NORMAL — Brydie Huber, Delaney Driscoll and Addison Bellamy have gotten used to seeing their friends on the Peoria Notre Dame girls’ basketball team perform on the state’s biggest stage.
Thursday marked the second year in a row that the Irish were competing in the Class 2A state finals, starting their pursuit of a second consecutive state title with a 61-35 win against Mt. Carmel at CEFCU Arena.
“We love Irish basketball,” Bellamy said. “Our girls team has done really well, this season and last season they’ve been great. We’re really close with them, they’re really hard working. They work hard every morning. It’s really exciting.”
The theme for the Irish student section — which took up much of CEFCU Arena’s southeast corner — was sports jerseys. And the trio were front and center, supporting the Irish with green Notre Dame and PND jerseys.
“Our team, we’re all so close,” Driscoll said. “It’s like a family. We’re a small school, we all play sports with them throughout the year, so we’ve got to show up to support them.”
PND’s second trip to the state’s final weekend in as many years brought a positive energy to the school’s hallways.
“It’s really fun to even get to talk to the girls and see how excited they are to play and how happy they are to be here,” Huber said.
PND’s student section has factored into the Irish’s postseason success; PND will face Nashville or Chicago Phllips in the final Class 2A game of the season at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
“It’s a lot of energy,” Driscoll said. “They’re excited, we’re excited. Like I said, it’s a family.”
PND’s competitive cheerleading team also had the chance to perform under the lights on Friday afternoon.
It’s a spotlight the team has embraced over the last two years.
“Second time around is even better,” coach Alona Dawson said. “Everybody is so excited. The cheerleaders are excited, the girls team is excited, the fans are excited. It’s great to be here again.”
Plenty of work went into PND’s routine in advance of the state finals.
The cheerleading team has also made its voice heard during PND's first seven postseason wins, most recently its 67-56 super-sectional win against Stillman Valley.
“We’ve just been cheering for the girls since COVID,” Dawson said. “So to be here with them and taking them all the way to state has been so fun.”
Val Schifeling is the secretary to PND athletic director David Rudolph.
She’s seen firsthand the groundswell of support the Irish have received in the season’s final weeks.
“It’s totally awesome,” Schifeling said. “Energy all over the place … these girls have worked so hard all year long, it’s so good to see all that pay off.”
It’s a rewarding time of the year for Schifeling and PND’s athletic staff. Does it ever get old?
“Never, never, never, never, never, never,” Schifeling said. “It never gets old.”
Thursday marked a full-circle moment for IHSA Assistant Executive Director Beth Sauser.
Sauser played in the state finals for Elgin St. Edward before playing college basketball at DePaul from 1988-91. And St. Edward was back in the Final Four for the first time since 2017 on Thursday, falling to Pecatonica 54-41 in a Class 1A semifinal.
“It was neat to see some people I haven't seen in years,” Sauser said. “It’s just always an honor. I had the opportunity, and the IHSA gave us an opportunity and I’m just glad I could give back.”
Not that Sauser — IHSA’s girls basketball administrator — is biased toward one team or another.
“I still get the goosebumps every time,” Sauser said. “And when we used to have the banquet, I used to say it would be the fastest, longest days and you won’t appreciate it until (later).
“We won it when I was a sophomore and placed third as a junior, and you just don’t understand the impact on yourself, on your team, the community, until later.”
The final weekend of the IHSA girls’ basketball season also marks the culmination of months of planning for Sauser and her staff.
“We started planning regionals, sectionals, super-sectionals sites back in October,” Sauser said. “Everyone on the staff is hands on, because to make everyone have a wonderful experience, we each need to do our jobs.”
Ottawa senior Molly Ewen walked onto the court just before tip-off to sing the Star-Spangled Banner.
Job well done, as judged by an energetic crowd awaiting the start of the day’s second session of games.
“I think it’s just a really wonderful experience to see music and sports coming together to perform one big show,” Ewen said. “I just think it’s really a great thing to be a part of.”
Ewen — who also performs within her school and community — made her way through a competitive process before being selected as a national anthem singer at the IHSA state finals.
“I do a lot of musical stuff,” Ewen said. “I’m in all the plays and stuff like that. We have a fine arts festival, and I also do community stuff.”
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