(Photo by Jake Johnson/YouNameItSports)
By Nick McClintock
HOOPESTON – Central Catholic took their first lead at the midway point of the first quarter, and battled back in the final quarter to give them a Sectional Championship win over Champaign St. Thomas More Thursday night in Hopeston, 48-46.
The first quarter saw the Lady Sabers jump out to a 4-0 lead before a Lexi Davis three got Central Catholic on the board. Davis would later hit another triple midway through the quarter to give the Saints a 12-9 advantage. The two squads battled through the rest of first en route to a 14-13 Central Catholic lead.
The second quarter saw the Central Catholic lead swell to double digits, after back to back three-pointers by Shannon Lewis. The Lady Sabers couldn’t' contain the Saints long range attack, giving up five triples in the first half. When both teams went to the locker room at the half, Central Catholic was up by 10, 30-20.
The third quarter saw a resurgence for Champaign St. Thomas More, as the Lady Sabers decided to go inside on the Saints, with nearly every basket inside the arc going in. St. Thomas More would take the lead after a 12-0 run that took over six minutes of game action. The rest of the third was a back and forth affair both the two teams, eventually seeing the Saints go the final quarter down by one, 36-35.
The final quarter saw both team battle it out with the score increasing, but the margin not. The contest really started to heat up in the final 30 seconds. With the Saints down three, Davis drove inside, hitting the shot and drawing the foul. Davis would hit the free-throw to tie up the game. On the ensuing possession, Sydney Shanks stole the inbound pass, and gave it to Davis for the go ahead basket. Shanks would continue to wreak havoc on the Lady Sabers down the stretch, causing two more turnovers.
Lexi Davis finished the game with 16 points, leading all scorers. The Saints now will head to Decatur on Monday, with a matchup in the Class 2A Supersectional vs. Flora.
