Photo gallery: QHS volleyball team falls in straight sets to O’Fallon in regional title tilt

Quincy High School middle hitter Madison Loos, center, hits the ball past O’Fallon’s Kayden Criss, left, and Gabby Behling during Thursday night’s Class 4A Collinsville Regional championship at Vergil Fletcher Gym in Collinsville, Ill. | Photo courtesy Tim Vizer Photography

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy High School volleyball team saw its season end with a 25-20, 25-18 loss to O’Fallon on Thursday night in the championship of the Class 4A Collinsville Regional in Vergil Fletcher Gym. Photographer Tim Vizer was there and put together this photo gallery for Muddy River Sports:

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Blue Devils struggle defensively in loss to Lancers in Class 4A regional championship game

Quincy High School pitcher Carlee Gilker allowed only three hits and no earned runs in two innings of work, but errors defensively behind her led to Belleville East scoring seven runs off Gilker in a 10-0 victory in the Class 4A Belleville East Regional championship. | Photo courtesy Max Bennett

BELLEVILLE, Ill. — When things began unraveling for the Quincy High School softball team, there was no chance of reeling it back in. The Blue Devils committed four errors and allowed seven unearned runs in the first two innings Saturday, leading to a 10-0 loss to top-seeded Belleville East in the championship game of the…

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Redbirds capitalize on free bases in knocking Blue Devils out in regional semifinals

Quincy High School left fielder Tykell Hammers had three hits and drove in two runs in the Blue Devils' 11-7 loss to Alton on Thursday in the semifinals of the Class 4A Alton Regional. | Matt Schuckman photo

ALTON, Ill. — The Quincy High School baseball team erased a three-run deficit once. Doing it twice was asking too much, especially when giving away free bases. Trailing Alton 3-0 after two innings in Thursday’s Class 4A Alton Regional semifinal, the Blue Devils rallied to take a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the…

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Blue Devils win first postseason game since 2012, ride confidence into regional title tilt

Quincy High School junior pitcher Carlee Gilker tossed a three-hit shutout Wednesday as the Blue Devils beat Collinsville 11-0 in the semifinals of the Class 4A Belleville East Regional in Belleville, Ill. | Matt Schuckman photo

BELLEVILLE, Ill. — The confidence the Quincy High School softball team carried into the postseason enabled the Blue Devils to do something Wednesday night that hadn’t happened in a dozen years. It also affords them the chance to accomplish something that hasn’t happened since the Illinois High School Association went to the four-class system at…

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‘Everything was big in that fourth quarter’: Blue Devils rally to keep season alive with regional championship

Quincy High School senior point guard Ralph Wires, right, accepts the Class 4A Edwardsville Regional championship plaque following Friday night's 49-42 victory over O'Fallon at Edwardsville, Ill. | Photo courtesy Matt Kamp

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. —  A hand injury has limited Ralph Wires’ ability to shoot the ball, but that didn’t stop the Quincy High School point guard from producing two of the biggest baskets Friday night. Wires made a pair of slashing drives to the lane on back-to-back possessions to ignite a game-closing 14-3 run for the…

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Improvisational skills: Wires sets up Thomas for game-winning basket on busted play as Blue Devils find way to survive

Quincy High School's Ralph Wires holds onto the basketball after making a steal with 25 seconds remaining in regulation against Alton in Wednesday night’s Class 4A Edwardsville Regional semifinal inside Lucco-Jackson Gymnasium in Edwardsville, Ill. | Photo courtesy Matt Kamp, Edwardsville Intelligencer

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — It wasn’t exactly how the Quincy High School boys basketball team drew up the final seconds of the Class 4A Edwardsville Regional semifinal against Alton, but it worked. Ralph Wires found a wide-open Keshaun Thomas in the post for the go-ahead basket with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation to send the second-seeded…

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Opportunity to stay with defending state champs eludes Blue Devils in regional championship loss

Quincy High School freshman forward Jada Brown, left, gets in position for a rebound during Thursday's Class 4A regional championship against O'Fallon in O'Fallon, Ill. | Photo courtesy Paul Baillargeon, Archview Photos

O’FALLON, Ill. — Brad Dance could feel how much the missed opportunities hurt. The Quincy High School girls basketball team trailed defending state champion O’Fallon 15-10 in the first quarter of Thursday night’s Class 4A regional championship, but had it not been for squandering a couple of offensive chances, the Blue Devils could have been…

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Photo gallery: QHS girls see 25-win season come to end in regional title loss to O’Fallon

Quincy High School guard Leila Dade, left, wipes her eyes after the Blue Devils suffered a 55-40 loss to O'Fallon in Thursday night's Class 4A regional champiosnhip game in O'Fallon, Ill. | Photo courtesy Paul Baillargeon, Archview Photos

