MT. CARROLL – The case for the defense on the Rock Falls side was solid. Solid for three-plus quarters. From the 1-2-2 full-court press to a halfcourt defense that was beyond stingy, the Rockets had Rock Island Alleman on the ropes in their Class 2A regional semifinal Tuesday night at West Carroll Middle School.

But as quickly as the sixth-seeded Rockets built a nine-point lead, the third-seeded Pioneers seemed to chip it away.

A 14-4 run to end the third quarter ran into the midway part of the fourth quarter, and it helped Alleman seize control and ultimately capture a hard-fought 42-37 win.

Alleman (19-13) will face second-seeded Stillman Valley, a 58-30 winner over Riverdale, in Friday’s regional final. Rock Falls saw its season come to an end with an 18-14 mark.

“We played tremendous defense,” Rock Falls coach Daniel Herrera said. “Mentally we broke down there a little at the end, and that was what did us in.”

Rock Falls took the lead from Alleman late in the second quarter and built upon that in the third quarter, thanks in large part to its defense and the work on the offensive glass.

The Rockets outrebounded the Pioneers 13-3, and it was a rebound by Taylor Reyna that led to a Jacee Sigel 3-pointer that gave Rock Falls a 24-19 advantage at the break.

“We played extremely hard,” Herrera said. “We were forcing turnovers, and it led to good shots for us.”

The run extended to start the second half, ultimately blooming into a 12-2 burst and a 30-21 advantage with 3:47 left in the third quarter.

Just like that, Alleman’s defense turned the game around. A steal by Tyla Thomas (5 points) and a pair of buckets from Clair Hulke and Ava Brinkman erased the advantage the Rockets built.

“I think the turnaround for us came when Clair got a couple of shots to go,” Alleman coach Steve Ford said. “When Tyla got the steal and the layup, I think we started to settle in.”

Alleman turned the run into a long, drawn-out, 14-5 game-clinching burst. A bucket that resulted in a three-point play from Hulke gave the Pioneers the lead for good at 38-35 with 1:24 to go.

Hulke scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half, with eight of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Audrey Erickson also tossed in 12 points, including a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line in the last minute of play.

Reyna had 13 points and seven rebounds to lead the Rockets.

“I am proud of them,” Hererra said. “This team gave everything they had.”