With fans from both teams showing their appreciation with an ovation, she walked with her head held high across the court to the bench one last time.
But her mother and head coach stopped her for a teary-eyed embrace before she could get there.
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” said Amanda Mounce, the eighth-year head coach of the Lady Climbers, who overcame early injuries to two key players to win the Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail division with a 9-1 mark.
“A lot of people counted us out. A lot of people thought, ‘Oh man, it’s going to be kind of rough season.’ But you know, our girls believed differently. We still had goals, and we still we reached the goals that we set this season.”
Peyton Mounce, a 5-foot-10 wing, led the league in scoring (26.3 points per game) and rebounding (11.1) en route to being named the division’s player of the year.
Alex Dixon, a 5-8 junior, returned from injury in late January and had 12 points in Urbana’s 58-48 district championship win over Batavia, but the magic ran out for the Climbers against a deep, talented McNicholas team hardened by playing in the rugged Greater Catholic League Co-Ed division.
“For her to play such a huge role here down the stretch for us and making this run into playoffs, it was a bonus to have her back and adding to what we’ve been doing all year,” Amanda Mounce said. “Other girls stepped up in a huge way. Role players for us had to step into some big shoes, and they’ve done a phenomenal job.”
They fell behind 14-2 early and were down 18-7 at the end of the first quarter Tuesday night but mounted a challenge early in the second when Mounce poured in 14 points after not scoring in the first quarter.
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Urbana (21-5) drew within a point early in the frame, but the Rockets scored the next four before another basket by Mounce, and they were able to open up a seven-point lead just before halftime.
Ali Strange hit a 3-pointer for the Rockets to start the second half, and the Hillclimbers trailed by double digits most of the rest of the way.
They made one last push midway through the fourth quarter when they scored five straight points on a 3-pointer by Dixon and a put-back by Brylee Spriggs that made it 49-40, but the Rockets came back with five quick points of their own to end the rally with under three minutes to go.
The younger Mounce ended the night with 26 points and the appreciation of fans from both sides.
“Peyton’s had a great year,” her mother said. “Watching her grow and be a leader and just take this team and put it on her back and say, ‘You know, we’re going to reach our goals.’ And it’s been fun to watch her this year and sit back and let her more or less lead this team instead of being so hard on her like I have in the past, but allow her to do it. It’s been a fun ride.”
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