Highland girls race past Mount Vernon for IHSA Class 3A Centralia Sectional championship
The Highland girls basketball team got challenged early by the uptempo, athletic Mount Vernon Rams on Thursday night in IHSA Class 3A Centralia Sectional championship game.
However, Grace Wilke and the Lady Bulldogs made sure their postseason run did not stop on this night.
Wilke came up big for HHS, erupting for a game-high 29 points as the Lady Bulldogs matched the Rams’ uptempo pace and more in racing to a 66-54 victory to claim the sectional crown at Centralia High School.
Highland (26-7) — which won just eight games last season — moves on to face Lincoln in the Taylorville Super-Sectional at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27.
“We made enough plays there down the stretch to keep the lead manageable and didn’t really have to stress too much there. And, at the end, we made some free throws, so that was nice,” Highland coach Clint Hamilton said.
Hamilton was glad to see Wilke have a strong start with her shot as the senior guard scored 15 of her 29 points in the first quarter to jump-start the Lady Bulldogs offense.
“She’s a senior who’s been there and done that, and it kind of calms the kids down whenever she steps out and has a great start to the game and just gets everybody else in the flow,” Hamilton said. “That was really big for her, and, hopefully, she’s got a couple of more games like that in her.”
HHS came out with high intensity and secured an 18-9 lead late in the first quarter thanks to a Larissa Taylor bucket and a three-ball from senior leading scorer Wilke.
An Abby Schultz triple from the outside pushed the Lady Bulldogs lead to 23-13 with 6:20 left in the second quarter.
“Abby Schultz made a big shot in the second quarter to stretch that back out to 10 to give us a little breathing room. And we knew they were a great team and that they were going to make a run at some point,” Hamilton said.
Mount Vernon indeed roared back with a 10-2 surge capped by a Justice Malone 3-pointer, trimming the lead to 25-23. However, the Lady Bulldogs closed the half with a furious 8-2 burst topped off by a Taylor inside bucket for a 33-25 lead at intermission.
“We went on a little run at the end of the half and it was great to see the resilience of our kids,” Hamilton said.
The Lady Bulldogs continued to attack the lane and score from outside as a Sophie Schroeder back door two and a Wilke three-ball pushed the margin to 44-33 in the final minute of the third quarter.
Other key contributors for Highland
In addition to Wilke’s contributions, junior post Taylor continued her inside dominance with 16 points and 13 rebounds for another double-double performance.
“Larissa had another monster game today with a double-double and getting her going this time of year is really good for us and it gives us another dominant scoring option,” Hamilton said.
HHS freshman guards Jordan Bircher and Lauren Maas, meanwhile, controlled the offense and came up with big turnovers in the fourth quarter, helping HHS extend its lead to as much as 13 points as the Lady Bulldogs wore down the Rams. Bircher finished with 10 points and Maas finished with seven assists.
“They did a nice job of making (Mt. Vernon) take tough shots, and offensively, they kept us in the game as far as getting us in an offense and getting the ball where it needed to go; the kids did a very nice job, and that’s gonna be big on Monday,” Hamilton said.
Next up: Lincoln
Undefeated Lincoln is next for the Lady Bulldogs as they will have their second chance in three years to punch their ticket to the Class 3A state tournament.
“We get a chance to go up to state, and the girls are excited, so we’re gonna get back to work (Friday) at practice and figure out what we’ve got to do to give ourselves a chance (on) Monday night,” Hamilton said.
This story was originally published February 22, 2023 at 11:23 PM.