Stout fourth-quarter defense propels QJHS to two victories, spot in state title game

RIVERTON, Ill. — One undefeated team was going to be denied the chance to play for a state championship

The Quincy Junior High School eighth grade girls basketball team made sure it wasn’t the one.

The Comets held Lake Zurich North to four points in the second quarter and single digits in all four quarters to post a 41-26 victory in the Class 4A state semifinals Saturday night at Riverton High School.

QJHS (23-0) will face Dunlap Valley Middle School (27-0) in the state championship game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The Spartans, who are part of the Dunlap School District, advanced with a 47-14 victory over Markham Prairie-Hills in the other semifinal.

Jada Brown led the Comets with 11 points, while Kaliyah Scott and Myley Longcor both added eight points.

In the state quarterfinals Saturday morning, QJHS advanced by beating Lockport Oak Prairie 35-22. The Comets outscored the Bulldogs 14-2 in the fourth quarter. Brown led QJHS with 15 points.

In the Class 2A tournament at Havana High School, Nauvoo-Colusa will play for a state championship, while Unity fell into the third-place game.

The Vikings (16-2) will face Teutopolis (29-0) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the title game after beating Lockport Kelvin Grove 48-14 in the quarterfinals and Wenona Fieldcrest 32-30 in the semifinals. Nauvoo outscored Fieldcrest 11-7 in the fourth quarter to advance.

Unity beat Paris Crestwood 35-17 in the quarterfinals before falling 27-23 to Teutopolis in the semifinals. The Mustangs were outscored 14-7 in the fourth quarter of their semifinal loss. Unity will face Wenona Fieldcrest in the third-place game at 6 p.m. Thursday.