By FRED KRONER
fred@sjodaily.com
NORMAL — St. Joseph-Ogden’s girls’ basketball team didn’t go out as champions, but they ended up as winners Saturday night.
The Spartans closed the most successful season in school history by sprinting past Hillsboro, 68-53, in the Class 2A third-place game at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena.
“We’ll remember this game for the rest of our lives,” senior Bree Trimble said. “It meant a lot to end on a win and at Redbird Arena.
“Not a lot can say that and it’s good we get to say that.”
The performance is what they will remember.
“Overall, this was one of our best games,” added senior Peyton Crowe said. “We moved the ball well. The offense worked well and the defense was good.”
SJ-O has a 29-5 overall record. The state trophy was the first-ever for the school in girls’ basketball.
“It’s a crazy feeling,” Crowe said, “more than I could have dreamt of for my senior year.”
The Spartans’ slender two-point lead (21-19) in the final 2 1/2 minutes of the first half was expanded into a 17-point bulge (36-19) after less than 90 seconds of the second half.
The lead grew to as much as 26 points (49-23) in the fourth quarter on a free throw by sophomore Payton Vallee.
Leading the way for the Spartans were their three senior tri-captains, who were the team’s top scorers and the top rebounders.
Trimble ended her prep career with 28 points (on 13-of-18 accuracy from the field), Crowe added 13 points and Maclayne Taylor totaled 11 points.
Trimble completed her double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds. Crowe had six rebounds and Taylor grabbed five.
Parkland College recruit Crowe also dished out a game-high six assists.
The captains made certain everyone was on the same page prior to the third-place game.
“(Friday), that wasn’t really us,” Crowe said. ““We didn’t have the energy we had today.”
Hillsboro ends with a 29-7 season record. In the semifinals, the Hilltoppers led eventual state champion Chicago Marshall after each of the first three quarters.
Saturday’s loss was the worst for Hillsboro since its season-opener on Nov. 16.
The 15-0 run which put SJ-O in command was sparked by Trimble, who hit 10 of her points in that 3-minute, 50-second scoring spree.
After shooting just 20 percent from the field in a semifinal loss on Friday to Teutopolis, SJ-O regrouped to make more than half of its attempts (25 of 48) in the third-place contest.
“We were more comfortable with our shots,” Trimble said. “We had more feeling on the court. We held our composure.”
Taylor scored the game’s first basket, but Hillsboro jumped into an early 7-4 lead.
SJ-O was undaunted.
“Throughout the postseason, we’ve done a better job of staying calm when teams go on a run,” Crowe said.
The Spartans used a 13-4 spurt to end the opening quarter and garner a lead they never lost.
Coach Kevin Taylor wasn’t overly concerned about the early deficit.
“I didn’t want to get behind by too much too early, but I wasn’t too worried,” he said. “Our defense was on.”
The go-ahead basket was scored by Trimble with 2:48 left in the first quarter. Her shot snapped a 7-7 tie.
Trimble completed her varsity career with 1,642 points, the third-best total in the history of the SJ-O girls’ program.
Crowe amassed 1,151 points.
The graduating seniors are Crowe, Taylor, Trimble, Erinn Miller and Angela Palmer. All five played in the third-place game.
“It meant a lot for all of us getting in and soaking up the moment,” Crowe said.
SJ-O ended the season one victory shy of tying the school record for wins in a season. The school’s 2005-06 squad posted a 30-win season.
The Spartans were still on a mission after they finished all of their post-game interviews.
“We’re going to celebrate until we can’t any more,” Crowe said.
Coach Kevin Taylor gave squad members the option of how to get back home. They could ride with their parents or on the school bus.
“We wanted to stay together,” Trimble said. “Usually in the regular season, parents can sign us out, but staying together (throughout the tournament run) has had an impact.
“We’re going to ride the bus home, eat food and be happy.”
And then, it will be time to return to a regular routine.
“It will be back to reality,” Kevin Taylor said, “catching up on sleep and there’s homework to do.”
