The Tigers claw their way to victory and school history

By Will G.

Three minutes. That’s all it took for the Illini Bluffs girls basketball team to rally for the chance to take home first place in the state championship and make school history. 

Down by four for most of the fourth quarter, the team’s hopes of advancing on to the championship game were looking slim. Altamont star-point guard and ISU commit Grace Nelson was weaving in and out of defenders for baskets, and every time the Tigers managed to close the gap, Altamont quickly responded. 

That was until a huge defensive stop by IB’s defense occurred, alongside a forced travel on Nelson which led to a Reese Cruit layup. Then, a mid range jumper by Chloe Eeten pulled IB into the lead for the first time since the first half.

Nelson was fouled, though, and made one free throw while missing the other—tying the game 46-46.  Securing the rebound, the Tigers moved the ball into the front court and called a timeout with 10.4 seconds left. As the play unfolded with the clock ticking down, IB guard Annabelle Fortin tried a game-ending three, but missed and went into overtime. 

There, IB dominated with a commanding 14 point score and held Altamont to 2 points winning and advancing 60-48, making school history.

This team is no stranger to success, though.

In 2017, this same team won IESA 7th grade state. The following year, they earned third place in IESA 8th grade state, all under the guidance of current high school head coach Jim Belville. Now, Coach Belville is taking his IBHS Tigers to the state finals.

“I’m very happy our hard work paid off,” IB guard Brenna Davis said. “We’ve been working together as a team and have been really playing well.”

In the early game, IB came out the gates with consecutive 3-point shots, as they “fell in love with the three” according to head coach Jim Belville. However, the Tigers would stall mid way through the first quarter with Altamont’s Nelson getting to the basket and draining some deep three baskets. 

The rest of the game felt more like a rubber match with score after score. One team never really took control of the game. The Altamont offense focused on getting Nelson to the basket or open for a three. The IB offense mixed all open possibilities for scoring with getting to the paint or finding a shooter on a wing or corner.

Heading into the final quarter Altamont led by four, 36-32, and momentum changed between sides as both teams were making the big plays that got them into the state tournament. The little lead would vary for Altamont by two, four and sometimes six. Almost anytime Altamont scored IB had a small answer with mostly a paint score by Lily Luczkowiak. 

With the clock ticking down, Altamont seemed to be in control and taking over for the rest of the game. Even with a low clock, clutch shots from Fortin and Eeten helped cut the lead down to three points before Cruit and Eeten successfully pulled the team back up and into overtime.

“We were confident in each other not yelling at each other but coming together,” IB guard Brooke Buchen said. “We new we were gonna win when it went to overtime.”

Free throws became the Tigers best friend in OT, going nine for ten from the line. Clutch shots and great defense ultimately led the team to prevail over Altamont and move on to the state final game.

Fortin described the feeling of winning as nothing short of “incredible, since what happened last year with losing in the regional championship and now making it to the state championship.”

Coach Belville echoed this sentiment.

“Amazing, Never would have thought to be here at the beginning.”

The IB Tigers will play in the championship game on Saturday at 11 a.m. in CEFCU Arena against Okawville, an opportunity for more history to be made.