Quick start, suffocating defense carry Hornets into Thursday’s regional championship

LEWISTOWN, Ill. — The second-seeded Brown County girls basketball team scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to extend its lead to 20 points and finish off a 63-41 victory over sixth-seeded Lewistown in Monday’s semifinals of the Class 1A Lewistown Regional.

Ahead 43-33 entering the fourth quarter after managing just eight points in the third, the Hornets’ full-court pressure finally took its toll on the Indians.

Katey Flynn opened the period with a 3-pointer, followed by two free throws by Klare Flynn and a traditional three-point play by Kaci McKeon. Katey Flynn then scored off a turnover to make it 53-33 with 5:57 to go.

The Hornets led by as many as 25 points before coaches emptied both benches.

Brown County, ranked sixth in the final Class 1A state poll and now 29-5, will face third-seeded Havana at 7 p.m. Thursday in the regional title game.

Lewistown used a 3-point barrage to open an 11-5 lead early in the first quarter. Twenty-one of the Indians’ first 28 points came on 3-pointers and they hit nine overall.

However, two 3-pointers by Klare Flynn and another by McKeon jumpstarted Brown County’s offense and enabled it to move in front 13-12. A suffocating defense led to a 12-0 run that made it 25-12 early in the second quarter, and the Hornets were on top 35-22 at halftime.

Klare Flynn finished with 17 points for Brown County, McKeon had 14 and Katey Flynn 12. Macy Mikulich had 15 points for Lewistown.

The Hornets sank 11 of 12 free throws in the second half and 17 of 19 overall. Lewistown was just 1 of 5 in the second half and 4 of 12 overall.