‘I feel heartbreak for the kids’: Bid for sectional title falls one point short for Notre Dame girls

Quincy Notre Dame's Jenna Durst tries to dribble past Chatham Glenwood's Rowann Law during the second half of Thursday night's Class 3A girls basketball sectional championship at MacArthur High School in Decatur, Ill. | David Adam photo

DECATUR, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team couldn’t have asked for a better player to step to the free-throw line. Sophomore Ari Buehler, who had scored eight points in the fourth quarter and expertly handled Chatham Glenwood’s unrelenting defensive pressure to keep the Raiders close, was fouled near mid-court with eight-tenths of…

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Stratton clamps down on another top scorer, leads QND girls to 31st regional title in school history

Quincy Notre Dame's Sage Stratton defends Jerseyville's Tessa Crawford during Thursday night's Class 3A girls basketball regional championship game at George Havens Gym in Jerseyville. | David Adam

JERSEYVILLE, Ill. — When Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne walked into the gym for practice on Tuesday afternoon, he noticed junior guard Sage Stratton was already shooting around. When Orne made eye contact with Stratton, he flashed the number two with his hand twice. Stratton quietly nodded and said, “I know.” Stratton…

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One off the checklist: Blue Devils lead wire to wire in victory over cross-town rival Raiders

Quincy High School's Leah Chevalier reaches back to grab a rebound during Tuesday night's girls basketball game against Quincy Notre Dame at the Pit. | David Adam

QUINCY — How well is the Quincy High School girls basketball team playing at the moment? “I think we’re probably playing the best ball we have all season right now,” senior center Taylor Fohey said following Tuesday night’s 47-24 victory over rival Quincy Notre Dame at The Pit. It would be difficult to dispute Fohey’s…

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Pieper helps QND girls pull away in second half to defeat South Shelby

Tristan Pieper, shown in a game earlier this season against Highland (Ill.), scored 16 points on Thursday night against South Shelby. | MRN File photo

SHELBINA, Mo. — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team held South Shelby to just 16 points in the second half in posting a 53-40 victory on Thursday night. The Raiders led 27-24 at halftime, and they made a concerted effort to get the ball inside to Tristan Pieper. She scored eight of her game-high…

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QND softball team ready to chase another regional title with potent lineup still intact

Quincy Notre Dame softball coach Eric Orne, right, is entering his 26th season at the helm, and he will have an experienced senior class featuring Laela Hernandez-Jones, left. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Eric Orne says the Quincy Notre Dame softball team is more interested in the long haul, rather than immediate dividends. “We hope to be playing our best ball in May,” said Orne, beginning his 26th campaign as QND’s head coach. “We’ve got a strong schedule designed to help us get ready for the…

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Photo gallery: QND celebrates girls basketball team’s Class 2A third-place state finish

The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball players prepare for their fire truck ride through Quincy on Tuesday in celebration of their third-place finish at the Class 2A state tournament. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — With spring break scheduled immediately after the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team won the third-place trophy at the Class 2A state tournament at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena, the welcome home celebration had to be put on hold. Tuesday, the Raiders finally were able to enjoy their fire truck ride and the…

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One for the Road: QND girls play first game outside Adams County in 45 days, steamroll Hillsboro in sectional semifinal

Quincy Notre Dame's Abbey Schreacke, right, dribbles past Hillsboro's Kenadie Carlock during Tuesday night's Class 2A sectional semifinal game at Pleasant Plains High School. | David Adam photo

PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. — After playing 13 consecutive games in Adams County, Quincy Notre Dame coach Eric Orne thought his team needed to pack its bags and hit the road. The Raiders were 16-0 at The Pit this season, concluding with an emotional and demanding 54-43 victory over Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in the championship game…

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Eftink’s steal and score provides fourth-quarter spark as QND girls advance to sectional

Quincy Notre Dame's Blair Eftink goes up for a left-handed layup over Sacred Heart-Griffin's Reese Watson during the championship game of the Class 2A girls basketball sectional on Thursday night in the Pit. Eftink stripped the ball from the Cyclones' Hannah Lambert and went in for the basket that gave QND a six-point lead with six minutes left in the game. | David Adam

QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team was in unexpected trouble. The No. 1-ranked team in Class 2A led comfortably 47-31 with about five minutes left in the third quarter of Thursday night’s regional championship game at The Pit. However, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin went on a 14-2 run, culminated by Caroline Lambert’s backdoor…

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Adam: ‘I’m going to miss it a lot’; Schreacke, Eftink cherish final game at The Pit

