BLOOMINGTON – For Edwardsville's girls basketball team, one of the goals has been a simple one since the start of the season.
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Get back to the IHSA Class 4A state tournament.
Mission accomplished.
The Tigers stormed out to a 14-0 lead at the start of the game, took a 21-3 quarter-time lead and never looked back as Edwardsville defeated Chicago Mother McAuley 59-43 in an IHSA Class 4A Super-Sectional game at Illinois Wesleyan's Shirk Center to return to the state tournament this weekend. The 30-0 Tigers will meet Chicago Montini, 43-35 winners over Bolingbrook in Romeoville, at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Illinois State's Redbird Arena in Normal in the evening's first semifinal game; the other semi will have defending champion Geneva, who eliminated Rockford Boylan 54-42 in Streamwood, up against Des Plaines Maine West, 52-42 winners over Lake Zurich at Arlington Heights Hersey, at 7:15 p.m.; Friday's winners will clash for the state championship at 7:15 p.m. Saturday.
“It has been” the Tigers' goal to get back to state, said EHS coach Lori Blade. “Coming in, we knew what we lost (from last year's state finalists) and that was a tremendous amount, with (Makenzie) Silvey, Criste'on (Waters) and Jasmine (Bishop); these kids have really stepped up.
“These kids have a lot of heart and they play hard and take a lot of pride in what they do.”
The quick start was important for the Tigers, Blade felt. “Tonight, it was important that we got off to a good start,” Blade said, “because the last two teams they've seen, they buried in the first quarter just by shooting so well. We knew they would make a run just because of their ability to make threes;
“The kids, for the most part – it got ugly there for a little while – but they took pretty good care of the ball.”
The Tigers' three main seniors this year – Kate Martin, Rachel Pranger and Myriah Noodel-Hayward – have meant much to the Tigers this season; their contributions have helped propel Edwardsville to the St. Louis area's girls basketball elite this season. “They've worked hard,” Blade said. “They've committed to stepping up for this year and everything, but it's a special group – that's for sure.
“To be able to go to the end with them is what we wanted coming in; what happens now happens – we've got to battle with Montini again, but I'm just so proud of their effort right now. Jaylen (Townsend) had some good minutes for us – everyone who got on the floor for us did, that's the good part. But it's a special senior class for us.”
Martin and Pranger had most of the points for the Tigers on the night; they stormed out to the 14-0 lead at the start and were never seriously threatened, having a 21-3 quarter-time lead and a 30-11 lead at the half as they proceeded to run out winners on the night.
Martin led the way for EHS with 23 points, with Pranger adding 16 points and Noodel-Hayward adding nine; Pranger added 11 rebounds on the night as the Tigers never really let the Mighty Macs anywhere close to the lead. Jenna Bali led the Macs with 18 points on the night, with Tara Alleyway adding nine and Vanessa Gavin seven.
