NOKOMIS - The Father McGivney Catholic girls basketball team was very close in the second half, but couldn't get over the hump as defending IHSA girls Class 1A state champions Okawville came up with the answers and took a 41-29 win over the Griffins in the final of the Nokomis sectional final Thursday night at the Nokomis gym.
While the Rockets won their third straight sectional championship, it was the Griffins' second trip to the Sweet Sixteen, their first in four years.
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It was a very tight defensive game all the way through, with Okawville being able to build the lead and hold on to it throughout the contest to take the win.
The Rockets held a 12-11 lead after the first quarter, then extended the advantage to 26-21 at halftime, went further ahead after the third quarter 37-26, the outscored McGivney 4-3 int he final quarter to take the 41-29 win and move on to the super-sectional.
Emily Johnson led the Griffins with 12 points, while Sami Oller had five points to end her career with McGivney as the third-leading career scorer in school history. Alayna Kraus led Okawville with 16 points, while Raelyn Obermeier added nine points.
McGivney ends its season at 24-11, while the Rockets go to 22-11 and move on to the super-sectional at their home gym, where they'll meet Goreville, who won the Elkville Elverado sectional over Albion Edwards County 64-43, on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. The winner goes on to the state finals Feb. 29-Mar. 2 at CEFCU Arena at Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal.
The Okawville winner will play the winner of the Elmhurst Harvest Christian Academy super-sectional, either Skokie Ida Crown or Peru St. Bede Catholic, at 11:15 a.m. in the second state semifinal on Feb. 29.
The third-place game is set for that evening at 6:30 p.m., and the Class 1A grand final will be played Saturday, Mar. 2 at 11 a.m.
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