Raiders fend off Mustangs with clutch free throws, win battle of state-ranked teams

MENDON, Ill. — A game-opening 17-3 run tends to break a lot of team’s spirit.

The Unity girls basketball team refused to be broken, and that nearly led to a comeback for the ages. Then came the realization Abbey Schreacke is wearing a Quincy Notre Dame uniform.

Having watched the Mustangs whittle the deficit to three points with two minutes remaining in regulation, Schreacke put the stamp on a 59-52 victory in a battle of state-ranked teams by going 6 of 6 from the free-throw line in the final minute with a steal and an offensive rebound in that span as well.

The Raiders, ranked second in the initial Class 2A state poll released earlier in the week, improved to 6-0, while the Mustangs, ranked fourth in Class 1A, fell to 7-1.

Schreacke was at the heart of the Raiders’ opening surge, scoring her first three buckets on drives from the high post — the first down the middle of the lane, the second going left and the third going right. She added a left-handed shot going to her left across the lane.

Junior guard Blair Eftink added seven points in the salvo.

QND led by 14 at the end of the first quarter and 16 at halftime, but the lead was down to 10 points by the middle of the third quarter and eight going to the fourth quarter.

Ashlynn Arnsman’s basket as she split two defenders and her assist on Caroline Knox’s field goal cut the Raiders’ lead to 46-40 with six minutes remaining. The Mustangs pulled within 50-47 with 2:13 to go on Kyra Carothers’ three-point play off a Taylor Nichols assist.

A Carothers drive with 35 seconds remaining and a Sophia Shaffer 3-pointer with 22.6 seconds to go each made it a three-point game, but the Raiders were clutch at the line. QND went 9 of 13 from the line over the final 1:10.

Schreacke finished with 24 points, while Eftink had 12 points and Lia Quintero added nine. Carothers finished with 11 points, while Brooklyn Stiefel and Knox each had 10 points.