WATERLOO – A turning point in every game can sometimes mean the difference between victory and defeat.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Such a point came in the third quarter of Saturday afternoon's Waterloo Gibault Candy Cane Classic final between Marquette Catholic and Columbia. With the score at the half tied at 22, the Eagles got on a roll that put them ahead 36-24 over the Explorers; Marquette couldn't recover from that run and dropped a 60-50 decision to the Eagles to fall to 10-2 on the year; Columbia improved to 6-5 on the season.
The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Explorers, but it didn't dampen how Marquette felt about the accomplishment.
“We're extremely happy,” said Explorer coach Lee Green. “I just got done telling the girls I couldn't be more proud of them; going into the Christmas break, we're 10-2.
“I asked them all if, at the beginning of the year, if, at the end of the Gibault tournament, we'd be 10-2, what would you think, and they said 'no.' We've worked extremely hard – they've deserved everything they've gotten. To finish 10-2 and finish in second place down here, it's really good for the program and the way we've moved forward.”
The big thing about the loss was the run the Eagles had in the third quarter that essentially decided the outcome; the Explorers rallied back to make a game of it, pulling a couple of times to within four points of Columbia in the late going, but couldn't get closer.
“They're a good team,” Green said of the Eagles. “They're well-coached, they push the basketball extremely hard – if you don't get back on defense, they'll get a layup on you.
“They showed a lot more enthusiasm on that run than we did; our girls never quit and we battled back and cut it to four; we just couldn't get over that hump – they finished up by making all their free throws. We struggled a little bit from the line a little bit.”
The game started out close, Marquette taking an 11-8 lead on the Eagles at quarter time before the Eagles managed to forge a 22-22 lead at the half, but the Eagles got on their run early in the third period to expand the lead to 36-24 with about three minutes left in the quarter. Lila Snider found the range a couple of times to pull Marquette close to Columbia to get the Explorers to 38-34 at three-quarter time.
Columbia kept coming up with the answers as the final quarter wore on, pulling away to as much as 49-38 at one point before Marquette battled to get to 53-47 with about two-and-a-half minutes left, but again could get no closer as the Eagles hit from the free-throw line down the stretch to hold off the Explorers.
Snider led Marquette with 16 point on the day with Lauren Fischer adding 10, Peyton Kline nine and Emma Nicholson eight; Columbia was led by Sophia Bonaldi's 21 points, followed by Whitney Edwards' 20 and Aryn Henke's 14 on the day.
Snider and Fischer were both named to the All-Tournament team, along with Roxana’s Emma Lucas; Columbia’s Bonaldi was named the tournament’s MVP.
Marquette goes into a holiday break through Jan. 2, when they host Carrollton at home at 7:30 p.m. and Nokomis at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 4 in a Prairie State Conference game.
SEE VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH COACH LEE GREEN BELOW:
ROXANA 40, EAST ALTON-WOOD RIVER 32: Roxana took fifth-place honors in the Candy Cane Classic Saturday morning with a 40-32 win over backyard rival East Alton-Wood River; the Shells went to 2-8 on the year with the win, while the Oilers fell to 4-5.
Roxana took a 11-3 lead on the Oilers at quarter time and retained a 17-12 lead at the half; EAWR pulled to 29-27 to the Shells at three-quarter time, but were limited to five points in the final quarter as Roxana ran out winners.
Emma and Macie Lucas each had 11 points for the Shells, with Olivia Mouser adding seven; the Oilers were led by Kayla Brantley’s 16 points, LeighAnn Nottke and Fiona Hamati each scoring four. Emma Lucas was named to the All-Tournament team.
Roxana hosts Litchfield at 4 p.m. Wednesday in a South Central Conference game, then meets Freeburg at 2 p.m. Dec. 26 in the Lebanon tournament; The Oilers are off until a 2 p.m. Dec. 26 game against Greenfield in the Carlinville Tournament
More like this:
