NORMAL – There’s no denying that the Civic Memorial girls basketball team had an unforgettable postseason run.
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They got to host Regionals and Sectionals, a total of four games, at their home gym in Bethalto.
The run started back on Valentine’s Day when the Eagles took on Jerseyville. They had already beaten the Panthers twice in the regular season by scores of 69-37 and 67-37. So, it was no surprise really that CM went on to win 60-40 led by junior guard Aubree Wallace’s 17-point night.
They moved on to one of the wildest Regional Final games against the East St. Louis Flyerettes. The two teams had met a week prior, and CM narrowly won 57-55. This time around the Eagles really had to work for it. They trailed 29-21 at halftime.
CM came out firing in the second half though and outscored ESL 33-25. They almost didn’t make it. Senior guard Kelbie Zupan drove to the basket and made a layup as the clock struck double zero to tie the game 54-54 and force overtime.
CM bested the Flyerettes 64-58 in OT and sent Eagle Nation into a frenzy. Junior guard Olivia Durbin dropped 31 points and Zupan scored 23 to keep their team alive. This win also just happened to mark head coach Mike Arbuthnot’s 400th win in his coaching career.
It was truly a night to remember. They moved on to the Sectional Semifinals.
The Eagles hosted Mount Vernon and made rather easy work of them. The Eagles led 34-22 at halftime and never allowed a comeback. CM won 57-45 thanks to another good performance by Durbin as she put in 21.
Then it was onto the Sectional Championships against the Mattoon Green Wave. For the second time in their postseason, the Eagles would have to battle in OT. This one was tied at 60 heading into the fifth frame, but the Eagles were without Zupan as she fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
She could only sit on the bench and watch, but her team delivered. Wallace scored 12 points on the night, nine of which came from the free-throw line. She scored five of those in OT and her team went on to win by four by a score of 72-68. Durbin scored 26 that game and despite fouling out, Zupan still had 20 points.
The Eagles celebrated for the last time on their home court as they held that Sectional Championship plague high above their heads. They moved on to the Super-Sectional game hosted at Highland High School against Mahomet.
Apparently, Durbin shoots really well in this gym. She scored seven three-pointers and finished with a team-high 25 points. For those keeping track, in five postseason games Durbin scored 115 points, a stellar 23 points per game.
Her teammate Zupan scored 18 against Mahomet bringing her five-game total to 83 points or 16.6 PPG.
The Eagles won that one 53-48 which meant for the first time in school history, they were headed to state.
The State Semifinals and Finals were hosted at Red Bird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal over the past weekend.
The Eagles went there full of momentum and confidence but were initially no match for the lengthy Mundelein Carmel. The Corsairs had four girls 6-foot and above and they used that height advantage to go on and win 51-24 in the semifinals. Wallace led her team with eight followed by Durbin with seven. Zupan was kept off the scoresheet entirely.
Their season wasn’t over yet. They still played in the Third-Place game against the Morton High School Potters. Unfortunately, the task of playing two games in one day seemed to be too tall for the Eagles and they fell 55-41.
The Eagles wrap up one heck of a season with a 32-6 record and a fourth-place finish at state. It was a season not to be forgotten for many years to come.
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