Marshall 64
Trinity 47
The Trinity basketball team saw its dream of a trip downstate for the inaugural Class 3A State Championship dashed by Marshall 64-47 last week in the River Forest Sectional Final.
The Blazers (26-7) were the hosts to the higher seeded and ranked Marshall, but the home-court advantage was not enough against Dorothy Gators’ Commandos (23-7). The legendary coach brought a team to Sister Michelle Germanson Athletic Facility with a merciless full-court press and a rapid fire offense that in the end just plain wore out the Blazers.
The game opened with Marshall hitting a 3-pointer, which turned out to be the most unusual play of the game for the Commandos. After that, they rarely took a shot away from the lane unless it was at the charity stripe. It quickly became a game of runs for Marshall. Trinity would fight back to get within a point or two, only to see Marshall get some quick inside buckets to pull ahead again.
After falling behind by seven points in the first quarter, the Blazers took a one-point lead, 16-15. In the second quarter, the Blazers clawed their way back to get to within one point before the Commandos went on an 8-0 run to finish off the half with a 33-24 lead.
The final half opened with the Blazers again trying to close the gap. Treys by both Shakyia Vassar and Monica Albano, who had four for the night, and the inside game of Amanda Macchione tied the game up at 37 in the third quarter. But Marshall responded with another 9-0 run before the Blazers knew what hit them.
“It was 37-37. We got the momentum back, but you can’t blink your eye for a minute. It was a heartbreaking loss tonight,” said Trinity head coach Ed Stritzel after the game. The Blazers tried to stage a comeback in the final period, but the clock and fatigue worked against them. Marshall closed out the game at the line to seal the victory. Sarah Rogers led the Commandos with 20 points, while her teammate, Adrienne GodBold, contributed 19.
Albano had a team high 20 points for Trinity, while senior Amanda Macchione finished off her high school career with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
“We knew it was going to be an aggressive game going in, said Macchione. “They’re quick and big. We did everything we could.”
Along with Macchione, Erica Cross played her last game under the boards for the Blazers. After the game, the senior reflected on her career.
“It’s been great, especially the last two years with coach Ed coming in and treating everyone so well,” she said. “Playing with Amanda and Monica, you can’t ask for a better team. We wanted to win this game so bad, but sometimes it doesn’t work out the way you want. They are going to be great next year. I’ll be back to watch.”
In the state 3-point contest, the Blazers’ Nicole Sorrentino qualified to go downstate. “I feel that I’m recognized for a way that I developed my game. I practiced hard on that certain aspect, and it’s great to be going downstate,” said the senior. The Queen of the Hill will be crowned Saturday in Normal at ISU’s Redbird Arena before the Class 4A Girls Basketball State Championship.