Winnebago squashes Hall to earn first sectional title in 27 years

Winnebago squashes Hall to earn first sectional title in 27 years
By Doug Schroder
EDITOR
Winnebago’s Lady Indians have been on fire in their push through the IHSA 2A playoffs. The girl’s team steam rolled to victories over Oregon, 83-44, and Byron, 81-48 to take the regional title on their home floor, then continued on to the Oregon Sectional where they thrashed Sherrard in the first game 60-23, and then topped it of with a squashing of Spring Valley Hall, 50-29, on Thursday, Feb. 14, to bring home the first sectional title by a ‘Bago girl’s team since 1992.
The game against Spring Valley Hall began in a way that would be indicative of how the night would go for the Lady Devils when they turned the ball over on the first two possessions.
Those two turnovers turned into seven in the first period, as the Lady Indians trapping and defensive pressure forced the turnovers and kept Hall shooting at just a 23 percent clip (3-of-13) as Winnebago jumped out to a 23-8 lead after one.
Bago kept the pressure up in the second period, but wasn’t fairing any better offensively than the Lady Demons were until the final 1:40 when they got hot for seven points, including a 3-pointer by Avery Williams at the buzzer that gave the Indians a 33-12 lead at the half.
Hall was able to regroup after the break and handled the Winnebago machine in the third period, doubling up Winnebago 14-7 in scoring and finishing the period down 40-26.
The lead shrank to 12 when Lady Devil Hanah Hart hit a pair of free throws with 7:18 left in the fourth period, but the Indians defense clamped down the rest of the way, holding Hall to just three points the rest of the game to come away to 50-29 final.
Winnebago’s next stop was at the super sectional in Dekalb on Monday night, Feb.18 against Class 2A 5th-ranked Chicago Marshall. If Winnebago wins that game the Lady Indians have punched their ticket to the Final Four. If Winnebago loses, congrats on the finest season in years.