HIGHLAND — Lauren Maas left the court with no regrets Monday night.
Sure, the Highland High senior guard was hoping for a better outcome than the 45-38 loss to Chatham Glenwood in the Class 3A Highland Super-Sectional girls basketball game.
But Maas, who poured in a game-high 17 points, put the entire season into perspective minutes after the painful season-ending, home-court setback.
"This whole season has been really memorable and I'm glad I got to play one more game at home here with these girls," Maas said. "I love them all and it's been a really great four years."
The Bulldogs, who won 17 of their final 21 games, turned in a strong second half to the campaign, which ended just one game short of a trip to the state tournament.
Glenwood (27-7) used second and third quarter outbursts to build up a double-digit lead before holding off a late Highland rally in the elite eight contest in eastern Madison County.
The Titans will face Hinsdale South (26-10) in a state semifinal at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal.
Highland (25-11) was looking to reach the state tournament for the second time in school history after finishing third in Class 3A in 2016.
The Bulldogs committed an uncharacteristic 21 turnovers, including 11 in the opening half when the Chatham-based school took the lead for good.
"They did a good job pressuring the ball and taking us out of some things," Highland coach Clint Hamilton said. "We just got sped up a little bit and made some mistakes we don't normally make."
Explained Maas, "They played tough defense, but we just weren't able to put the shots in."
Despite the overabundance of miscues, the Bulldogs chopped a 12-point third-quarter deficit to 39-37 with 3 minutes and 39 seconds left.
But another costly turnover allowed Glenwood to go on a 6-1 closing run to nail down the triumph.
Glenwood freshman Ava Bobb led the winners with 13 points. Bobb, who is the cousin of Father McGivney standout Sami Oller, said her team did a good job keeping its poise when the Bulldogs mounted a final threat.
"We're big on fundamentals and we're really good at keeping our composure in games," said Bobb, who led her team in scoring for the first time this season.
Highland fought back from an eight-point deficit with 5:01 left with a 6-0 run that was led by back-to-back baskets from sophomore guard Sophie Schroeder.
Senior forward Larissa Taylor, who finished with 10 points, closed the gap to two points on a short jumper.
But Glenwood answered with a 10-footer from Hope Gilmore and foul shots from Bobb and Makenna Yeager.
The Bulldogs drew even at 15-all on a jumper by Taylor midway through the second period.
Glenwood followed with a 7-0 burst to go up to stay. It tallied 10 of the first 13 points of the third quarter to grab the biggest lead of the night at 35-23.
Hamilton was proud of the way his team made a late run in the contest. He was also pleased that the Bulldogs were able to turn their season around after an 8-7 start to the year.
"It just hurt that it had to end this way," he said. "We're going to keep knocking on the door and it will eventually happen.
The Hawks went 28-3 under Chantell Polk this season and won the Class 4 girls basketball state championship, the program's second title in fou…
Highland forward Abby Schultz (right) misses a pass inside under pressure from Chatham Glenwood guard Hope Gilmore. Chatham Glenwood defeated Highland in the Highland Class 3A girls Super-Sectional at Highland High School in Highland, IL on Monday February 26, 2024. Tim Vizer/Special to STLhighschoolsports.com