Following a spectacular regular season in which they lost only once and were ranked sixth in the state going into their final game, the Illinois Valley Central Lady Ghosts bowed out in a heartbreaker to Eureka in the Regional championship game at Eureka Thursday.
IVC started the tournament by taking down Fieldcrest, 65-46, Wed.
“We knew who their scorers were, and if they were going to beat us, it would have to be with the rest of the team,” coach Paul Mercer said.
IVC jumped out to a big lead, spurred on by the game-high 17 points of senior Laci Peterson.
The Ghost defense was able to contain the Knights by pressuring the offense as it brought the ball up the court.
The ability of junior Ellen Pearson made sure that the Knights could not just key on one area of
IVC’s offense, and the outside shooting of senior Allison Schultz helped IVC take a 36-18 lead into halftime.
Fieldcrest’s offense found its rhythm in the second half and came out fired up.
The Knights began to make shots and get better ball movement to take more high-percentage shots.
The Ghosts, however, kept their offense rolling as well and held a 53-33 lead into the final quarter.
Fieldcrest was able to outscore IVC in the final quarter, but the ball distribution and mid-range shooting of senior Kelsey Brooke ensured a Ghost victory.
IVC then faced the host school the following night at Eureka.
“It was a very exciting game and the crowd noise definitely played a factor,” Mercer said.
The Hornets scored first, but Peterson answered by powering the ball through Eureka defenders to tie the game at two.
Eureka was able to take the lead with offensive rebounding that kept the ball in their hands for second-chance points.
IVC took their first lead when sophomore Emma Hoerr launched a three pointer.
The Hornets took the lead back and, as they would throughout the game, the teams traded leads and shots.
The Ghost offense had trouble playing consistently in the first half, due to unforced turnovers and poor shot selection.
Johnson helped put up points in the second quarter when she made a two-point jumper.
Schultz gave IVC a 19-18 halftime lead by tapping in a shot at the last second.
Both teams played as evenly to start the second half as they did throughout the first.
Peterson racked up three points for the Ghosts when she calmly lined up and sank a shot from behind the arc.
“Eureka put a bit of pressure on Laci,” Mercer said. “She couldn’t go to the lane without one or two players on her.”
Defensively, Eureka was able to easily handle the Ghosts’ full-court press, which had bee a key to IVC’s scoring runs all year long.
The Hornets were able to overtake IVC for the quarter and held a 33-32 lead to start the fourth quarter.
With the game on the line, the Ghosts still could not cut down on the unforced turnovers in the fourth quarter, and Eureka grabbed a 37-32 lead.
The Ghosts began to cut into Eureka’s lead, 37-36, when Schultz knocked down a bank shot.
After Eureka made a three-pointer, Pearson responded with one of her own and IVC was down one, 40-39.
The Hornets scored three unanswered points, but IVC fought back and tied the game at 43 when Brooke scored a layup on a fast break.
A Hornet then knocked down two free throws to regain the lead.
With time winding down, the Ghosts were unable to score when Eureka ramped up the pressure.
“Eureka did what they had to do to beat us,” Mercer said. “We just didn’t have our best game that night. You always want to do your best, but some nights, it just doesn’t happen that way.”
IVC finishes the season with a 24-2 record.
Chillicothe, Ill. —
