High School Sports

O’Fallon girls blast Hersey in Class 4A semifinals, advance to state championship game

By Jonathan Duncan For the News-Democrat & O’Fallon Progress

O’Fallon guard Shannon Dowell came out hot and kept cooking with a monster game to lead the Panthers into the first Class IHSA 4A state final appearance in program history Friday afternoon.

O’Fallon (33-4) will face Lisle Benet Academy (24-7) at 7:15 p.m. Saturday at CEFCU Arena (formerly Redbird Arena) on the campus of Illinois State University in search of its first-ever state crown.

“Being in the state championship (game) means everything to us. At the beginning of the year, I knew we had all the pieces to do it and it’s just come to fruition,” O’Fallon coach Nick Knollhoff said. “I couldn’t be more proud (of these girls).”

Thanks to Dowell’s big-time scoring efforts, the Panthers rolled to victory. The Illinois State recruit got a taste of her future homecourt and made a huge impression, exploding for 30 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

“It was super exciting to finally play on my college floor and finally get a feel for it and what it’s going to be like next year,” Dowell said.

Behind Dowell and Josie Christopher’s hot early shooting, the Panthers grabbed a 21-16 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Christopher drilled a three-ball and Dowell followed with a bucket, pushing the Panthers to a 33-18 margin with just over four minutes left in the second quarter. However, a 10-3 Hersey run capped by a pair of Sabrina Divito free throws cut O’Fallon’s cushion to 36-28 at intermission.

O’Fallon pushed the lead to 50-39 on a D’Myah Bolds free throw and a Christopher triple with 3:36 left in the third quarter. Christopher, who was 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, finished with 15 points.

An 11-7 Hersey surge capped by a Kiki Craft backcourt steal and layup shaved the deficit to 57-50 as the third quarter ended.

Meghan Mrowicki’s driving bucket pulled the Huskies within two at 57-55 with 7:11 to go. However, O’Fallon — led by Dowell, Jailah Petty and Bolds — responded with a blistering 20-5 run over the last seven minutes keyed by a Pelly conventional three-point play to pull away. Pelly finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds and three assists. Bolds had 11 points and seven blocked shots.

“I always tell them my players, you’re never gonna see panic on my face and when a coach starts to panic, the players see that and they start to play tight. So they made a little run ... we were up 15 and they cut it to two and I didn’t want it to get like that, but I trust these girls with the ball and trust them in tight situations,” Knollhoff said.

Meanwhile it was a challenging and difficult end for Hersey (27-9), which was relegated to Friday night’s third place game.

“I think the world of O’Fallon and I think they had a great game plan and executed it and with our kids out there they (O’Fallon) just matched everything we had,” Huskies coach Mary Fendley said.

Mrowicki led Hersey with 22 points on 10-of-16, shooting.

Parade info

A parade/reception for O’Fallon will be at 1 p.m. Sunday. The community will meet at the Panther Dome for a reception of the team and then the parade will follow.

O’Fallon as seen after their 77-60 win over Hersey in Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals game. The Panthers now will play for the state championship.
O’Fallon as seen after their 77-60 win over Hersey in Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals game. The Panthers now will play for the state championship. Jimmy Simmons For the News-Democrat
O’Fallon Malia Robertson (11) and Shannon Dowell (21) as seen after their 77-60 win over Hersey in the in the IHSA Class 4A state semifinals Friday. The Panthers now will play for the state championship
O’Fallon Malia Robertson (11) and Shannon Dowell (21) as seen after their 77-60 win over Hersey in the in the IHSA Class 4A state semifinals Friday. The Panthers now will play for the state championship Jimmy Simmons For the News-Democrat
O’Fallon’s Shannon Dowell puts up a shot during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinal game against Hersey. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game.
O’Fallon’s Shannon Dowell puts up a shot during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinal game against Hersey. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game. Jimmy Simmons For the News-Democrat
O’Fallon’s Shannon Dowell drives to the basket during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals game against Hersey. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game.
O’Fallon’s Shannon Dowell drives to the basket during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals game against Hersey. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game. Jimmy Simmons For the News-Democrat
O’Fallon Malia Robertson looks to pass during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinal game. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game.
O’Fallon Malia Robertson looks to pass during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinal game. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game. Jimmy Simmons For the News-Democrat
O’Fallon’s D’Myjah Bolds grabs the rebound during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals game against Hersey. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game.
O’Fallon’s D’Myjah Bolds grabs the rebound during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals game against Hersey. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game. Jimmy Simmons For the News-Democrat
O’Fallon’s Jailah Pelly goes to the basket during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals game against Hersey. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game.
O’Fallon’s Jailah Pelly goes to the basket during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals game against Hersey. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game. Jimmy Simmons For the News-Democrat
O’Fallon’s Jailah Pelly battles for the ball during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinal game against Hersey. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game.
O’Fallon’s Jailah Pelly battles for the ball during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinal game against Hersey. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game. Jimmy Simmons For the News-Democrat
O’Fallon’s Jailah Pelly drives to the basket during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals game. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game.
O’Fallon’s Jailah Pelly drives to the basket during Friday’s IHSA Class 4A state semifinals game. The Panthers ultimately prevailed 77-60 to advance to the state title game. Jimmy Simmons For the News-Democrat

This story was originally published March 3, 2023 at 6:16 PM.

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