‘You just don’t want it to end’: Raiders to play for state championship after confidence-soaring victory in semifinals over Panthers

NORMAL, Ill. — Redbird Arena can’t exactly be called cavernous, but the shooting background can create a need for an adjustment.

Blair Eftink didn’t seem to mind, especially when 3-pointer after 3-pointer kept falling during warmups.

“Abbey (Schreacke) was telling me the depth perception was a lot different than where we normally play,” Eftink said. “When I was hitting them in warmups, I was like, ‘I’ll be fine. Not to worry about it.’ It was good to have that confidence going into it.”

When two of the first three shots she took Thursday afternoon tickled the twine, confidence soared — for everyone.

The Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team’s first three made field goals were 3-pointers and the rhythm the Raiders developed never vanished. They shot 47.1 percent from 3-point range, got a boost from a pair of Schreacke buzzer-beaters and ruined Pana’s 31-game winning streak with a 56-44 victory in the Class 2A state semifinals at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena.

“It feels like we truly worked for this,” junior point guard Lia Quintero said. “I think we deserve it.”

The Raiders (29-3) will face Winnebago (35-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday in the state championship game. The Indians defeated Minonk Fieldcrest 51-47 in the other semifinal and spent a majority of the season ranked No. 1 in Class 2A.

“We have our work cut out for us, but what a great opportunity to take these young ladies and go do that,” QND coach Eric Orne said.

It had the Raiders emotional and elated thinking about the opportunity.

“There’s nothing like it ever in my life that I have experienced,” senior forward Eryn Cornwell said. “I wouldn’t trade this for the world.”

The manner in which the Raiders fought for each other is making this run more meaningful.

Sage Stratton got QND’s opening barrage started with a 3-pointer from the left corner. Eftink, who scored a game-high 18 points, followed with a 3-pointer from the left wing. She then hit another trey from the left corner two possessions later to give the Raiders a 9-6 lead with 5:05 to go in the first quarter.

Schreacke, the first team all-stater averaging nearly 26 points per game, had assists on all three 3-pointers, and QND never trailed after that.

“Everyone being involved really helps all of our confidence,” said Quintero, who had nine points. “We can get Abbey involved and we know she can score, but having her trust us to do the same, it really helps our team bond all over the court.”

Orne had an inkling a smooth start was coming.

“I just knew we were going to play well,” Orne said. “Coming off the game we had in the super-sectionals, we were freer. We had good practices. We were back to playing our brand of basketball. The flow was good. The vibe was good.”

Buzzer-beating 3-pointers by Schreacke at the end of both the first and second quarters enhanced the vibe.

She hit the first buzzer-beater from the top of the key for a 16-7 advantage. The lead stayed steady until the Panthers went on an 8-0 run to get within 24-23 with 1:16 remaining in the first half. Eftink’s two free throws pushed the lead to three, and Schreacke buried an off-balance, fling-it-from-the-hip 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 29-23 halftime edge.

“That has to really deplete the momentum they had going,” Cornwell said.

Still, it was no time to settle for being ahead.

“We kept telling each other, ‘We can’t be satisfied,’” said Schreacke, who finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.. 

They weren’t. Back-to-back baskets by Quintero and a layin by Eftink off a Schreacke assist extended the lead to 39-27 with 3:33 to play in the third quarter after Pana had crept within five points. The Panthers trimmed the deficit to single digits only once thereafter.

“We just needed one more break to kind of kick it down the floor,” Pana coach Brent McKinney said. “Now maybe things change for them. Maybe they get a little bit tired. Maybe they get a little more panicky and turn the ball over. That didn’t happen.”

A Schreacke three-point play, an Eftink 3-pointer and a Cornwell putback extended QND’s lead to 16 points and put the game away. Pana all-stater Jillian Hamilton had 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting from the field as the Panthers shot just 33.3 percent overall.

“When we come into our huddle, we know we have to go back out fighting harder than ever before,” Cornwell said. “That’s what we did today.”

It’s why Orne senses something magic happening.

“This group’s special,” Orne said. “They’re gritty. They believe in each other. And they make some fantastic plays. It’s amazing sometimes how much inspiration I get from them. They just keep loving it. They’re like, ‘On to the next step, Coach Orne.’”

The next one is the biggest one yet.

“You just don’t want it to end,” Schreacke said.