O’FALLON, Ill. — The Class 4A sub-sectional the Quincy High School girls basketball team was assigned proved to be as challening as expected. The third-seeded Blue Devils suffered a 55-40 loss to second-seeded O’Fallon in Thursday night’s regional championship, ending Quincy’s season with a 25-7 record. Freelance photographer Paul Baillargeon put together this photo gallery…

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Strong start propels Blue Devils into rematch with Panthers for regional championship

Quincy High School's Leah Chevalier, left, and Myley Longcor trap Belleville East's Taylor Smith during Monday night's Class 4A regional semifinal at O'Fallon, Ill. | Photo courtesy Paul Baillargeon, Archview Photos

O’FALLON, Ill. — The Quincy High School girls basketball players didn’t get caught up in the scouting report or overly concern themselves with how Belleville East would attack. “They just want to go out and play and do what’s expected of them,” Quincy coach Brad Dance said. And they expected to earn a spot in…

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Photo gallery: QHS girls blitz Belleville East to reach regional title game

Quincy High School's Taylor Fohey, right, looks to get to the basket during Monday night's Class 4A regional semifinal against Belleville East at O'Fallon, Ill. | Photo courtesy Paul Baillargeon, Archview Photos

O’FALLON, Ill. — The Quincy High School girls basketball team scored the game’s first 17 points and rolled to a 68-30 victory over Belleville East in Monday night’s semifinals of the Class 4A O’Fallon Regional. The Blue Devils (25-6) will face O’Fallon at 7 p.m. Thursday for the regional championship. Photographer Paul Baillargeon of Archview…

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Second-set fight not enough for Blue Devils to knock off top-seeded Tigers in regional opener

Quincy High School's Kaley Summers, right, attempts to block a shot by Edwardsville's Addie Reader during Tuesday night's regional semifinal at Alton High School. | Photo courtesy Billy Woods, Edwardsville Intelligencer

GODFREY, Ill. —  Shelby Lee’s second block of the night came at the right time for the Edwardsville volleyball team.  The junior hitter rose high for a block to break a tie between top-seeded Edwardsville and seventh-seeded Quincy late in the second set Tuesday. On the next point, the Tigers wrapped up a 25-17, 25-23…

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Tigers rally from three-run deficit to end Blue Devils’ season in regional semifinals

Quincy High School right-hander Brady Lowe delivers a pitch during Wednesday's Class 4A regional semifinal against Edwardsville at Tom Pile Field in Edwardsville, Ill. | Photo courtesy Billy Woods, Edwardsville Intelligencer

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — The Edwardsville baseball team started this postseason how it ended last season. Winning in comeback fashion. The defending Class 4A state champion faced a 3-0 deficit to Quincy High School before coming from behind for a 6-4 victory in the Class 4A Edwardsville Regional semifinals on Wednesday at Tom Pile Field.  “Everyone’s…

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‘You have to stay with it’: Blue Devils rally from 14-point deficit to win regional championship

Quincy High School guard Tyler Sprick reacts to making the go-ahead 3-pointer with two minutes remaining in regulation Friday night in the Class 4A regional championship game against Collinsville at Blue Devil Gym. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Tyler Sprick said he never looked at the scoreboard, but he was fully aware of the situation the Quincy High School boys basketball team faced. No one went as far as to call it dire, but there was trepidation. Blindsided at the start of Friday night’s Class 4A Quincy Regional championship game as…

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Photo gallery: QHS rallies to beat Collinsville for Class 4A regional championship

The Quincy High School boys basketball team's bench celebrates late in the fourth quarter of Friday night's Class 4A Quincy Regional championship game against Collinsville at Blue Devil Gym. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The Quincy High School boys basketball team didn’t take the lead for good until Tyler Sprick made a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:55 remaining in regulation Friday night, but it cemented a rally from a 14-point deficit as the Blue Devils beat Collinsville 53-47 for the Class 4A Quincy Regional championship…

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Thomas, Blue Devils snatch spot in regional championship with dominant effort on glass

Quincy High School forward Keshaun Thomas positions himself to grab a rebound off a missed free throw during the second half of Wednesday's Class 4A regional semifinal victory over Alton at Blue Devil Gym. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — If Keshaun Thomas needs a part-time job in the coming years, a perfect one exists. Window cleaner. The way he pulled rebounds off the glass Wednesday night during the Quincy High School boys basketball team’s regional semifinal, there’s no one better suited for the job. The 6-foot-6 sophomore forward fought for two offensive…

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Blue Devils fight to bitter end, fall to Ironmen in Class 4A regional volleyball championship

The Normal Community volleyball team celebrates after beating Quincy High School in straight sets and winning the Class 4A Quincy Regional championship at the QHS gym. | Photo courtesy Libby Phelps

QUINCY — Quincy High School senior libero Carley Owsley wasn’t about to go down without a fight. “I was prepared for them to be all over the place and to make me move,” Owsley said Thursday night. “I wanted every ball.” And Owsley was able to dig a lot of them as the sixth-seeded Blue…

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