter back. And Yorkville coach Kim Wensits, a former Sandburg standout, will be counting on that experience.

Yorkville’s Macie Jones (4) gets into defensive position late in the game against Sandburg during a nonconference game in Orland Park on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)

“I feel like I should carry the load, be a leader and help everyone learn the expectations of what the varsity is,” Jones said.

Ellie Driscoll paced Sandburg (0-1) with a game-high 28 points, The Eagles led 37-26 early in the third quarter before the Foxes staged their comeback.

Demas, meanwhile, confirmed that Jones is a perfect fit for her new role.

“Macie is a great leader and she definitely leads by example,” Demas said. “It’s just awesome having her on the team. We’ve been playing together since we were in second grade.

“I’ve grown up with her. We’re best friends.”

Yorkville’s Macie Jones (4) tries to drive past Sandburg’s Zoe Trunk (12) during a nonconference game in Orland Park on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)

After Demas converted the go-ahead shot, Jones hit two free throws with 28 seconds left in the face of fans screaming. That put the Foxes ahead 56-53 and they held on.

She also made a pair of free throws after a technical foul with members of the Sandburg’s band hollering to try and distract her with 3:59 left to pull her team within three points.

“I just tuned it out,” Jones said.

Wensits also has a lot of confidence in Jones’ shooting

“She did awesome — absolutely awesome,” Wensits said of Jones, a three-year varsity veteran. “It was actually more calming to me because she knows what is expected and she knows what to do.

“She was our leading free-throw shooter last year, and I knew she was going to put the ball in.”

Yorkville’s Macie Jones (4) looks to pass against Sandburg during a nonconference game in Orland Park on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)

Although none of Foxes reached double figures in scoring, Wensits loved seeing the balance as her players need to get used to each other in the early going.

“I hope we can do this all year,” she said. “We’re a very different team than we were the last two or three years. We have three kids who are now playing college basketball and they were our nucleus.

“Our JV lost only four games last year and had victory experience, but it’s a matter of who is going to step up.”

Jones believes that balance will help the Foxes. Nine players scored against the Eagles.

“We have a lot of people playing who can do a lot of different things,” she said. “We love to run. That’s our thing. We share the ball. We’re passing. We have so many to many people to use, so it’s not locking in on one person.

“Everyone is capable of scoring.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/18/macie-jones-yorkville-sandburg-ihsa-girls-basketball/