AMBOY – The Amboy Lady Clippers won their second straight Class 1A regional championship with a pair of victories on their home floor.

Amboy opened up the regional with a 62-30 triumph over Ashton-Franklin Center on Feb. 12.

AFC held the ball early in the first quarter. Amboy went man-to-man on defense and slowly pulled out to an 11-4 lead. The Lady Clippers continued to build on the margin and took a 29-10 halftime advantage.

Abi Payne led all scorers with 26 points on 11 of 15 shooting. Payne also paced the team with seven assists. Kyleigh Donna also shot well and had 12 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots. Brianna Blaine made four of six shots for eight points, and she also grabbed four rebounds, while Mallory Powers contributed six points, nine boards and three assists. 

Also contributing to the win were Gabby Jones (three points, five rebounds, four assists, five steals), Olivia Dinges (three points, four rebounds, three assists), Ashley Althaus (two points) and Tori Daniels (two points.)

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Amboy went up against a tall Fulton squad in the championship game and eventually outlasted the Lady Steamers, 41-30, on Feb. 14.

Fulton came in with a front line standing 6-0, 5-11, 5-11, and its guards possessed good quickness. That, along with a quality triangle and two defense, proved to be a big challenge for the Lady Clippers.

Amboy trailed 8-4 after the opening period and was down 14-13 at the half. Amboy picked up its offense in the second half, forging in front 23-22 after three quarters, and then outscoring Fulton, 18-8, in the fourth to claim its fourth regional crown in six years.

Amboy was led by Payne with 11 points. Powers had eight points, five rebounds and four assists, while Dinges provided eight points, six boards and five assists. Dinges connected on a pair of three-pointers in the fourth quarter to stretch Amboy’s lead and had three of her assists in the crucial moments. 

Other performances that helped the Lady Clippers’ cause included Donna with six points, four rebounds and two steals, Jones with six points and 11 rebounds, and Blaine with a deuce.

Amboy (30-1) played Galena in the semifinals of the Pecatonica Sectional on Tuesday night. The sectional championship game is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20. 

The winner of the Pecatonica Sectional will advance to the Streamwood Supersectional to face the champion from the Chicago (Collins Academy) Sectional at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24 for a right to move on to the Class 1A State Tournament.