ST. JOSEPH — Early in the second half of Tuesday's Class 2A regional semifinal match between Uni and host St. Joseph-Ogden, things seemed to be unfolding as expected.

The Spartans, with a raucous home-court advantage and a tradition of postseason success, were building what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. With less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter, their advantage reached 18 points.

Even though the No. 2-seeded Spartans were having a down year — they entered the playoffs 11-16 — they were accustomed to playing opponents of a caliber the visiting Illineks rarely encountered during the regular season.

"We knew it was going to be a tough, physical game," said Uni coach Rebecca Murphy.

She and her coaching staff spent a week trying to get the No. 3 Illineks ready for SJ-O's up-tempo game.

But as senior Rachel Skoza said of the Spartans: "They play just so much more fast-paced than we have ever known. It was really hard for us."

Actually, the Illineks played SJ-O close in the first quarter, trailing only 14-10 by the beginning of the second period.

Michelle Wong (13) and Jamie Blue apply the kind of defense that helped turn around the game for Uni. Gargoyle photo by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

The Spartans pulled away, however, during the next quarter and a half, outscoring Uni 31-17 until they led 45-27 with less than 12 minutes to go.

Then the comeback began.

"We changed our defense," Murphy said. "We tried to put more pressure on the ball. Turnovers started to happen, and we fed off that. During the whole game we stressed: Never let up, never let up."

The Illineks didn't. They scored seven straight points to end the third quarter, then scored the first six of the final period.

When junior guard Michelle Wong hit a field goal with 5:20 left to make it a 45-40 game, the Uni fans were on their feet, sensing an upset.

SJ-O ended Uni's 13-0 run at the 4:35 mark with two free throws. Freshman Jamie Blue hit two foul shots of her own half a minute later to bring Uni to within five again.

Then senior Joy Shapley stepped up with a two-pointer to cut SJ-O's lead to 47-44. All of sudden, Uni had the momentum, the energy, and 3:34 to work with.

The Illineks also had the better part of their starting lineup in foul trouble. When SJ-O senior Erin Bensyl landed a two-pointer with 3:09 remaining for a 49-44 advantage, the home crowd seemed to exhale, perhaps thinking Uni had landed its best shots. A free throw 20 seconds later boosted the Spartan lead to 50-44.

SJ-O's Erin Bensyl pressures Jamie Blue. Gargoyle photo by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

"Never let up, never let up."

The Illineks continued to pressure SJ-O, fighting for every rebound, forcing more turnovers, hitting free throws. With 1:42 left, Skoza connected on the final two points of her 1,000-plus-point career to make the score 52-48. Uni was still very much alive.

Then things really got interesting. SJ-O failed to capitalize at the foul line, keeping the game within reach. At the 1:10 mark Blue moved to the Uni basket in perfect position for a put back. When she was done, Uni trailed 52-50.

Two more Spartan trips to the foul line stretched their lead to 55-50 with less than a minute to play. Only a three-pointer could keep Uni's upset bid going.

That's when Blue showed why she's the area's top freshman and a good bet to be one of the top players in Uni history by the time she's done.

Staying outside the arc she calmly hit the trey, her first of the game, with 35 seconds on the clock.

Though ahead just 55-53, SJ-O was still in a good position. Most of Uni's starters had four fouls. In all likelihood, the Spartans could put the game away on the foul line.

They tried. SJ-O hit one free throw with 22 seconds left, but only one. When Uni regained possession with 13.6 seconds remaining, Murphy called a timeout. If the Illineks could connect on another three-pointer — Blue and senior Jessi Sullivan had each scored one that evening — then they could push the game into overtime.

Sophomore Heather Lin (10) and junior Rachel Harmon (22) listen as coach Rebecca Murphy talks to the team with time running down. Gargoyle photo by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

When play resumed, SJ-O went after the ball and forced a turnover; barely a second had elapsed.

"We had a play in place," Murphy said. "We had to modify it a little … we executed it the best we could, but it just didn't happen."

SJ-O hit one more free throw with 8.5 seconds remaining for a final score of 57-53. What had looked to be a rout in the making had turned into one of the most exciting games the Illineks have played in years.

"I'm very proud of their effort," Murphy said. "They put it out on the floor."

Uni ended the season 16-9 overall and 9-3 in the East Central Illinois Conference. The Illineks shared second place with Judah Christian behind powerhouse Decatur Lutheran, which won its fifth straight league title.

Although she prefers to downplay it, Murphy achieved a personal best this year: The team's 16-9 mark was her top record in 15 years as Uni head coach. Her previous best was 14-9 in 2004-05, when Uni went 9-1 in the ECIC and shared the title with Decatur Lutheran.

One of the keys to Uni's success this year was the intangible factor of teamwork.

"I really liked playing with my teammates," said senior Lizzy Warner. "I thought that was actually pretty fun. I thought everyone got along really well, and we could just hang out and do stuff outside of school and practice."

On a more tangible level, the duo of 6-foot-1 Skoza and 5-9 Blue combined for an average of 31.7 points per game and 17.7 rebounds per game (Skoza — 15.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg; Blue — 16.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg).

