>>Mt. Pulaski Girls Take 2nd In Class 1A State Championships
Sophie Brunner scored 33 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Freeport Aquin to a 55-46 win over Mount Pulaski for its second consecutive Class 1A title in Illinois high school girls' basketball.
Brunner was 12 of 15 from the field and hit 9 of 15 free throws. Her seven points late in the game helped hold off the Toppers.
Elayna Erdmier added 11 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs (31-3).
The Toppers (29-5) bolted to an early 14-7 lead but Aquin used an 18-7 second-quarter run to grab a lead it never relinquished.
Jessica Awe scored 19, grabbed six rebounds and handed out three assists for Mount Pulaski, Erika Leever added 11 points and six assists for the Toppers.
>>El-Paso Gridley Takes 3rd In Class 2A
El Paso-Gridley's rough first half of shooting didn't stop it from knocking off Melrose Park Walther Lutheran, 55-46, and taking third place in Class 2A high school girls' basketball.
Codee Schlipf's 18 points and Rebekah Ehresman's 16 paced the Titans (30-2). Both also had six rebounds.
El Paso-Gridley made just 9 of 25 shots in the first half Saturday, including missing all eight attempts from 3-point range. The Titans improved dramatically in the second half, hitting half their shots (11-22) overall and making 2 of the five 3-pointers they took.
It was the Titans' first time in the state finals.
Walther Lutheran's Isimeme Edekohad had 12 points and 18 rebounds. Dana Turner added 11 points for the Broncos (26-8), who got their second fourth-place finish in seven years.
