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WATERLOO — Alexis Neumann wasn't perfect, but she was so darned close, it didn't matter.
Neumann, a 6-foot-2 junior forward, scored 25 points on 7-for-9 shooting and a perfect 11-for-11 at the free-throw line and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for a double-double to lead Chatham Glenwood to a 51-36 win over Quincy Notre Dame in the Class 3A Waterloo Sectional title game on Thursday.
"I think that I just utilized my inside game, getting those mismatches and utilizing that (and) really getting inside and making my free throws was the biggest thing," Neumann said, who was 17-for-18 at the line in the two sectional wins.
QND coach Eric Orne was impressed by Neumann's performance and said she creates "a ton" of matchup problems.
"We knew that from two years ago," Orne said. "She had a great game. Obviously, we had a game plan to try to stop her and contain her, but she made some really superior plays and kind of took the game over herself. To her credit, she had an absolutely astounding game."
It is the second sectional championship for the Titans in three years and the fifth in its history. Glenwood finished second in the 2024 Class 3A state tournament, when many of the same names were freshmen.
Thursday's outcome was a far cry from Glenwood's 44-43 win over QND in the 2024 Decatur MacArthur Sectional championship, and Riley said she knew the Raiders wanted their pound of flesh.
"They wanted revenge from two years ago," Riley said. "I think that was in the Quincy paper they wanted revenge from two years ago. We used that as fuel that, 'Hey, it's just as much your right to that win as it is theirs. Go take it from them, but they're not going to give it you."
Glenwood (28-4) will face fellow Central State Eight Conference opponent Decatur MacArthur in the 3A Chatham Glenwood Supersectional on Monday at 6 p.m. MacArthur (27-6) beat yet another CS8 team, Lincoln, 38-32 to win the Normal West Sectional championship on Thursday.
Glenwood hammered MacArthur 58-36 on the same floor back on Dec. 19 as the Titans went 10-0 to win the conference crown.
On Thursday, Glenwood jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Orne called a timeout with 4 minutes, 20 seconds left in the opening quarter. His message: don't let Neumann drive through the paint and get to the basket. She started the game with a lefty layup on an assist from Ava Bobb, then Bobb found her again about three minutes later as Neumann slashed her way to the rim for the 7-0 lead.
QND (25-7) tied the game 14-14 midway through the second period thanks to a pair of 3-pointers and ill-timed, live-ball turnovers by the Titans.
The Titans entered the locker room at halftime nursing a 21-17 lead and had lost the first-half turnover battle, 10-7. Glenwood coach Alyssa Riley urged her group to be confident with the ball. In the second half, it was a completely different look.
Glenwood limited its turnovers to just three over the final 16 minutes while QND finished with 17 turnovers. That allowed the Titans to pull away, first with an 11-point lead going into the fourth before the 15-point final margin. QND got within 38-29 on a three-point play with 3:07 remaining and the Raiders couldn't capitalize when Glenwood missed six straight free throws after that.
"We just told them they need to have confidence in themselves, that if they're on the floor, I trust them so they needed to trust themselves," Riley said. "We like to play fast, but sometimes then we rush things. If we're in control, then we do a lot better.
"It's a gritty win and they wanted it."
Orne said the first two minutes of the second half were key.
"We were pressing a lot because we were not making our shots," Orne said. "I thought those first two minutes, we get a couple of those (3-pointers) to drop, I think we settle in and we never really settled in. We had a little run to get back in the ballgame, but we expended a lot of energy."
Then Neumann was drawing the fouls after QND was beyond the foul limit and Neumann made six consecutive to ice the game.
"We just needed her," Riley said of Neumann. "She's a hell of a kid and a hell of an athlete. I'm glad I don't have to play against her.
"Talent-wise, she's improved (since she was a freshman), but her mental game has (also) improved. Realizing she can come out and have 25 points and 10 rebounds and it's not a problem."
Bobb, a junior, and Layne Matthew, a senior, both finished with seven points apiece for the Titans while junior Nora Gummerman, senior Stella Lopp and freshman Jemma Lamb all finished with four each.
"We really focused on our defense the second half," Neumann said. "We gave them quite a few open shots that first half. Our biggest things was matching up as soon as we got down the court."
QND was held to four points in the first quarter and five in the third, which helped Glenwood run out to big leads both times. Senior Jenna Durst led the Raiders with 10 points on an inefficient 4-for-14 shooting. Glenwood was 13-for-32 from the floor while QND struggled all night and finished 12-for-41.
"(Glenwood's) defense and physicality was really supreme tonight and I'll give them a lot of credit," said Orne, who has led QND to four state championships since 2011. "They altered a lot of our shots, especially when we tried to get downhill."
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, [email protected], Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA girls basketball | Neumann, Glenwood power past QND for sectional