The girls basketball team traveled to Orchard Farm on Thursday to kick off their MSHSAA Class 4 district tournament. As the second seed, the team received a bye in the first round and advanced to play St. Charles in the semifinal round. A win against St. Charles would advance them to the championship game against St. Charles West on Saturday.

The first half action in the semifinal game went back and forth as the teams traded punches, neither gaining a significant advantage. Scoring was tough to come by as both teams locked down on defense and St. Charles did a great job stopping our leading scorer, senior Addie Kane. Most of Westminster's scoring came from junior Addi Drumm as she buried three 3-point shots and made a free throw to score 10 of the team's 15 points as they trailed 15-16 at the half.

The third quarter saw more of the same as both teams struggled on the offensive end. A 7-0 run at the end of the period put the Cats up 24-21 heading into the fourth. St. Charles hit a three point shot with less than six minutes remaining to tie the game at 26. The Wildcats then turned up the pressure, with junior Essence Robertson creating havoc at the top of the full court press, creating multiple turnovers and easy baskets. Addie Kane came alive on the offensive end, scoring 11 of her 14 points in the fourth. Over the last five plus minutes of the game, the team outscored St. Charles 15-2 to run away with the win by a final of 41-28. The victory propelled the Cats to the championship game against top-seeded St. Charles West, which knocked off Visitation earlier in the evening.

St. Charles West boasted the third leading scorer in the St. Louis area and a 20-7 record. It was obvious from the tip that Wildcat Coach Nic Zenker had a plan to limit the touches of the Warrior's top player using sophomore Lane Highmark and junior Kamia Cleveland to faceguard her in the box and one defense. This tactic paid huge dividends by frustrating the opponent's offense and holding their leading scorer to just 10 points (only five in regulation) after they had averaged more than 20 per game during the season. On the offensive end, Addie Kane got off to a fast start scoring nine points in the first quarter as the Cats led 9-5 at the first horn. The teams traded baskets in the second quarter providing a 19-15 halftime score with Kane scoring 14 of Westminster's 19 points.

St. Charles West showed why they were awarded the top seed in the tournament in the third quarter despite not getting the normal production from their star. The Warriors outscored the Cats nine to four to take a one point lead going into the fourth, 24-23. The teams traded blows throughout the fourth quarter with Robertson scoring a bucket and then an Addi Drumm three-pointer scored between two West three-pointers. Robertson then made two free throws to tie the score at 30 with 2:25 remaining, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

Neither team could score over the next minute and a half and it looked as if West would hold for the last shot as the clock ticked under a minute. However, just like she did a number of times in the semifinal game, Essence Robertson got her hand in the way of a bounce pass near halfcourt and made a steal to give Westminster the final position. Addie Kane got a shot off at the buzzer but it fell short as she looked to have been fouled on the arm. The officials did not see it the same way and so regulation ended the way the game started and overtime was necessary to settle the championship.

St. Charles West won the tip to start the four minute overtime and senior Brooke Brasfield set the tone by taking a defensive charge on the first possession. A bucket by Kane and two free throws by Robertson put the Cats up 34-30 with 2:12 left on the clock. Drumm jumped in front of a pass into the post for a steal on the next defensive possession and then Brasfield drove to the basket for a left handed layup to put the team up six and stun the Warriors. The top seed quickly regained their composure with a basket of their own and then two free throws to bring the score back within reach at 36-34. With the game on the line, the Wildcat's leading scorer took the ball from the right wing, dribbled around her defender, and made a nifty layup to extend the lead back to two possessions with only 50 seconds left. Robertson then picked the pocket of the Warrior's top player at the top of the key and took it the distance for an easy layup to push the lead back to six and send the Wildcat faithful into a frenzy with 24 seconds left. An ill-advised foul on the defensive end led to three free throws for West but Addie Kane iced the game with two free throws of her own and the clock showing 4.3 seconds. West would fail to get off a final, inconsequential shot and a game filled with excitement and drama ended in an upset with the Wildcats claiming the championship by a score of 42-37!

The remarkable turnaround after winning only four games last season continues this week as the girls host Mexico in the sectional game on Tuesday. Make sure to come out and support the team as they look advance to the state quarterfinals! Tip-off is at 6 p.m. and all tickets must be purchased digitally on the MSHSAA website. We will share a presale code on Monday morning via email to students, employees, and athlete parents and a push notification from the Westminster Athletics mobile app. All tickets remaining after the presale ends (12 p.m. on Tuesday) will be available to the general public. 

We need a large and loud crowd to support the team on Tuesday!