They felt short of the ultimate goal, but gritty Highland girls had a season to remember

A week has passed since the Highland girls basketball team saw its hopes for a state tournament berth ended by Chatham-Glenwood. While it was not the the perfect end to the 2023-24 season for Highland coach Clint Hamilton and the Bulldogs, there were plenty of positives on which to reflect, their coach said.

“I think when you get a few days to reflect on it, obviously the day you lose and the day after it’s still kind of bitter and it hurts knowing you were so close and couldn’t get it,” Hamilton said. “But you know, when you sit back and reflect on the year, going back-to-back sectionals and back-to-back conference (championships), it’s a pretty incredible run this group of kids had and when you step back and look at it from a bigger lense, it was a pretty special year.”

Highland came out of the gate slow at the start of the season going 2-5 as junior guard Jordan Bircher went down with a wrist injury that compromised the Bulldogs backcourt.

“It started out slow obviously whenever Jordan got hurt but I think that helped us later in the year as we got some kids more minutes that and kind of threw their feet in the fire and I think that paid off down the road especially with kids like Sophia Fleming and Payton Frey,” Hamilton said. “I thought they had a really good last month and a half of the season. Sophie stepped up and made some huge shots in the postseason and Payton would be guarding one of the other team’s better players defensively.”

Just before Christmas, the Bulldogs seemed to hit their stride and get rolling thanks to late December wins over Triad, Civic Memorial, and Effingham.

“That was a real good three-game stretch going into the Christmas where I think the girls realized how good they could be and where we were at and I think kind of propelled us into the second half of the season and continue to play good baskeball,” Hamilton said.

Highland also won the consolation championship of the Visitation Tournament with a 51-37 win over Cor Jesu on Dec. 27 as the Bulldogs blazed into January with seven wins in eight games.

“Going over there an wining three games at Visitation, that’s a big deal obviously and that’s a great tournament and you see a good team whether you’re in the first place game or the last place game,” Hamilton said.

Highland ended the regular season with 21 wins and then claimed the IHSA Class 3A regional title at Charleston with a 43-34 win over Mattoon on Feb. 17. It then claimed the IHSA Class 3A sectional championship on Feb. 22 at Effingham thanks to a gritty 34-31 win over host Effingham.

That brought the Bulldogs back home on Feb. 26 for an IHSA Class 3A supersectional contest against Chatham-Glenwood.

The Bulldogs battled for 32 minutes but came up short against Glenwood, 45-38.

“Obviously it was an advantage (being home) and the game didn’t go like we wanted it to, but was cool for the kids and the crowd was fantastic. It was great atmosphere and even though we lost, I think it’s a memory those kids will always have getting to play the supersectional game on their home court,” the coach said.

It was also the last game for Highland seniors Larissa Taylor, Abby Schultz and Lauren Maas.

“All three of them are obviously key cogs in what we were trying to do this year and hey all bought into the kind of system we wanted to run and just really leading the underclassmen in the right way and we’re gonna miss the like crazy because they were all winners,” Hamilton said. “They definitely eft the program better off than it was and that’s all you can ask for.”

Hamilton said what he will missed the most about the trio is their even-keeled personalities.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re 1-5 or whatever, they brought same attitude and same energy to practice and their consistency and overall love of each other and how they carry themselves whether it be on the court or in the classroom, they’re all very sneaky funny,” Hamilton said. “So, you’re just going to miss being able to interact with them every day.”

Taylor is heading to Illinois Central College to play basketball next year, while Schultz will play softball at Southwestern Illinois College. Maas has offers to play basketball at Southwestern Illinois College, Lakeland College, and Illinois Central College.

While Taylor, Schultz and Maas graduate, the Bulldogs will return a solid nucleus with Bircher and Schroeder back as juniors, and Frey an Fleming back as seniors next season.

“All of those kids got a lot of experience this year and we’ve got some experience a we have juniors that are gonna be seniors next year hat have been around and while they have not had much time n the floor, they have had practice reps and they will ready to contribute next year,” Hamilton said.