Girls basketball: Rock Island stuns Dixon in overtime in Class 3A Regional semifinal

DIXON – The Dixon Duchesses shook off a slow start in Tuesday night’s Class 3A regional semifinal on their home court and rallied to take a four-point lead over the Rock Island Rocks in the final 34 seconds of regulation.

But after a buzzer-beater 3 sent the game to overtime, the Rocks’ Kayla Rice hit a free throw with six seconds left in the extra period to end the Duchesses’ season with a 45-44 loss.

Dixon (26-6) found little breathing room offensively in the opening period, as Rock Island built a 14-6 lead. But after a 10-5 second-quarter surge, the Duchesses were within three points at halftime – and for the rest of the game, they stayed within four points.

“We just knew that we needed to step it up. And that’s what’s so great about this team,” Dixon senior forward Harvest Day said. “We look at each other and say, ‘We need to go. This is our time. It’s now or never.’ And that’s what we do.”

“We changed defenses, but the biggest thing we did is calmed down,” Dixon coach Luke Ravlin said. “We played our game, and I was really proud of what our kids did tonight and how we did it. I think you’ve got a really strong group of kids that came together and did a lot of great things this year. And they fought until the very end. And that’s who they are. They’re always going to give you everything they have.”

A Kait Knipple top-of-the-key 3 drew Dixon within 15-12 with just over three minutes left before halftime, then Katie Drew made two free throws to cut it to 18-16 in the final minute.

After a Danee Robinson free throw in the last 12 seconds, Dixon trailed 19-16 at the half.

Rock Island (15-5) led 27-25 after a back-and-forth third quarter.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Duchesses took a four-point lead, led by a 10-point effort from Day.

Day banked in a short jumper to go ahead 34-33 with 2:23 left in regulation, and Hannah Steinmeyer made the second of two free throws less than 30 seconds later. Ka’Zaria Bell hit a free throw to make it a one-point game again, but Day barreled into the lane and completed a three-point play to put Dixon up 38-34 with 33.9 seconds left.

“[Harvest] was huge, but everybody that hit the floor tonight and everybody that played and practiced and helped us get to where we are were also big,” Ravlin said. “I would expect nothing less from Harvest or any of those seniors, or from any of our kids we put on the floor. They put in the kind of hard work that lets them do those kinds of things.”

Just when it appeared Dixon would win, the Rocks scored four unanswered points. Rice hit the first of two free throws with 17.4 seconds left, then the Duchesses turned it over and DaNaijah Cartwright hit a deep left-wing 3 at the buzzer to tie the game at 38-38.

“Everybody was throwing up 3s, my mind was just spinning,” Rice said about the final possession of regulation. “I’m calling for the ball, everybody’s calling for the ball, but the girl that made the 3, I’m so glad that she shot it and she was confident with her shot. She may have been far back, but she was confident with shooting the ball, and if you don’t shoot it with confidence, you’re not gonna make it.”

In overtime, Dixon took the lead twice – for the second time on an Abby Knipple layup with 1:12 remaining to go up 44-42 – but Rice tied the game with two free throws six seconds later.

In the last 20 seconds, Dixon turned the ball over on a double dribble, then Rice drew a foul and hit the second of two free throws to go up 45-44 with six seconds left.

“I was very scared. I’ve been in those situations before, but I try not to think about it,” Rice said. “You’ve got the crowd going crazy, so I just take my time at the free throw line. The first one felt good, but I ended up missing it. But the second one I knew I had to make.”

Day led the Duchesses with 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Ella Govig added nine points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks, Katie Drew had nine points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Kait Knipple added six points, two rebounds and two steals.

“It’s a family. We all love each other, but we all push each other,” Day said. “We can snap, we can yell at each other, but we know that it’s out of love. We just listen to each other so well, and besides the overtime, I feel like we played so well. I just wish we could’ve gotten it done.”

Rice paced the Rocks with 14 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Bell added 12 points, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal.