Muddy River Showcase Spotlight: Quincy Notre Dame’s Lia Quintero

The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door.

QUINCY — The bookends of Lia Quintero’s high school career were less than ideal.

The pieces in between were remarkable.

The recent Quincy Notre Dame graduate played on two state championship teams — the Raiders won the Class 1A state soccer title and the Class 2A state basketball title in 2022 — while also collecting two other state medals for a fourth-place soccer finish in 2021 and a third-place basketball finish in 2023.

She also was a two-time state qualifier in tennis.

Now imagine what else would be on resume if the COVID-19 pandemic had not impacted her freshman year and a knee injury hadn’t sidelined her for a major chunk of her senior year. Still, she will be remembered as one of the best singles players on the tennis courts, one of the most dynamic scorers on the pitch, and a hard-nosed competitor on the hardwood.

The QND Hall of Fame will come calling for Quintero in the years to come.

Quintero will represent QND on the Illinois squad for the second Muddy River Showcase, taking place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center.

Here are six things you should know about Lia Quintero:

Where you plan to go to college: Truman State University

What you plan to study: Biology

Reason you wear your number: I randomly chose No. 1 when playing Quincy United in grade school and just stuck with it. Now, I wouldn’t want to change it for anything else. 

Favorite high school basketball memory: When I had too much momentum going in for a layup at state and tackled the camera man.

Best piece of advice you have ever received: You have to grind through the tough moments — QND coach Eric Orne.

Best advice you’d give younger teammates: Push yourself to your limits and leave everything you have on the court/field because once those moments have passed you can’t get them back.