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NORMAL – An era came to an end for Edwardsville girls basketball Saturday evening.
The six-member EHS Class of 2018 – which includes Kate Martin, Myriah Noodel-Hayward and Rachel Pranger – ended a four-year run that saw them win 122 games Saturday evening, dropping a 45-41 decision to Des Plaines Maine West in the third-place playoff game of the 42nd IHSA Class 4A Girls Basketball Championship at Illinois State's Redbird Arena.
The Tigers ended the season with a record of 30-2, while the Warriors finished with a 32-2 mark.
“Their record speaks for itself,” said Tiger coach Lori Blade of the accomplishments of the Tigers in a postgame press conference. “Going beyond the record, they are one of the best classes I've had the opportunity to work with; they love to compete, which I greatly appreciate and I couldn't be more proud of what they've done in their four years on and off the court.”
That the Tigers managed to get back to the state tournament after the run they had in 2016-17 that saw them get to the final was quite the accomplishment in itself, Blade felt.
“It's not an easy track,” Blade said. “I told them we're not into a lot of moral victories, but I've gotten a ton of emails and texts (messages) after last night (when EHS lost their semifinal game to Lombard Montini) that there were hundreds of kids and teams and coaches that'd give anything to be in the situation we're still in; it'll soak in for these guys – I have a great appreciation for it as long as I've been in it.
“Down the road, they'll have a bigger and greater appreciation of it than they do right now.”
The game started out fairly even, Edwardsville getting to an early 4-0 lead on a Pranger free throw and a three-ball from Martin before the Warriors answered with a pair of Angela Dugalic free throws and a Rachel Kent lay-up to draw even; EHS took another brief lead at 6-4 on a jumper from Noodel-Hayward before Dugalic hit from inside to tie things up at 6-6. The Warriors then forged a small lead that the Tigers rallied back from to even things up in the late going before Dugalic hit a jumper at the quarter-time siren to put Maine West up 14-12.
The teams traded the lead a couple of more times before a Warrior run put them ahead at 21-15 late in the first half; Edwardsville cut it to 24-19 before the Warriors surged again in the late going to take a 27-21 lead at the half. Things stayed close in the third period, with the Warriors holding on to the lead, before Quierra Love stole the ball and charged in for a layup with five seconds before the three-quarter time siren that gave EHS a 35-34 lead going into the final quarter.
The teams traded the lead in the final quarter before an Alisa Fallon lay-in with 2:17 to go gave the Warriors the lead for good, with a Dugalic jumper and a free-throw from Fallon getting them to the final score before holding off the Tigers before the final siren.
Martin led the Tigers with 13 points, with Pranger, Noodel-Hayward and Love each getting eight points and Jaylen Townsend four; Kent led Maine West with 18 points, with Dugalic adding 13 and Fallon seven on the night.
In the championship game Saturday night, a Stephanie Hart jumper with three seconds left gave Geneva their second straight title as the Vikings defeated Montini 28-26; earlier in the day, Peoria Richwoods claimed the Class 3A title with a 55-46 win over LaGrange Park Nazareth Academy while Glen Ellyn Glenbard South defeated Breese Central 35-29 in the third-place game.
