Roaring to the finish: Peoria High bounces back to win third place at IHSA state finals

NORMAL — Peoria High caught a case of cold shooting and then rebounded to finish strong.

The No. 3 Lions went on a long scoreless stretch and eventually lost to top-ranked LaGrange Park Nazareth Academy, 48-35, in the Class 3A state semifinals on Friday.

Peoria High (29-4) rebounded to take home its program’s first state trophy, defeating No. 10 Deerfield 86-67 later Friday in the third-place game at CEFCU Arena.

“We couldn’t put the ball in the basket,” Peoria High coach Meechie Edwards said after the semifinal loss. “We struggled with that a little bit. I felt like we got stagnant a little bit. That ball got stuck quite often. … We took some shots, and some went in and out. It was unlucky.”

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Unfortunately, Peoria High matched its lowest offensive output of the season at the wrong time.

In a stretch of the second and third quarters, the Lions went 0-for-12 from the field, scoring one point when Allannah Jackson split a pair of free throws. All told, the Lions went from the 5:42 mark of the second quarter to the 12 seconds left in the third — a span of 13 minutes, 30 seconds — without scoring.

Danielle Ruffin’s steal and layup before the third-quarter buzzer ended Nazareth’s 32-1 push, sending Peoria High to the final quarter down 37-17.

“Things happen,” Peoria junior Aaliyah Guyton said. “We just couldn’t score. … We did try to keep our composure, try to stay tough mentally and we tried to get back and do everything we could to cut (the lead) short but some times things don’t go your way.

“You got to push forward.”

However, Peoria High broke a 5-5 to open the second quarter, using a nine-point run to lead 14-5.

Back-to-back layups from Guyton began the frame. Niasha Rutherford added a corner 3-pointer and a layup from Denali Craig-Edwards gave the Lions, who went 4-for-6 from the field to start the quarter, their largest lead of the game.

“At that moment there, I thought we executed everything to a T,” Edwards said. “I felt like our defense was really good. We were in the right spots, and it showed. ... We score points in bunches.”

But almost immediately following that push, Nazareth coach Ed Stritzel called timeout and changed defense. He implemented a half-court trap hybrid to try and speed up Peoria High.

“They’re such a tough team to play,” Stritzel said, “because once Peoria gets a lead on you, whether it’s 3 or 10, then they spread you out and they want to shorten the game.”

Get to know the Peoria High girls basketball team

• Meechie Edwards: 'What more can you ask for?' Peoria High's veteran coach is just enjoying the moment

• Aaliyah Guyton: How this Peoria High star keeps getting better, and why that one college hasn't offered

• Denali Craig-Edwards: Versatile Peoria High captain is the latest in this family's long basketball legacy

• Danielle Ruffin: How a supporting player emerged as Peoria High's unlikely playoff hero

• Allannah Jackson: They call her 'Action': Meet the 'super-duper heart' of Peoria High

This resulted in Nazareth (34-1)  — now winners of 29 in row — taking control of the game’s tempo. Danielle Scully’s drive, then 3-pointer from the right wing was all a part of a 10-point series for the Roadrunners.

The 6-foot junior finished with a team-high 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

“For me, it’s always that I have to get going in the first couple of minutes,” Scully said, “or else I don’t look for my shots. … It kind of opened up the rim a little bit.”

From there, Peoria High (27-4) went on its over quarter-and-a-half drought. In the fourth quarter, the Lions outscored Nazareth, 18-11 and didn’t allow them a field goal for the final 6:43 of the game.

Nazareth, which shot 10 of its 30 free throws in the fourth — making six in the quarter and 16 for the game — turned it over five of its 15 times.

“It was almost like we (got) hit and we were stung,” Edwards said, “We finally woke up by the time the fourth quarter was going.”

Guyton scored 12 of her game-high 16 points in those final eight minutes. The 5-foot-8 junior guard scored the game’s final seven points. She went 4-for-7 from the field in the fourth and finished 6-of-17 for the game.

“She’s a great player,” Nazareth junior Mary Bridget Wilson said, “so we wanted to try to get the ball out of her hands as much as we could, but we tried. You can only stop a player from scoring so many.”

Peoria High shot 28.9 percent (13-for-45) from the field, 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range and turned Nazareth over 12 times. Craig-Edwards added seven points with six rebounds and three blocks, while Ruffin had six points and five steals.

DePaul signee Grace Carstensen was limited to five points on 2-for-5 shooting for the Roadrunners, who outrebounded Peoria High 33-22 including 12 from Olivia Austin.

Third-place game: Peoria High 86, Deerfield 67

The Lions ended the season with their third-highest scoring output, behind only a pair of victories from November.

"This is unbelievable," Edwards told the IHSA following the third-place win. "These kids have worked so hard to get here. One of our goals was at the beginning of the year to make sure we try to get to the last weekend of the girls high school basketball (season). We were able to do it.

"We didn't win the whole thing, but we got third place. We were still able to walk out of here with a trophy ..."

Guyton led the way with 33 points on 11-for-18 shooting to go with 12 rebounds. Craig-Edwards also finished with a double-double of 16 points and 19 rebounds.

"To get here is really a big accomplishment for all of us," Guyton told the IHSA after the third-place victory.

Danielle Ruffin added 20 points and Niasha Rutherford 12 for Peoria High, which took control with a 12-2 push spanning the first and second quarters.

Aubrey Galvan scored 15 to lead Deerfield (29-7), which had four score in double figures.

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

Below are the live updates from the semifinal game at CEFCU Arena in Normal.

Nazareth 48, Peoria High 35, final

The Lions will play for third place in Class 3A at 7 p.m. Friday.

11:42 a.m. - Peoria High trying to rally

Nazareth leads Peoria High by 15 with 2:27 to play

11:34 a.m. - Peoria High scores 9 points in the 4Q

Nazareth up 42-26 on Peoria High with 3:54 to play

11:22 a.m. - Nazareth 37, Peoria High 17 after 3Q

Danielle Rufin gets a steal and layup to snap an 0-for-12 stretch for Peoria High

11:16 a.m. - Peoria High still scoreless since 5:42 of 2Q

Nazareth up 34-15 with 1:26 to play 3Q

11:09 a.m. - Peoria High on a scoring drought

Nazareth 30, Peoria High 15 with 4:05 to play 3Q

11:02 a.m. - Nazareth gets a bucket to start the 3Q

Peoria High trails 21-15 with 6:40 to play 3Q

10:44 a.m. - Nazareth 19, Peoria High 15 Halftime

Nazareth scores the final four points of the half to go into the locker room with a lead.

10:36 a.m. - Peoria 14, Nazareth 13 - 3:54 left 2Q

Peoria High went on a 9-0 run to open the quarter. Naz responses with an 8-point run of its own.

10:27 a.m. - Peoria 5, Nazareth 5 after 1Q

Peoria High junior Allannah Jackson with a steal and layup to end the first quarter.

10:17 a.m. - Peoria High trails Nazareth, 3-0 mid-1

The Lions haven't scored yet, but have the ball coming out of the media TO.

9:49 a.m. - Roughly 15 minutes until tip

Teams are warming up now. Peoria High has a nice student section on hand.

Starting lineups for today's game:

• Peoria High: Niasha Rutherford, Danielle Ruffin, Denali Craig-Edwards, Aaliyah Guyton, Allannah Jackson

• Nazareth: Mary Bridget Wilson, Olivia Austin, Grace Carstensen, Danielle Scully, Amalia Dray

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Roaring to the finish: Peoria High rebounds to win third at state finals