St. Joseph senior forward Amber Brooks’ expression stayed the same throughout most of Monday’s Class 2A Concordia Supersectional against Raby.
The 5-foot-8 Brooks never smiled, nor did she alter her laid-back demeanor, even though she scored 10 of her team’s first 12 points.
Brooks finally did flash a smile when her team broke out in an impromptu dance at center court minutes after posting a 63-43 victory against Raby in River Forest.
“I usually try not to show any emotion on the court, but I had to finally smile after we won the game,” Brooks said.
Brooks scored a game-high 18 points and added 13 rebounds, leading St. Joseph to the program’s first state appearance.
“We’ve been patient and a lot of people have left our program and transferred, so this win means the world to us,” St. Joseph coach Andrew Winston said. “This is the icing on the cake for us and just amazing for our school.”
The Chargers (19-12) will play Teutopolis in the semifinals 6:30 p.m. Friday at Redbird Arena in Normal. Maia Marshall had 15 points, and point guard Davane Gross added 10 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
The contest between first-time supersectional participants featured a rash of turnovers and numerous trips to the free-throw line. Raby (15-10) shot 26.4 percent (14-for-53) from the field and committed 29 turnovers. Sierra Sanders paced the Raiders with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
The Chargers, who are competing in Class 2A for the first time, shot 1-for-14 on 3-pointers and turned over the ball 19 times.
St. Joseph, which lost to Loyola, Montini, Young and Geneva this season, controlled the game from the opening tip. The Chargers scored the first 10 points — eight by Brooks — and possessed first-half leads of 14-2, 35-15 and 39-21.
During a 21-minute stretch beginning in the first quarter, Raby made five field goals and turned the ball over 16 times.
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
Player of the game: Amber Brooks, St. Joseph, 18 points, 13 rebounds.
Key performers: Raby — Sierra Sanders, 16 points, 12 rebounds; Shaprice Hunt, 10 points, 8 rebounds. St. Joseph — Maia Marshall, 15 points; Davane Gross, 10 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds.
