Pittsfield girls can’t overcome disastrous start; Hillsboro earns shot to knock off Quincy Notre Dame

PITTSFIELD, Ill. — A sizeable crowd and a chance to win the first regional since 2009 created an atmosphere of excitement for the Pittsfield girls basketball team.

All of that, combined with Hillsboro’s defensive pressure, led to shaky start to Friday night’s Class 2A regional championship game at Voshall Gym.

The Saukees turned the ball over 17 times in the first 11 minutes of the game and fell behind by 16 points. They spent the rest of the night unsuccessfully trying to overcome that mountain of mistakes, and Pittsfield’s season ended with a 56-39 loss.

Hillsboro (20-11) advances to the sectional at Pleasant Plains and will meet No. 1-ranked Quincy Notre Dame (31-1), the defending Class 2A state champions, at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals. Pittsfield finishes with an 18-14 record.

Saukees senior Ellie Ten Eyck said she could sense the game getting out of control early.

“We were definitely trying to play a fast-paced game, and that’s not really what we do,” she said. “The gym was packed tonight, and we’re not used to that. Then their press kind of startled us, even though we’ve handled presses before. This game seemed more important. We tried to break the press to score, but that’s not our game. Our game is keeping our heads on and keeping our cool. 

“Once we got that figured out, we were fine. It just took us 10 minutes.”

Pittsfield only trailed 10-7 in the first quarter after a layup by Ten Eyck. However, the Saukees then had seven turnovers, two missed field goals and two missed free throws to close the quarter as Hillsboro led 17-7.

“We thought our press could give them some problems, and we really worked hard on it the last couple of days and did a really good job,” Hilltoppers coach Bret Tuetken said. “We got off to a quick start, and that’s key. It’s easier to play from ahead than from behind.”

Lainie Marable made two free throws to open the second quarter for Pittsfield, but the turnover troubles persisted. The Saukees turned the ball over seven times and missed four shots in the first three minutes of the quarter. Two free throws by Tatum Christian put Hillsboro ahead 25-9 with 5:02 to play in the half.

“They sped us up, and then when we broke the press, we weren’t able to slow down and get into a half-court set,” Pittsfield coach Matt Henry said. “That was exactly what we didn’t want to have happen.

“It comes from a good place. They wanted to go fast, they want to make the basket, they want to make the pass. I always tell them singles win the game. We don’t need a home run. You don’t have to make that 60-foot pass to a girl diving to the basket.”

Once the avalanche was complete, Pittsfield played straight up with Hillsboro. The Saukees outscored the Hilltoppers 10-2 to end the first half, forcing Hillsboro to miss 13 out of 14 shots in the final five minutes.

Pittsfield then got within 31-23 early in the third quarter after Madison Frieden scored on a layup and an offensive rebound. The Saukees got within 10 points on six other occasions in the second half, but they never could get any closer.

Marable’s layup with 2:18 remaining in the game cut Hillsboro’s lead to 49-39, but the Hilltoppers made seven of eight free throws to seal the victory.

“We never got those 10 points back,” Henry said. “We spotted them those 10 points, and when you’re playing in regional championship against a solid team, it’s going to be hard to get them to give up 10 points.”

Layne Rupert led Hillsboro with 15 points, and Alex Frailey scored 14. Marable led Pittsfield with 14 points, and Ten Eyck chipped in with 10.

Next up for Hillsboro is a formidable Quincy Notre Dame team that has won 61 of 65 games during the past two seasons.

“We’re going to have to play an excellent game,” Tuetken said. “We’re going to have to take care of the ball and shoot well. They’re so deep, and they’ve got shooters all around. It’s going to be a tough ask, but we’ll go and prepare for it and see what we can do.”