Lady Raiders push record
to 18-0 with road win
over Class 2A's top team

By THE HERALD-WHIG STAFF

PANA -- Opposing teams are finding out this season it's difficult to stop the entire Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball team.

When teams stop one or two of the Lady Raiders' weapons, another one is waiting in the wings to step up.

Following an injury to starting forward Natalie Siebers in the second quarter of Thursday night's game at Pana, Hilary Obert came off the bench to score 15 points and help lead QND capture a 68-60 victory over the Panthers.

Siebers was forced to leave the game when she cut her head open going after a loose ball in the second quarter. She was taken immediately to the hospital for medical attention.

Obert stepped into the lineup and made an impact.

"Hilary really stepped up for us tonight," QND coach Eric Orne said. "She became a force after Natalie left the game. She was a difference for us. It showed we can adjust our attack with the game on the line. Hilary played a huge role."

It was the biggest victory of the season for the Lady Raiders, now 18-0 and ranked No. 6 in the latest Class 3A state poll. Pana is 20-3 and is the top-ranked team in Class 2A.

QND led 36-26 at halftime but Pana cut the lead to four points midway through the fourth quarter. Obert and Chloe Barnes scored on consecutive possessions with almost two minutes left to give the Lady Raiders an eight-point lead they never gave up.

"The girls were excited to come down here and play," Orne said. "It was a great environment for girls basketball. The gym was packed with orange and blue. We knew coming in we could gain a lot of respect if we went in there and won."

Barnes scored a game-high 21 points and was 11 of 13 from the free throw line to go with 12 rebounds. Obert finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Karlee Gengenbacher added 13 points. Renita Bunte had eight assists.

Pana was led by Brittany Siegert with 18 points, Ashley Radford with 17 and SIU-Carbondale signee Olivia Lett with 16, 10 points below her season average.

QND returns to action Saturday when it opens the Carrollton Tournament as the No. 1 seed, playing a first-round game against ninth-seeded Jerseyville at 5 p.m.

"We're going to celebrate this one tonight," Orne said. "After that, we'll get back to work tomorrow."

-- sports@whig.com/221-3365