Central-Southeastern’s closing kick cements victory over Unity in Lady Panther Classic pool play

CAMP POINT, Ill — Lauren Miller never broke a sweat, let alone panicked.

“We knew it was going to be a long game,” the Central-Southeastern sophomore said.

Long and grueling.

Miller and her CSE girls basketball teammates were not rattled when Unity bolted to a sizable advantage in the first quarter of Tuesday night’s showdown between the two West-Central Illinois small school basketball powers.

Fueled by Miller’s 19-point effort, CSE eventually overtook its backyard rival 35-30 to win Pool A in the 30th Lady Panther Classic. CSE scored eight of the game’s final 10 points to end Unity’s 13-game win streak.

The game was marked by one assertive defensive stand after another. There were few true momentum swings, only possession exchanges that allowed the combatants to catch their breath at the opposite ends of the floor.

“It’s always a battle with Unity,” said Panthers coach Matt Long, whose team is ranked eighth in Class 2A with a 16-2 record after winning its ninth game in a row. “It’s always a fun game to play and a fun game to watch.”

Both CSE and Unity advance to Thursday’s semifinals. The Panthers will play Pool B runner-up Illini West (14-8) at approximately 7:30 p.m., preceded by the other semifinal pitting Unity (21-2) and Pool B champion Brown County (19-2) at 6 p.m. Brown County downed Illini West 31-24 in Tuesday’s other contest.

Miller felt the Panthers rose to the challenge presented by the Mustangs’ quick start that saw Unity, ranked No. 2 in Class 1A, gain an 11-2 advantage midway through the first quarter.

“We always trust in one another that we can come back, even when we got down 11-2,” Miller said.

Long praised his team’s persistence.

“Our basketball IQ may not always be the best, but we were in attack mode,” he said. “We were down 11-2, but those girls never quit.”

Miller, a lanky 5-foot-10 guard who excels as a scorer, distributor and rebounder, has enjoyed two huge games in the tournament. She posted a career-best 27 points in a 50-39 victory over Lewistown on Saturday.

“And she’s just a sophomore,” Long reminded.

Miller grabbed seven rebounds with 6-foot-1 sophomore Amanda Stephens grabbing eight. Miller also had a blocked shot.

CSE rallied in the first half from its slow start to lead 17-15 at halftime and held a 25-21 margin going into the final quarter. But Unity senior forward and Quincy University commit Ashlynn Arnsman who was limited to two first-half points, scored 12 in the second half, including back-to-back buckets to move the Mustangs ahead 28-27 with 3:15 to play.

CSE’s 8-2 run down the stretch was cemented by freshman Karly Peters, who cashed in a pair of free throws with 2.7 seconds to play. That provided the Panthers with their final five-point margin.

“I thought we had a good effort and played through some bad possessions,” Unity coach Brad Begeman said. “Both teams played through a lot of bad possessions.”

Unity had defeated Liberty 77-23 and Lewistown 44-27 earlier in the tournament.

“We’re a (Class) 1A team and CSE is a (Class) 2A, so I’m very proud of my girls’ effort against them,” Begeman said.

Arnsman’s 14 points represented Unity’s only double-figure scorer. Kylee Barry netted six points. Arnsman was Unity’s top rebounder with six, helping the Mustangs to a 23-20 edge in that department.

CSE, which defeated Liberty (49-12) in its other tournament game, received eight points from Stephens.