Girls Basketball: Westminster Christian wins first regional

A competitive rivalry is forming in Elgin between Westminster Christian and new IHSA member Harvest Christian.  

On Friday, the Warriors were the better team, as Westminster Christian won its first regional title, 42-30.

The Class 1A regional final was a defensive struggle the entire night. Harvest Christian was held to just 30 percent shooting from the field, while Westminster Christian shot just 21 percent.

The key to the game was turnovers. The Lions turned the ball over 31 times while the Warriors committed 12 turnovers.

Westminster Christian (21-8) took control of a close game at the start of the fourth quarte, as six quick points put the Warriors up by seven points. Harvest Christian (15-7) battled back to within four points in the middle of the fourth quarter, but that was the closest the Lions got.

Westminster coach Ken Flickinger was pleased with how his team stayed focused against the Lions.

“This was a long time coming,” said Flickinger. “One of our goals before the season was to win regionals and tonight we did that. It was huge having regionals at home. Our fans helped a lot.”

Harvest Christian had nothing to be upset about after the regional final loss. The Lions are in their first year of IHSA play, and making a regional final is beyond what they expected.

“We were big time underdogs in this game and we played hard,” said Harvest Christian coach Kelly Friestad. “All of our girls are freshman or sophomores so this is a great experience for them. We definitely need to get some depth, but we will only improve from here on. This was a great first season.”

Westminster Christian was led by McKaila Hays with 13 points.

“Defense was the key tonight,” said Hays. “We did a great job staying focused when shots weren’t falling. This was a great team effort.”

Harvest Christian was led by Kylee Knox with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Sydney Doby added 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Lions.

The Warriors move on to the Class 1A Willows Sectional, where they will face the host team Monday at 6 p.m.

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