ROCK FALLS — An emotional Taylor Davidson said it felt like a dream as she and her Stillman Valley teammates celebrated their IHSA 2A Rock Falls Sectional Championship win Thursday.
Facing off against Big Northern Conference rival Byron in a matchup of Ogle County programs, Stillman Valley overcame a double-digit deficit during the first quarter and delivered huge plays in the final moments, outlasting the Tigers 47-45 to claim the program’s first sectional crown since 2017. Thursday marked the third encounter between Byron (32-3, 8-1 BNC) and Stillman Valley (32-1, 8-1 BNC) this season, with all three games being decided by five points or less.
“We knew that it wasn’t going to be easy going up against Byron,” said Davidson, who led the Cardinals with 17 points. “The way we were able to rally together and get that win… I’m over the moon right now and I can’t describe how I feel. The last two times we played Byron, we had a deficit and we were able to build back. We never quit and I thought that was a good advantage for us. It felt like they got tired at times and that’s when we were able to take advantage.”
Stillman Valley advances to the IHSA 2A Bureau Valley Super Sectional at 6 p.m. on Monday, when the Cardinals will take on Peoria Notre Dame for a chance to earn their first ticket to the state tournament since 2012. Byron took control of Thursday’s sectional title game during the first quarter, where the Tigers limited Stillman Valley to six points and held Davidson, an Ashland University commit and 2,000-point scorer for her career, without a single point.
The Tigers carried a 17-6 lead into the second quarter, where a Stillman Valley turnover led to a breakaway layup that forced a Cardinal timeout and allowed Byron to surge ahead 25-11, the team’s largest advantage of the evening in the first half. The Tigers showed great balance on offense during the first half, where five Byron players scored points and three players drained 3-point shots. Aubrie Fuller and Karsyn Bielskis each had seven first-half points for the Tigers.
Trailing 25-16 at halftime, Stillman Valley surged back into the game with a trio of clutch triples early in the third quarter. Brooke Jordal drilled a 3-pointer from the corner before Davidson put home a pair of triples over Stillman Valley’s next two possessions to force a Byron timeout.
“It was a huge moment that built up so much momentum,” Davidson said. “We were down by nine and we knew in the locker room that, if we hit three threes, then we’d be right back in it.”
Dailene Wade emerged for the Cardinals midway through the third quarter, using her low-post skills and size advantage to create problems for the Tiger defense in the paint. Wade, who finished with 14 points in the game, hit a pair of shots under the basket to keep the Cardinals within striking distance of the Tigers, who remained ahead 37-33 after a deep mid-range shot from Byron’s Macy Groharing beat the third-quarter buzzer and drew a roar of applause.
“We had a huge advantage inside,” Wade said. “I knew we could do it and we practiced these things over and over again. We executed the way we were supposed to. We never put our heads down, whether it was at halftime or right at the beginning. It's honestly surreal, but I knew we could make it this far. We have great coaches, great teammates and everything worked out.”
With a full venue watching for the fourth quarter, Byron’s standout guards, Groharing and Malia Morton, each hit tough running shots near the basket to help the Tigers maintain their slim lead. But the Cardinals rallied off seven straight points midway through the quarter to tie the game at 41-41 and force a Byron timeout. Davidson hit a right-handed runner and a reverse layup under the basket, while Wade finished a shot through contact for an old-fashioned three-point play.
Byron found quality looks from range as the fourth quarter wound down, but missed shots led to defensive rebounds for the Cardinals, who put the Tigers over the limit and broke a 45-45 draw with free throws from Amelia Dunseth and Wade, who each made one in the final minute to put Stillman Valley ahead. After a timeout with seven seconds remaining, Byron inbounded the ball with one last shot, but a steal by the Cardinals ultimately clinched the Stillman Valley victory.
“It feels amazing,” Wade said. “It’s a great feeling for us and I hope that we can go far.”
Fuller finished with 13 points, while Groharing and Morton each added 10 points for the Tigers, who made their way to the sectional finals after winning the IHSA 2A Regional Championship against Aurora Central Catholic last week. Stillman Valley, who took down Riverdale in the sectional finals earlier this week, brought home an IHSA 2A Regional Championship on its home floor, beating Winnebago.
A relieved Davidson admitted she’s glad the Cardinals don’t have to face Byron a fourth time.
“We all grew up playing Midwest Wildcats AAU basketball so we all know each other pretty well,” Davidson said. “When Macy [Groharing] drives, I know what she wants to do and when I drive, they all know what I want to do. I’ll be honest, I’m glad I don’t have to play them again.”
