The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
By Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher
Media/Southern 8th girls basketball team, coached by La Harpe's Nancy Gibb will play for 3rd Place in the IESA 8A State Tournament finals on Thursday at 6:00 p.m.. Games are played in Bloomington at the Central Catholic High School on Empire Street off Illinois Route 9.
2004 8A State Tournament
SWEET SIXTEEN (Saturday)
Media Southern 35 over Paris Crestwood 32
The first half was a back and forth battle with Southern ending the half 20-13. Miriam Rutzen lead the scoring drive for the Raiders. Crestwood battled back late in the 3rd quarter to cut the lead to a 4 point game. Rutzen put Southern up by 2 with 4 minutes left in the 4th. With 1:30 left in the 4th, Jill Frisz made 2 free throws to put Crestwood up by 2. Ashley Coffey made a break away lay-up for Southern with 6 seconds left to put the Raiders ahead. With only seconds left in the 4th, Rutzen intercepted a long in-bounds pass to seal the win for Media Southern, 35-32.
ELITE EIGHT (Monday)
Champaign St. Matthew 38 vs. Media Southern 19
Southern, with a 7th and 8th grade enrollment of 62 and the second smallest of the quarterfinalists, took an 8-7 lead after one quarter.
Then 5-11 eighth grader Miriam Rutzen took over inside as Media/Southern pulled away. Rutzen hit a free throw at 3:41 to give Southern an 11-7 lead.
She followed with a layup from the right side at 3:08 to push the margin to 13-7. Then she fired a great pass to Ashley Coffey for a fast break layup at 1:28 and the 15-7 halftime lead. Rutzen scored 7 points in the first half. Coffey and Julianna Gilliam each had 4.
Champaign St. Matthew went scoreless in the second quarter but not because it didn't get off shots at the basket. In eight of its last nine trips down the court in the second quarter St. Matthew had a shot bounce off the rim.
The other time St. Matthew turned the ball over on a pass underneath the basket. In the second half Southern continued to outscore St.
Matthews 23-12 for the half. Rutzen was the leading scorer for the game finishing with 17 points and 7-10 from the free throw line. Southern remains undefeated and advances to the semifinal round with a record of 23-0.
FINAL FOUR (Tuesday)
Normal/Epiphany 35 vs. Media/Southern 21
In a defensive first half, the Normal Epiphany Knights held Media Southern to 6 points. Epiphany finished the first half with 19 points.
Kerry Pelton and Danielle Highland led the Saints of Normal Epiphany with 6 points each. 5'11" Miriam Rutzen was the leading scorer for Media/Southern with 4 points.
In the second half, Southern went on a scoring run. Normal Epiphany answered in the 4th quarter and sealed the victory for the Knights. Kerry Pelton finished the night with 10 points for Normal Epiphany.
Danielle Highland also contributed to the victory with 8 points.
The leading scorers for the Raiders of Southern were Miriam Rutzen with 12 points and Ashli Burg with 8 points.ĘDec. 16
The community congratulates Coach Gibb, Assistant Jamie Richard and the team and wishes them a 3rd place victory in their 6 o'clock game on Thursday at State.
Southern Raiders with their winnings prior to state are from left kneeling: Justine Dillard, Kristin Plath, Raven Wood, Samantha Swisher, Samantha Arnold. Standing from left Assistant Coach Jamie Richard, Erin Bavery, Julianna Gillam, Miriam Rutzen, Ashli Burg, Ashley Coffey, and Head Coach Nancy Gibb.