History awaited the Macomb High girls basketball team Thursday evening at Farmington.
But the team’s 46-32 loss to PORTA/A-C Central left it painfully short of winning the program’s first regional title since 2007.
Macomb concluded its season with a final record of 19-12. PORTA/A-C Central improved to 26-6, earning the Ladyjays a spot in this week’s Class 2A Sectional hosted by Macomb High at The Hangar.
“It was a tough game,” said MHS coach Justin Elbe. “You can see why they’ve won 26 games. We just couldn’t match them physically or their energy. We just had a hard time with that.”
“I didn’t think we wouldn’t match up with them well,” he added. “But that’s why you play the games.”
For the Bombers, part of the journey Thursday included the team bus breaking down on the way to the game.
Then, once arriving at Farmington, there was an announcement of a tornado warning in the southern part of Fulton County and for folks to be prepared to move to shelter.
Fortunately, that move to shelter was not needed. But once on the floor, the Bombers faced a different type of storm in the Ladyjays.
Macomb already entered the game short-handed after junior starter Aubrey Holthaus was unable to play after injuring her left ankle in the team’s semifinal win over IVC two days earlier.
Aubrey Vogel scored seven points in the opening eight minutes, including 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Brynn Duncheon also added a 3-pointer as the Ladyjays edged out to a 10-7 lead.
Jordan Hines had six points for Macomb, but the only other point came via a Destiny Monroe free throw at the 1:32 mark.
The second period saw a Sophie Wilson trey bring Macomb within 17-15 at the 3:07 mark before halftime.
But PORTA/A-C Central scored the next nine points in building a 26-15 advantage.
Allison Vogel’s 3-pointer from the corner opposite the Macomb bench started the run. Following a missed 3-pointer by the Bombers, Aubrey Vogel scored on a layup.
Macomb then turned the ball over on its next two possessions with Allison Vogel capitalizing, scoring on a pair of layups.
Hines stopped the run by scoring on a putback with 16 seconds remaining, but the Ladyjays took a 26-17 advantage into intermission.
“They come after you and they’re so balanced,” said PORTA/A-C Central coach Derek Schnapp of Macomb. “They have so many weapons. There is no one player to guard on that team.”
“We tried to switch up our defenses,” said Schnapp. “We did some man and we did a little 32 zone because we know they have shooters.”
“A lot of teams don’t see a 32,” he added. “But when you have three guards like Macomb that can shoot lights out, we decided we were going to have our guards up top bump and our inside people had to really talk and help out.”
“I think we mixed it up well enough to cause them problems.”
PORTA/A-C Central got baskets from Allison Vogel and Bren Bailey on a putback to give the Ladyjays a 30-17 lead, forcing Elbe to burn a timeout 72 seconds into the second half.
“We just tried to keep adjusting different things defensively and offensively,”said Elbe. “It just didn’t seem like anything worked well that we could stick with.”
Macomb managed just one basket in the third quarter, a trey by Wilson that closed the gap to 30-20.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie Miller scored five points and Allison Vogel added four more. By the end of the third period, the Bombers trailed 39-23.
“We knew they were going to bring the pressure,” said Schnapp. “They’re great about trying to speed you up and they’re very good at it.”
“We were a little concerned with their pressure. But we have some good guards too,” said Schnapp. “And that’s a good thing.”
“We made them take shots that we wanted them to take,” said Elbe of the third quarter. “Hard, long two-pointers. But then we didn’t get the rebound.”
“We were pressuring so hard, we couldn’t get to the backside,” he added. “They ended up having six offensive rebounds that quarter and scoring on four of them.”
The Ladyjays maintained control in the final minutes with the Bombers getting no closer than 11 points.
Wilson and Hines topped Macomb with 12 and 10 points respectively.
Lyles added a 3-pointer, while Reese Watson added two points.
As for the other seniors, Jordyn Shoopman scored a fourth quarter basket for MHS, while Monroe added a free throw. Dakota Thorman did not score.
Freshman Olyvia Clark closed out the Bomber scoring with a pair of fourth quarter free throws.
“I think a lot of people are surprised that they’ve done so well,” said Elbe of the team achieving 19 wins.
“It’s tough on the seniors. The seniors have meant so much to the program,” he added. “But I think these seniors this year have built that foundation for going forward and having a stepping stone to hopefully have even better years going forward.”
Allison Vogel topped PORTA/A-C Central with 18 points, 16 coming in the middle quarters.
Aubrey Vogel, who according to Schnapp was sick the previous two days before the game, added 14, 11 in the opening half.
“We just didn’t have any answer,” said Elbe of the Vogels. “I can’t be more proud of my girls,” said Schnapp. “They’ve worked so hard for this.”
It is the fifth regional title for a PORTA program celebrating its 50th season.
“It’s pretty sweet,” said an emotional Schnapp, as he choked back tears. “It means a lot.”
Sectional play at The Hangar Tuesday will have Downs Tri-Valley (29-2) facing PORTA/A-C Central (26-6) in the 6 p.m. game before West Hancock (27-3) plays Normal University High (18-14) in the second contest.
The title game is slated for Thursday at 6 p.m. The sectional champion advances to supersectional play at Pleasant Plains on March 2 against the winner of the Virden North Mac Sectional.
That sectional also begins Tuesday with Glen Carbon Father McGivney (27-6) playing Carlinville (14-17) in the 6 p.m. game before Pleasant Plains (27-2) battles Alton Marquette (19-12) in the second semifinal.
That sectional title game is also scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m.
