STAUNTON - Kinsley Mouser hit a shot as time expired as Roxana stunned Carlinville and advanced to the final of the Staunton IHSA Class 2A Regional, their first appearance in a final since 2004.
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The Cavaliers held a 15-8 lead after the first quarter, with the Shells coming back to forge a 19-19 halftime tie. The score remained deadlocked 31-31 after three quarters, but Roxana outscored Carlinville in the fourth quarter 12-10 to move on to the final, with Mouser's buzzer-beater giving the Shells the game.
Mouser led the Shells with 15 points, while Laynie Gehrs added 10 points, Daisy Daugherty scored eight points, Aubrey Wiegand scored five points, Kylee Slayden had three points, and Abby Gehrs had two points.
Roxana head coach Addaya Moore said Mouser played the point position very well against Carlinville and "put her team on her back."
"She made some big plays and also kept us in the game," she added.
Moore said going into the post-season seeding, she sat down, researched every team, and determined the Shells should be in the top four in its region as the playoffs began. However, she said some people probably thought she was out of her mind with her prediction.
"Roxana has one of the strongest schedules out of everyone in the regional," she said. "Because of this we have been playing well this postseason and have proven ourselves to be a top program who just beat the No. 3 seed. It was not an upset last night. It was Roxana basketball."
Isabella Tiburzi led the Cavies with 15 points, while Kaitlyn and Ruthie Reels both had seven points each, Hannah Gibson scored five points, Braley Wiser had three points, Jordyn Loveless had two points, and Addie Ruyle had a single point.
Roxana is now 18-13 and meets the host Bulldogs for the regional title on Thursday night at 7 p.m. Carlinville was eliminated with a 23-8 record.
