By Fred Kroner
Mahomet-Seymour’s eighth-grade girls’ basketball team lost an overtime game on Saturday (Dec. 11) at Riverton in a contest that would have earned the school a state trophy had it won.
The Bulldogs dropped a 33-29 overtime decision to undefeated Lake Zurich North (25-0) in the IESA Class 4A state quarterfinals.
“We felt very good about the matchup after extensive scouting and preparation,” M-S coach Jimmy Lanphear said. “The game started well for the Bulldogs as they took control of the game early.
“The ladies entered halftime with an 18-9 lead and were able to extend that lead (to 11 points) entering into the fourth quarter.”
M-S carried a 25-14 lead into the final quarter, but Lake Zurich North went on an 11-0 run to force OT.
“The Bulldogs were stifled offensively in the fourth quarter and faltered on the defensive side of the ball, allowing the Wolves from Lake Zurich to chip away at the lead,” Lanphear said. “With the Bulldogs up by five with about 40 seconds left, the Wolves resorted to fouling to stop the clock.”
The Bulldogs didn’t help their cause, finishing 0-for-5 at the line in the final stanza.
Lake Zurich forced OT in the final five seconds, netting its only three-pointer of the game to create a 25-25 deadlock.
Ava Yeakel led the Bulldogs with 10 points. Erin Dallas added seven points. Lily Bosworth and Alivia Lewis contributed four points apiece. Hailey Bell and Hannah Creel both netted two points.
Other squad members on the state roster were Kimberley Schoonover, Paislee Welge, Makenzi Haskett, Maddie Pilkington, Anna Streicher, Kalista Granadino, Kate Severns, Ava Hewitt and Maddie Rynhout.
The M-S eighth-graders reserved a state berth on Wednesday (Dec. 8), topping Effingham, 34-24, in an IESA Class 4A sectional championship game at home.
Yeakel led the Bulldogs with 14 points. Lewis and Creel each produced seven points.
Yeakel and Bosworth combined to make 4-of-6 fourth-quarter free throws. Effingham was 0-for-2 at the line in the last quarter.
M-S built a 13-6 first-quarter lead and Lanphear said, kept “coming up with key stops and baskets when they needed it, managing to increase the lead bit by bit.”
M-S (24-2) had a 21-game winning streak halted in the state quarterfinals. Nineteen of those victories have been by at least 10 points.
During their two-year run, the eighth-grade class had a cumulative 36-4 overall record.
Six different squad members led the team, or shared the team-lead, in scoring this season.
Yeakel led in 13 games, followed by Bosworth (seven games), Creel (three games), Lewis (two games), Dallas (one game) and Welge (one game).
Yeakel registered the top individual performance, with a 21-point game against Tolono Unity. Bosworth had a season’s high of 15 points.
This year marked the fifth time in school history that an eighth-grade girls’ basketball team had qualified for state. The other qualifiers were in 2009, 2001, 2000 and 1999. The 2001 team was the top placer, finishing fourth.
