HIGHLAND - Junior forward Olivia Durbin connected for 20 points, including four three-pointers, to help Civic Memorial on to a 54-38 win over Alton in a highly-anticipated semifinal game in the Highland Girls Basketball Tournament Thursday night at the Highland gym.
The Eagles scored on nine threes, six of them in the second half, to advance to Saturday's final in a rematch between the two teams, which saw CM win over the Redbirds at home on Dec. 13.
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"Alton is a good team," said Eagles coach Mike Arbuthnot. "They're athletic and well-coached. We had a good game, and we played them earlier in the year, so we knew going this would be a good game."
The Eagles executed their game plan well, with Durbin hitting her 20 points, while Kelbie Zupan scored 11 points while holding.
Arbuthnot is very impressed with Alton's team and knows they have a great future ahead.
"They've had some kids move in, and had a good junior high team," Arbuthnot said, "and their future looks bright."
The Redbirds took the early lead with an 11-2 run to start, but CM came back in the second quarter on the strength of their three-point shooting, then went on a 16-7 run to take the 33-20 and never looked back.
Jarius Powers led Alton with 11 points. Redbird star guard Kiyoko Proctor had four points.
The Eagles improved their record to 20-3 with the win and will meet undefeated Okawville, currently 24-0, in Saturday's final, starting at 2:30 p.m. Arbuthnot knows his team will be ready for the challenge.
"I hope we come out on top, that's for sure," Arbuthnot said with a laugh. "They're undefeated, and they have some good kids. It's number one versus number two, and they're the top seed, so we'll see what happens."
The Redbirds are now 15-4 on the year and will face O'Fallon in the third-place game at 1 p.m.
