Providence senior Landrie Callahan set her career high in scoring last season with 41 points against Yorkville Christian while playing for Morris.

She did not set her career high Thursday night in a 72-44 dismantling of Hillcrest in the Class 3A Hillcrest Sectional, but it still might have been the best performance of her career. If not, it’s certainly on the short list.

Callahan, a Pepperdine University commit, dominated on both ends on the floor. She scored using a variety of post moves, some offensive rebounds, a pair of 3-pointers and a 10 of 12 performance from the free throw line en route to 38 points to help the Celtics (31-4) win just their second sectional title in school history and the first since 2020.

Their reward is a matchup with Washington in the Kankakee Supersectional at 6:30 p.m. Monday. Washington has been atop the IHSA Class 3A Associated Press poll for most of the season. The Panthers won the Metamora Sectional with a 61-37 win over Galesburg.

“My teammates are amazing,” Callahan said. “All of the credit goes to them. When I first came here, everyone was so welcoming since Day 1, and they keep pushing me to be not only the best player I can be, but also the best person I can be.

“It’s nice because everyone on the team can score. The other night, all of our starters were in double figures. Having everyone on the floor that can score takes a lot of pressure off me and I can just relax. We played Washington last year when I was at Morris, so I am familiar with them. We’re excited to play them.”

The Celtics never trailed in the contest and jumped out to a 6-0 lead on baskets by Taylor Healy (8 points) and Layken Callahan (13 points) and two free throws by Landrie Callahan. The free throws marked a run of 11 straight Providence points scored by Landrie Callahan.

The always-stingy Providence defense held the Hawks to just six points in the first quarter and the Celtics closed the quarter with a 15-6 lead.

The Providence lead continued to grow in the second quarter. Hillcrest’s Da’jha Johnson, who brought her own heroic performance with 32 points, made a pair of free throws to start the second before Healy scored on a putback. A basket by Johnson made it 17-10, but another Providence run was in the wings.

Landrie Callahan assisted on a basket by Layken Callahan before Healy made a pair of free throws. Landrie Callahan then scored nine straight points to put the Celtics ahead 30-10. One of her baskets was a highlight-reel play. Providence’s Eilish Raines grabbed a rebound and started up the left side of the floor. Landrie Callahan sprinted out ahead of the Hillcrest defense on the right side and Raines fired a one-handed baseball pass from one free throw line to the other, hitting Callahan in stride and she finished with a layup while being fouled.

“Eilish is amazing,” Landrie Callahan said. “She’s probably averaging about eight assists a game. She knows where everyone is going to be and she sees the floor very well.”

Callahan’s burst helped the Celtics build a 36-12 halftime lead.

Hillcrest outscored Providence 20-16 in the third quarter, getting 14 of those points from Johnson. Both Callahans scored seven in the quarter for Providence.

The Celtics held a comfortable lead throughout the fourth, and with 2:06 left, both benches were emptied. Providence seniors Marilyn Burke and Sophia Tavares each made a 3-pointer in the final stretch.

“We have been focusing on defense a lot this season,” Providence coach Eileen Copenhaver said. “Early in the season, we were a little lazy on defense. I told the girls that if they can get some baskets off of defensive turnovers, then not all of our scoring has to come in the half-court.

“Eilish Raines has been making great passes all year. Even if a pass isn’t on target, you can look and see it was a good idea. She has such great court vision and is like having a coach on the floor. Landrie Callahan was phenomenal. She was definitely on point tonight. She is very good at finishing when she gets the ball, and we did a good job of getting it to her tonight.

“We got to the sectional final last year and lost, so we really wanted this one. It’s going to be a tough supersectional. Washington is No. 1 in the state, and we’re excited for the opportunity to play them.”