PIASA - In the Macoupin County Girls Basketball final, held before the boys' final on Friday, Mia Brawner scored 21 points to lead Gillespie to a 63-32 win over Staunton to take the county championship.
In the girls' final it was all Gillespie, as the Miners led from start to finish. Gillespie had quarter leads of 18-9, 32-19, and 46-28, outscoring the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter 17-4 to take the championship.
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Gillespie head girls coach Kevin Gray said he felt good about his team's performance against Staunton.
"We have been playing well for a long time," he said. "We have played a tough schedule that prepared us for games like tonight. Mia (Brawner) is a star but we are a team and we have a lot of girls to contribute."
To go along with Mia Brawner's 21 points, the Miners saw Delaney Taylor score 10 points, Amari Vickrey hit for nine points, Laci Schuckenbrock hit for seven points, Lauren Bertagnolli scored six points, both Becca Crays and Erika Gill had three points each, and Maggie Heyen and Cheyanne Scott each had two points apiece.
Staunton was led by both Ele Feldmann and Grace Bekeske, who both scored seven points each, while Samantha Anderson scored six points, Lilly Troeckler had five points, Evin Frank had four points, and Lilly Bandy scored three points. Staunton's girls are outstanding and will have some key games coming up to rebound from the loss and get back on track.
Brawner was a force on the boards and on defense and also moved the ball around to her other teammates who scored after her sharp passes. Brawner is without a doubt one of the top girls' basketball players in the region in the 2023-2024 season and is a junior with one more year to play. With her height and athleticism, colleges should show strong interest in this Gillespie star.
The two rival teams - Staunton and Gillespie - meet again in a rematch on Feb. 1 at Gillespie.
