Through all the missed free throws and layups that went awry, Uniquah Hampton never gave up.
The Hillcrest junior tried to ignite a late rally all by herself in the Class 3A supersectional Monday at Illinois Wesleyan’s Shirk Center, but Peoria Richwoods persevered with a 56-47 victory.
Richwoods (32-3) advances to Friday’s noon semifinal against Marshall (25-6).
“I tried to take over the game,” Hampton said about her back-to-back steals and a layup that brought Hillcrest (26-5) within 49-43. “I wanted to do it for the team because I didn’t want our season to end.”
Hampton scored nine of her team-high 11 points in the fourth quarter and finished with six rebounds, four steals and three assists. But it wasn’t enough to overcome a 9-2 Richwoods run that preceded Hampton’s twin steals and gave the Knights a 49-41 lead.
“We didn’t play defense at times, and we missed too many free throws and layups,” Hampton said. “We just needed to find a way to win, and we couldn’t.”
Richwoods’ 6-foot sophomore Mariah Smith had six points in the Knights’ decisive fourth-quarter run. She wound up with 16 points, and Katie Murphy’s 16 rebounds fueled a 53-24 advantage for Richwoods on the boards.
What helped keep Hillcrest in the game was a pressure defense that forced 34 turnovers. That enabled the Hawks to stay close despite Richwoods’ 7-0 game-opening spurt and 10-0 run at the outset of the third quarter.