Meanwhille, Karsyn Mette hit a jumper in the lane and Lexie Niebrugge connected from behind the arc to make it a one possession contest, 56-53, with 17 seconds still remaining. After Doyle hit her final free throw, Schumacher quickly scored, but there were just four seconds left.
The Lady Lions simply let the clock run out and began celebrating the first-ever trip to the state tournament for the Carterville girls basketball program.
“It was a tough locker room,” Thompson admitted a few minutes after the game had ended. “The girls are upset, as you can imagine. But I told them they had nothing to hang their heads about. They got beat by a good team that had a great shooting night, rebounded well and made their free throws down the stretch. That’s the mark of a very good team.”
The turning point of the game started near the end of the first half, just when it seemed like the Lady Shoes were about to seize control. Schumacher started a 9-0 run with a free throw. Niemerg converted a Carterville turnover into a 3-pointer and Niebrugge hit two free throws and also connected from long range.
With 2:13 to play in the second period, T-Town owned a 19-14 advantage.
But over the next 4½ minutes, the Lady Shoes were held scoreless, while the Lady Lions ran off 14 unanswered points.
It started in the final minute of the opening half. Barton, Doyle and Averi Vanderzille each scored to send Carterville to the locker room with a 20-19 edge.
Then to open the third quarter, Abbey Crain knocked down a pair of threes and Barton added a jumper to cap the 14-0 run. With 5:42 showing, Carterville was on top 28-19.
“We didn’t finish the first half strong and then came out flat in the third quarter,” Thompson noted. “We knew they were going to run those plays to start the second half. They always run that play and we practiced it. But we got tangled up, didn’t get her covered and she made the shots.
“That third quarter, especially, killed us,” Thompson added. “We panicked a little, but I’m not sure why. We certainly had a lull and it buried us. It’s hard to come back from that far down against good teams.”
THS got within five, but when Thompson buried a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter, Carterville carried a 37-29 edge into the final eight minutes.
Ciara Roepke made a pair of threes and Niemerg made another, but the Lady Lions continued to score as well. They led by 11 on three occasions and were still up by 10 when the Lady Shoes began their late surge.
Another factor was T-Town’s inability to handle Carterville’s trapping zone defense on a consistent basis.
“We just didn’t attack, especially early,” Coach Thompson said. “We didn’t get to the lane enough and didn’t mix up our shots. We relied on the three too often. We needed more movement and more confidence to take the mid-range jump shots.
“Finally, at the end, we attacked, but only when we absolutely had to, and it was effective,” Thompson added. “We should have done that the entire game.
“But I love the girls ‘never say die’ attitude. We needed to turn it on and the girls did that. We just ran out of time.”
Carterville had three players in double figures. Doyle led the way with 17 points, while Barton and Thompson both scored 16. Crain finished with 6.
“We knew they had four players that are capable of scoring 20 points any night,” Thompson said. “I give credit to Coach (Matt) Crain. He’s a great guy. I wish them all the luck at the state tournament.”
The Lady Shoes also had three girls reach double figures. Niebrugge led the way with a game-high 18 points, while Niemerg and Schumacher both added 13. Schumacher also pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
Coach Thompson will now say goodbye to five seniors – Claire Bushur, Ciara Roepke, Olivia Niemerg, Karsyn Mette and manager Leah Schumacher.
“I’m very proud of all of them,” Thompson said. “They led this team through the good times and bad. They’ve had a great four years. I think the world of these young ladies.”
The Lady Shoes finished the season with a 25-9 record. This was the fifth time in seven years T-Town reached the Elite 8 and they were seeking a third straight trip to the Final Four at the state tourney.
Carterville, now 31-2, will face Chicago Marshall (21-10) in the second semifinal game Friday at the Class 2A State Tournament, played at Redbird Arena in Bloomington. Chicago Marshall, which will be seeking a third straight state title, advanced after beating Seneca 65-35 in the Peotone Super Sectional. That game is set for 7:15 p.m.
The first semifinal will be between Pleasant Plains and Port Byron. The third place and championship games will be played at 5:30 and 7:15 Saturday night.
