Story by I70sports.com’s Seth Whitehead—
Senior Katie Eckhardt set the tone for the Vandalia girls basketball team’s storybook Senior Night by reaching the 1,000-point milestone on a mid-range jumper at the 3:07 mark of the first quarter, and the Lady Vandals went on to cruise past Piasa Southwestern Thursday, 41-24.
Eckhardt came into the game needing just three points to reach the 1,000-point milestone after her 22-point outburst the night before against Roxana. She wasted little time hitting a quick basket early in the first quarter before scoring points No. 1,000 and 1,001 on the aforementioned jumper a couple possessions later.
Fellow senior Bella Lamonica also finished her VCHS career in memorable fashion with a pair of baskets in the second half to help the Lady Vandals pull away.
A raucous student section fueled a fitting finish to the regular season, as Vandalia enjoyed the lead the entire night and went up by double figures for good on an Eckhardt 3-pointer at the 5:02 mark of the third quarter.
Eckhardt stuffed the stat sheet in her final home game, finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Junior Madison Lupton scored a game-high 15 points and also grabbed five steals.
The Lady Vandals (8-21) finished the regular season on a three-game home winning streak and will begin postseason play against the host team at the Greenville Class 2A regional Saturday at 1 p.m.
Vandalia Individual Stats
Madison Lupton — 15 points, 1 rebound, 5 steals, 2 assists, 1 block
Katie Eckhardt — 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Ollie Whitehead — 4 points, 3 rebounds
Bella Lamonica — 4 points, 1 rebound
Rebekah Miller — 3 points
Tayler Oakes — 1 point
Livi Wehrle — 2 steals, 1 assist
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