HIGHLAND - All Saints Academy in Breese defeated St. Mary's Catholic School in the SIJHSAA Eighth-Grade Girls Regional Championship at St. Paul in Highland 40-20 on Friday night. The game was played with high intensity by both squads.

Both squads played with intensity throughout, but St. Mary's head coach Bryan Bechtold said the shots just didn't fall in this game for his girls, who had such an outstanding season, winning 21 straight games. Overall, it was an incredible year for St. Mary's Catholic.

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"It was a great atmosphere and good defensive battle," Bechtold said. "Our girls were resilient and played a physical game. All the girls brought a ton of energy. Everybody got in and made big contributions."

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Reese Bechtold had six points and Izzi Hough had five points in the game to lead St. Mary's. Mia Lopez added four points, Grace Fischer had three points, and Emma Hough and Lilly Hannigan added two points.

Overall, Bechtold said he was "extremely proud of the St. Mary's group," for the season and their play. A story to come with a team picture about the girls' historic season on Riverbender.com.

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