All season long, Marshall has needed a close match to find a spark. When Maine West provided it in the fourth quarter of the Class AA state championship game, Marshall nearly got burned.
But in typical fashion, Marshall’s girls claimed what is rightfully theirs, the Class AA state title, with a 44-41 victory Saturday at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena.
The game reflected the frustration and joy that coach Dorothy Gaters has experienced all season with her extraordinary talent. The team won easily from Day 1 but never found a leader.
While any other team would have wept with joy at winning the title, the fourth for Marshall (31-1) in five years, the tone after the game was surprisingly unemotional.
“I’m not disappointed just at the performance,” Gaters said. “It’s the final game of the season; you’d think just emotions would be enough to help them go out in style. But you didn’t see one person saying during the game, `Come on, guys, let’s play.’ “
Because Marshall isn’t like any team, anywhere, its raw athleticism and talent were enough. Unlike other Elite Eight teams, Marshall was not content simply to make the Elite Eight; Gaters’ girls expected it. Since 1976, any player on the Marshall varsity for at least two seasons has had a shot at winning a state title. Six teams have.
Which is why Gaters dwelled on the performance rather than the victory.
“Something is missing with this team,” she said, still puzzled. “We just play hard enough to win; that’s the bottom line.”
During the season, that wasn’t very hard. Washington’s 11-point loss to Marshall in the Public League championship was the closest any Illinois team came before the state semifinals. Even Maine West had been blown out 64-36 in the final game of the regular season.
But Maine West (32-3) wasn’t about to be routed again in the state championship match. In a game with the pace of a funeral march for three quarters, Marshall found itself stuck in a half-court offense.
Although Marshall led 25-14 at halftime, its transition game had disappeared, and Kim Williams, whose moves were made for television, was strangely silent.
“The people who score (Yolanda Miller and Williams) just didn’t,” Gaters said. “We didn’t do enough when we had the ball.”
The teams scored 10 points each in the third quarter to make it 35-24 heading into the final eight minutes. The first ray of hope for Maine West came when Kathy Witte nailed a three-pointer with 1:40 left to cut the lead to 42-36.
With under a minute left, Maine West crept even closer when Jenny Grande converted a three-point play to make it 44-40. Marshall, suddenly inspired, burst back up the court but missed a shot, and Maine West’s Dawn Smith drew a foul with :16 to play.
She sank the first to make it 44-41, but the second bounced off the mark. Kieonne Stewart grabbed it and was fouled with :10 to play. She missed the free throw, and Maine West’s last three-point attempt was blocked.
“I’m just really glad we were able to compete, because it’s good for girls basketball in Illinois,” Maine West coach Derril Kipp said. “I think we confused them last night (in the semifinal against Belvidere) because we weren’t able to score at all.”
Maine West, which normally plays man-to-man defense, switched to a zone to combat Marshall’s offense, and it made a difference.
“They killed us earlier in the year when we played man,” Kipp said. “We struggled with zone early, but once Witte got herself together and hit some shots, it worked better.”
Marie Scott scored 17 points with seven rebounds in one of her best games of the season; she was a major reason Marshall escaped with the title. Williams scored nine points and Miller five, both under their average of 14.
Witte finished with 11 and Carly Zilligen nine.
Marshall loses Miller, Williams and Scott next season, but the dynasty doesn’t seem to be in danger of crumbling. If a leader emerges, the team could be even better.
Would a leader have really mattered this year, with Marshall coming out on top anyway?
“The season’s over,” Gaters said. “We can’t get any better.”