Senior Abbey Schreacke, right, holds the regional plaque as her Quincy Notre Dame teammates come to celebrate after Thursday night's Class 2A girls basketball regional championship game at The Pit in Quincy. | David Adam

QUINCY — A range of emotions washed over the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team in a matter of moments on Thursday night. First was a sense of relief after the Raiders thwarted an upset bid by Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, which got as close as four points in the fourth quarter before the hosts won…

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Top-ranked Raiders roll to regional victory over West Hancock; Illini West’s upset bid thwarted by No. 7 SHG

Quincy Notre Dame's Blair Eftink whips a pass under the arm of West Hancock's Alexa Gray during during Monday night's semifinal game in the Class 2A girls basketball regional at The Pit. | David Adam

QUINCY — One down. Six to go. The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team opened its quest for a second straight state championship with a 79-33 victory over West Hancock in the Class 2A regional semifinals Monday night at The Pit. Granted, QND (30-1) was a heavy favorite, but there was no chance of overconfidence…

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Second-quarter surge carries top-ranked Raiders to victory in milestone moment for Orne

Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne won his 500th career game Friday night when the Raiders beat Mascoutah 58-42 in the opening game of the Rumble on the River at John Wood Community College. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Eric Orne’s milestone moment came at home … sort of. The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach reached the 500 career victory plateau Friday night with a 58-42 victory over Mascoutah in the opening game of the four-day, 16-game Rumble on the River at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. Although the…

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After suffering 3-point loss at the Pit, Butler College Prep coach wants to see QND girls in state title game

Quincy Notre Dame's Abbey Schreacke, left, is guarded, from left, by Butler College Prep's Yahri Smith, Lanyra McGill and Xamiya Walton during Friday night's girls basketball game at the Pit. | David Adam

QUINCY — Butler College Prep girls basketball coach Xaver Walton got exactly what he wanted. The Lynx returned seven players from last year’s team that lost by three points to Minonk Fieldcrest in the Class 2A super-sectional. When Walton learned defending Class 2A state champion Quincy Notre Dame was looking for a team to play…

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Girls basketball Coach of the Year: Orne returning to bench brings championship back to QND

Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne, right, has led the Raiders to four state championships and seven state trophies in his 20 seasons on the bench. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — It’s better to burn out than fade away. Those words are in the lyrics to the rock anthem “Rock of Ages,” released by Def Leppard in May 1983. Four decades later, they still ring true. Eric Orne burned out, but he never faded away. Following the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball program’s fifth…

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Schuckman: In toughest of times, Raiders stand resolute as ‘pillar of strength’ for Orne

Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne finds his wife, Tracy, in the stands and enjoys a celebratory embrace after the Raiders beat Winnebago 63-56 in the Class 2A state championship game Saturday at Redbird Arena. Matt Schuckman photo

NORMAL, Ill. — Friday morning, the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball players filed into St. Augustine Catholic Church, the quaint centerpiece of a devout congregation in their coach’s hometown of Ashland. Their mission was two-fold. Say a solemn goodbye to Mary Sue Orne, the mother of Raiders coach Eric Orne who passed away in the…

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Another first-quarter outburst helps QND girls win third straight game

Quincy Notre Dame's Abbey Schreacke goes through four Warrenton defenders on her way to the basket during Saturday night's game at the Pit. | David Adam

QUINCY — The second verse was the same as the first. Twenty-four hours after using a 17-point run to close the first quarter and take command in a victory over Belleville Althoff, the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team scored 20 consecutive points to close the first quarter on its way to a 51-25 victory…

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Back from broken wrist, Eftink pours in 23 points for QND girls in victory

Blair Eftink goes up for two of her 23 points during Friday night's game at the Pit. Trailing the play are Belleville Althoff's Addison Leib, left, and Alaina Lester, and Quincy Notre Dame's Lia Quintero. | David Adam

QUINCY — Any worries about Blair Eftink’s broken wrist should be alleviated. The junior guard didn’t make any 3-pointers in the first half of Friday night’s game in the Gully Transportation Shootout at the Pit, but she made three in the second half and finished with 23 points in Quincy Notre Dame’s 72-31 victory over…

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Orne wants Schreacke to carry less of load, hopes Raiders will be more balanced

Quincy Notre Dame's Abbey Schreacke handles the ball during a game against Quincy High School last season. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — When Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne says he hopes junior Abbey Schreacke averages fewer points per game this season, he isn’t crazy. Schreacke, who averaged 25.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.5 steals and 3.4 blocks per game during a shortened sophomore season, has been contacted by and/or offered a…

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