Adam: ‘I’m going to miss it a lot’; Schreacke, Eftink cherish final game at The Pit

QUINCY — A range of emotions washed over the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team in a matter of moments on Thursday night.

First was a sense of relief after the Raiders thwarted an upset bid by Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, which got as close as four points in the fourth quarter before the hosts won 54-43 in the championship game of the Class 2A regional at The Pit.

Next was joy after winning the game, followed by jubilation when the team received the regional plaque. After that came the forced smiles and impatient eye rolls as parents gathered to grab the obligatory team photos with their cell phones before the players headed to the locker room.

Then reality set in for seniors Blair Eftink and Abbey Schreacke.

It was the last game they would ever play in the Pit. 

“I’m definitely emotional right now,” Schreacke said after the game, fighting back the tears that started flowing in the locker room. “Definitely, Blair and I are pretty emotional about tonight being our last game here together. But all that matters is just getting that win.”

Eftink and Schreacke emerged arm-in-arm from the locker room with red eyes and tears streaming down their faces. They have been playing basketball together since they were on a fifth-grade travel team when Eftink attended St. Peter School and Schreacke attended St. Francis School.

They will re-focus this weekend for next week’s sectional in Pleasant Plains, and not one person who follows the Raiders doesn’t have Saturday, March 4 circled on their calendars — the date when they could play for a chance to defend their Class 2A state championship at Redbird Arena in Normal.

But on this night, the two seniors wanted to savor the memories of all the special moments during the past four years.

“I definitely cherished it tonight,” Schreacke said. “I knew coming in we were going to get pretty emotional about it, but I just had to hold it until after the game.

“There are so many great memories here. I had some of the best games in front of the big crowds. Everyone has been huge supporters, and they’ve made me the person that I am.”

“This is definitely bittersweet,” Eftink said, “I know before the game, some people were saying, ‘Oh, so this is the last one (in the Pit).’ I was kind of trying to not think about it, but when it was over, I mean, Abbey and I kind of like looked at each other. There’s a lot of memories here. A lot of games here.

“I’m going to miss it a lot.”

So will their coach.

Eric Orne started coaching them in the seventh grade, guiding Quincy Catholic to a third-place finish in the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 3A state tournament. The team then captured the crown as eighth graders.

When Thursday’s game ended and parents and friends had taken over the floor, Orne quietly made his way to the team bench and put his head in his hands.

He took a moment to reflect and smell the roses.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” he said. “I want to make sure I’m fighting hard for these kids. I want to make sure they’re prepared. I want to make sure they’re loose. I want to make sure the pressure is not on their shoulders, so they can go out and do their job.

“But it’s normal for the memories to sneak into your subconscious, to be a thought in your mind. I go on my daily walk (around the upper level of the Pit), and that’s a time that I think about it and embrace it. But when practices start and games start, you have to play them out. We knew tonight was going to be tough, and it proved to be tough. But we’ll enjoy this tonight.”

Orne figured Eftink and Schreacke would be special players. The rest of the followers of the QND girls basketball team found out in an early-season game against Keokuk (Iowa) during their freshman season.

“We had a really good group of kids that year,” he said. “But when we came out against Keokuk and they scored eight of our first 10 points, the momentum switch in our program flipped. We knew we were going to be respectable and a strong team again. That was big for us. That’s what they truly did. They spun our program back in the right direction.”

“Aw, that makes me sad to hear that,” Eftink said with a smile as she recalled the Keokuk game.

Preparations for the postseason will begin again soon enough. Thursday was a night to rejoice, remember and even cry a little.

“I’ve been playing here for four years, and that’s just been the routine,” Schreacke said. “Now I’m thinking, this is the last time …”

She bowed her head, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and fought to finish her sentence.

“That’s the last time I’m ever going to get to do that,” she said as her voice trembled. “That’s pretty hard to believe.”