CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – It was perhaps fitting that the title of the sixth annual Blue Star Country Classic wasn’t determined until the final seconds of the penultimate game.
St. Thomas More senior Erica Wallen scored on a rebound bucket with 5.5 seconds left to lift her team to a 65-63 victory against Springfield Southeast on Tuesday night, the final evening of the five-day event.
When the games were complete, three teams – St. Thomas More, Springfield Southeast and Champaign Centennial – had finished with 4-1 records in the 10-school field. And there was no simple way to separate that threesome: Southeast beat Centennial, St. Thomas More defeated Southeast and Centennial topped St. Thomas More.
All three of those games were hard-fought battles, and the STM-Southeast game fell neatly into that theme. The Spartans, a Class 3A program, held an edge in athleticism against Class 2A St. Thomas More, but the Sabers’ pluck served them well in a game that should be beneficial for both teams as the season evolves.
“It just shows what kind of team we can be later on,” Wallen said. “It’s a true test of our ability.”
Freshman Tori McCoy had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Sabers, while sophomore Lexi Wallen added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Erica Wallen finished with 13 points and five rebounds, none bigger than the one she corralled in the final seconds off a McCoy miss. This marked the first time in Saber history that they had two players with double-doubles in a single game.
She was in the right place at the right time – but not by accident.
“(Coach Chris Mennig) always tells us that offensive rebounds are showing heart and character,” Wallen said. “And I really wanted to win.”
Senior guard Justice Collins, voted to the five-player all-tourney team, led Southeast with 27 points.
STM built a 13-point lead in the third quarter before the Spartans roared back, finally getting even with 1:18 to play, setting up a tension-filled final minute.
“I can’t thank Springfield Southeast enough for coming to this event,” said Mennig, Blue Star’s national evaluator and event coordinator. “It just continues to challenge all of our teams in this area. We talked about it before the game. This is a sectional-level type of game. It didn’t disappoint. You want as many of those types of games as you can get.”
An hour later, Centennial finished its tournament with a 53-17 victory against Danville, giving coach Susan Thomas her 100th career win.
There was no drama involved, the Chargers racing to a 29-4 halftime lead. Post player Chelsea Cross, bound for Truman State, had 10 points for Centennial.
The Chargers have two other players – guard Katelynn Martinez (Southern Illinois-Edwardsville), an all-tourney selection, and guard Chantal Meacham (Wheaton College) – who have made college commitments, but all of the Chargers received plenty of playing time Tuesday.
“When you’ve played your fifth game in six days, it’s time to get some fresh legs in,” Thomas said. “All of our girls work really hard in practice, so to get the opportunity to show that in a game is important for us.”
TOURNEY TIDBITS
Rantoul senior post Hannah Wascher joined Collins, Martinez, Champaign Central’s Laura Litchfield and St. Thomas More’s Junior Randa Harshbarger on the all-tourney team. Wascher hasn’t made a college decision, but she’s unencumbered by the challenges of the process.
“I’m able to stay focused,” said Wascher, who scored 25 points in Rantoul’s 39-26 victory against Bismarck-Henning. “I’m worried about what’s happening now, not my team in the future. I haven’t even thought about where I’m going to play. I want to take my team as far as we can go.”
The Country Classic featured the debuts of several new coaches in the area. Central’s Martin Pazanin, Danville’s Brian Anderson and Monticello’s David Ellars are in their first seasons with their respective schools. On the other end of the spectrum: Bismarck-Henning’s Mike Stephens was the most seasoned veteran, who entered the 20th season of his tenure with a career record of 377-149.
Final results for the Blue Star Country Classic can be found at this link
http://www.bluestarbb.com/images/results/CountryClassicTourn11-RESULTS.pdf