The Illineks will lose six seniors, two of whom — Skoza and Sullivan (8.4 ppg) — have been varsity players since their freshman year. Warner and Shapley made big contributions this year — Warner on defense especially, and the 6-1 Shapley under the boards (4.7 rpg). Sheri Grill was dependable coming off the bench, and Deborah Ladd provided leadership on the JV squad.

By the Gargoyle's unofficial count, Skoza finished her Uni career with 1,126 career points, putting her fourth on the school's all-time list of female scorers:

• Sophia Neely (1982-86): 1,967 (24.5 points per game)
• Amanda Smeltzer (1993-97): 1,272 (15.0 ppg)
• Lis Pollock (1995-99): 1,152 (14.0 ppg)
• Rachel Skoza (2005-09): 1,126 (12.2 ppg)
• Molly Smith (2001-05): 1,028 (11.4 ppg)

"We're losing a lot offensively — Skoza and Jessi, inside and outside," said Murphy. But the 2009-10 team will have a core group of varsity-tested upperclassmen to rely on, led by seniors-to-be Michelle Wong, Erika Belmont, Maritza Mestre, and Rachel Harmon, along with rising junior Heather Lin.

Meanwhile, Blue has given every indication that she will soon join Skoza in the elite 1,000-point club, maybe even before her sophomore year is finished. As a freshman she netted 408 points and was the area's sixth-highest scorer, according to The News-Gazette (Skoza was 11th).

Blue's all-around game was spectacular, especially for a freshman. Besides her scoring and rebounding, she averaged 4.0 assists per game (11th best in the area) and 3.3 steals (also 11th best).

Look for her to be joined on varsity next year by several other current freshmen and sophomores, who played JV this year for Jamie's father, Jeff Blue.

"We have a strong, motivated group of underclassmen ready to work hard and step up," Murphy said. "Coach Blue has been doing a great job working with them."

For now, Murphy and her players can look back with pride on an extraordinary playoff game that Uni fans will remember for quite some time.

"It's hard to lose," she said, "but this shows what you're made of."

MORE PHOTOS: UNI VS. ST. JOSEPH-OGDEN

SJ-O guard Rachael Graham tries to speed past Illinek junior Michelle Wong. Gargoyle photos by David Porreca (click any photo to enlarge and to create your own slideshow)

Senior Lizzy Warner looks for an open teammate during the dramatic fourth quarter of Uni's Class 2A playoff game against host SJ-O.

Coach Rebecca Murphy encourages her players. This year's varsity team went 16-9, the best record in Murphy's 15 years as Uni head coach.

Senior Joy Shapley (21) tries to prevent an inside pass by SJ-O's Bria Olson (24). Senior Jessi Sullivan (14) provides backup.

Freshman Jamie Blue made eight free throws as part of her game-high 23 points. She finished the season with 408 total points and an average of 16.3 ppg.

In the final seconds (from left), junior Rachel Harmon, Murphy, sophomore Heather Lin (behind Murphy), assistant coach Jeff Blue, junior Erika Belmont, senior Sheri Grill, and Warner gather on the sidelines.

Sullivan gets ready to pass as the Spartan bench looks on.

Wong races toward a potential layup while SJ-O's Brittani Master gives chase.

Their season over, the Illineks congratulate the Spartans on a hard-fought win. From left, Uni's Grill, Belmont, Skoza, and Shapley slap hands with SJ-O's Graham, Olson and Audra James.

Uni vs. St. Joseph-Ogden at a Glance

Game Summary
No. 2 seed St. Joseph-Ogden beat No. 3 seed Uni 57-53 in IHSA Class 2A regional semifinals

• Uni: 10 09 15 19 — 53
• SJO: 14 17 14 12 — 57

Game Highlights

• Uni played a tremendous game, coming back from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter to trail by only two points with 35 seconds remaining and then by three points with 12 seconds left
• Freshman Jamie Blue scored a game-high 23 points
• Senior Rachel Skoza scored 17 pts
• Sophomore Heather Lin advanced in the pregame three-point shooting contest
• Varsity final record: 16-9 overall, 9-3 East Central Illinois Conference

Uni Individual Statistics
Player: Total Points (2-pointers made - 3-pointers made - free throws made)

• Jamie Blue: 23 pts (6-1-8)
• Rachel Skoza: 17 pts (8-0-1)
• Michelle Wong: 6 pts (3-0-0)
• Jessi Sullivan: 3 pts (0-1-0)
• Erika Belmont: 2 pts (1-0-0)
• Joy Shapley: 2 pts (1-0-0)
• Rachel Harmon: 0 pts (0-0-0)
• Lizzy Warner: 0 pts (0-0-0)

For St. Joseph-Ogden, four players scored in double figures: sophomore Emily Kayser 15 pts (4-0-7), senior Erin Bensyl 14 pts (7-0-0), junior Bria Olson 14 pts (5-0-4), junior Rachael Graham 13 pts (0-2-7)

Uni Team Statistics (opponent totals in parentheses)

• Total Points: 53 (57)
• 2-pointers made: 19 (16)
• 3-pointers made: 2 (2)
• Free throws made: 9 (19)