Raiders fend off pesky Saukees, escape with road win in battle of state-ranked teams

PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Ari Buehler knew the Pittsfield girls basketball team would not go away.

“They’ll fight,” said Buehler, Quincy Notre Dame’s junior point guard. “They’ll keep coming back.”

So will the Raiders.

“We’re not going to step down when things get hard,” Buehler said.

So when the Saukees erased an 11-point third quarter deficit and took a 49-47 lead on a Lila Simon layup and free throw with 1:52 left in the fourth quarter on Monday night, Buehler and her backcourt mate Sage Stratton never flinched.

Twenty seconds after Simon’s three-point play, Buehler knocked down a 3-pointer from the right corner to give the Raiders a one-point lead, one that would stand up thanks in large part to two steals and four free throws by Stratton in the final 20 seconds. The Raiders, ranked second in the Associated Press Class 3A state poll, escaped Voshall Gymnasium with a 54-49 victory over the Saukees, the No. 9 team in Class 2A.

“It was definitely a little bit of a roller coaster,” Stratton said.

After Buehler’s lead-flipping triple, Pittsfield freshman guard Reese Ramsey had chances to give the Saukees the lead on each of their next three possessions, but she could not get any of her shots to fall. On her third attempt — a short jumper with QND leading 50-49 and 25 seconds left — Raiders junior forward Tristan Pieper lost the ball out of bounds while trying to secure the rebound, giving the Saukees an opportunity under the Raiders basket. 

However, Stratton stole Simon’s inbounds pass and was fouled immediately by Madison Frieden, but the Saukees had to foul two more times to put the Raiders in the bonus. Sophie Gengler fouled Buehler, then Lincoln McCartney fouled Stratton, sending the senior guard to to the free throw line with 16.1 seconds left.

“I’m definitely used to those moments,” said Stratton, who has played in two state tournaments in her career. “It wasn’t anything that was new to me. I just really took my time and really just had the mindset that it was just me and the basket.”

Raiders coach Eric Orne never doubted Stratton.

“That’s who we want to have the ball,” Orne said. “She’s been in those situations. When she ends her career, nobody is going to have played more Lady Raider basketball games than she has. She knows the moment.”

Stratton sank both foul shots, giving the ball back to the Saukees down by three.

On the ensuing possession, Pittsfield coach Noah Mendenhall called timeout as McCartney caught a pass near the Saukees’ bench with 10.8 seconds left. The Raiders still had a foul to give, so Stratton fouled Ramsey on the inbounds pass, taking another 1.4 seconds off the clock.

“We work on those last minute scenarios,” Stratton said. “In that last timeout, we knew we had that one foul to give, so I gave that one foul and got some time off the clock, then we just made sure we kept our hands up.”

Stratton did more than just keep her hands up. She ripped the ball away from Saukees sophomore forward Deeghan Allen as Allen tried to make a play. Stratton took off down the floor, running the clock down to 4.3 seconds before Ramsey caught up to her and fouled her.

“I got that ball and just took off with it,” Stratton said. “I was trying to run away so we could waste more time and they couldn’t get the foul. (Ramsey) ended up fouling me, which I wasn’t mad about because I knew I was ready to make two more free throws to seal the game.”

Stratton calmly sank both free throws to ice the game for the Raiders (17-1).

“I practice these moments,” Stratton said. “I practice my free throws a lot. It’s just repetition. I knew that all I had to do was just breathe. It was just me at the line in that moment, and that was all that mattered.”

Mendenhall credited the Pittsfield faithful for coming out in droves to support the previously undefeated Saukees (17-1).

“It was just a great atmosphere to be a part of, I tell you what,” Mendenhall said. “Shoutout to the fans, Saukee Nation for showing out. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a girls game and seen the stands filled. It was a special moment, especially for the girls to be able to come out and play in front of a crowd like that.”