Ottawa went into Monday’s road matchup against Bradley-Bourbonnais with 13 more wins this season than the host Boilermakers.

Despite this discrepancy, the Pirates found themselves having to respond to scorching start by an upset-minded host that was looking to steal a win on senior night.

After trailing by 11 points in the game’s opening minutes, Ottawa (16-9) steadily climbed back into it, taking its first lead early in the second quarter and holding on through a tense second half for a 55-44 win over the Boilermakers (2-24).

Mary Stisser, who tied for second on the Pirates with 11 points Monday, said she and her teammates did a good job responding after Bradley-Bourbonnais’ fast start to avoid a third straight loss.

“It was definitely really big to get the win today,” she said. “It was a long bus ride on a Monday night after Super Bowl Sunday. It was a tough one for sure, but we showed a lot of togetherness and strength to pull that one out.”

That 80 minute bus ride home nearly felt a lot longer for the Pirates.

Bradley-Bourbonnais got out to a 6-0 lead, and after Ottawa got on the scoreboard, went on a 7-0 run to go up 13-2.

The Pirates quickly got their bearings, mounting an 11-0 run of their own to tie things up before the Boilermakers took a 17-13 lead by the end of the opening frame.

The first 10 points of the second quarter belonged to the Pirates, the last six of which came on a pair of 3-pointers from freshman Kennedy Kane. Kane made four 3’s in the opening half as she kept the Pirates afloat with 17 points.

She said the support from her teammates has made it easier for her to step up as a freshman and find the confidence to knock down shots like she did Monday.

“It’s been a journey, and it’s been step by step,” she said. “The upperclassmen really help me out. They’re always hyping me up. Even when I’m making mistakes, they’re always there saying ‘you’re good. You’ve got the next play.’ That’s nice for me.”

Ottawa head coach Brent Moore said Kane’s emergence has been huge for a team that needed to replace an excellent senior class from last season’s regional-winning team, and she figures to be a leader for years to come.

“We had a couple players get shuffled around early in the season, and she stepped right into the point guard role,” he said. “She barely comes off the floor. She’s flourishing, and the Lady Pirates are very fortunate to have her for the next three years too.”

Kane helped Ottawa outscore the Boilermakers 16-4 in the second quarter and take a 29-21 lead into halftime after a Stisser 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Despite facing their largest deficit of the game, the Boilermakers did not go away in the second half.

They shrunk the Ottawa lead to just three points by the midway point of the third, and after the Pirates started to pull away again, Nat Coday drilled a third-quarter buzzer beater to make it a 42-36 game heading into the fourth.

After going scoreless in the third quarter, Kane made a pair of big free throws with 1:01 to go to put the Pirates up 52-44.

She finished with a game-high 19 points while Libby Muffler tied Stisser with 11 points, all coming in the second half. Hailey Thrush added nine points.

The Boilermakers nearly snapped their 20-game losing streak on Monday, instead taking a tough loss in their penultimate regular season game.

Coday finished with 15 points in her final home game, while junior Abby Bonilla had 13 points and Nia Lawrence had 10.

Coday, Lawrence, Sami Shoven, Jayden Vaughn and Nevaeh Davis were all recognized for senior night Monday.

Head coach Kevin Maciejewski said he’s proud of how the group has stepped up as leaders on and off the court throughout their time with the team, even as that nears an end.

“I’m just really proud of the way they consistently show up even though its been a tough couple years in terms of wins and losses,” he said. ‘They continue to show up and put in the work. That’ll prove big for them later in life.

“...I’m just proud of our seniors, the leadership they bring and just who they are as people.”

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Girls Basketball: Bradley-Bourbonnais vs. Ottawa Ottawa's Ashlynn Ganiere is fouled by Bradley-Bourbonnais' Katie McBurnie late in the fourth quarter during Ottawa's 55-44 victory on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (Tiffany Blanchette)