As Illinois Central Eight Conference rivals Manteno and Wilmington met for the IHSA Class 2A Seneca Regional championship on Thursday, one team’s historic season would continue on, along with a new plaque, while the other team’s season for the books would conclude its last chapter.

In a matchup of teams that set their program’s single-season wins records, it was the Panthers who continued on, using a dominant third quarter to run away with a 50-37 championship win, their second regional title in three seasons and fourth in school history.

“I remember winning a regional championship my sophomore year and knew I wanted at least one more,” Manteno senior guard Alyssa Singleton said. “I’ve been on varsity since I was a freshman, and I couldn’t leave with just one. … It’s so different (as a senior). I feel all the emotions."

Junior center Maddie Gesky got a couple buckets in the last minute of the first quarter to turn a 10-8 deficit into a 12-10 Manteno lead through a quarter. But the Wildcats responded early in the second, reclaiming a 16-15 lead on Keeley Walsh’s basket with 5:20 left in the half.

Sami Liaromatis grew that lead to 18-15 a possession later, but Manteno’s full-court defense started to find its groove over the last half of the second, forcing a fury of Wilmington turnovers over the last few minutes of the half and a total of 20 in the opening frames. That allowed the Panthers to take a narrow 22-20 lead at the half, one that would only grow during a dominant third quarter.

“Just go out there with confidence,” Panthers coach Bethany Stritar told her team at the break. “These shots are going to fall, so just keep shooting. Don’t beat yourself up, we’re on the path. We knocked the lid off the basket and made some shots for ourselves.”

Did they ever. The third quarter couldn’t have been more favorable for the Panthers, who outscored the Wildcats 15-1 in the quarter to take a commanding 37-21 lead before finishing the job in the fourth.

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Manteno's Maddie Gesky (23) blocks a shot from Wilmington's Keeley Walsh during the IHSA Class 2A Seneca Regional championship Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Mason Schweizer)

Gesky, the Panthers’ career scoring leader, tallied 16 of her game-high 23 points in the second half. As Manteno (26-6) adds on to its new program single-season wins record, Gesky said Wednesday is when her and her Panther teammates realized how special their season was becoming, a season they didn’t plan on ending yet.

“I think today is when it really hit us,” Gesky said. “It’s do or die now. This team is more than a team to us, it’s been a family since we started basketball together.”

Gesky added 11 rebounds for a double-double and swept four steals, tied with Lila Prindeville and Brooke blanchette for the team lead. Singleton had 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Emily Horath added nine points, 11 boards and three steals.

After dropping a 48-47 senior night heartbreaker to the Wildcats last Monday, Stritar said that Wednesday’s defensive intensity was more aligned with their 56-41 win at Wilmington last month than last week’s loss.

And the extra motivation didn’t hurt.

“When I looked back we were more aggressive in that first game than we were the second game,” Stritar said. “So, having that to respond to, plus the girls wanted their revenge because that was their senior night.”

The Wildcats (21-11) not only set a new program standard for wins in a year as well, but made it back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. Walsh’s 13 points led the Wildcats, who also got 11 from Sami Liaromatis.

“I don’t think they ever really knew what it meant,” Dillon said of the Wildcats’ two-year run. “Every game, every practice we just approached it the same way. We just tried to be consistent and I think that helped. Their hard work, their commitment, I just couldn’t be proud of what they were able to do this year and going back to last year.”

Manteno will face St. Joseph-Ogden in the Pontiac Sectional semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.