HOOPESTON – The Paxton-Buckley-Loda eighth-grade girls basketball team won 12-10 over Hoopeston Area in the IESA Class 3A regional quarterfinals on Saturday.
The Panthers overcame a 10-5 deficit by outscoring Hoopeston Area 7-0 in the fourth quarter.
Katie Piatt made a shot in the lane before a couple of jump shots by Ainsley Niewold put PBL ahead 11-10. A free throw by Kandyce Curtis extended the lead to 12-10 with 22.4 seconds remaining.
Avery Johnson and Riley Masco each scored two points in a first quarter in which the Panthers took a 4-2 lead. Masco scored PBL’s lone point through the second and third quarters via a free throw in the third quarter.
Niewold finished with four points while Masco had three points. Johnson and Piatt each had two points while Curtis had one point.
The fifth-seeded Panthers will face top-seeded Watseka in the regional semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
8th-grade girls
PBL 12, Hoopeston Area 10
PBL 4 0 1 7 — 12
HA 2 2 6 0 — 10
PBL
Kandyce Curtis 0-1-1, Reese Sadlek 0-0-0, Emmalynn Shumate 0-0-0, Avery Johnson 1-0-2, Zaharra Perez 0-0-0, Katie Piatt 1-0-2, Ainsley Niewold 2-0-4, Riley Masco 1-1-3, Janessa White 0-0-0, Aubrey Dirks 0-0-0, Addy Lindsey 0-0-0. Totals 5-2-12.
Hoopeston Area
Paislee Baughn 2-0-4, Brianna Wheeler 2-0-4, Aerah Rice 0-0-0, Olivia Gillins 0-0-0, Mia Rieches 0-0-0, Chloe Miller 0-0-0, Addy Lindsey (PBL) 1-0-2. Totals 5-0-10.
