The sad thing about Cinderella stories in March is that they often end with the clock striking twelve and the carriage turning back into a pumpkin. The nation gets to see it every year in the NCAA March Madness Tournament with teams like Gonzaga and Butler when they filled those roles year in and year out. Wildcat nation unfortunately watched their version of the story unfold on Tuesday as the girls basketball team hosted the Mexico Bulldogs in a Class 4 sectional game.

Both teams found their stride late in the season pulling off district championship upsets to advance in the postseason. Mexico entered district play with a 12-13 record which earned them the third seed.  They cruised through the tournament knocking off top seeded Kirksville by 22 points in the championship game, avenging two regular season losses. The Cats started the season slow but came on late entering districts with a 10-16 record after playing a rigorous schedule that included six district champions and three final four teams. Those tough games during the regular season prepared them to pull off the overtime upset and win the District 7 championship.

On Tuesday, the Cats raced out to an earlier double digit lead in the first quarter before leading 17-11 at the horn. Mexico was able to cut into the lead in the second quarter with Westminster up 27-24 at the intermission. It was in the third quarter that Mexico asserted themselves on the glass and their aggressiveness took over. Stealing multiple possessions by grabbing offensive rebounds and creating turnovers, the Bulldogs scored 25 third quarter points to take a 49-42 lead into the fourth quarter. As the clock ticked down, the Cats were able to mount a momentary rally in the middle of the period to cut a double digit lead to eight before Mexico went on another run to pull away for the win.

Addie Kane scored 21 points in the final game of her stellar career that saw her eclipse 1,400 total points while Essence Robertson scored 13 points in 6 of 12 shooting from the field. Brooke Brasfield also ended her basketball career as a Wildcat pulling down 10 rebounds.

It was a great season for the girls as they came out of nowhere to reach double digit wins and celebrate a district championship. Their season was a testament to what can happen when you continue to work and persevere through early struggles and begin to believe in yourself and your team.

Metro Sports STL - District Championship Article