Hinckley-Big Rock 69, Elgin Academy 22
The Elgin Academy girls basketball team entered Tuesday night's Class 1A regional semifinal matchup at Westminster Christian School with three objectives.
First and foremost, the Hilltoppers wanted a win. Beyond that, they wanted to leave it all on the court, and at the end of the game, they wanted to walk away with their heads held high.
While Hinckley-Big Rock (26-3) delivered Elgin Academy a season-ending 69-22 loss, two out of three ain't bad.
The Hilltoppers played with heart until the very end.
In fact, in the fourth quarter alone, Elgin Academy not only outscored the No. 2 ranked Class 1A team in the state, but they scored 12 points to outscore their own previous three quarter point total.
"This is as good of a team as we have seen," said Elgin coach Diane Comer-Rabaza of Hinckley. "Still, our kids are amazing. They left it all out there, and should each walk away with their heads held high."
Hinckley-Big Rock took an early lead going up 31-4 after 8 minutes behind a 23-0 run to conclude the first half.
The Royals' 6-foot-3 junior forward Melissa Herrmann was virtually unstoppable leading all scorers with 16 points, while pulling down 7 rebounds. Herrmann collected the bulk of that tally in the first quarter (12 points, 5 rebounds).
Bianca Swegler did her best to counter Herrmann for the Hilltoppers pulling down 10 first-half boards of her own.
"As a coach, I came in worried about our matchup with them and was afraid to go man-to-man," said Comer-Rabaza. "It took away from our usual style of play which is a bit more aggressive.
"I regret that decision now, and I take full responsibility for it."
Elgin Academy (11-17) did commit to full-court man coverage in the fourth quarter, and the results were astounding.
Forcing a dozen turnovers, the Hilltoppers outscored the Royals 12-10, matched them on the boards and saw three players grab multiple steals.
Allison Clark led that defensive stride with 4 picks while both Lauren Steimle (2 points) and Swegler (12 rebounds, 4 points, 3 steals) grabbed 2 steals in the final 8 minutes of the game.
"The first half was hard," said senior guard Clark. "Our goal at the break was to play with more intensity in the second half, and we did that.
"Seeing the hard work pay off was especially great for our younger girls."
Among those younger girls on the EA roster is sophomore Alyssa Pena, whose consistent play throughout the game helped her lead the Hilltoppers' offensive attack with 8 points.
Kristin Cella contributed with 2 points and 4 rebounds, and Kyla Farquhar added 4 points.
"This was a fantastic season for us," said Comer-Rabaza. "We finished the season with the same amount of wins as last year, but we also played a much more difficult schedule.
"Our seniors will always have a special place in my heart because they were true role models, but I am also very excited about the talent we have coming back."
Among those competing in their final high school basketball game was Clark.
"I'm sad that basketball is over, but I'm very glad with the way it ended on such a high note," she said.