Two of the state’s top Class 2A girls basketball teams met on Wednesday when Manteno, ranked 10th in the latest AP poll, visited a Watseka/Milford team that received votes in that same poll.

In a game that more than lived up to its billing, it was the visiting Panthers (20-3) that survived a late push from the Warriors (18-3) to gut out a 57-52 win and secure a second straight 20-win season for the first time in program history.

After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Panthers caught fire to open the second and build up a 26-14 lead. The Warriors battled back, cutting the Manteno advantage to 30-26 by halftime.

Watseka/Milford stayed within arm’s reach in the third quarter before taking a 43-42 lead early in the fourth quarter, its first lead since 9-8.

But the Panthers responded, getting a personal 6-0 run from junior Maddie Gesky, who finished with 19 points and 16 rebounds, to reclaim the lead for good.

“I think we play really well under pressure, and we thrive under pressure,” Gesky said. “We go until the very end no matter what. It didn’t really matter what the score was, because we’re going to play as hard as we could every time. Ultimately we came out on top.”

Manteno senior Emily Horath joined Gesky with a monster double-double of her own, finishing with 12 points, 18 rebounds and three assists.

She knocked down a key pair of free throws after Watseka’s Kami Muehling cut the score to 48-45 and ended Gesky’s run.

Horath then grabbed a tough offensive rebound on the next Panther possession, kicking it out to Lila Prindeville who hit a 3-pointer to put the Panthers up 53-45 with less than two minutes to go.

Horath’s willingness to battle for every loose ball and fight for every rebounds is something head coach Bethany Stritar said is vital to the team’s success.

“Her hustle and heart is what drives our team,” Stritar said. “If she’s doing all those things, it gives our girls and the rest of the team the courage to do that too. Unfortunately it got her into some foul trouble, but we need that intensity from her every game.”

Horath wasn’t the only player to find herself in foul trouble Wednesday. Along with Prindeville and Warriors leading scorer Christa Holohan, she played with four fouls down the stretch.

She ended up fouling out on a bang-bang play while trying to take a charge with 16 seconds to go, taking some hard contact in the process.

“I just love to get the hustle plays,” Horath said. “That’s my favorite part of the game. I love to cause turnovers, get deflections and steals, get all the hustle plays on the ground.”

Hannah Stritar finished with nine points and five rebounds for the Panthers while Sophie Peterson had eight points and four assists and Prindeville had seven points and three assists.

Wednesday’s win came two days after a tough loss to Class 1A powerhouse Cissna Park, and as the Panthers now look to secure a second straight Illinois Central Eight Conference title and second regional title in three years, Gesky said that games like they’ve faced the last few days are a great way to prepare.

“We already had confidence, but knowing we can compete with these tougher teams gives us confidence for the postseason,” she said. “The postseason is a whole new start.”

Watseka/Milford has plenty of big-game experience as well, coming off four straight regional titles and consecutive appearances in the Sweet 16.

As the Warriors gear up for a potential regional five-peat, head coach Barry Bauer said he was happy to see other players step up with Holohan limited with her foul trouble.

“That’s kind of the silver lining to this,” he said. “Christa didn’t play a lot of minutes tonight, and we still found ways to compete. The girls coming off the bench, that was a good sign. We’ve got a lot of people capable of hitting threes, and we knew we would have to take them tonight, but were a couple short.”

Holohan finished with a team-high 13 points. Rennah Barrett and Muehling added 10 apiece while Kyah Westerfield had eight. All four players made multiple 3-pointers, with Barrett making three.

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Girls Basketball: Manteno vs. Watseka/Milford Manteno's Brooke Blanchette drives against Watseka/Milford's Christa Holohan during Manteno's 57-52 victory on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Tiffany Blanchette)