Tuesday is sectional semifinal night for high school girls basketball around the state of Illinois. We’ll have a pair of games on the PCSN. On AM 1330/FM 95.7 WRAM, it’s the Monmouth-Roseville Titans taking the 1.5 hour trip to Mackinaw, Illinois for a class 2A sectional semifinal against the tournament hosts, the Deer Creek-Mackinaw Chiefs and their junior superstar Dalia DeJesus. As a freshman, DeJesus helped the Chiefs to a sectional semifinal win over the Titans in 2023. Just a junior, she’s already broken the Dee-Mack career scoring record, for both girls and boys, with over 1500 career points and put up 50 points in a game last month. The Chiefs bring a record of (30-3) into tonight’s match up against Monmouth-Roseville The Titans are (23-10) and are coming off a thrilling 44-41 4th quarter comeback victory over their conference rivals, the Sherrard Tigers, in the regional championship last Thursday night in Orion. Monmouth-Roseville senior Tatianna Talivaa led the comeback with 29 points in the victory. The Titans got off to a great start, leading 16-4 after the 1st quarter, but Sherrard would battle back to take a 4th quarter lead. Senior Brianna Woodard’s 3-point play with the Titans down 6 midway through the final quarter was a turning point in the comeback. Both Woodard and Talivaa are 1,000 point scorers for the Titan girls basketball program. Like DeJesus, Woodard has had a big-time scoring game, as she put up 41 points in the season opener. Monmouth-Roseville head coach Scott Weber says he’s proud of his girls for the comeback in the regional title game and they hope to take that momentum into tonight’s game against Dee-Mack.
Tip-off is set for 6:00, so our AM 1330/FM 95.7 WRAM pregame show will start at 5:40.
Our other game on the PCSN will be a class 1A sectional semifinal clash between the Abingdon-Avon Tornadoes and the Havana Lady Ducks on Sunny 97.7 WMOI. These former Prairieland Conference rivals have not met this season. An anticipated meeting at the Beardstown Holiday Classic Tournament never came to fruition with both suffering early tournament losses. A-Town is (28-4) and were ranked 2nd in the state in the final regular season class 1A AP Poll. Havana is (22-10) and received a single vote in that poll. The Ducks, two years removed from a 1A super sectional appearance, earned a #2 seed in the sub-sectional and defeated Mendon Unity in a regional final last week. Top-seed A-Town blew through the regional they hosted, getting a 29 point win over a solid Princeville and a 26 point win over Elmwood in the regional final. The Tornadoes are coming off a sectional championship appearance last season, falling to the eventual 1A state runner ups, Illini Bluffs. A-Town coaches, players and fans all had high expectations at the start of this season. Head coach Brent Dugan says most of the items on the wish list has been checked off but his team is looking to cross out even more.
The start time for the A-Town/Havana sectional semifinal is 6:00, so our Sunny 97.7 WMOI pregame show will start at 5:40. Both games can be heard on the radio, online at radiomonmouth.com or on our free 97.7 WMOI or 1330 WRAM apps for your smartphone or tablet.
Also tonight in girls basketball sectional semifinals in the Monmouth/Galesburg area….in class 3A, the (24-7) Galesburg Silver Streaks are in Ottawa for their match up against the state’s top-ranked team in 3A, the Washington Panthers. The Panthers are (32-1).
