‘Oh my gosh’: Reed’s 3-pointer rescues Illini West, Kirkham’s free throws seal regional championship

CAMP POINT, Ill. — After being hounded by Karlee Marlow and the Central-Southeastern defense Friday night, Caydee Kirkham finally found a spot on the floor the Panthers couldn’t guard her.

The free-throw line.

Kirkham was limited to nine points — half of her season average — through regulation and the first 3 1/2 minutes of overtime. However, she made the only two free throws she shot in the game with 10 seconds remaining to help Illini West finally put away the tenacious Panthers 33-30 in the Class 2A regional championship game at Central High School.

“It was kind of nerve-wracking, but I just took a deep breath,” Kirkham said.

Kirkham then came through on the defensive end, blocking a 3-point shot from the corner by Central-Southeastern’s Lauren Miller with three seconds to play. She grabbed the rebound and dribbled out the final seconds.

Illini West (30-2) advances to the Class 2A sectional semifinals on Tuesday at Waverly against Alton Marquette, which defeated Staunton 65-48 in the regional at Roxana.

Kirkham wouldn’t have had a chance to put the game away were it not for the heroics of freshman Reagan Reed.

Illini West trailed 27-26 and had two chances to take the lead in the final 20 seconds of regulation play. However, Kirkham’s 10-footer and a 3-point shot by Reed both missed the mark. Miller grabbed the defensive rebound on Reed’s miss, and she was fouled with 5.8 seconds remaining.

The freshman, who led the Panthers with 10 points, made two free throws to give the hosts a 29-26 lead.

“We called a timeout after (Miller) shot the free throws, and I was kind of a little down,” Kirkham said. “My freshman year, we lost regionals here, and I flashed back to that. And I thought it was  going to happen again.”

Illini West had to go the length of the court for the tying bucket. Kirkham caught an inbounds pass from Hallie Ray, took two dribbles and heaved a pass to Reed along the left sideline. Reed took one dribble to her right and, with Libby Ippensen in her face, tossed up an off-balance 3-pointer that rattled around the rim and fell in as the buzzer sounded.

“It just came to me, I was just like praying, ‘Go in,’” said Reed, who hit a game-winning shot against Brown County in Central’s other gymnasium earlier this year. “I didn’t know if it was going to go in. I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I’ve got to do something because there’s like five seconds left.’ I was like, I have to shoot this. And then I made it. And then I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’”

“Honestly, I was just watching (Reed’s shot) go in there, and I was like, ‘That might go in,’ Chargers coach Grant Surprenant said. “Then I was like, ‘Wait a second.’ Then honestly, when it went in, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that just went in.’ And the place erupted.

“Wow, what can you say? It was a great high school atmosphere. This is what high school basketball is all about. I’m so glad that all these players got an opportunity to play in a game like this because they missed out on the postseason last year.”

Central-Southeastern coach Matt Long said his team discussed fouling in the final seconds of regulation.

“Maybe we had one in the backcourt (when Brilyn Lantz reached in before Kirkham made her pass),” he said. “It was a physical game, and they really did let things go on both ends of the floor. It was nobody’s fault. It’s just the way the game was. The Reed girl hit a one-in-a-million shot, and that happens.

“I told the kids it just wasn’t our moment. It wasn’t our turn. It wasn’t our time.”

The score was tied at 12 at halftime, but a 3-pointer with five seconds left in the third quarter by freshman Karly Peters put C-SE ahead 21-18. Illini West had more turnovers (19) than points (18) entering the fourth quarter.

The Panthers, who finished with a 21-11 record, took their biggest lead at 23-18 with 6:55 left in the game after a layup by Miller. However, back-to-back steals by Kirkham and Reed led to layups, and a 15-foot baseline jumper by Ray with 2:01 remaining put the Chargers ahead for the first time since the first quarter at 24-23.

C-SC’s Brylin Lantz and Illini West’s Rylie Reed traded baskets, then Miller hit an eight-foot shot in the lane with 52 seconds to play to put the hosts ahead 27-26.

“It’s one thing to come out and you don’t play well, and we played tonight not without mistakes,” Long said. “But you know, I’ve been coaching for 33 years, and I think that might have been one of the top three most courageous efforts I’ve ever seen a ball club for us put on. That’s what I’m most proud of.

“I’d rather lose like that than win tonight and not have the effort and the courage that we showed.”