By Jim Piacentini
In IHSA Sectional Semi-Final competition on Tuesday, February 20, the St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans were no match for the Lady Blue Devils, who easily took the win, 35-21. The Blue Devils have faced the Spartans twice this year and managed victories in both contests.
The Blue Devils came out on fire and, by the half, had a commanding lead, 21-15. The second half also was all Blue Devils, as they outscored the Spartans 14-6. It was their night both on offense and defense, with the ladies recording only 5 fouls for the entire game. The Blue Devils were led by Madi Schroeder with 16 points, while Addie Graffeo and Ashley Renwick each tallied 7 points.
Then on Thursday, February 22, in championship playoff competition, the Blue Devils traveled to Gilman and faced the Watseka Warriors for the sectional championship title.
The game started off very slowly, and it seemed like neither team wanted to win. By the end of the first quarter, Peotone was down 4-7, but the second quarter wasn’t any better. Although the Blue Devils had only scored 12 points by halftime, Peotone still led, 12-11.
The second half was an improvement for both teams in the very low-scoring contest, and Madi Schroeder finished with a team high 16 points, while Addie Graffeo added 5.
On the night, the Lady Blue Devils had 10 turnovers. Watseka had 7 team fouls and only sent the Blue Devils to the charity stripe twice, but it was enough, and the Lady Devils held off Watseka. With seconds to spare, Addie Graffeo stole a Watseka ball bucket just before the final buzzer indicated the Blue Devils were Sectional Champs, 31-30, earning the first sectional title ever for the Devils.
The Lady Blue Devils now advance and are scheduled to meet the Robinson Maroons on Monday, February 26, at Tolono, with the game starting at 7 p.m.
