Titans take out another top seed, set up title game showdown with undefeated Saukees

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — The Pittsfield girls basketball team better be aware of what West Hancock is doing.

The Titans are chopping seeded opponents down to size.

West Hancock, seeded 10th in the Beardstown Lady Tiger Classic, upended a higher seeded opponent for the third straight game Saturday night, knocking off sixth-seeded Carrollton 48-47 in overtime to earn a spot in Monday’s championship game.

The Titans already had beaten seventh-seeded Havana and second-seeded Abingdon-Avon to advance. Next up is Pittsfield, the undefeated No. 1 seed which beat Brown County 60-53 in the other semifinal.

The title game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday in the Beardstown High School gym.

Getting there meant West Hancock had to show some resolve.

The Titans trailed 11-7 at the start of the second quarter before going on a 12-2 run in which five different players scored. A 3-pointer by Grace Grothaus with 32.9 seconds remaining in the first half ensured the Titans took the lead to the locker room, holding a 25-22 advantage,

A nip-and-tuck second half stayed that way until West Hancock’s Jalyn Climer made a pair of free throws with 1:12 to go in regulation to tie the game at 41, and neither team scored thereafter to send the game to overtime.

Carrollton scored the first three points of the extra period before West Hancock’s Dee Dee Church converted from the block to make it 44-43 with 2:55 to play. The Titans took the lead with 2:30 to play on Church’s two free throws and extended the lead to 48-44 with 21.5 seconds to play after Grothaus scored on a drive and then split a pair of free throws.

Climer finished with 16 points, while Grothaus had 15.

In the other semifinal, Brown County got off to a solid start and led Pittsfield 18-15 a minute into the second quarter. However, Lincoln McCartney’s layin off a Lila Simon steal and Deeghan Allen scored after an offensive rebound for a 19-18 lead.

The teams traded baskets before Sophie Gengler buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to give Pittsfield the lead for good. Reese Ramsey made a 3-point to make it a 30-24 advantage at halftime. In the second half, the Saukees (13-0) maintained a lead the bobbed between three and eight points throughout.

Ramsey led Pittsfield with 20 points, while McCartney had 11 points and Madison Frieden added 10 points.