Strong second half helps QHS girls notch 20th victory in regional semifinal over Collinsville

ALTON, Ill. — A little energy can go a long way.

The Quincy High School girls basketball team proved that Tuesday night when it rallied in the second half to defeat Collinsville 45-39 in a Class 4A regional tournament semifinal game at Alton High School.

Taylor Fohey scored 14 points and Asia Seangmany 11 to help Quincy raise its record to 20-11. Collinsville’s season ends at 14-18.

QHS found itself on the short end of an 18-15 intermission margin, which prompted Blue Devils coach Brad Dance to remind his players of how they got in that position and what needed to improve over the final two quarters.

“We didn’t play well in the first half. There was no energy from either team,” Dance said. “We turned the ball over a lot and just didn’t play very well. I told the girls we needed to turn up the defensive pressure and play with more energy in the second half.”

The girls listened.

Quincy, the No. 4 seed under the umbrella of the O’Fallon sectional, outscored No. 5 Collinsville 30-21 over the final 16 minutes to win its fourth straight game and advance to Thursday’s 7 p.m. regional championship against Alton.

Alton (30-1), the second seed in the sectional and ranked No. 3 in the state, thumped Granite City 81-28 in Tuesday’s other regional semifinal. Alton shared the Southwestern Conference title with top sectional seed and No. 6-ranked O’Fallon (28-4), which bombed Belleville West 71-21 Tuesday night at Belleville East.

Minutes after Quincy’s victory, Dance’s attention had already turned to Alton, which started its season 23-0 and was ranked No. 1 in the state before falling to O’Fallon 51-38. Thursday’s meeting will be Quincy’s second of the season with Alton. The Rebirds defeated the Blue Devils 55-35 in late December.

“This is going to be a big challenge,” Dance said. “I’d have to say Alton and Quincy Notre Dame are the two best teams we have played this season. The first time we played Alton, we were dealing with some of our players battling some sickness, but we’ll be ready (for the rematch).”

Alton boasts a balanced lineup with four players averaging in or near double figures, with 5-foot-3 Laila Blakney (13.9 ppg) and 5-4 Kiyoko Proctor (12.7 ppg) leading the way.